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Leica SUMMICRON-M 50mm F/2 [V]

Standard prime lens • Film era

Sample photos

F/2.8
F/11
F/2.8
F/2.8
F/4
F/3.4
F/2.8
F/4
F/2.8
F/2.8
F/2.8
F/2.4
F/2.4
F/5.7
F/2.4
F/4
F/2

Abbreviations

V Fifth generation.

Model history (11)

■Leitz / Leitz Wetzlar SUMMAR 50mm F/2 [LSM]M6 - 41mA36 1933 ●
■Leitz / Leitz Wetzlar SUMMAR 50mm F/2 [LSM] • CollapsibleM6 - 41mA36 1934 ●
■Leitz / Leitz Wetzlar SUMMITAR 50mm F/2 [LSM] • CollapsibleM7 - 41mE36.4 1939 ●
■Leitz Wetzlar SUMMICRON 50mm F/2 [I] [LSM] • CollapsibleM7 - 61mE39 1953 ●
■Leitz Wetzlar SUMMICRON 50mm F/2 [I] • CollapsibleM7 - 61mE39 1954 ●
Leitz Wetzlar SUMMICRON 50mm F/2 for M3 Gold (1 unit) • Collapsible 1956 ●
■Leitz Wetzlar SUMMICRON 50mm F/2 [II]M7 - 61mE39 1956 ●
Leitz Wetzlar SUMMICRON 50mm F/2 for M3 Gold (sample) (1 unit) 1957 ●
Leitz Wetzlar SUMMICRON 50mm F/2 for M3 Gold (1 unit) 1957 ●
Leitz Wetzlar SUMMICRON 50mm F/2 Gold (1 unit) 1957 ●
Leitz Wetzlar SUMMICRON 50mm F/2 [II] [LSM] 1960 ●
■Leitz Wetzlar SUMMICRON 50mm F/2 [II] Dual RangeM7 - 61mE39 1956 ●
■Leitz Wetzlar SUMMICRON 50mm F/2 [III]M6 - 50.7mE39 1969 ●
■Leitz / Leitz Canada SUMMICRON-M 50mm F/2 [IV]M6 - 40.7mE39 1980 ●
Leitz / Leitz Canada SUMMICRON-M 50mm F/2 “Leica 1913-1983” (200 units) 1983 ●
Leica SUMMICRON-M 50mm F/2 “Year of the Rooster” (268 units) 1993 ●
Leica SUMMICRON-M 50mm F/2 “LHSA 25th Anniversary” (151 units) 1993 ●
Leica SUMMICRON-M 50mm F/2 “Colombo ’92” (201 units) 1993 ●
■Leica SUMMICRON-M 50mm F/2 [V]M6 - 40.7mE39 1994 ●
Leica SUMMICRON-M 50mm F/2 “RPS Royal Centenary” (100 units) 1994 ●
Leica SUMMICRON-M 50mm F/2 “Leica HISTORICA 20th Anniversary” (150 units) 1995 ●
Leica SUMMICRON-M 50mm F/2 “Gold Dragon” (300 units) 1995 ●
Leica SUMMICRON-M 50mm F/2 Gold “King of Thailand” (700 units) 1996 ●
Leica SUMMICRON-M 50mm F/2 Gold “Sultan of Brunei” (125 units) 1996 ●
Leica SUMMICRON-M 50mm F/2 “150 Jahre Optik” (30 units) 1999 ●
Leica SUMMICRON 50mm F/2 [LSM] 1999 ●
Leica SUMMICRON-M 50mm F/2 “Kanto” (100 units) 2000 ●
Leica SUMMICRON-M 50mm F/2 Titanium (500 units) 2001 ●
Leica SUMMICRON-M 50mm F/2 “50 Jahre SUMMICRON” (1000 units) 2003 ●
Leica SUMMICRON-M 50mm F/2 “Classic” (500 units) 2004 ●
Leica SUMMICRON-M 50mm F/2 Safari (500 units) 2019 ●
■Leica APO-SUMMICRON-M 50mm F/2 ASPH.M8 - 50.7mE39 2012 ●
Leica APO-SUMMICRON-M 50mm F/2 ASPHERICAL for RED (1 unit) 2013 ●
Leica APO-SUMMICRON-M 50mm F/2 ASPH. Titanium (333 units) 2016 ●
Leica APO-SUMMICRON-M 50mm F/2 ASPH. Red (100 units) 2016 ●
Leica APO-SUMMICRON-M 50mm F/2 ASPH. “LHSA 50th Anniversary” (500 units) 2017 ●
Leica APO-SUMMICRON-M 50mm F/2 ASPH. Black (700 units) 2019 ●
Leica APO-SUMMICRON-M 50mm F/2 ASPH. “Leica HISTORICA 45th Anniversary” (45 units) 2020 ●
Leica APO-SUMMICRON-M 50mm F/2 ASPH. Titanium (250 units) 2022 ●
Leica APO-SUMMICRON-M 50mm F/2 ASPH. Gold “King of Thailand” (30 units) 2022 ●

