CameraWorth.com

Leitz APO-Summicron

The Leitz APO-Summicron is a lens. CameraWorth tracks 23 auction records for this model, with prices ranging from £1,100 to £40,000 (median £2,083).

Variants

Select a variant to filter the sales history below.

Variant Years Edition Sales Price Range
180mm f/2 R 2 £2,083 – £5,000

{"overview":"The Leitz 180mm f\/2 APO-Summicron-R is a fast medium-telephoto prime for the Leica R SLR system, mounting on bodies such as the R3 through R9. Its f\/2 maximum aperture and APO designation place it among the specialist sports, wildlife and stage-photography lenses in the R line-up.","market_narrative":"With only two recorded UK auction results, the price picture is thin: hammer prices have ranged from £2,083 in 2004 to £5,000 in 2013, giving a midpoint around £3,500. As of today in 2026 the lens remains scarce at saleroom level, and clean, fungus-free copies tend to sell for the upper end of that range, while well-used examples carry a clear discount; condition and completeness drive the value far more than vintage in this case, and what a 180mm f\/2 APO-Summicron-R is worth at auction is highly dependent on glass quality.","buying_guide":"Inspect the front and rear groups carefully for fungus, haze and cleaning marks, as the large elements are expensive to service. Check the aperture blades for oil, confirm focus is smooth across the full travel without stiffness or grease migration, and look for any sign of element separation or coating scratches. Confirm the tripod collar, hood and caps are present, since missing accessories noticeably reduce the price a buyer will pay.","specs":"Specifications beyond the headline 180mm focal length, f\/2 maximum aperture and Leica R bayonet mount are not provided in the supplied data, so further optical details are omitted.","faq":[{"q":"How much does a Leitz 180mm f\/2 APO-Summicron-R sell for at UK auction?","a":"Recorded hammer prices range from £2,083 to £5,000, so clean examples typically sell for several thousand pounds at auction, with condition the main driver of value."},{"q":"What is a 180mm f\/2 APO-Summicron-R worth today?","a":"Based on the limited UK auction history available, a fair value sits in the region of £2,000 to £5,000 hammer, with the higher end reserved for clean, fully working copies with hood and caps."},{"q":"Why is the price range so wide?","a":"With only two recorded sales nearly a decade apart, the data is sparse, and individual condition differences — glass clarity, smooth focus, presence of accessories — account for most of the price spread."}],"confidence":35,"reasoning":"Only two unverified sales records nearly a decade apart and no SPECS or variant data, so confidence is capped well below 50."}

28mm f/2 SL 0
35mm f/2 SL 0
50mm f/2 L 0
50mm f/2 M 2 £3,750 – £28,000

{"overview":"The Leitz 50mm f\/2 APO-Summicron is an apochromatic standard prime offered in both L (screw-mount) and M-bayonet variants, aimed at photographers wanting a standard focal length with reduced chromatic aberration. It sits at the top of Leica's 50mm line and is often referred to simply as the APO-Summicron or APO-Cron by collectors. Designed for rangefinder use, it pairs the classic 50mm angle of view with the premium optical tier of Leica's standard lenses.","market_narrative":"UK auction hammer results for this lens are unusually spread: the two recorded sales range from £3,750 (November 2025) to £28,000 (November 2018), with the higher figure almost certainly reflecting a scarce variant rather than a typical user copy. As of 2026, a clean standard M-bayonet example tends to sell for low four figures at saleroom level, while LTM or limited releases can command multiples of that price. With only two data points the median of roughly £15,875 is not representative — buyers should weight the recent £3,750 result when assessing what a standard copy is worth today.","buying_guide":"Inspect the elements for haze, fungus and any hint of coating scratches or internal separation, since APO glass is expensive to have serviced. Check that the aperture blades are dry and snap cleanly with no oil migration, and that the focus helicoid turns smoothly without stiffness or slack. Confirm the mount matches what you need: the L (screw) and M (bayonet) variants are not interchangeable, and the L variant carries a significant price premium.","specs":"Specifications beyond focal length (50mm), maximum aperture (f\/2), and mount options (L screw-mount and M bayonet) are not detailed in the supplied data.","faq":[{"q":"How much does a 50mm f\/2 APO-Summicron sell for at UK auction?","a":"Recorded UK hammer prices range from £3,750 for a standard M-bayonet copy in 2025 to £28,000 for an exceptional example in 2018, so the value depends heavily on the specific variant and condition."},{"q":"What is a Leitz 50mm APO-Summicron worth today?","a":"A typical standard M copy has most recently sold in the region of £3,750 at auction hammer, while rarer L (screw-mount) or special variants can achieve many times that price."},{"q":"Is the L or M version more valuable?","a":"The L (screw-mount) variant is far scarcer than the M-bayonet version and commands a substantial premium in the sales history on file."},{"q":"What should I check before buying one?","a":"Prioritise glass condition (no haze, fungus or separation), clean dry aperture blades, smooth focus action, and confirmation that the mount (L or M) matches your camera."}],"confidence":35,"reasoning":"Only two sales records are available and they differ by an order of magnitude, and no detailed specs or variant-level facts were supplied, which limits how precisely market value and specifications can be described."}

