Dating a Zeiss Jena Biogon

[FrankS]

Dating a Zeiss Jena Biogon:

I'm surprised no one has suggested sticking to dating only women instead. 🙂

 

[furcafe]

Your 1936 date is probably close. The coating is almost certainly after-market & was probably done right after the war. The color (Zeiss coatings were purplish) & lack of the red "T" marking are the giveaway clues (I have a similar collapsible 50/2 Sonnar w/bright blue coating).

Hello Jesko, maybe you can let me know when is this collapsible 50/2 sonnar from (I think 1936), I'm going to receive it soon at home 😀

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7584161825&rd=1&sspagename=STRK:MEWN:IT&rd=1

Thanks immensely 🙂
Max

 

[darkkavenger]

Thanks a lot for this, I didn't knew that custom coatings were applied, and you're true about the classic red T 😉

 

[Mike Kovacs]

I agree this is likely a aftermarket coating (early '36 too early for Zeiss on a consumer lens) but there were factory coated prewar/wartime Sonnars that do not sport the red T, or so the story goes (I haven't had one come my way yet).

 

[darkkavenger]

Thanks Mike! I'll be submitting more pics asap 🙂

 

[drmatthes]

Sorry, forgot book @ home, internet being @ job, will be back tomorrow w/ answer,

Jesko

 

[darkkavenger]

no worries 🙂

 

[drmatthes]

finally...

finally...

Hello Jesko, maybe you can let me know when is this collapsible 50/2 sonnar from (I think 1936), I'm going to receive it soon at home 😀

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7584161825&rd=1&sspagename=STRK:MEWN:IT&rd=1

Thanks immensely 🙂
Max

Max,

I'm sorry, being actually on the move between Hannover and Lueneburg, I couldn't answer a couple of days (moving is chaos :bang: ), but - it may be ridiculous - at least the ZI lens reference book is with me all the time...

Here we go:

Your Sonnar is one of a lot of 4.250 with serial numbers from 1.883.601 to 1.887.850, production start having been 1936-06-29, according to ZI production card #5199.

As your Sonnar bears a late number in that series, it must have been produced not long before 1936-08-27 (the day when identical Sonnars were produced starting with 1.887.851), that is to say, most likely Summer 1936, which is about the closest we can get. Remember the song?

"I got my first real RF, bought it to impress the chicks, shot it 'til my fingers bled, it was the summer of 36" 😉

If the blueish colour of the front lens holds true, then it is likely that it either has been coated without being marked with the red T (which is said to have happened sometimes) but more likely to have been send in to ZI again for coating.

Besides - a really good looking lens 🙂 .

enjoy!

Jesko

 

[darkkavenger]

Thanks so much Jesko! I'm of course impatient to receive it at home and to mount it on my old Kiev! (until I'm rich enough to get a Contax-II)

Cheers!
Max

 

[Mike Kovacs]

Jesko - a little off-topic for RFF, but in Hannover you are in the vicinity of Braunschweig, home of my beloved Rolleiflexes! How I would love to know all the treasures there, in terms of basements full of old Rollei and Voigtlander goodies (and repair parts!).

Coasted through there once on A2, between the Ruhr (where I lived) and Berlin.

That is some take, on a classic Canadian song 😉

 

[drmatthes]

Hi Mike,

regrettably there is not too much camera history left in & around Braunschweig (as for the rest of Germany, the good camera times are gone in this country) now, the largest part of Rollei (formerly Franke & Heidecke) production seems to have been moved to Singapore years ago as far as I understand. That's a bit too far from Hannover... I also have not come across a camera museum in my area so far, but there is a nice photo museum there:

http://www.photomuseum.de/

Two years ago, they had a fantastic exhibition on Tina Modotti and Edward Weston.

I'm planning to visit the Dresden Technical Museum this year, it is said to be located in the former Ernemann Building, and being a Zeiss addict, I'm looking forward to that!

Jesko

 

[Mike Kovacs]

Zeiss addict, I'm looking forward to that!

Indeed, so would I! I do business with a company in Radeburg (near Dresden), so I may make it to "the valley of the clueless" yet 😉

 

[darkkavenger]

I'm planning to visit the Dresden Technical Museum this year, it is said to be located in the former Ernemann Building, and being a Zeiss addict, I'm looking forward to that!

I definitely **HAVE** to move my butt around there, living in Prague makes Dresden (and Jena) pretty close! I'd love to visit this museum, and also the Pentacon facilities if that is possible. I've had my Pentacon Six masterfully serviced there. 🙂

 

[darkkavenger]

The production of this batch of lenses started exactly 42 years before my birth, I was born on 06-29-1978 😀 great (personal) news!

 

[drmatthes]

Max, please let us have examples of photos taken with this happy birthday lens in the future!

 

[darkkavenger]

I hopefully will! The weather isn't so great these days, and work is abundant. 🙂

 

[johank]

I have a Swedish Price sheeth from 1942 for Carl Zeiss Contax, all Lenses could be had with coating for a small extra fee.
Hard Currency was badly needed during the War.
Great to read about your combined forces to time production dates.
I will later try to document my small collection better.