1942 WWII Hektor 135mm f4.5 With Anti-Reflective Coating?

[Robert Hooper]

I have two Leica Hektor 135mm f4.5 lenses which have serial numbers indicating they were manufactured in 1942, during WWII. Total production of the Hektor 135mm in that year was 563, according to my Hove reference books. Both lenses are painted flat black except for a mat chrome ring with distance scales. These lenses are coated.


I remember reading in some Leica literature that by 1942 the Germans were mandating that all Leica lens production go exclusively to government or military use and that lenses produced during this period were applied with a newly developed Leica anti-reflective coating during production in 1942.


Can anyone substantiate that Leica coated lenses for the Reich during the war, before 1946, after which a lot of civilian Leica lenses were returned to the Wetzlar factory for the anti-reflective coating? Any references would be appreciated.

 

[johannielscom]

Ask Marc James Small in his forum, he might know.

 

[Robert Hooper]

Okay, will do.

 

[LeicaTom]

Leica produced "coated" lenses during WW2 in some 1942/43 issues

Some lenses like this went to the Luftwaffe PK units (Propaganda Kompanie) or high ranking individuals in the party, some were engraved with military markings others not, most weren't.

These lenses are known as belag lenses (German word for coated ~ and are marked in the Leitz delivery dockets as so) ~ they made every style of issued lens during WW2 with this mono coating, (Elmar's Hektor's Summitart's Xenon's) they were trying to catch up with Zeiss whom by 1942/3 had far superior coatings, that were being used together with the *widely available to the military* (but, not to the civilians) AGFA Color films.

I have a 1942 Elmar f3.5/35 that's a belag lens, use it often on my M8 🙂

Also for many of the pre 1942 lenses, after the war there was a booming anti-reflective coating business, that even some private photo shops in Germany offered, many of the American GI's who started to shoot with Kodachrome "over there" also sent the lenses back to the factory to get coated as well, that's why you sometimes see early 50mm Summar's, Elmar's and Xenon's with coatings, while they were sent back......

Tom