Earlier this week the Leica Rumors site came up with something that quickened my interest. It is alleged that Leica is working on a remake of the legendary 28mm f/5.6 Summaron, an oddball lens that fully qualifies for the description of pancake. It isn’t a lens I had ever seen in the metal, so I took myself off to Old Street where Red Dot Cameras has an example of almost everything ever made. I just knew Ivor Cooper would have one tucked away somewhere. I wasn’t disappointed.
The f/5.6 Summaron superseded the veteran 2.8cm f/6.3 Hektor and was launched in 1956. Just 6,228 28mm Summarons in screw-mount were manufactured between 1955 and 1963. The lens is a high performer, despite the slow f/5.6 maximum aperture. It is very compact and beautifully constructed; unfortunately it is quite rare and this used example at Red Dot Cameras in London is priced at £599.
Street photography
My interest was aroused because I can see such a lens, if it is ever produced, becoming a favourite among street photographers. It is tiny and unthreatening and will look great on either a film camera or a modern digital. I can see it on my M-D already. The slow aperture is no problem for street photographers where f/5.6-f/8 is the normal range in order to achieve a useful depth of field. Fast apertures can be awkward for quick shooting because of the critical focus requirement.
Take into account the wide 28mm focal length—enjoying a resurgence of popularity following the success of the Leica Q—and we could well have a perfect little street lens on our hands. It will be a doddle for zone focus, even better than the popular 35mm Summicron. Choose a suitable hyperfocal distance of 1.5 or 2 metres and just about everything you point the camera at will be acceptably sharp.
The popular 28mm f/2.8 Elmarit has similar characteristics but, although small itself, it cannot be compared with the Summaron, a petite little thing if ever there were one. I image a new version will have to be slightly larger, but there is plenty of scope for Leica’s engineers to come up with the smallest M-mount lens in current production.
If nothing else, this rumour will rekindle interest in the few vintage Summaron f/5.6 lenses on the market. They are already rare and I can see them being snapped up rapidly. After all, a new version is going to be at least three times the price if/when it arrives.
The lens in the photograph is available from Red Dot Cameras at the time of writing.
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I used to own a Summaron 28mm f/5.6, but traded it in as part of a complete Leica IIIf kit (camerabody, Summaron 28mm, Elmar 50mm, Hektor 135mm) for a brand new Leica M6. The lens was very compact, focussing was very smooth, but I remember the colour rendition with slide film to be quite cool and I sort of disliked the limitation of the f/5.6 full opening. But it was the most beautiful of the three lenses, and in prestine condition. The only thing I didn’t sell was its beautiful metal lenscap with the Leica logo on it. Would I only have known then that it was a relative rarity, the price I got for the complete kit was less than £599 🙁
What year did you sell, René, that sounds a very low price, especially with the old Summaron 5.6 fetching up to £600. Hold on to that cap, it could be valuable.
I think it was 1996, Mike. I saw the M6 for the first time in real life in a small camerashop in Vienna on a business trip in 1995, and was much impressed by the compactness of the M-lenses (and still am). The Leica IIIf kit was given to me by my father and I simply couldn’t resist the M6. Had to confess to my father that I traded in his camera and showed him the M6. He looked at it and through it and much to my relief he said: "I would have done the same". But in retrospect I should have kept the IIIf and lenses. Still own the M6, adore it and will never ever sell it. In 3 million years they will dig it up and say: "Look, a sign of an ancient civilization". Love your blog.
Renè,
Thank you for your nice comment on the blog. Yes, hindsight is a wonderful thing. I have sold many things that I should have kept. On the other hand, I got rid of many things that I ought to have sold earlier. It’s a nice story, though, especially your father’s reaction.
The good thing about Leica film cameras is that they are something to keep for a lifetime.
Mike
Yes I have one as well, super little lens as incidentally was the Russian made Leica screw fit 28mm f6.3 Orion at a fraction of the price. Don Morley
Hola, Don, good to hear from you. I’m definitely going to buy one of these if/when/probably it is launched. It’s one of those quirky lenses that will appeal.
Correction. On pulling out my f5.6 Summaron from a cabinet in order to put it on my m240, I see that it has a red aperture scale for depth of field but the indicator on mine is a black triangle, whereas the one at Westlicht has a red triangle. Confusing maybe; but I only say this for accuracy and clarification.
William
These are rare and expensive. There is one coming up at Westlicht with a start price of €400 and an expected range of €800 to €1000. It seems to have a red scale which I have not seen with this lens before. The hoods for these are also rare and fetch prices around €300. I have both the lens (black scale) and the hood. Without the hood you are talking about a very low profile ‘pancake’ format on an M body.
The lens works very well on digital bodies and I will shoot some images with it on the M240 and send the results to you. I would actually be interested in a modern version of this lens; perhaps the first potential modern Leica lens product that has aroused my interest for quite some time. The f5.6 Summarons are coated and give a more modern look than pre war lenses such as the 28mm f6.3 Hektor.
William