Carl Zeiss LTM Carl Zeiss "T" Biotar f2 3.5cm LTM

[SHerzog]

Greetings to everyone. I just joined this forum after I recently inherited a Leica IIIc with two lenses. The one is the 50 mm Elmar 3.5 and the second is the Zeiss Biotar. I have looked and looked online to find anything about this lens and to whom it could be sent to be cleaned internally as well as fix a piece of cementing between the lenses, (or at least I think that's what it is) that I can see on the edge when I look through it. The lens is in somewhat rough condition and of course, is very stiff from the dried lubricants. Does anyone know anything about this lens or who might service it?

 

[Sonnar Brian]

That is a rare lens- a Carl Zeiss Jena 3.5cm F2 Biotar, listed as being in Arriflex mount- but completed in a Leica mount.

Henry Scherer in the US specializes in Zeiss repair:

The Zeiss Ikon Contax Camera Repair Website - About Us

DAG is well known-

Contact

Telephone: 608-835-3342 FAX: 608-835-3342 Postal Address: 2128 Vintage Drive, Oregon, WI 53575 USA Customer Service: dagcam@chorus.net Office Hours: 10AM - 6PM CST Monday through Friday

www.dagcamera.com

The company that does thorough restoration,

Skyllaney Opto-Mechanics

Specialists in Zeiss ZM, Voigtlander VM and Leica M lens repair and servicing.

skyllaney.com

located in Scotland.

Servicing this lens will not be cheap- but it is worth it, likely a prototype or custom manufactured.

 

[dexdog]

Brian beat me to this one! Part of a batch of lenses completed in Feb 1937 according to Hartmut Thiele's book. Looks like a well-made mount, I agree with Brian about custom mount or prototype. I just looked at a couple of arriflex lenses on eBay, same 270 series, both are T coated. Given early production date of 1937, musta been a zeiss priority to coat such lenses at a time when the bulk of their lens production were not coated.

 

[wlewisiii]

WOW! That's a really cool lens. Glad I got to see it, even like this. I hope you'll post it here once restored and - more importantly - photos taken with it then.

Thank you!

 

[Miles.]

So neat! Thanks for sharing.

You’ve received the perfect advice already so I’ll forego saying anything else. Good luck!

 

[santino]

I‘d say it is almost a museum piece. Well worth restoring it professionaly.

 

[SHerzog]

Thanks to everyone who replied and who have given both advice as well as contacts for servicing this lens.

I had no earthly idea that it was an oddity/rarity; my uncle had been in the Foreign Service for about 4 years after his discharge in 1946. The camera and lens may have been purchased during one of his postings, but I don't have a complete record of where he was during those years. I have contacted the firms suggested and eagerly await their response to the next step.

Going with the good advice that I've been given so far, does anyone have any suggestions for a light meter to be used with the Leica IIIc? I grew up with an Agfa Super Solina rangefinder
(≈ 1960) with the fixed 28 mm 2.8 lens, but memorized the little 'cheat sheet' included with Kodak film for setting the camera. For the entire time I used that, I don't think I ever bought anything other than 100 speed film. I know that I would never be using transparency film, but sticking with print film, both black and white as well as color.

Thanks again to everyone. I really do appreciate your expert advice.

 

[wlewisiii]

A good modern yet classic feeling pocket-able meter is the one I use - the Sekonic Twinmate L208. Takes a single CR2032 battery, does reflective and incident metering and you can get a piece to mount it in the camera shoe if you want. I keep it in my pocket and use it only if the light changes enough to notice (modern negative film has lovely latitude).

Just for information, currently new at Amazon:
Sekonic L208

 

[iphoenix]

If you want a meter to fit in the accessory shoe and the same era as your camera, look at a "Metraphot" 2 or 3 - a selenium meter that was marketed as one recommended by Leitz. There shouldn't be much of a problem finding one.