Features highlight

•
Fast
•
MF
•
Manual
•
8 blades
•
Compact
•
E39
filters
•
Built-in hood

Specification

■ Production details
Announced:1994
Production status:● In production
Order No.:11826 - black anodized
11816 - silver chrome
Original name:LEICA SUMMICRON-M 1:2/50
System:Leica M (1954)
■ Optical design
Focal length:50mm
Speed:F/2
Maximum format:35mm full frame
Mount and Flange focal distance:Leica M [27.8mm]
Diagonal angle of view:46.8°
Lens construction:6 elements in 4 groups
■ On Leica M8/M8.2 APS-H [1.33x] cameras
35mm equivalent focal length:66.5mm (in terms of field of view)
35mm equivalent speed:F/2.7 (in terms of depth of field)
Diagonal angle of view:36°
■ Focusing
Coupled to the rangefinder:Yes
Closest focusing distance:0.7m
Maximum magnification:1:11.5 at the closest focusing distance
Focusing modes:Manual focus only
Manual focus control:Focusing ring
■ Diaphragm mechanism
Diaphragm type:Manual
Aperture control:Aperture ring
Number of blades:8 (eight)
■ Physical characteristics
Weight:240g
Maximum diameter x Length:⌀53×43.5mm
■ Accessories
Filters:Screw-type 39mm
Lens hood:Built-in telescopic round
Lens caps:14038 (front)
14269 (rear)
■ Sources of data
1. Manufacturer's technical data.
2. Handbook of the LEICA system (September 1995).

Manufacturer description #1

From the LEICAVIEW magazine (Fall 1994, Volume 5 / Number 1):

Most similar to the way the human eye sees, 50mm standard lenses for 35mm cameras are among the most widely used and versatile lenses. There are three different 50mm lenses in the range for the Leica M6 rangefinder system camera. One is the world-famous Summicron, which is popular due to its low weight, compact size, and out standing optical properties. Even at full aperture, the lens produces pictures of high contrast with edge-to-edge sharpness. In line with the ongoing cultivation of the camera models by Leica, the lens is now optimized with a permanently built-in telescopic lens hood. Its shape and size are designed to give maximum protection from stray light, reflections, and external influences, while the viewfinder image of the Leica M camera is only slightly covered.

This Summicron lens is available in black or chrome.

Manufacturer description #2

The optical computation of this lens leads to perfect image quality that extends into the corners at full aperture, with outstanding contrast over the entire picture area, even in the close-up range. Stopping down to f/2.8 or f/4 brings only a minimal increase in contrast. Distortion is extremely low and practically undetectable. The ideal lens for all photographers who want a high-performance tool that weighs very little and is compact in size.

Manufacturer description #3

The Summicron-M 50mm f/2 stands out due to both its compact and well-proven optical design, as well as its legendary focal length which can provide natural perspectives. Its fine picture quality extends all the way to the extreme corners of the image field, and outstanding contrast is achieved at all apertures.

The well-balanced design makes this ideal standard lens an outstanding choice in terms of all criteria, including image quality, speed, size and weight. Stopping down to f/2.8 or f/4 brings only a minimal increase in contrast. Distortion is extremely low, practically invisible.

From the editor

This legendary and handy universal lens is certainly one of the very best among fast standard lenses. Its image quality is outstanding, even at closest focusing distances. With a built-in sliding lens hood.

Weight and dimensions are indicated for the black version of the lens. Chrome version has the same dimensions but weighs 95g more (335g).

Typical application

Class:

Fast full-frame standard prime lens

Genres or subjects of photography (7):

Landscapes • Cityscapes • Buildings • Interiors • Portraits • Street • Travel photography

Recommended slowest shutter speed when shooting static subjects handheld:

1/50th of a second

Alternatives in the Leica M system

Sorted by focal length and speed, in ascending order

Lenses with similar focal length and speed

Sorted by manufacturer name

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Roger B
Roger B
11 months ago

I have found a Summicron 50/2. V5 with a serial number of. 4076711
But I cannot find this number in any database.
Any idea what year this could be ??

Thanks.

