5cm 2.8 Tessar in LTM? Home Hacked?

raid

Dad Photographer
Local time
1:19 PM
Joined
Nov 2, 2005
Messages
36,567
I wonder whether this lens is a home hacked lens into LTM by some individual as a custom job or whether Zeiss made a few Tessar lens in LTM.

I hope that Brian will add his notes here, as he is our resident lens hacking expert. This is also interesting from as Zeiss/Leica historic point of view.
 
Last edited:
carlzeissfront14176854.jpg


carlzeissfront4176854.jpg


carlzeissback4176854.jpg



carlzeissangleback4176854.jpg
 
The chrome of the base does not quite match. I think someone made a custom base for the M42 or Exakta mount lens. Just a guess! I could not have the part made for the price of the lens. My home-hack job is more crude, but cheaper. Price of an I61 and Tessar in M42.
 
Brian,
Once I get the lens, I will be able to better find out what exactly it is that I got. I have the Tessar in M42 mount already.
 
The lens is an SLR lens, as I said on the HU thread of this lens, maybe an Exakta or an M42 mount originally.
The stop down ring can be seen , just below the aperture setting ring in the first photo.
I wonder if the lens hacker neutralized this stop down feature?
You do not need it for an RF camera, in fact it could be detrimental to the exposure if you hit the ring by accident.
 
Last edited:
I really don't know at this stage. What I know so far from the ad is that this lens is RF coupled. If it stays RF coupled for the minium distance of 0.5m, then this would be great.
 
I really don't know at this stage. What I know so far from the ad is that this lens is RF coupled. If it stays RF coupled for the minium distance of 0.5m, then this would be great.

Even if the stop down feature is not neutralized when you get it, careful work when you use it should negate this.
I don't think this will become your everyday lens, but you never know.
 
It cannot stay RF coupled to 0.5m. The threads would get in the way. Except to lose coupling at ~0.9m.
 
Even if the stop down feature is not neutralized when you get it, careful work when you use it should negate this.
I don't think this will become your everyday lens, but you never know.


I am intrigued by the history of old lenses. While the Tessar may not become my daily use lens, I may use this lens once in a while for portraits.
 
One part of what Marc Small emailed me:"There are also a number of one-off conversions as well by private machinists in the immediate Post-War years."
 
One part of what Marc Small emailed me:"There are also a number of one-off conversions as well by private machinists in the immediate Post-War years."

There was also some quantity conversions on certain lenses in the post war years.
the excellent english made Cooke Amatol lens that was destined for the B&H Foton camera ended up in Italy for hacking into LTM and to a lesser extent, Contax mount.
Peerless and Willoughby were some of the N.Y. Photo stores that contracted this out.

Since they supplied the lens, these stores did not have to sell at the camera manufactures dictated price.
a Leica IIIc with a Summitar lens was price dictated by Leitz, but not the IIIc body alone.
 
Last edited:
My lens seems to be one out of a run of 5000 M-42 lenses that ended in 1954. This is what Marc Small told me. It is a lens that was adapted by someone individually.
 
Back
Top Bottom