BrianS: Tell us about this LTM Sonnar!

I imagine that Brian will check in at some point, but my two cents based on my 1948 ZK.

- Focus mount should be the same as WW2 era LTM Sonnars, with 4 screws on the focus ring, with one pair together like a colon mark, : The improved J-3 mount does not have this pair of screws.
- Yes, the focus ring has a capital M
- Lens will be built to 52.4mm standard
- The name ring on my 1948 ZK is different than my 1949 examples, in that the year is portrayed as 19 (polygon or prism shape) 48, and the serial number follows in a separate section.
 
dexdog said:
I imagine that Brian will check in at some point, but my two cents based on my 1948 ZK.

- Focus mount should be the same as WW2 era LTM Sonnars, with 4 screws on the focus ring, with one pair together like a colon mark, : The improved J-3 mount does not have this pair of screws.
- Yes, the focus ring has a capital M
- Lens will be built to 52.4mm standard
- The name ring on my 1948 ZK is different than my 1949 examples, in that the year is portrayed as 19 (polygon or prism shape) 48, and the serial number follows in a separate section.
Click to expand...

Thank you for your detailed response! Yeah that largely matches the lens I've saw. Perhaps the sellers photos just don't show the usual Sonnar 4 screw arrangement (which I am familiar with).

Here are some pictures, you can see the conspicuous absence of the focus stopper "colon mark". However the screw-mount barrel looks wartime Sonnar and not Jupiter-3 (the font is different):
wOTIEzg.jpg
tyVlT5R.jpg

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TenEleven said:
Hey Brian, very interesting ensemble!
I'm currently eyeing a "ZK" 1948 Jupiter/Sonnar and was wondering about a couple of things:


1. The focus mount appears to be already the Jupiter-3 type, meaning improved.

2. The focus scale is in Cyrillic "M"
--> Does that mean the lens already Focuses to the Zorky standard? 52.4mm?
--> Or is it still LTM 51.4mm standard? How about yours?
Click to expand...

A 1948 ZK 5cm F1.5 original LTM lens should be in the original Zeiss focus mount, not the improved Jupiter-3 mount. The focus scale would have an "M" on it, at least mine does. So- if it is in the improved J-3 mount with the internal stop screw and NOT the 4th screw through the focus ring, it is not original.
 
TenEleven said:
Thank you for your detailed response! Yeah that largely matches the lens I've saw. Perhaps the sellers photos just don't show the usual Sonnar 4 screw arrangement (which I am familiar with).

Here are some pictures, you can see the conspicuous absence of the focus stopper "colon mark". However the screw-mount barrel looks wartime
Click to expand...

I would ask for more pictures. It does look like a wartime mount from the position of the set screw that holds the helical into the mount. BUT- without seeing the 4th screw, it could be an early KMZ J-3 mount.
 
Sonnar Brian said:
I would ask for more pictures. It does look like a wartime mount from the position of the set screw that holds the helical into the mount. BUT- without seeing the 4th screw, it could be an early KMZ J-3 mount.
Click to expand...


Hey Brian.
Thanks for your explanation. I've actually wrote the seller a message and then before he could respond spotted the second screw myself. I've highlighted them out in Yellow:


o8cp4g5.jpg



Brian, I assume your ZK Sonnar also is/was the 52.4mm standard?
 
My ZK is the 52.4mm standard, came in a white plastic Fed container. I had to shim it for the Leica. My "Conjecture"- big "M" means the lens is the 52.4mm standard, little "m" means it is the Leica standard.

I did see the possible second screw- but so out of focus, hard to tell from dirt or a mar in the metal.
BUT- I think you are right, it is the stop screw. Worth taking a risk if the lens is a good price.
 
Sonnar Brian said:
My ZK is the 52.4mm standard, came in a white plastic Fed container. I had to shim it for the Leica. My "Conjecture"- big "M" means the lens is the 52.4mm standard, little "m" means it is the Leica standard.
Click to expand...

This one comes in a similar white container. Ivory colored cap.
And yes your conjecture meshes with my experience as well. That said I've seen some really badly mis-aligned "m" labelled wartime Sonnars.


Also while we're sharing unfounded hypotheses - I think "M" is most likely Cyrillic for meter, their upper and lowercase "m" look both like an uppercase "M".
 
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