Serial no.812242,1950,Condition A-/B+
Leitz Wetzlar rare original Summitar* lens. The Summitar* lenses can be considered as the first prototypes of what later turned into the Summicron design. Back in 1950, there were produced 88 examples of the Summitar* with serial numbers 812242-812329. The lens here is the very first one of the series. The asterisk after the lens name (not after the serial number) probably indicates the presence of a radioactive element. The general design of the optical computation was already very similar to the later Summicron. But the LaK9 (the first thorium-oxide free Lanthanium crown glass) of the 1953 Summicron was not yet available by 1950. Typically, the Summitar* lenses stop down to f/22, whereas Summitar as well as later Summicron stop down to f/16 only. This lens comes with front lens cap and keeper. This lens has been authenticated by Lars Netopil."