Hi dear all! I'm planning to (slowly) get closer to a Leica M "system" from SRL's Nikon equip. Of course I'm looking to the second hand departments of photo stores. Assuming that a decent M camera, i.e. M-4, M-4P is relatively affordable, a couple of nice lenses rise the budget considerably. The idea is to start with the mythical 50 mm and maybe later on a wider lens, such as a 28 mm or 35 mm. One of these "gems" in a good state cost (used) not less than $ 1000, so I would like to be sure to make a good buy. What are the features to look at in a lens of such type? - Thank you very much for your responses - Marco.

-- Marco Maria Colombo (mcolombo@iol.it), September 23, 2001

Answers

Take a small flashlight with you and shine it through the lens from the back while you look in from the front--you'll be surprised what you see, and you'll have to learn what it's OK to ignore! Fogging scum on the internal elements isn't good, but can often/usually be cleaned out, if you're willing to pay. Fungus (looks like a spider has been drawing on an internal element) isn't so good, and doesn't usually clean off. Scratches on the front (look carefully--they can be hard to see! View from the back, light across the front), however, are there forever. Scratches in the center are the worst, since the smaller the lense is stopped down the greater percentage of glass the scratch represents; scratches on the edge, the opposite. If you're lucky you'll find a lens from someone like me who believes 100% in UV filters and back caps. :-) Big dents are never good--who knows what's been knocked out of whack--missing paint on the outside is completely insignificant, except in pricing, which will be to your advantage. Many people here and on other forums have spoken well of KEH.com for used stuff, whose grading is tight and whose dealing is fair.

-- Michael Darnton (mdarnton@hotmail.com), September 23, 2001.

Basically, the same issues hold for evaluating Leica M lense as any others ... look for signs of fungus, damage to the coatings or lenses, dents and other signs of abuse. Otherwise, enjoy.

If you're on a tight budget, the Summicron-M 50/2 is a very sweet lens, as are the various generations of the Summicron-M 35/2. The current Elmar-M 50/2.8 is very well thought of as well. I tend to go to the Leica specialists rather than the larger camera houses ... Don Chatterton and Tamarkin have done very well for me on both new and used equipment. See and .

-- Godfrey (ramarren@bayarea.net), September 23, 2001.

So, how does one treat, use and store presently owned lenses to prevent them from developing fungus?

-- mark (mramra@qwest.net), September 23, 2001.

Well, on another forum recently that issue came up, and someone said expose the lens to sunlight and the UV will kill it; then another person said glass blocks UV--keep them dry. I just got a lens that had spent the last 20 year or so in Arizona, and it had fungus, so maybe dry isn't the answer, either. . . .

-- Michael Darnton (mdarnton@hotmail.com), September 23, 2001.

This isn't really an answer to Marco's question. Marco also cross posted his question on Photo.net. Check out the responses.

-- Richard Le (rvle@bellatlantic.net), September 23, 2001.

Leica lens repair expert Bill Maxwell told me the worst stuff he'd ever seen was equipment stored for years in safe deposit boxes and safes. Total darkenss and lack of air movement seem to make theses strange life forms that can live on glass very happy. I was surprised when I found out that the slight haze I saw in my DR 50 wasn't a dirty film, but the failure of the coating itself that had become slighlt opague (boo hoo). I am very cautious about buying any expensive older vintage lenses at this point.

-- Andrew Schank (aschank@flash.net), September 23, 2001.

Andrew:

Storing items in a safe is like storing them in a cave... One way to avoid the moisture problems in safes or photo cabinets, is to outfit them with an item called a "Golden Rod". This is available at sporting goods stores, and is designed for preventing rust during prolonged firearm storage. It is a rod about 1" in diameter and 12" long, and yes, it is gold in color. You plug it in and it heats up - just enough to keep dampness from accumulating inside the safe. I have had one in my safe for over 15 years and it is still pumping out heat! I have yet to have any problems with moisture in my safe. Cost is about $40.00 HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

-- Jack Flesher (jbflesher@msn.com), September 23, 2001.

Re the link provided by Richard Le above: The poor guy asks for advice about buying a Leica lens, and a bunch of people on photo.net tell him that it is a waste of money! And none of the naysayers mention any direct experience with Leicas, leading me to believe that they have none. Don't be discouraged, Marco. As I'm sure you know, there is more to Leica M than the lenses: it is the way that the cameras and the lenses work together, for you, that matters. I suggest that you start with a used 50mm Summicron, or perhaps a used 35mm Summicron -- I have the pre-aspherical version, and it is a stellar performer -- better than any of the four Nikon 35's I have owned -- and it can be picked up in nice condition for about $400-$500 less than the cost of the new ASPH model.

-- Douglas Kinnear (douglas.kinnear@colostate.edu), September 24, 2001.

Thanks a lot, Douglas (and all the others), you've got right into the point! I know that there's a lot of superb photo equipment out there (included my SRL Nikon primes), but I just FEEL Leica is just right for my photographic goals. I did an extensive research through the Internet and a great deal of Leica experts agree that Leica lenses in particular yeld a superb rendition of the overall image, etc. In fact, provided that is the photographer's eye that conceive the picture, etc, etc, the more I evaluated pictures taken with Leica gear, the more I say to myself: Yeah, that's it. I want it!! Thanks a lot for your kind answers!!! -- Marco.

-- Marco Colombo (mcolombo@iol.it), September 24, 2001.

I recently asked the same question
"What to check for when buying a used lens",
so also check out
(http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=005h J2)
 

-- Michael Kastner (kastner@zedat.fu-berlin.de), September 24, 2001.