2.0 Sonnars for Contax

[Tom A]

The Opton Sonnar is impressive looking - even though it is alloy, it is heavy (lots of glass in it) The alloy barrel also tends to get a bit sticky when it has been sitting for a long time - but it does "free" up with some vigerous twisting from infinity to close focus.
On the Nikon there is a bit of a "focus" shift, particularly at f2 and 2.8 due to the different pitch in the Nikon helicoil. It can be shimmed and I am actually considering doing one S2 body as a dedictaed Sonnar 85f2 body. If my memory serves me correct, it does require a 0.5 mm shim in the cameras focussing mount. Will check it out.

 

[Tom A]

For some reason the picture did not attach to the post above - so here it is.

 

[Phil_F_NM]

A year or so ago I got yelled at and almost chased off the lot at W17th St and 6 Ave in NYC during one of the flea markets for telling a seller that his shaky engraved "Contax" was a fake.

I saw it behind a few other cameras that were probably moldy. It had an all aluminum lens labeled with a "Sonnar" beauty ring and the Jupiter's optical logo. The coating was gorgeous and deep, just like my J-8. Looked like it came straight from Russia, complete with the exact same script I've seen on Jupiters before. Seller wanted over $500 for it and I offered him $120 and told him why it was a duplicate. He yelled at me insisting it was genuine and told me to leave. I put down the camera and he approached me in an intimidating manner so I went to another vendor where my girlfriend was.

Phil Forrest

 

[dexdog]

Which Zeiss 50mm sonnars went to f 11, which to f 16 and which to f 22? I can't figure it out nor can I find info in web searches; 2. Are the newer looking brass/chrome 50mm sonnars that say simply Carl Zeiss (no Jena, no Opton), with serial numbers generally in the 1 millon range, West German lenses, just missing the Opton? Or something else? Thanks to any who can help.

The f:2 Sonnar lenses were mostly produced with minimum aperture of f22, according to John Keesing's book called "Contax Rangefinder Lenses 1932-1962." CZJ produced a small run of lenses that stopped down only to f16 in the year 1932, but other than that, f22 was standard for both CZJ and the the West German ZO and CZ lenses. The 5cm/f1.5 Sonnars had more variations of minimum aperture, including the very first type that had minimum aperture of f8.

You are correct in that the lenses marked only Carl Zeiss are of West German origin. Zeiss made the switch from the Zeiss-Opton name in 1953. These lenses are not marked with a "T" either.

 

[dexdog]

The minimum aperture for the f:1.5 Sonnars varied somewhat. According to Keesing's book, the apertures are as follows. I am not sure that Keesing caught all the variations (not unusual with Zeiss lenses), but his book is one of the few sources of info

1932, minimum aperture f8
1934, minimum aperture f11 introduced
1935, minimum aperture f16 introduced
1941 minimum aperture f22 introduced with advent of lens coating
1950, West German version with f16 minimum aperture
1952, West German version (small batch) with f22
1953, West German version with minimum aperture of f16

 

[sparrow6224]

Thank you Dex. @ Phil: I live in NY and can well picture the scene. The vendor himself was likely Ukrainian. Or Russian. No matter. I know this isn't nice, and I've met many who were fascinating and talented and brilliant, but I've never, ever, ever met a sane one. I'm 55 so I figure there are, with luck, god willing, 25 to 35 years left for me to encounter a stable Russian or Ukrainian. The Baltic people: no problem. Armenians? I live with one. Georgians? I don't know any. But the two mentioned above, I'm still waiting.

 

[sparrow6224]

PS to Dex: I just checked my CZJ Sonnar, serial number block 2,106,xxx, which puts it by published data in 1937, but it only stops down to f/11. So I suspect there is much variance.