Zeiss Biogon 35/2.8 F type not T type

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rogthai

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I just got Zeiss Contax II/III mount 35/2.8 with F type not T type. Is it strange type? I never see before. Normally Zeiss will using T for identifying Coated type but this lens has "F" instead of "T". What does it mean?
 
"F"ake. No kidding - spelling errors on the ring are a pretty safe indication of relabelled Jupiters, the Russian and Ukrainian fakers usually being barely more familiar with the Latin alphabet than we are with the Russian.
 
The good news is that a good Jupiter will give an excellent performance on level with the original Biogon. Cross your fingers and go burn a roll unless the price was high you may want to live with it.
 
sevo said:
"F"ake. No kidding - spelling errors on the ring are a pretty safe indication of relabelled Jupiters, the Russian and Ukrainian fakers usually being barely more familiar with the Latin alphabet than we are with the Russian.
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You should document yourself a little bit more I'm afraid. There are many articles about the white F instead of a red T on some 100% genuine Zeiss lenses.

This page for instance : http://elekm.net/zeiss-ikon/pages/lens.html

Then go to "The Zeiss lenses" and look at the 35 Biogon. This is a postwar Biogon, which was never ever copied or faked from any Russian lens.
 
Highway 61 said:
Then go to "The Zeiss lenses" and look at the 35 Biogon. This is a postwar Biogon, which was never ever copied or faked from any Russian lens.
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These only occurred on some Contax IIa/IIIa Opton lenses, apparently only those exported to some markets where they had to avoid CZJ trademarks, as we don't see many of them in Germany. No Carl Zeiss Jena Contax II/III Biogon can have born that symbol.
 
Could the original poster please put up a picture of the lens? It would help to figure out what is going on. Thanks!
 
My lens like "Highway61" link.
Biogon-217.jpg


Is it Fake "Zeiss Biogon" one? But overall lens body is the same normally Biogon 35/2.8.
 
rogthai said:
My lens like "Highway61" link.
Biogon-217.jpg


Is it Fake "Zeiss Biogon" one? But overall lens body is the same normally Biogon 35/2.8.
Click to expand...

No, that is a post war, post East/West split Zeiss Opton Biogon. As this has different glass and dimensions, it has never been faked. Higher value than the pre war version, as it had Western production standards and fits the IIa/IIIa, which the Carl Zeiss Jena ones don't.

The majority of coated Carl Zeiss Jena (I/II/III fit only) Biogons are fake - Zeiss labelled coated originals were built only briefly in modest numbers (and supposedly in the USSR as well as in Jena), while exactly the same lens with Jupiter label was mass produced for a decade, followed up by slightly modified ones for another thirty years. That said, the fakes usually are no worse than the originals as far as their use is concerned, being essentially the same, unless you happen to find a fake based upon a late (70's/80's) Jupiter - but the simplified, far more coarse body build of these makes the fake really obvious...
 
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If your lens is like the one pictured, it is a genuine post-WW2 Biogon. The reasons why Zeiss-Opton used the "F" instead of the usual red "T" for a period of time are not known.

Enjoy the lens, it's a good one!
 
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Yes and some postwar CZJ Tessar and Biotar lenses designed for the Contax S series SLR cameras (Contax S, D, F and further Pentacon etc) wear another different white symbol which looks like a L included in an O (I don't remember what it does mean but some Zeiss specialists here will tell us for sure) while some otherwise identical lenses still wear the classic red T (all those lenses bearing the very same coatings).
 
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