0
admin
Author
admin
11 months ago
Reply to  Roger B

The SUMMICRON-M 50/2 with the serial number 4.076.711 could have been made in 2006-2008, closer to 2008. My conclusion is based on the information that the lens with the serial number 3.997.608 was released in 2006, while the lens with the serial number 4.095.257 was released in 2008. But please note that those serial numbers were reported by users and were not based on any official data.

The lists of serial numbers copied by Erwin Puts from the original documents at the Leica factory in Solms end already in 2005. For the SUMMICRON-M 50/2, the last entry in the Puts’ list is 3.991.369 – 3.991.868 (=500 copies) allocated in 2005.

There are no officially confirmed lists of Leica serial numbers after 2005.

The best way to find out for sure – contact Leica for the information.

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35mm full frame

43.27 24 36
  • Dimensions: 36 × 24mm
  • Aspect ratio: 3:2
  • Diagonal: 43.27mm
  • Area: 864mm2

MF

Sorry, no additional information is available.

14038

Replacement lens cap, black finish, for Leica E39 lenses.

14269

Replacement rear cover for Leica M-mount lenses.

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Image stabilizer

A technology used for reducing or even eliminating the effects of camera shake. Gyro sensors inside the lens detect camera shake and pass the data to a microcomputer. Then an image stabilization group of elements controlled by the microcomputer moves inside the lens and compensates camera shake in order to keep the image static on the imaging sensor or film.

The technology allows to increase the shutter speed by several stops and shoot handheld in such lighting conditions and at such focal lengths where without image stabilizer you have to use tripod, decrease the shutter speed and/or increase the ISO setting which can lead to blurry and noisy images.

Original name

Lens name as indicated on the lens barrel (usually on the front ring). With lenses from film era, may vary slightly from batch to batch.

Format

Format refers to the shape and size of film or image sensor.

35mm is the common name of the 36x24mm film format or image sensor format. It has an aspect ratio of 3:2, and a diagonal measurement of approximately 43mm. The name originates with the total width of the 135 film which was the primary medium of the format prior to the invention of the full frame digital SLR. Historically the 35mm format was sometimes called small format to distinguish it from the medium and large formats.

APS-C is an image sensor format approximately equivalent in size to the film negatives of 25.1x16.7mm with an aspect ratio of 3:2.

Medium format is a film format or image sensor format larger than 36x24mm (35mm) but smaller than 4x5in (large format).

Angle of view

Angle of view describes the angular extent of a given scene that is imaged by a camera. It is used interchangeably with the more general term field of view.

As the focal length changes, the angle of view also changes. The shorter the focal length (eg 18mm), the wider the angle of view. Conversely, the longer the focal length (eg 55mm), the smaller the angle of view.

A camera's angle of view depends not only on the lens, but also on the sensor. Imaging sensors are sometimes smaller than 35mm film frame, and this causes the lens to have a narrower angle of view than with 35mm film, by a certain factor for each sensor (called the crop factor).

This website does not use the angles of view provided by lens manufacturers, but calculates them automatically by the following formula: 114.6 * arctan (21.622 / CF * FL),

where:

CF – crop-factor of a sensor,
FL – focal length of a lens.

Mount

A lens mount is an interface — mechanical and often also electrical — between a camera body and a lens.

A lens mount may be a screw-threaded type, a bayonet-type, or a breech-lock type. Modern camera lens mounts are of the bayonet type, because the bayonet mechanism precisely aligns mechanical and electrical features between lens and body, unlike screw-threaded mounts.

Lens mounts of competing manufacturers (Canon, Nikon, Pentax, Sony etc.) are always incompatible. In addition to the mechanical and electrical interface variations, the flange focal distance can also be different.

The flange focal distance (FFD) is the distance from the mechanical rear end surface of the lens mount to the focal plane.

Lens construction

Lens construction – a specific arrangement of elements and groups that make up the optical design, including type and size of elements, type of used materials etc.

Element - an individual piece of glass which makes up one component of a photographic lens. Photographic lenses are nearly always built up of multiple such elements.

Group – a cemented together pieces of glass which form a single unit or an individual piece of glass. The advantage is that there is no glass-air surfaces between cemented together pieces of glass, which reduces reflections.

Focal length

The focal length is the factor that determines the size of the image reproduced on the focal plane, picture angle which covers the area of the subject to be photographed, depth of field, etc.

Speed

The largest opening or stop at which a lens can be used is referred to as the speed of the lens. The larger the maximum aperture is, the faster the lens is considered to be. Lenses that offer a large maximum aperture are commonly referred to as fast lenses, and lenses with smaller maximum aperture are regarded as slow.

