Jason Schneider
the Camera Collector
Bargain Lenses for the Vintage Look, Part 2
6 more optical classics that deliver beautiful rendition at modest prices
135mm f/3.5 Canon: This is the original chrome finished version go the 1950s.
135mm f/3.5 Canon in Leica screw mount: This vintage classic lens was introduced in 1952 as a Serenar, and its name was changed to Canon starting in 1953. Produced for an amazing 23 years in 8 silver and black cosmetic variations until 1975, all feature the same 4-element, 3-group Tessar-type optical formula that’s credited to Canon lens designer Jirou Mukai. All iterations focus down to 1 meter, have 10-bladed diaphragms with full stop detents to f/22, extend about 4 inches from the camera body, and weigh in at 15.9 ounces. Attractive and solidly made with metal barrels and smooth focusing single helicoids, the front rotates as you focus so it’s best to set the aperture before focusing.
135mm f/3.5 Canon: This is the later black finished version with knurled focusing ring. The 4-element 3-group optics remained the same.
The 135mm f/3.5 Canon delivers solid optical performance from a simple 4-element design with superlative sharpness and contrast across the field by f/5.6 and good central sharpness and detail with moderate falloff at the corners and edges at wider apertures. This lens is also acclaimed for its smooth natural bokeh, said to be more attractive than its leading competitors from Leitz and Nikon, and it certainly delivers a lot of bang for the buck. $75-150.
50mm f/2 Zeiss Jena Sonnar: This is the hard to find uncoated prewar version in Leica screw mount.
50mm f/2 Zeiss Sonnar: The first 50mm f/2 Zeiss Sonnar was the brainchild of Ludwig Bertele, one of the great lens designers of the 20th century. A 6-element, 3-group formula, it was configured to minimize air-glass surfaces to reduce internal reflections in the days before lens coating. It first appeared on the Contax I of 1932 along with the 50mm f/1.5 Sonnar, a similar but faster 7-element, 3-group design, and it was produced all through the ‘30s in both rigid and collapsible configurations labeled Carl Zeiss Jena, and after 1936 was one of the standard lenses used on the Contax II and III. After WW II the 50mm f/2 Sonnar was produced in coated Contax mount versions were labeled Zeiss-Opton in the early 50s and later simply Carl Zeiss. There were also some coated postwar versions labeled Carl Zeiss Jena and produced by what was then the East German branch of Zeiss. Finally, the 50mm f/2 Sonnar was also made in coupled Leica screw mount both before and after WWII though coated postwar versions are more common.
All have similar imaging characteristics, but the uncoated versions provide softer less contrasty rendition and are more prone to flare.
Optical diagram and light path of the 50mm f/2 Zeiss Sonnar: Ludwig Bertele's ingenious and influential design endured for over 40 years.
The 50mm f/2 Zeiss Sonnar focuses down to 1 meter and typically stops down to f/22. Prewar versions have 9-bladed diaphragms and weigh in at 5.4 ounces, and coated postwar versions have 12-bladed diaphragms and weigh 4.9 ounces. They’re all magnificent lenses that are sharp in the center even wide open, deliver exceptional imaging performance across the field stopped down, have a gorgeous vintage way of rendering 3-dimensional space, and have a very pleasing bokeh, especially uncoated models at their widest apertures. These lenses are highly regarded and not exactly bargain priced, but they offer very good value for those seeking the vintage look without sacrificing image quality. $150-225 in Contax mount, $250-350 in Leica screw mount.
50mm f/2 Carl Zeiss Sonnar: This is a late coated version in Contax bayonet mount.
45mm f/2.8 Chiyoko Super-Rokkor: This fascinating optical oddball with the scalloped focusing ring was designed for the Minolta-35, a focal plane shutter interchangeable lens rangefinder 35 with (what else?) a Leica-type screw mount that was produced in 8 different relatively minor variations from 1947-1955. Why 45mm? It’s closer to the actual diagonal of the 24 x 36mm 35mm format (43.3mm) that determines what a normal lens should be, and it was produced in 6 different variations, all coated. Early examples have a distinctive circular aperture readout window in the front identification ring. It’s a 5-element, 3-group lens, but the front group is a cemented triplet so the design resembles a 5-element version of the 50mm f/2 Zeiss Sonnar rather than the usual Heliar construction which uses a cemented doublet at both the front and rear.
