Which Lens cap for f2.8 Zeis Ikon 35mm Biogon

galleryg

galleryg

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Just trying to save some search time. I have yet to find out after hours of searching, Lens cap sizes for the f2.8 35mm Biogon (post war) and also the f1.5 post war 50mm Sonnar. Thanks in advance.

I am still new to the whole RF thing. Ask me anything about Hasselblads/Rolleis and I got that commited to memory byt the maze that is vintage Contax is sometimes bewildering...
 
galleryg said:
Just trying to save some search time. I have yet to find out after hours of searching, Lens cap sizes for the f2.8 35mm Biogon (post war) and also the f1.5 post war 50mm Sonnar. Thanks in advance.

I am still new to the whole RF thing. Ask me anything about Hasselblads/Rolleis and I got that commited to memory byt the maze that is vintage Contax is sometimes bewildering...
Click to expand...

The Sonnar and Biogon and in fact most Contax lenses with a few notable exceptions take the same size of lens-cap & filters: 40.5mm.

It's probably best to buy a couple of plastic 40.5mm snap on lens caps from Amazon or somewheres. They're cheap so it's probably a good idea to buy some spares if you misplace one.

Something like this:
https://www.amazon.com/B01IBCBMXW/
 
The lens cap for the Zeiss Opton 35mm Biogon f 2.8 was a metal shallow lens cap with an internal diameter of around 42.2 mm, so in reality any soft plastic lens cap that fits on the outside rim of the very common FSU Jupiter 8 or Industar 61 l/d lens can be used as a cheap to buy and readily available alternative.
 
but be warned that not all 42mm external size slip-on lens caps mean a 40.5mm screw-in one, nor a filter either as some take 39mm filters and caps. I don't know why but it can catch you out, as it did me, once. I have wondered if it's a pre- and post-war thing but have no literature for the more modern ones.



Regards, David
 
Of all the (too many...)Zeiss lenses for Contax that I own, both pre and post war, the 42 mm push on caps work with the exception of the 85 f/2 Sonnars. These include 2.8 cm f/8 Tessar, 3.5 cm Biogon, 3.5 cm Orthometar, 5 cm f/3.5 and f/2.8 Tessars, 5 cm f/2 and f/1.5 Sonnars, 8.5 cm f/4 Triotar, 13.5 cm f/4 Sonnar and 18 cm f/6.3 Tele Tessar for pre war and 21 mm and 35 mm Biogon, 35 mm Planar, 50 mm f/3.5 Tessar, 50 mm f/2 and f/1.5 Sonnars, 85 mm f/4 Triotar and 135 mm f/4 Sonnar for post war. I don't have anything longer than the 18 cm Tele Tessar, and I assume that any of the long telephotos will take larger caps.
Not every pre war lens has threads for filters--my 18 cm Tele Tessar doesn't and I think there may be others as well. All of my other Contax lenses except for the 85 f/2 lenses take 40.5 mm filters.
 
You used to find job lots of the generally pretty well made 'no brand' Soviet lens caps on 'the Bay' for nearly nothing. In my experience they usually fit well and look nice on Zeiss lenses...
 
The best lens cap for your Biogon 35 will be a 40.5mm metal lens hood. The regular Chinese tilted-vented hood (copy of the classic Leitz #12585 hood) which you can find for $5 or even less will work super and will not get into the Biogon FOV. There is no need to use a "wide" tilted-vented lens hood with this lens, which is good to know because as nice as they are the "wide" hoods are much less efficient.

Cherry on the cake, such a hood will take any 52mm clip-on plastic lens-cap so you don't need to take the hood off if you want to install a lens cap.

And you will use the same lens hood on your Sonnar 50. Actually, you will buy two of them. And you will fit 52mm clip-on lens caps on both.

Yet - remember, with your RF gear the best place for your front lenses caps is a drawer, unless you like to take nice series of blank frames... ;)
 
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