COMZ logo

[Nikon Bob]

I just got a J-3 LTM with the COMZ logo on the lens beauty ring. It is silver and was made in 1961, ser. N611XXXX. Web searches have little info so the question is do any of you have any info on the factory? Thanks.

Bob

 

[brachal]

COMZ isn't one I'm familiar with. Can you describe the logo? I've seen one web site which identifies the old ZOMZ logo (3 lens elements glued together) as COMZ.

 

[Nikon Bob]

Bill

Three elements glued together pretty much describes it and that it might be a old ZOMZ logo was about all I got too. Thanks.

Bob

 

[dexdog]

Is it GOMZ, perhaps? see following link

http://www.photoethnography.com/ClassicCameras/index-frameset.html?Leningrad.html~mainFrame

 

[dexdog]

This is a great link, too.

http://cameras.alfredklomp.com/logos/index.htm

 

[brachal]

The links above have good stuff. If I recall correctly ... ZOMZ is near Moscow and was a subsidiary or under the supervison of KMZ. After 1962 the logo changed to something that looks like an eye with an arrow through it. I've seen this logo on a couple of Orion-15 lenses, so maybe ZOMZ specialized in unusual or complex lenses?

An old thread stated that KMZ and ZOMZ did a lot of military work and were therefore subject to higher quality standards than other optics plants. I can't swear to that. At some point ZOMZ got out of the camera business to focus on medical optics. Again this is what I remember from an old thread; I can't cite any written sources. Somebody who knows more than I do will probably see this thread soon ...

A lot of J-3s seem to have come from ZOMZ. On the old thread I mentioned earlier, 3 out of 4 J-3s on the thread were built there. Mine is a '61 from ZOMZ, and it's excellent. Its serial# is 619000 ... maybe it knew yours? 🙂

 

[Nikon Bob]

You can see what the COMZ logo looks like on this link http://www.commiecameras.com/sov/index.htm . It really does not give much detail though. Yes it is a COMZ logo, that is what piqued my interest. The serial number also starts with an N. Would the N indicate an export model? Yea I know too many questions on trivia.

Bob

 

[Philipp]

Just realized my J3 ist also from COMZ. But from 1957.

The serial number also starts with an N. Would the N indicate an export model? Yea I know too many questions on trivia.

Bob

I checked all my FSU-lenses. All numbers start with "N". Only my Jupiter 11 sais "N°" for "Number". I guess it was too difficult to engrave, so they reduced it to "N". But I like your theory about indicating the export model better 🙂

By the way: the red "n" stands for coating, or am I wrong?

Greetings,
Philipp

 

[Nikon Bob]

Philip

I guess the N was a red herring of sorts. I just checked my FSU lenses in Kiev and LTM mount and found some with no N prefix to the serial number and some with. I guess it means little. As for the meaning of the red "n" I have no clue. Actually some say I have two clues, one is lost and the other is out looking for it. FSU lenses ain't they fun.

Bob

 

[brachal]

This site:
http://zenit.istra.ru/qa/qa-logos.html

identifies that logo as the old (I think it's pre-62) ZOMZ logo. The red N-like character indicates that the lens is coated. It was dropped at some point after all lenses came coated.

 

[350D_user]

FSU lenses ain't they fun.

"I'll go further than that. I'll get off at the depot".

FSU equipment itself is fun. Personally I find it (them?) far more interesting than a certain German brand. 🙂

 

[Philipp]

Oh yes, they certainly are fun. Are you also wondering through how many hands and countries your cameras / lenses have gone before you got them? Built in 1957 near Moscow... bought 2007 from evilBay. What happened in between? What pictures were taken with it? Happy ones? Sad ones?

Okay, okay, enough philosophy.

Philipp

 

[Nikon Bob]

Bill

Thanks for the link and I'll take your word for it as it comes up in Russian. So a pre ZOMZ logo it is, for now anyway.

Dave

I have several brands of gear and they are all interesting especially if you spot something unusual about them. Knowing some history/background on them adds to the pleasure.

Philipp

Never enough philosophizing, it is good exercise for the imagination.

Bob

 

[varjag]

Bob, red "П" stands for "Просветленный" - i.e. coated. Same as "C" on early Nikkors, and dropped from later versions for same reason 🙂

 

[brachal]

Bill

Thanks for the link and I'll take your word for it as it comes up in Russian. So a pre ZOMZ logo it is, for now anyway.

Bob

Bob,

Worth mentioning that Princelle identifies this mark as being from the OPTEK plant, but has no other information. You can translate chunks of the site I posted with babel fish:
http://babelfish.altavista.com/

 

[QUAsit]

Princelle is great but with this `misterious OPTEK` factory he made a mistake, by descriding early ZOMZ logo (1956-c. 1963) in such way)

 

[brachal]

Princelle is great but with this `misterious OPTEK` factory he made a mistake, by descriding early ZOMZ logo (1956-c. 1963) in such way)

QUAsit,

I thought that might be the case. Thanks for clearing it up!

 

[raid]

COMZ and GOMZ are not the same factories. My J-3 is made by COMZ. Is it related to ZOMZ? It has the logo of three elements glued together.

 

[raid]

It seems that it is the earlier ZOMZ logo. That would be good.

 

[jmkelly]

I have looked and the only reference to "COMZ" that I can find is on Nathan Dayton's website. Cyrillic has no equivalent to the english "C". COMZ might be an anglicization of the Cyrillic KOM3. (Thanks for the confirmation QUAsit.) The triplet on Bob's and Raid's lenses was the ZOMZ logo until 1962.