Marc James Small
Member
Please spread this around. This is the Straight Skinny and is important for the understanding of the development of all photographic lenses through the past 164 years.
The late Charlie Barringer maintained a Zeiss Lens List from around 1975 until his recent death. This List consisted of reported numbers with lens details, and Charlie would challenge a submitter if he had questions about the provenance of the lens or accuracy of the data. By the time of his death, he had accumulated around 35,000 verrified numbers. Charlie often shared specific runs of numbers but only once shared the entire list, with a fellow in Sweden, and that was when the List was much smaller.
John Scott of the Zeiss Historica Society is heading up a project to ensure that the List is preserved and continued in respect for Charlie's wishes. Hans de Groot has volunteered to head up a committee to supervise the transition. The List is currently maintained in Mac spread-sheet format.
The eventual goal will be to put the entire List on the Web, but that will be a way down the road, I suspect. In the interim, we will soon have renewed access to the List, and that provides a wonderful balance to Thiele's three volumes of Zeiss serial numbers drawn from the factory records.
Again, please spread this around.
Marc
The late Charlie Barringer maintained a Zeiss Lens List from around 1975 until his recent death. This List consisted of reported numbers with lens details, and Charlie would challenge a submitter if he had questions about the provenance of the lens or accuracy of the data. By the time of his death, he had accumulated around 35,000 verrified numbers. Charlie often shared specific runs of numbers but only once shared the entire list, with a fellow in Sweden, and that was when the List was much smaller.
John Scott of the Zeiss Historica Society is heading up a project to ensure that the List is preserved and continued in respect for Charlie's wishes. Hans de Groot has volunteered to head up a committee to supervise the transition. The List is currently maintained in Mac spread-sheet format.
The eventual goal will be to put the entire List on the Web, but that will be a way down the road, I suspect. In the interim, we will soon have renewed access to the List, and that provides a wonderful balance to Thiele's three volumes of Zeiss serial numbers drawn from the factory records.
Again, please spread this around.
Marc
Brian Puccio
Well-known
If they need help throwing together a quick database with a web interface (and even some hosting), I can help out pro bono like.
johannielscom
Snorting silver salts
Should be possible to have this in a MySQL database and a PHP form. Inputting a serial number then would turn up all known data on a lens.
I would like to assist as well and would gladly donate space on my web site to run the completed application.
I would like to assist as well and would gladly donate space on my web site to run the completed application.
LeicaTom
Watch that step!
Marc,
I have a list of Leica Mount Zeiss lenses I'd like to verify for my Sonnar Registry, does this mean that we can figure out what's real and not real???? ~ Thx!
Tom
I have a list of Leica Mount Zeiss lenses I'd like to verify for my Sonnar Registry, does this mean that we can figure out what's real and not real???? ~ Thx!
Tom
Last edited:
Marc James Small
Member
Thanks, Guys. I'll let you know as the project moves forward.
LeicaTom, I probably can decipher any CZJ LTM lens you have. I have a fair amount of knowledge and a fair amount of references on the subject.
Marc
LeicaTom, I probably can decipher any CZJ LTM lens you have. I have a fair amount of knowledge and a fair amount of references on the subject.
Marc