45mm f/2.8 Chiyoko Super-Rokkor: This early version has circular f/stop window in the lens I.D. ring and can fetch fancy prices,
The 45mm f/2.8 Chiyoko Super-Rokkor (Chiyoko is short for Chiyoda Kogaku, Minolta’s original name) is quite compact, extending only 1.5 inches from the camera and though it features hefty chrome on brass construction it weighs in at only 5.6 ounces. This little beauty is rangefinder coupled, focuses down to 1 meter, and has an 8-bladed diaphragm that stops down to f/16. It’s a superb lens capable of extremely sharp imaging and detail wide open and delivers corner to corner sharpness by stopping down to f/4-5.6. It also provides beautifully rounded 3-dimensional rendition, and very attractive and natural looking bokeh, especially at its widest apertures. Neither commonplace nor especially rare, it’s a lens with modest specs and outsize performance—a great choice for optical connoisseurs who want something different. $200-400.
45mm f/2.8 Chiyoko Super-Rokkor: This later version of Minolta's classic normal lens has a Leica-style infinity catch and no f/stop window.
50mm f/2 Topcor-S in Leica screw mount: This vintage classic is often found on Leotax cameras, good quality Japanese Barnack Leica clones of the mid 50s to the mid ‘60s. Made by Tokyo Optical Company, renowned for first class optics, this lens is a 6-element 4-group design based on the Zeiss Planar and it’s outstanding—at least as good as the 50mm f/2 Leitz Summitar, and edged out at the widest apertures only by the legendary Summicron. It delivers excellent central sharpness and resolution throughout, achieves optimum performance to the corners by f/4, and provides beautifully rounded rendition at all apertures and distances. It transitions smoothly from in-focus to out-of-focus image areas, and it has very attractive bokeh, especially at wide to moderate apertures. $175-$350.
50mm f/2 Topcor-S in chrome with Leica-style infinity catch was often used on Japanese screw mount Leica copies like the high quality Leotax.
50mm f/2.5 Voigtlander Color Skopar: This is not your grandfather’s Color-Skopar, which was a nice Tessar-formula lens fitted to a number of German made-in-Braunschweig roll film folding cameras and 35mm cameras in the ‘50s and ‘60s. It’s an advanced 7-element, 6-group lens designed and manufactured to a high standard by Cosina in Japan. Available in M39 Leica screw and M mount, it focuses down to 29.5 inches, stops down to f/22, has a 10-bladed diaphragm that enhances its smooth natural bokeh, and weighs in at a hefty 7.3 ounces despite extending only 1.3 inches from the camera body.
50mm f/2.5 Voigtlander Color-Skopar in Leica screw mount delivers vintage look imaging in a compact ergonomic package.
The 50mm f/2.5 Voigtlander Color Skopar is soft off axis at maximum aperture, but it improves noticeably on stopping down and is quite sharp across the field at moderate and small apertures. It scores on its excellent handling for an ultra-compact lens and on its overall image quality which has a vintage character and a provides good balance between sharpness and detail and smooth, natural rendition. Most reviewers praise its beautiful bokeh and recommend it as a good, close-focusing portrait lens. This gem is discontinued but it’s widely available new and preowned. $325-$450.
50mm f/2.5 Voigtlander Color-Skopar employs this advanced modern 7-element, 6-group design but still captures images with a vintage look.
Angled side view of Leica screw mount version of the 50mm f/2.5 Voigtlander Color-Skopar gives you a better idea of just how compact it is.
35mm f/3.5 W. Nikkor: Nikon first released this diminutive jewel of a lens in 1948, and it was the only wide-angle in the initial group of lenses for the Nikon I. Like the much more expensive 35mm f/3.5 Leitz Elmar it’s a simple 4-element, 3-group Tessar, and many early examples have a “C” engraved on the nameplate to indicate the lens is coated. Early versions stop down to f/16; later ones omit the C and stop down to f/22. Most examples are chrome, but the lens was also produced in (rare and expensive!) black finish, and all were made in Nikon S bayonet and Leica M39 screw mount. The Nikon mount version weighs in at 3-1/2 ounces, and the screw mount version is heavier at 4-1/4 ounces. Minimum focusing distance is 1 meter, the lens extends only 1.27 inches from the camera, and it has an 8-bladed diaphragm.