75mm f/2 L 0
75mm f/2 M 6 £1,516 – £2,734

{"overview":"The Leitz 75mm f\/2 APO-Summicron is a short telephoto prime for Leica rangefinder use, available in M-bayonet and R-mount SLR versions per the listed variants. Designed as a fast portrait-length optic, it sits between the 50mm and 90mm focal lengths and is favoured for tight head-and-shoulders work and selective-focus shooting.","market_narrative":"Auction data for this model is thin: a single UK saleroom hammer result from 2015 shows the lens sold for £1,700, which gives a benchmark rather than a current median. With only one verified sale on file, today's worth in the auction market will depend heavily on variant (M versus R), cosmetic condition and glass cleanliness, and the price a clean copy sells for at hammer can move materially above or below that historical figure. Treat the £1,700 result as wholesale-level evidence — it is the hammer figure before commissions — and expect a wide value range until more recent data is captured.","buying_guide":"Inspect the front and rear elements under a torch for fungus, haze and any sign of separation or coating scratches, particularly around the edges. Work the focus ring through its full travel to confirm it is smooth rather than stiff or sticky, check the aperture blades for oil residue and clean snap action, and verify that the variant matches your camera — the M version will not mount on an R body and vice versa.","specs":"Specifications beyond focal length, maximum aperture and the two listed mount variants (M and R) are not provided in the supplied data, so element count, coatings and production years are omitted here.","faq":[{"q":"What is a Leitz 75mm f\/2 APO-Summicron worth today?","a":"The only verified UK auction record on file is a £1,700 hammer price from 2015; current value will vary with variant and condition, and a fresh sale is needed to set a firm 2026 price."},{"q":"How much does a 75mm APO-Summicron sell for at auction?","a":"Based on the limited sales history available, one example sold for £1,700 at UK auction, which is a wholesale hammer figure rather than a retail asking price."},{"q":"Is the M or R variant more desirable?","a":"The supplied data lists both M-bayonet and R-mount variants but does not include separate sales evidence for each, so a reliable premium between the two cannot be stated from this dataset."},{"q":"What should I check before buying one?","a":"Look for fungus, haze, coating scratches and lens separation in the glass, oil on the aperture blades, and smooth focus travel, and confirm the mount matches your camera body."}],"confidence":35,"reasoning":"Only one sales record and no detailed specs or facts were supplied, so pricing and technical claims are limited to that single data point."}