In low-light situations, having a wider maximum aperture means that you can shoot at a faster shutter speed or work at a lower ISO, or both.

Closest focusing distance

The minimum distance from the focal plane (film or sensor) to the subject where the lens is still able to focus.

Closest working distance

The distance from the front edge of the lens to the subject at the maximum magnification.

Magnification ratio

Determines how large the subject will appear in the final image. For example, a magnification ratio of 1:1 means that the image of the subject formed on the film or sensor will be the same size as the subject in real life. For this reason, a 1:1 ratio is often called "life-size".

Manual diaphragm

The diaphragm must be stopped down manually by rotating the detent aperture ring.

Preset diaphragm

The lens has two rings, one is for pre-setting, while the other is for normal diaphragm adjustment. The first ring must be set at the desired aperture, the second ring then should be fully opened for focusing, and turned back for stop down to the pre-set value.

Semi-automatic diaphragm

The lens features spring mechanism in the diaphragm, triggered by the shutter release, which stops down the diaphragm to the pre-set value. The spring needs to be reset manually after each exposure to re-open diaphragm to its maximum value.

Automatic diaphragm

The camera automatically closes the diaphragm down during the shutter operation. On completion of the exposure, the diaphragm re-opens to its maximum value.

Fixed diaphragm

The aperture setting is fixed at F/2 on this lens, and cannot be adjusted.

Number of blades

As a general rule, the more blades that are used to create the aperture opening in the lens, the rounder the out-of-focus highlights will be.

Some lenses are designed with curved diaphragm blades, so the roundness of the aperture comes not from the number of blades, but from their shape. However, the fewer blades the diaphragm has, the more difficult it is to form a circle, regardless of rounded edges.

At maximum aperture, the opening will be circular regardless of the number of blades.

Weight

Excluding case or pouch, caps and other detachable accessories (lens hood, close-up adapter, tripod adapter etc.).

Maximum diameter x Length

Excluding case or pouch, caps and other detachable accessories (lens hood, close-up adapter, tripod adapter etc.).

For lenses with collapsible design, the length is indicated for the working (retracted) state.

Weather sealing

A rubber material which is inserted in between each externally exposed part (manual focus and zoom rings, buttons, switch panels etc.) to ensure it is properly sealed against dust and moisture.

Lenses that accept front mounted filters typically do not have gaskets behind the filter mount. It is recommended to use a filter for complete weather resistance when desired.

Fluorine coating

Helps keep lenses clean by reducing the possibility of dust and dirt adhering to the lens and by facilitating cleaning should the need arise. Applied to the outer surface of the front and/or rear lens elements over multi-coatings.

Filters

Lens filters are accessories that can protect lenses from dirt and damage, enhance colors, minimize glare and reflections, and add creative effects to images.

Lens hood

A lens hood or lens shade is a device used on the end of a lens to block the sun or other light source in order to prevent glare and lens flare. Flare occurs when stray light strikes the front element of a lens and then bounces around within the lens. This stray light often comes from very bright light sources, such as the sun, bright studio lights, or a bright white background.

The geometry of the lens hood can vary from a plain cylindrical or conical section to a more complex shape, sometimes called a petal, tulip, or flower hood. This allows the lens hood to block stray light with the higher portions of the lens hood, while allowing more light into the corners of the image through the lowered portions of the hood.

Lens hoods are more prominent in long focus lenses because they have a smaller viewing angle than that of wide-angle lenses. For wide angle lenses, the length of the hood cannot be as long as those for telephoto lenses, as a longer hood would enter the wider field of view of the lens.

Lens hoods are often designed to fit onto the matching lens facing either forward, for normal use, or backwards, so that the hood may be stored with the lens without occupying much additional space. In addition, lens hoods can offer some degree of physical protection for the lens due to the hood extending farther than the lens itself.

Teleconverters

Teleconverters increase the effective focal length of lenses. They also usually maintain the closest focusing distance of lenses, thus increasing the magnification significantly. A lens combined with a teleconverter is normally smaller, lighter and cheaper than a "direct" telephoto lens of the same focal length and speed.

Teleconverters are a convenient way of enhancing telephoto capability, but it comes at a cost − reduced maximum aperture. Also, since teleconverters magnify every detail in the image, they logically also magnify residual aberrations of the lens.

Lens caps

Scratched lens surfaces can spoil the definition and contrast of even the finest lenses. Lens covers are the best and most inexpensive protection available against dust, moisture and abrasion. Safeguard lens elements - both front and rear - whenever the lens is not in use.