35mm f/3.5 W-Nikkor C (for "coated"). This early Leica screw mount example says Nippon Kogaku on front ring; others have this logo on the I.D. ring.
The 35mm f/3.5 W. Nikkor is a lovely lens that performs extraordinarily well for such a simple design. It’s sharp in the center at all apertures with noticeable edge and corner softness at f/3.5-f/4, and comes in nicely by f/5.6, maintaining excellent sharpness and contrast across the field at smaller apertures, Based on my personal hands-on experience with an early Nippon Kogaku example in LTM mount, this lovable little lens delivers pleasing rendition with a touch of vintage character and beautiful bokeh, especially at f/3.5-f/5.6. $200-400 in Nikon S or LTM screw mount.
6 more optical classics that deliver beautiful rendition at modest prices
135mm f/3.5 Canon: This is the original chrome finished version go the 1950s.
135mm f/3.5 Canon in Leica screw mount: This vintage classic lens was introduced in 1952 as a Serenar, and its name was changed to Canon starting in 1953. Produced for an amazing 23 years in 8 silver and black cosmetic variations until 1975, all feature the same 4-element, 3-group Tessar-type optical formula that’s credited to Canon lens designer Jirou Mukai. All iterations focus down to 1 meter, have 10-bladed diaphragms with full stop detents to f/22, extend about 4 inches from the camera body, and weigh in at 15.9 ounces. Attractive and solidly made with metal barrels and smooth focusing single helicoids, the front rotates as you focus so it’s best to set the aperture before focusing.
135mm f/3.5 Canon: This is the later black finished version with knurled focusing ring. The 4-element 3-group optics remained the same.
The 135mm f/3.5 Canon delivers solid optical performance from a simple 4-element design with superlative sharpness and contrast across the field by f/5.6 and good central sharpness and detail with moderate falloff at the corners and edges at wider apertures. This lens is also acclaimed for its smooth natural bokeh, said to be more attractive than its leading competitors from Leitz and Nikon, and it certainly delivers a lot of bang for the buck. $75-150.
50mm f/2 Zeiss Jena Sonnar: This is the hard to find uncoated prewar version in Leica screw mount.
50mm f/2 Zeiss Sonnar: The first 50mm f/2 Zeiss Sonnar was the brainchild of Ludwig Bertele, one of the great lens designers of the 20th century. A 6-element, 3-group formula, it was configured to minimize air-glass surfaces to reduce internal reflections in the days before lens coating. It first appeared on the Contax I of 1932 along with the 50mm f/1.5 Sonnar, a similar but faster 7-element, 3-group design, and it was produced all through the ‘30s in both rigid and collapsible configurations labeled Carl Zeiss Jena, and after 1936 was one of the standard lenses used on the Contax II and III. After WW II the 50mm f/2 Sonnar was produced in coated Contax mount versions were labeled Zeiss-Opton in the early 50s and later simply Carl Zeiss. There were also some coated postwar versions labeled Carl Zeiss Jena and produced by what was then the East German branch of Zeiss. Finally, the 50mm f/2 Sonnar was also made in coupled Leica screw mount both before and after WWII though coated postwar versions are more common.
All have similar imaging characteristics, but the uncoated versions provide softer less contrasty rendition and are more prone to flare.
Optical diagram and light path of the 50mm f/2 Zeiss Sonnar: Ludwig Bertele's ingenious and influential design endured for over 40 years.
The 50mm f/2 Zeiss Sonnar focuses down to 1 meter and typically stops down to f/22. Prewar versions have 9-bladed diaphragms and weigh in at 5.4 ounces, and coated postwar versions have 12-bladed diaphragms and weigh 4.9 ounces. They’re all magnificent lenses that are sharp in the center even wide open, deliver exceptional imaging performance across the field stopped down, have a gorgeous vintage way of rendering 3-dimensional space, and have a very pleasing bokeh, especially uncoated models at their widest apertures. These lenses are highly regarded and not exactly bargain priced, but they offer very good value for those seeking the vintage look without sacrificing image quality. $150-225 in Contax mount, $250-350 in Leica screw mount.
50mm f/2 Carl Zeiss Sonnar: This is a late coated version in Contax bayonet mount.
