Four new lenses for Leica M mount

[Roger Hicks]

Maybe part of the price saving is in the focusing mounts. These had always been hand-lapped, which is obviously labour-intensive and time-consuming but makes for tremendous durability. When I was at the factory in May, though, they said they had some ideas on mechanizing this. If they have succeeded in doing so, this might put a good-sized dent in the price.

So do all-spherical elements (Leica's larger aspheric surfaces are ground, not hybrid, though the smallest aspheric elements are moulded glass), together with significant reductions in size and weight thanks to the lower maximum speeds. For a given level of engineering quality and complexity, the cost per pound (or gram, or whatever) is far more constant than seems intuitively likely.

[Tom Duffy]

What is a Summarit?

A Summarit used to indicate, back in Leica screw mount days (pre 1954) a fast lens of about f1.5. Seems like they bastardized the classic meaning by calling f2.5 lenses Summarits instead of Elmarits.

Probably going to be very sharp with better mechanical quality than similar Cosina lenses, but way more expensive than used fast lenses.

Good to have choices.

Take care,
Tom

Edit: sorry I didn't see lens hackers response about Summarits before I posted

[John McCallum]

A Summarit used to indicate, back in Leica screw mount days (pre 1954) a fast lens of about f1.5. Seems like they bastardized the classic meaning by calling f2.5 lenses Summarits instead of Elmarits.

That was my feeling.

Roger thanks for the info. Re your comment upon if you can afford the body you can afford the lenses, well I dunno, a suite of lense bumps it into a different category of affordability (it would for myself if I entertained the idea anyway).

Cheers, John

[copake_ham]

A Summarit used to indicate, back in Leica screw mount days (pre 1954) a fast lens of about f1.5. Seems like they bastardized the classic meaning by calling f2.5 lenses Summarits instead of Elmarits.

Probably going to be very sharp with better mechanical quality than similar Cosina lenses, but way more expensive than used fast lenses.

Good to have choices.

Take care,
Tom

Edit: sorry I didn't see lens hackers response about Summarits before I posted

What will be interesting is NOT the comparison of these new Summarits to Cosina lenses. It's how they stack up against the CZ's ZM lenses at the same price point?

Given that many who own a Leica camera body will want a Leitz lens no matter the quality - this may well be a very telling blow against CZ's "incursion" onto Leica's 'turf'.

What's really amusing is to read all the folk here now praise these new Summarits (yet to be released, BTW) without knowing about how they test for quality.

Perhaps a classic example of "Leica glow"?

BTW: as a marketing strategy, this kind of reminds me of how Nikon cheapened the Nikkor label by creating a separate "consumer class" of lenses with the resulting market confusion!

[Roger Hicks]

Lens hoods sold separately (not built in); velour pouches instead of echt leder zip cases; this is going to bring the cost down as well. the more I think about it, the more convinced I am that these lenses are essentially designed as bait for ZI and Voigtlander owners, who wonder what a 'real' Leica lens might be like. Then, once they've bought a Leica lens, maybe they'll buy a Leica too...

[Donald Boyd]

Are these new lenses a continuation of the "c" line?

[Keith Cocker]

"Are these new lenses a continuation of the "c" line?"

Doubt it since the c's are from the 70's. More a continuation of the 28mm Elmarit

[Donald Boyd]

How is the Elmarit line compared with the top line?

[Tom Duffy]

Don't quote me, especially with two kids in college, but I'd be seriously interested in the 75mm. It's my favorite focal length and the 75 Summilux is too big and the 75 Summicron is out of reach financially.

I bet they'll be made to a very high standard of quality with the cost savings coming from the moderate speed and spherical design.

[Roger Hicks]

How is the Elmarit line compared with the top line?

For many years, Leica has used names to indicate speeds: Noctilux f/1 or f/1.2, Summilux f/1.4, Summicron f/2, Elmar/Elmarit f/2.8 or f/3.4 or f/3.5. Nowe they're reintroducing the old Summarit name (formerly a single 50/1.5 lens) as the f/2.5 line. There are no 'top' or 'inferior' lines, just different speeds.