An early collapsible Summicron using radioactive glass, commonly known as the Thorium Summicron. This under-one-million example has a serial number in the 990,000 range and was made in 1952. Leitz product code SOOIC. Distance scale in feet. Due to the radioactive glass, some yellowing is present, but it is relatively light and causes little color cast in actual use.

Many radioactive Summicrons show cleaning marks or coating deterioration, and examples that still allow you to enjoy the lens’s original performance are becoming increasingly scarce. This particular example is unusual in that it has only minimal marks and no haze. A very hard-to-find condition indeed.

This is an item previously sold by our shop, now back with us again. It has been carefully used by its previous owner and remains in excellent condition, just as it was when we last sold it. This will be our third time offering this lens.

The exterior shows light rubbing on the base and collapsible section, but the plating remains in very good condition overall, giving the lens a clean and attractive appearance.

Fully overhauled in 2024. Thanks to careful servicing, both the aperture and helicoid still offer a very pleasant operating feel. Rangefinder coupling is spot-on.

The glass shows only a few extremely faint cleaning marks, along with very slight coating wear that can only just be seen when held under strong LED light. These should have virtually no effect on actual images. The original coating remains well preserved on each surface. It is quite rare to find a thorium Summicron in this condition.

Enjoy the sharp, well-defined rendering unique to the radioactive Summicron. Sample photos from the previous sale have been posted in our gallery, and we would be happy if you would take a look.

A clean original front cap is included.