Carl Zeiss LTM Carl Zeiss Jena 8.5cm f2 aluminum - buy or not to buy

Carl Zeiss M39 lenses
menos

menos

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I found a Carl Zeiss Jena 8.5cm f2 in aluminum barrel in LTM mount.
The barrel is silver.
The front has a black beauty ring, reading:

Carl Zeiss Jena Nr. 2851xxx Sonnar 1:2 f=8.5cm T

The aperture has no click stops.
Blades are slightly oily.
The front element is scratched slightly in the center (not cleaning marks, but ~4 parallel ca 6mm long scratches).

Additional cleaning marks on the front element are there as well.

The focus feel is the smoothest of all lenses, I have ever touched.
The focus has slight play though.

The price is slightly less than USD 1000,-

Is this worth it?

I think, the scratches might not give big issues photographically but will press any reselling ?
Is the aperture easily accessibly for cleaning/ disassembly/ reassembly?

Is the focus play easily cured or a hint of a worn coupling between mount and optics module, needing new parts?

Can anybody date the lens - I know nothing about CZJ lenses … at all ;-)
Any pointers for readups?

How were these lenses deployed - accessories, caps, hoods?

Thanks for any help on this - I am on a old lens trip.
 
Too much money for the lens. Maybe things are skyrocketing, and will stay there. Maybe this is a "bubble".

The Nikkor 8.5cm f2 is a better lens, heavily made- and cost about 1/2 of that price.
 
I would go with the Nikkor 85mm f2 lens.

But if you go with the Zeiss make sure it is not a re badged FSU J-9 lens masquerading as a Zeiss lens.
 
Brian Sweeney said:
Too much money for the lens. Maybe things are skyrocketing, and will stay there. Maybe this is a "bubble".

The Nikkor 8.5cm f2 is a better lens, heavily made- and cost about 1/2 of that price.
Click to expand...

Thanks Brian - you saved my 1000,- USD.
What are normal going rates on mint and user samples of these lenses?
Antiquecameras.com lists these for something like 1000,- USD (no indication of version, etc)?

I can't find any info on the net about the different versions of these 8.5cm Sonnars - no help in dating (is this from 1940s or 50s ?), no further info to be found.

I have found basically three different barrel designs on the net of the old CZ Sonnar: a heavy brass pre war lens (mid 30s), a after war CZ-Opton west German version (this is not the one) and I presume, the one i saw in aluminum barrel, looking similar in design to the pre war 7.5cm/1.5 in Aluminum.

I found a few hints of how to distinguish Franken Sonnars and Russian Sonnars and all Russian barrels indeed have a different looking aperture ring (the one on the CZJ always being "smooth" integrated, not "standing out").

I have not found images of the 8.5cm with this black beautyring - most are silver outside the barrel and have a black ring in the front.
This version has the whole front in front of the aperture ring in black.

Thanks @ xayraa33 - this was my fear as well, which is why I didn't bought it on the spot.
My biggest hesitation though was because of the scratched front element.
 
Menos,

have a look in the sonnar thread in the Leica LTM forum.

I have posted in the last few pages about the 1951 Jupiter-11 I found, that likely has a CZJ optical cell in it.

Also, a genuine 270xxxx (meaning a 1942 CZJ lens) was sold in the last auction at Westlicht.com, from last May. That lens was paid too much for, buyers drove eachother up the walls it seems. Was in the vicinity of EUR 800 IIRC.
 
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Johan, I can't seem to find the Sonnar thread, you are referring to :-(

The bad thing is, that I seem not to be able, to get the extremely, perfectly smooth focussing feel and the light weight aluminum barrel of that CZJ 85mm out of my head - I guess, the bug has gotten me.
 
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