45mm f/2.8 Chiyoko Super-Rokkor: This fascinating optical oddball with the scalloped focusing ring was designed for the Minolta-35, a focal plane shutter interchangeable lens rangefinder 35 with (what else?) a Leica-type screw mount that was produced in 8 different relatively minor variations from 1947-1955. Why 45mm? It’s closer to the actual diagonal of the 24 x 36mm 35mm format (43.3mm) that determines what a normal lens should be, and it was produced in 6 different variations, all coated. Early examples have a distinctive circular aperture readout window in the front identification ring. It’s a 5-element, 3-group lens, but the front group is a cemented triplet so the design resembles a 5-element version of the 50mm f/2 Zeiss Sonnar rather than the usual Heliar construction which uses a cemented doublet at both the front and rear.
45mm f/2.8 Chiyoko Super-Rokkor: This early version has circular f/stop window in the lens I.D. ring and can fetch fancy prices,
The 45mm f/2.8 Chiyoko Super-Rokkor (Chiyoko is short for Chiyoda Kogaku, Minolta’s original name) is quite compact, extending only 1.5 inches from the camera and though it features hefty chrome on brass construction it weighs in at only 5.6 ounces. This little beauty is rangefinder coupled, focuses down to 1 meter, and has an 8-bladed diaphragm that stops down to f/16. It’s a superb lens capable of extremely sharp imaging and detail wide open and delivers corner to corner sharpness by stopping down to f/4-5.6. It also provides beautifully rounded 3-dimensional rendition, and very attractive and natural looking bokeh, especially at its widest apertures. Neither commonplace nor especially rare, it’s a lens with modest specs and outsize performance—a great choice for optical connoisseurs who want something different. $200-400.
45mm f/2.8 Chiyoko Super-Rokkor: This later version of Minolta's classic normal lens has a Leica-style infinity catch and no f/stop window.
50mm f/2 Topcor-S in Leica screw mount: This vintage classic is often found on Leotax cameras, good quality Japanese Barnack Leica clones of the mid 50s to the mid ‘60s. Made by Tokyo Optical Company, renowned for first class optics, this lens is a 6-element 4-group design based on the Zeiss Planar and it’s outstanding—at least as good as the 50mm f/2 Leitz Summitar, and edged out at the widest apertures only by the legendary Summicron. It delivers excellent central sharpness and resolution throughout, achieves optimum performance to the corners by f/4, and provides beautifully rounded rendition at all apertures and distances. It transitions smoothly from in-focus to out-of-focus image areas, and it has very attractive bokeh, especially at wide to moderate apertures. $175-$350.
50mm f/2 Topcor-S in chrome with Leica-style infinity catch was often used on Japanese screw mount Leica copies like the high quality Leotax.
50mm f/2.5 Voigtlander Color Skopar: This is not your grandfather’s Color-Skopar, which was a nice Tessar-formula lens fitted to a number of German made-in-Braunschweig roll film folding cameras and 35mm cameras in the ‘50s and ‘60s. It’s an advanced 7-element, 6-group lens designed and manufactured to a high standard by Cosina in Japan. Available in M39 Leica screw and M mount, it focuses down to 29.5 inches, stops down to f/22, has a 10-bladed diaphragm that enhances its smooth natural bokeh, and weighs in at a hefty 7.3 ounces despite extending only 1.3 inches from the camera body.
50mm f/2.5 Voigtlander Color-Skopar in Leica screw mount delivers vintage look imaging in a compact ergonomic package.
The 50mm f/2.5 Voigtlander Color Skopar is soft off axis at maximum aperture, but it improves noticeably on stopping down and is quite sharp across the field at moderate and small apertures. It scores on its excellent handling for an ultra-compact lens and on its overall image quality which has a vintage character and a provides good balance between sharpness and detail and smooth, natural rendition. Most reviewers praise its beautiful bokeh and recommend it as a good, close-focusing portrait lens. This gem is discontinued but it’s widely available new and preowned. $325-$450.
50mm f/2.5 Voigtlander Color-Skopar employs this advanced modern 7-element, 6-group design but still captures images with a vintage look.
Angled side view of Leica screw mount version of the 50mm f/2.5 Voigtlander Color-Skopar gives you a better idea of just how compact it is.
