Summicron-M 50mm f/2 (1969–2023)
Known as "Summicron 50 v3", "Summicron 50 v4", "Summicron 50 v5"
After the collapsible and rigid/Dual-Range barrels of the 1950s–60s came the redesigned 6-element Summicron that defined the modern standard 50. Version numbering varies by source: counting the early barrels as one version, this is the V2 (1969, focusing tab, 39mm filters) → V3 (1979, integrated telescoping hood) → V4 (1994, removable hood and tab reintroduced) lineage; sources that count the collapsible and rigid separately call these v3–v5. The 1979 and 1994 versions are optically identical — the changes were mechanical.
For newcomers: any of these is the affordable entry into the "Summicron look" — compact, honest, excellent from wide open. The 1994 tabbed version stayed in the catalogue until 2023, an extraordinary run for one optical design; only the 2012 APO-Summicron departs from it entirely.
Key specs
- focal length
- 50mm
- max aperture
- f/2
- elements
- 6 elements in 4 groups (v3/v5)
- filter
- 39mm
- mount
- Leica M
Variants & finishes
Second version of the modern 50 Cron: a compact collapsible-style barrel replaced by a proper focusing tab and standard 39mm filter thread. The starting point for most collectors of the modern series.
Leica integrated a built-in telescoping lens hood, removing the need to carry a separate hood. Beloved for convenience; slightly longer than V2 when hood is extended.
Final current version: the built-in hood became a removable screw-in hood and the focus tab came back. The most refined version optically and the easiest to find new or lightly used.
Market value
Used-market price history is coming soon.
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