CameraWorth.com

Leitz 50mm f/1.5

The Leitz 50mm f/1.5 Summarit is a fast standard prime for Leica rangefinder cameras, produced in both Leica screw-mount (LTM) and early M-bayonet versions during the post-war era. It was designed as Leitz's low-light fifty, sitting between the slower Elmar and Summicron lines and the later Summilux that eventually replaced it.

At recent UK auction, hammer prices for the 50mm f/1.5 Summarit have ranged from £81 for a heavily used example up to £2,000 for an exceptional copy, with most clean user-grade lenses trading in the £350–£400 band and a median of roughly £387 across the sample. As of today in 2026, that puts a typical working Summarit firmly in the mid-hundreds at saleroom level, while mint or boxed examples and scarce early variants are what push the price well into four figures. These are wholesale hammer results and exclude buyer's premium, so retail dealer asking prices sit noticeably higher than what the lens sells for under the hammer.

Variants

Select a variant to filter the sales history below.

Variant Years Edition Sales Price Range
LTM 7 £170 – £562
M 0
Summarit 35 £81 – £220,000
Xenon LTM 17 £288 – £5,000

Sales History

Prices shown are UK auction hammer results — the wholesale level achieved in the saleroom. Neither buyer’s nor seller’s commission is included. Dealer and retail asking prices are typically higher.

Prices updated: April 2026

Date Price Source Variant
Apr 2026 £475 Flints Auctions Summarit
Apr 2026 £362 Flints Auctions Summarit
Apr 2026 £475 Flints Auctions Xenon LTM
Mar 2026 £288 Flints Auctions Summarit
Nov 2025 EUR 750 Leitz Auction Xenon LTM
Nov 2025 £350 Flints Auctions Summarit
Sep 2025 £81 Flints Auctions Summarit
Jul 2025 £288 Flints Auctions Summarit
Jun 2025 EUR 4,000 Leitz Auction Summarit
Apr 2025 £475 Flints Auctions
Apr 2025 £375 Flints Auctions Summarit
Apr 2025 £400 Flints Auctions Summarit
Mar 2025 £302 Chiswick Auctions LTM
Jan 2025 £225 Flints Auctions Summarit
Jan 2025 £188 Flints Auctions Summarit
Jan 2025 USD 700 pedia_sales_tamarkin Summarit
Nov 2024 £500 Flints Auctions Summarit
Nov 2024 £562 Flints Auctions Summarit
Oct 2024 £280 Harper Field Auctions LTM
Aug 2024 £328 Chiswick Auctions LTM
Jul 2024 £312 Flints Auctions Summarit
Apr 2024 £240 Special Auction Services LTM
Jan 2024 USD 1,100 pedia_sales_tamarkin Summarit
Sep 2023 £288 Flints Auctions Xenon LTM
Sep 2023 £375 Flints Auctions Summarit
Aug 2023 £170 Special Auction Services LTM
May 2023 £562 Flints Auctions LTM
Jun 2022 EUR 2,200 Leitz Auction Xenon LTM
Jun 2022 EUR 1,200 Leitz Auction Xenon LTM
Jan 2022 £347 Flints Auctions Summarit
Nov 2021 EUR 220,000 Leitz Auction Summarit
Nov 2021 USD 800 pedia_sales_tamarkin Xenon LTM
Jun 2021 EUR 2,000 Leitz Auction Summarit
Apr 2021 £558 Flints Auctions Summarit
Nov 2020 EUR 5,000 Leitz Auction Xenon LTM
Nov 2020 £521 Flints Auctions Summarit
Nov 2020 £471 Flints Auctions Summarit
Jun 2020 EUR 3,600 Leitz Auction
May 2020 £490 Flints Auctions Summarit
Nov 2019 EUR 600 Leitz Auction Xenon LTM
Nov 2019 EUR 750 Leitz Auction Xenon LTM
Nov 2019 USD 4,500 pedia_sales_tamarkin Summarit
Oct 2019 £288 Flints Auctions Summarit
Nov 2018 EUR 500 Leitz Auction Xenon LTM
Nov 2018 EUR 500 Leitz Auction Xenon LTM
Nov 2018 EUR 2,000 Leitz Auction Summarit
Nov 2018 £300 Flints Auctions Summarit
Nov 2018 £384 Flints Auctions Xenon LTM
Apr 2018 £420 Flints Auctions Xenon LTM
Apr 2018 £384 Flints Auctions Summarit
Oct 2017 £300 Flints Auctions Summarit
Nov 2016 EUR 2,600 Leitz Auction Summarit
Mar 2014 EUR 1,800 Leitz Auction Xenon LTM
May 2012 EUR 650 Leitz Auction Xenon LTM
Nov 2005 EUR 3,975 Leitz Auction Summarit
May 2005 EUR 730 Leitz Auction Summarit
Sep 2004 £119 Christie's
May 2004 EUR 938 Leitz Auction Summarit
Sep 2003 £164 Christie's Summarit
May 2000 £258 Christie's LTM
Nov 1999 £368 Christie's Xenon LTM
Jul 1999 £437 Christie's Xenon LTM

Frequently asked questions

How much is a Leitz 50mm f/1.5 Summarit worth today?

UK auction hammer results for the Summarit 50mm f/1.5 span £81 to £2,000, with the typical value for a usable copy sitting around £350–£400 based on recent sales.

What does a 50mm f/1.5 Summarit sell for at UK auction?

Most clean examples sell for between £350 and £558 at UK auction, while exceptional or boxed copies have reached £2,000 and tired lenses with heavy haze have fetched as little as £81.

Why is there such a wide price range on the Summarit 50mm f/1.5?

Condition drives the value: coatings scratch easily and internal haze is common, so a clean, haze-free lens in a good mount commands several times the price of a cloudy or fungused example.

Does mount type affect the price of the Summarit?

Yes, as the lens was made in both LTM screw-mount and M-bayonet, and buyers generally pay a premium for the mount that fits their camera, though the spread within each mount is driven more by optical condition than by mount alone.