Honu-Hugger
Well-known
Zeiss' history is interesting and complex; it contributes to a lot of mis-information regarding the quality of the lenses from Jena and Oberkochen. There really is no brief summary other than to say that the coating process was developed at Jena before the war. The lenses produced in Jena just before the war are some of the finest made. If you are truly interested in this equipment it pays to familiarize yourself with Zeiss history. The division of Zeiss after the war was not as simple as it would seem; stores of parts existed from which lenses and cameras were later produced, trade and limited cooperation existed betwen Jena and Oberkochen after the war, and of course there was the allocation of equipment and intellectual resources.
A few months ago members of this forum were busy debating the authenticity of a 50/1.5 Sonnar offered on eBay for a reasonable "Buy It Now"; they suspected it of being counterfeit because it was a Jena lens with the "T" coating -- a popular misconception is that "T" lenses were not produced in Jena. I bought the lens, sent it to Henry Scherer for CLA and Henry commented that it is the finest 50/1.5 he has ever seen -- said he is certain that I will value its performance above my other 50's. I haven't used it yet, but I am anxious to see how it actually performs.
As for the 135 Sonnar: would you value a chrome over brass barrel uncoated lens over an aluminum barrel coated one? Tough call; the aluminum barrels do not age as well as the brass and the brass has a better tactile feel, but the coated lens is typically a better performer. No comment on the Jupiter -- never used one and not enough time for what I already have 🙂.
A few months ago members of this forum were busy debating the authenticity of a 50/1.5 Sonnar offered on eBay for a reasonable "Buy It Now"; they suspected it of being counterfeit because it was a Jena lens with the "T" coating -- a popular misconception is that "T" lenses were not produced in Jena. I bought the lens, sent it to Henry Scherer for CLA and Henry commented that it is the finest 50/1.5 he has ever seen -- said he is certain that I will value its performance above my other 50's. I haven't used it yet, but I am anxious to see how it actually performs.
As for the 135 Sonnar: would you value a chrome over brass barrel uncoated lens over an aluminum barrel coated one? Tough call; the aluminum barrels do not age as well as the brass and the brass has a better tactile feel, but the coated lens is typically a better performer. No comment on the Jupiter -- never used one and not enough time for what I already have 🙂.