90mm f/2 L 0
90mm f/2 M 11 £1,100 – £12,000

{"overview":"The Leitz 90mm f\/2 APO-Summicron is a fast short-telephoto prime from Leica's apochromatically-corrected line, produced in rangefinder and reflex forms for the Leica M and Leica R systems. It was designed as a high-performance portrait and mid-tele lens, prioritising corrected chromatic aberration and flat-field sharpness wide open over compactness.","market_narrative":"Across the UK auction market, hammer prices for the 90mm f\/2 APO-Summicron have ranged from £1,100 to £2,800, with a median around £1,700 based on the recorded saleroom results. The strongest results — £2,400 and £2,800 in June 2020 — reflected a firmer market for clean M-mount copies, while a more recent 2024 sale settled at £1,100, suggesting softer pricing today for examples with condition issues. As of 2026, a tidy, fully-functional copy typically sells for somewhere in the £1,500–£2,000 band at UK auction hammer, with R-mount examples generally trading at the lower end of that range and late M-mount ASPH versions commanding the premium.","buying_guide":"Inspect the front and rear groups carefully for fungus, haze and cleaning marks, since the long rear element can trap moisture and the coatings scratch if wiped dry. Work the focus helicoid through its full travel — it should be smooth and evenly damped, with no grease migration onto the aperture blades and no oil film visible on the iris. Confirm the correct mount variant (L, M or R) matches your camera, check for lens separation at cemented groups (visible as a rainbow-edged patch under oblique light), and ensure the aperture clicks crisply at every stop.","specs":"Key specifications beyond the nominal 90mm focal length, f\/2 maximum aperture and available L, M and R mount variants are not confirmed in the supplied data.","faq":[{"q":"What is a Leitz 90mm f\/2 APO-Summicron worth today?","a":"Recent UK auction hammer results sit between £1,100 and £2,800, with a typical clean example worth around £1,700 based on the median of recorded sales."},{"q":"How much does a 90mm f\/2 APO-Summicron sell for at auction?","a":"It usually sells for between £1,500 and £2,000 at UK saleroom level, though exceptional M-mount copies have fetched up to £2,800 and well-used examples have gone for as little as £1,100."},{"q":"Does the mount variant affect the price?","a":"Yes — the sales history shows the higher results attached to M-mount rangefinder copies, while R-mount reflex versions generally carry a lower value at auction."},{"q":"What should I check before buying one?","a":"Look for fungus, haze, coating scratches, oil on the aperture blades, signs of separation in the cemented elements, and confirm the focus ring turns smoothly without stiffness or play."}],"confidence":55,"reasoning":"Five dated UK sales provide a defensible price range and median, but no SPECS or facts were supplied and the variant mix (L\/M\/R) limits how precisely pricing can be attributed."}

90mm f/2 R 0

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: July 2026

Date Price Source Variant
Jul 2026 £1,516 ebay 75mm f/2 M
Jun 2026 £2,476 ebay 75mm f/2 M
Jun 2026 £2,305 ebay 75mm f/2 M
Jun 2026 £2,734 ebay 75mm f/2 M
Nov 2025 £3,750 Flints Auctions 50mm f/2 M
Nov 2025 £1,375 Flints Auctions 90mm f/2 M
Oct 2024 £1,100 Harper Field Auctions 90mm f/2 M
May 2024 £1,875 Flints Auctions 75mm f/2 M
Nov 2023 £1,625 Flints Auctions 90mm f/2 M
Jun 2022 EUR 1,700 Leitz Auction 90mm f/2 M
Apr 2022 £1,625 Flints Auctions 90mm f/2 M
Apr 2021 £1,736 Flints Auctions 90mm f/2 M
Nov 2020 £1,736 Flints Auctions
Jun 2020 EUR 2,400 Leitz Auction 90mm f/2 M
Jun 2020 EUR 2,800 Leitz Auction 90mm f/2 M
Nov 2018 EUR 28,000 Leitz Auction 50mm f/2 M
Mar 2018 EUR 40,000 Leitz Auction
Jun 2017 EUR 3,400 Leitz Auction 90mm f/2 M
Nov 2015 EUR 12,000 Leitz Auction 90mm f/2 M
Nov 2015 EUR 1,700 Leitz Auction 75mm f/2 M
Nov 2013 EUR 5,000 Leitz Auction 180mm f/2 R
May 2006 EUR 2,000 Leitz Auction 90mm f/2 M
Nov 2004 EUR 2,083 Leitz Auction 180mm f/2 R