35mm f/3.5 W. Nikkor: Nikon first released this diminutive jewel of a lens in 1948, and it was the only wide-angle in the initial group of lenses for the Nikon I. Like the much more expensive 35mm f/3.5 Leitz Elmar it’s a simple 4-element, 3-group Tessar, and many early examples have a “C” engraved on the nameplate to indicate the lens is coated. Early versions stop down to f/16; later ones omit the C and stop down to f/22. Most examples are chrome, but the lens was also produced in (rare and expensive!) black finish, and all were made in Nikon S bayonet and Leica M39 screw mount. The Nikon mount version weighs in at 3-1/2 ounces, and the screw mount version is heavier at 4-1/4 ounces. Minimum focusing distance is 1 meter, the lens extends only 1.27 inches from the camera, and it has an 8-bladed diaphragm.
35mm f/3.5 W-Nikkor C (for "coated"). This early Leica screw mount example says Nippon Kogaku on front ring; others have this logo on the I.D. ring.
The 35mm f/3.5 W. Nikkor is a lovely lens that performs extraordinarily well for such a simple design. It’s sharp in the center at all apertures with noticeable edge and corner softness at f/3.5-f/4, and comes in nicely by f/5.6, maintaining excellent sharpness and contrast across the field at smaller apertures, Based on my personal hands-on experience with an early Nippon Kogaku example in LTM mount, this lovable little lens delivers pleasing rendition with a touch of vintage character and beautiful bokeh, especially at f/3.5-f/5.6. $200-400 in Nikon S or LTM screw mount.
charjohncarter
Mentor
My guess is I only use vintage 'look' lenses so I can't compare my experience to how 'modern' lenses differ.
I do have a 100mm f4.0 Serenar lens (your choice a 135mm Serenar/Canon) that is "Attractive and solidly made with metal barrels and smooth focusing single helicoids, the front rotates as you focus so it’s best to set the aperture before focusing" and is very sharp. Too bad I don't use it much.
I do have a 100mm f4.0 Serenar lens (your choice a 135mm Serenar/Canon) that is "Attractive and solidly made with metal barrels and smooth focusing single helicoids, the front rotates as you focus so it’s best to set the aperture before focusing" and is very sharp. Too bad I don't use it much.
das
Well-known
Nice list! It's great to remember that one does not have to spend $$$$$$ on a rangefinder lens to get great results. I would add the 35mm f/2.5 W-Nikkor, as it is a much better lens than the old f/3.5, and the 2.5 is also pretty cheap these days (at least in S mount). Not sure if the M39 version has skyrocketed like many other things have these days.
raid
Dad Photographer
I have very few of the cheap lenses in Part II. I like using such lenses, though. I have a few expensive lenses, and many cheap lenses. For example, the Canon 35mm RF lenses in 2.8; 2.0; 1.8; 1.5. The Zeiss 50/2 or 50/1.5 I also have their copies as J-8 and J-3.
"50mm f/2 Zeiss Sonnar: The first 50mm f/2 Zeiss Sonnar was the brainchild of Ludwig Bertele, one of the great lens designers of the 20th century. A 6-element, 3-group formula, it was configured to minimize air-glass surfaces to reduce internal reflections in the days before lens coating. It first appeared on the Contax I of 1932 along with the 50mm f/1.5 Sonnar, a similar but faster 7-element, 3-group design, and it was produced all through the ‘30s in both rigid and collapsible configurations labeled Carl Zeiss Jena, and after 1936 was one of the standard lenses used on the Contax II and III. After WW II the 50mm f/2 Sonnar was produced in coated Contax mount versions were labeled Zeiss-Opton in the early 50s and later simply Carl Zeiss. There were also some coated postwar versions labeled Carl Zeiss Jena and produced by what was then the East German branch of Zeiss. Finally, the 50mm f/2 Sonnar was also made in coupled Leica screw mount both before and after WWII though coated postwar versions are more common.
All have similar imaging characteristics, but the uncoated versions provide softer less contrasty rendition and are more prone to flare.
