Got me a pre-war 50mm Sonnar

I have tried the Sonnar with color and with XP2. Both came out super good. I tried to shoot wide open at window light. The results were very pleasing, I used a Franka push in lens hood.
 
raid said:
I have tried the Sonnar with color and with XP2. Both came out super good. I tried to shoot wide open at window light. The results were very pleasing, I used a Franka push in lens hood.
Click to expand...

I have a book in my library called Flowers by David Hamilton. He shoots flower photos that have a lot of flare and a dreamlike look. I'm wondering if I could recreate the same look with this lens.
 
raid said:
Yes, you are right. It looks like new, but it is a very old lens. I just found a lens hood for it.

I meant to ask about my Soonar. Is it also pre-war?
Click to expand...

Raid, in general the pre-war lenses will have serial numbers lower than 3 million. Most pre-war lenses are uncoated, but some are coated. I have a pre-war/war-time coated 50/1.5 Sonnar (serial number is 275,xxx and 1940 35/2.8 Biogon (serial number 287,xxx).
 
dexdog said:
Raid, in general the pre-war lenses will have serial numbers lower than 3 million. Most pre-war lenses are uncoated, but some are coated. I have a pre-war/war-time coated 50/1.5 Sonnar (serial number is 275,xxx and 1940 35/2.8 Biogon (serial number 287,xxx).
Click to expand...

Hi Mark,

My 50/2 has serial number 3,104,xxx, but it does not appear to be coated.
I really like this lens.

Brian Sweeney sold me an Opton 50/1.5, which is post-war.
 
raid said:
My 50/2 has serial number 3,104,xxx, but it does not appear to be coated.
I really like this lens.
Brian Sweeney sold me an Opton 50/1.5, which is post-war.
Click to expand...
IIRC there had been a discussion thread about that very same 50/2 Sonnar of yours already a few months ago. Seems that what you have is a postwar Carl Zeiss Jena 50/2 Sonnar T on which the coating might have been removed "thanks to" a hard cleaning - or a repolishing job to remove "cleaning marks", scratches or some fungus whatsoever.

Like the 3,094,545 which I used to have :

attachment.php


Outstanding lens. I have sold it out but bought another one from Brian "scotforthlad" since because I regreted mine so much.

These early postwar 50/2 CZ Jena Sonnars T were either made of chrome plated brass or aluminum. My first one was chrome over brass, the one I got from "scotforthlad" is aluminum.

Look at Mike's Sonnars family here :

http://elekm.net/zeiss-ikon/pages/lens.html
 
Last edited:
Raid,
Does your lens have a T on the front ring? If it does and doesn't have the coating then Highway 61's interpretation is likely. If not, then it's more interesting. As another data point, my 1942 lens (nr. 2,709,686) has the red T & is coated indicating that they were coating this lens by that point. This doesn't mean all the lenses were coated or even that all lens immeadiately postwar were or ... or... or ... ;)

Sounds like time to ask Marc James Small over at the ZICG :)

William
 
wlewisiii said:
Raid,
Does your lens have a T on the front ring? If it does and doesn't have the coating then Highway 61's interpretation is likely. If not, then it's more interesting. As another data point, my 1942 lens (nr. 2,709,686) has the red T & is coated indicating that they were coating this lens by that point. This doesn't mean all the lenses were coated or even that all lens immeadiately postwar were or ... or... or ... ;)

Sounds like time to ask Marc James Small over at the ZICG :)

William
Click to expand...

William: It has a T on the front. I looked at the front again, and if I let the ceiling light reflect in the lens, I see a faint faint faint purple. There is no color from the back of the lens.


Highway 61: You could be right here. I very much like the optical qualities of this lens in particular. Some of my favorite B&W shots were taken with this lens.
 
Last edited:
After being involved in photography and cameras for almost 50 years, I learn something here all the time. ..... Also, thanks Raid, for that info on the Canon VI-T. It sold for what you mentioned.
 
whitecat said:
After being involved in photography and cameras for almost 50 years, I learn something here all the time. ..... Also, thanks Raid, for that info on the Canon VI-T. It sold for what you mentioned.
Click to expand...

You're welcome. I have learned the market values of cameras and lenses over the past 20 years plus.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom