50mm/2 Planar ZM vs. ZF; We happy few.

[SDK]

After wondering to myself if the excellent ZM 50mm/2 Planar could be directly transplanted to F mount for the forthcoming ZF SLR lenses for Nikon bodies, I decided to write Zeiss to see if it would be possible. I received the reply quickly. Apparently, it's not possible to use the same optical design because the rear element would be too close to the film plane, and would not clear the mirror. Here's the reply:

Dear Mr. Keirstead,

it is not possible to use the optical design of the Planar 2/50 ZM with an
SLR camera, since the distance of the last lens vertex from the film plane is just 30
mm. So the lens design makes use of the fact that the rangefinder camera needs less contraints than an SLR, where we always have to reserve some space for the moving mirror.

With best regards

Dr. Hubert Nasse
Carl Zeiss AG
Camera Lens Division, Laboratory​

I'm quite happy with the 50mm/2 ZM lens for my M-rangefinders, but I do hope they compute a 50mm/2 or similar for the ZF line. It would be nice to have a closer focusing 50mm, but the 60mm/2 Makro Planar ZF (if that's what it will really be) may be close enough and even more flexible than a standard 50mm/2 (though probably more expensive).

 

[Gabriel M.A.]

Dear Mr. Keirstead,

it is not possible to use the optical design of the Planar 2/50 ZM with an
SLR camera

There's always this alternative:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ROLLEIFLEX-SL35...ryZ11720QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

That's odd, though. Oh well.

 

[SDK]

I think the point is that the specific optical formula of the ZM 50mm/2 Planar can't be used on an SLR, not that Zeiss can't or won't design a 50mm/2 ZF lens (if they think it would sell). So a ZF 50mm/2 would have to be redesigned to fit the F-mount. I guess they would have to use different glass types & shapes, etc. to get a longer rear focal distance. Perhaps they would also want a slightly larger max aperture of f/1.8 or f/1.7, since it would be different anyway, and would compete better with 50mm/1.8 Nikkors.

 

[Sonnar2]

The Planar 1.8/50 shown on the Rolleiflex SL35 was a Voigtlaender Color-Ultron (Zeiss-Ikon Voigtlaender was one company then)
There was a Planar like the new ZM (6 elements/ 4 groups) for the Contarex... and the Schneider SL-Xenon 1.8/50 for the SL35 probably was very similar...

cheers, Frank

 

[wlewisiii]

Hmm. What email address did you write to? I want to ask them to make a ZM 50/2.8 Tessar ... collapsible of course... 😱

😉

William

 

[Mazurka]

The Planar 1.8/50 shown on the Rolleiflex SL35 was a Voigtlaender Color-Ultron (Zeiss-Ikon Voigtlaender was one company then)

Actually by that time Rollei had bought off Voigtlander from Zeiss after Zeiss Ikon went bust.

 

[SDK]

Hmm. What email address did you write to? I want to ask them to make a ZM 50/2.8 Tessar ... collapsible of course... 😱

😉

William

Hi William, I went to http://www.zeiss.de/de/photo/home_e.nsf , then picked "Contacts" from the menu at the top, then "Inquiry" and filled out the form. I don't want to put Dr. Nasse's e-mail address on a publicly viewable page, because then he might get more e-mails for enlarging his private parts. 😉

 

[CZeni]

I thought Mr Gandy was going to be selling the ZF lenses - there's no longer any mention of it on his website...