The 50mm f/2 Zeiss Sonnar focuses down to 1 meter and typically stops down to f/22. Prewar versions have 9-bladed diaphragms and weigh in at 5.4 ounces, and coated postwar versions have 12-bladed diaphragms and weigh 4.9 ounces. They’re all magnificent lenses that are sharp in the center even wide open, deliver exceptional imaging performance across the field stopped down, have a gorgeous vintage way of rendering 3-dimensional space, and have a very pleasing bokeh, especially uncoated models at their widest apertures. These lenses are highly regarded and not exactly bargain priced, but they offer very good value for those seeking the vintage look without sacrificing image quality. $150-225 in Contax mount, $250-350 in Leica screw mount."
"50mm f/2 Zeiss Sonnar: The first 50mm f/2 Zeiss Sonnar was the brainchild of Ludwig Bertele, one of the great lens designers of the 20th century. A 6-element, 3-group formula, it was configured to minimize air-glass surfaces to reduce internal reflections in the days before lens coating. It first appeared on the Contax I of 1932 along with the 50mm f/1.5 Sonnar, a similar but faster 7-element, 3-group design, and it was produced all through the ‘30s in both rigid and collapsible configurations labeled Carl Zeiss Jena, and after 1936 was one of the standard lenses used on the Contax II and III. After WW II the 50mm f/2 Sonnar was produced in coated Contax mount versions were labeled Zeiss-Opton in the early 50s and later simply Carl Zeiss. There were also some coated postwar versions labeled Carl Zeiss Jena and produced by what was then the East German branch of Zeiss. Finally, the 50mm f/2 Sonnar was also made in coupled Leica screw mount both before and after WWII though coated postwar versions are more common.
All have similar imaging characteristics, but the uncoated versions provide softer less contrasty rendition and are more prone to flare.
The 50mm f/2 Zeiss Sonnar focuses down to 1 meter and typically stops down to f/22. Prewar versions have 9-bladed diaphragms and weigh in at 5.4 ounces, and coated postwar versions have 12-bladed diaphragms and weigh 4.9 ounces. They’re all magnificent lenses that are sharp in the center even wide open, deliver exceptional imaging performance across the field stopped down, have a gorgeous vintage way of rendering 3-dimensional space, and have a very pleasing bokeh, especially uncoated models at their widest apertures. These lenses are highly regarded and not exactly bargain priced, but they offer very good value for those seeking the vintage look without sacrificing image quality. $150-225 in Contax mount, $250-350 in Leica screw mount."
Bingley
Mentor
I’ve got the Zeiss Opton Sonnar 50/2.0 in Contax mount, but often use it on Leica bodies w/ an adapter. It’s a great optic, and has become my go-to lens particularly for color film photography. It gives that Zeiss “pop” to color images. I have come to prefer it for color photos to the faster Sonnar 50/1.5.
The CV Skopar 50/2.5 has many, many fans on this forum, including me. There’s a thread devoted to it on the forum. I have both the LTM and S-mount versions. I’ve probably shot my LTM version (which I bought over 10 years ago for a fraction of the price this lens goes for these days) more than any other 50mm lens I have. It’s really well balanced on a Barnack style body (Leica or Canon), and on an M-mount camera makes for a very compact package. The handling is superb with the focusing tab. And the results… well, go check out the thread in the Voigtlander Lenses forum…
The CV Skopar 50/2.5 has many, many fans on this forum, including me. There’s a thread devoted to it on the forum. I have both the LTM and S-mount versions. I’ve probably shot my LTM version (which I bought over 10 years ago for a fraction of the price this lens goes for these days) more than any other 50mm lens I have. It’s really well balanced on a Barnack style body (Leica or Canon), and on an M-mount camera makes for a very compact package. The handling is superb with the focusing tab. And the results… well, go check out the thread in the Voigtlander Lenses forum…
lukx
Well-known
I think the price estimate for genuine screw mount Zeiss Sonnars is off by quite a bit. Genuine Zeiss Sonnars are rare in LTM mount, I'm not even sure I have ever seen an f2 version.
If you include the Russian Jupiter-8 copies, then we're closer to the truth. Although those may be a bit cheaper than stated.
If you include the Russian Jupiter-8 copies, then we're closer to the truth. Although those may be a bit cheaper than stated.
raid
Dad Photographer
My Zeiss 50/2 ltm was modified to ltm by inserting the glass optics into an Elmar lens barrel.
I have 4 of the 6- have the 5cm F1.5 Simlar, but not the F2 lens.
Voigtlander 50/2.5, do not have. Went with the 50/1.5 Nokton in LTM when they were running ~$300.
Original 5cm F2 CZJ Sonnars do exist in LTM- they often "flew below the RADAR Screen". Same with the original 5cm F1.5 Sonnar in LTM, used to go in the $200~$400 range.
THIS 1934 CZJ 5cm F2 Sonnar was in Contax mount, perfect glass.
Contax IIIa
Leica M Monochrom
It is now an LTM lens, using a tabbed J-8 focus mount modified for 0.75m focus.
Voigtlander 50/2.5, do not have. Went with the 50/1.5 Nokton in LTM when they were running ~$300.
Original 5cm F2 CZJ Sonnars do exist in LTM- they often "flew below the RADAR Screen". Same with the original 5cm F1.5 Sonnar in LTM, used to go in the $200~$400 range.
THIS 1934 CZJ 5cm F2 Sonnar was in Contax mount, perfect glass.
Contax IIIa
Leica M Monochrom
It is now an LTM lens, using a tabbed J-8 focus mount modified for 0.75m focus.
raid
Dad Photographer
I have several Zeiss lenses that Brian kindly modified into ltm or M over the years. It is amazing to me how good such lenses are and considering how old they are!
Jason Schneider
the Camera Collector
135mm f/4 Serenar
135mm f/4 Serenar
The 135mm f/4 Serenar is a decent triplet that his lovely rendition but is not exquisitely sharp at its widest apertures, especially off axis. The 100mm f/3.5 Serenar, which became the 100mm f/3.5 Canon, is a 5-element lens of exceptional quality that's amazingly sharp and has gorgeous rendition to boot. Shoot with what you've got and you will be happy.
135mm f/4 Serenar
The 135mm f/4 Serenar is a decent triplet that his lovely rendition but is not exquisitely sharp at its widest apertures, especially off axis. The 100mm f/3.5 Serenar, which became the 100mm f/3.5 Canon, is a 5-element lens of exceptional quality that's amazingly sharp and has gorgeous rendition to boot. Shoot with what you've got and you will be happy.
Aristo
Member
The »angeled view« you are showing for the 50 2.5 Color Skopar is actually a 35mm 2.5 Pancake Version II
Jason Schneider
the Camera Collector
Deardorff38
Mentor
I'm a fan of the black paint over brass Voigtlander 50mm f2.5 & the 28mm f3.5....even though prices continue to rise.
Having been very fond of the Nikkor 105 f2.5 on SLRs, i'd be keen to try the 105mm f2.5 p in the LTM version. 105mm is a really nice focal length for mountain scenics where you have no possibility to get closer.
Having been very fond of the Nikkor 105 f2.5 on SLRs, i'd be keen to try the 105mm f2.5 p in the LTM version. 105mm is a really nice focal length for mountain scenics where you have no possibility to get closer.
charjohncarter
Mentor
I put it on my Bessa R this morning after reading your post. I made one shot, but had to do something today so tomorrow it goes to the car show.
Thanks for the lens bump.
EDIT: I just checked the year of my newest lens. I bought (new) a FA Pentax 35mm f2.0 20 years ago so I guess I do have a newer lens.
markjwyatt
Well-known
...
50mm f/2 Carl Zeiss Sonnar: This is a late coated version in Contax bayonet mount...
Is that a little separation on the Sonnar? Have not seen that on mine (Opton, "T"). Hope it is not too common. It looks very localized to the edge. Have you seen any effect in images?
jc031699
Member
From what I can understand the Canon 135/3.5 is a 4 elements in 3 groups Sonnar design
Erik van Straten
Mentor
gelatin silver print (color-skopar 50mm f2.5) leica m3
Amsterdam, 2017
Erik.
Amsterdam, 2017
Erik.
Erik van Straten
Mentor
gelatin silver print (nikkor 50mm f2) contax l
Amsterdam, 2016
Erik.
Amsterdam, 2016
Erik.
lukx
Well-known
Late with the reply but anyway. The separation is common with the late "Carl Zeiss" labeled versions of the lens, whereas earlier "Zeiss-Opton" versions are not as prone to separation. They changed the cement of the middle triplet around the time the naming changed...
jc031699
Member
Erik, these are gorgeous