Help identify crusty old Carl Zeiss Sonnar please

[kelby]

Hello,
I've been researching the descriptions of Carl Zeiss Sonnar 50mm f1.5 lenses for a few weeks and I was wondering if you could please shed some light on what it is that I have. I'm having trouble trying to identify exactly what bits and pieces my lens is made up with.
As you can see from the pictures below it has what looks like a 'C&P' with a cirlce around it engraved on the barrell and also INF engraved on it.
In case this helps the aperture sequence runs like this 1,5 2 2,8 4 8 5,6 11 16 22.
Also It's not clear from the photographs I've taken but it has a purple tint on the front glass.

Yes my lens is in bad shape with fungus and a dent in the front rim. Surprisingly for it's condition it takes quite nice images and I'm not too concerned if I'm told it's not worth a cent, I still like it and I will look at getting it cleaned in the New Year.

So many of you have such an amazing amount of knowledge on these lenses and I appreciate anything you can tell me about it.

Oh btw, I didn't paint the red marker on the lens..but it sure does help to show what aperture I'm using!
Thanks again.

 

[FrozenInTime]

Lots of examples here : http://www.taunusreiter.de/Cameras/Zeiss_Fakes.html
But not quite like yours.

 

[LeicaTom]

It's a Postwar 1947 Russian built CZJ Sonnar T f1.5/50 (at least the head is) ~ mixture of WW2 restposten parts, under Russian Occupation Manufacture. (you can tell by the serial number and the odd looking mount) if it works well, I say use it and ENJOY IT! ~ it would be worth sending off to get professionally cleaned. 🙂

Tom

PS: I've seen Sonnar's that look like a tank ran over them and they shoot great photos, it's all about the glass and the calibration on these lenses 😀

 

[Sonnar Brian]

It looks like a Cooke and Perkins adapted Sonnar.

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=75402

 

[LeicaTom]

It looks like a Cooke and Perkins adapted Sonnar.

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=75402

So that's what that mount is? ~ cool, built out of a 1947 era lens.

Tom

 

[dexdog]

Hartmut Thiele's book on CZJ lenses lists production date for this batch of 600 5 cm/1.5 lenses as April 14, 1947, in Contax mount. If it takes good images now, it might be even better restored by a competant repair service. Looks pretty beat, although many fine-performing lenses of this era look that way. Enjoy the lens.

 

[raid]

I agree with all of the above. This is a very interesting looking lens that can deliver good images if cleaned.

 

[enasniearth]

Cp sonnar

Cp sonnar

Numbers over 300xxxx are lenses made postwar in the zeiss jena works .
Although the factory was in the Russian controlled zone they produced many fine optical products . These are different than the Russian lenses postwar made from zeiss optics moduals ,
I have not seen the c- p mount however after WWII many contax mount lenses were put in leica rangefinder coupled mounts by small manufacturers .
Years ago i had hall- barken conversions of earlier sonnars 85/2 and 50/2 in rf coupled leica screw mount . The mounts were aluminum and very similiar to the cp lens mount you have posted .

 

[kelby]

I can't thank you all enough for your replies. You have all given me excellent information.

Brian, thank you for that link, I've been searching through old posts here but somehow managed to miss that one.

I also forgot to mention that this lens is in a Leica mount. Though I guess you may have already guessed that seeing I posted the question in the LTM forum 🙂

I'm in the process of setting up my new Coolscan 9000 and when I'm up and running I would like to share some images here taken with this lens if anyone is interested.

Once again many thanks for your replies.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

 

[David Hughes]

Just a point; Zeiss lenses were adapted and sold for the Leicas during the 30's and a lot of other makers' lenses had LTM's fitted. It was a thriving but small scale industry. You often see them advertised (usually as second-hand) in 1930's magazines.

Regards, David

 

[johank]

When H Göring did get in Command of the Luftwaffe he orderd all Leicas and Robots in use in the LW to be equiped with Zeiss lenses. Others who where not so keen on the best, soon followed his example.

 

[Dwig]

...
Also It's not clear from the photographs I've taken but it has a purple tint on the front glass.
...

That is NOT a tint on the front element. What you are seeing is a result of the coating and is only seen in the reflections. There is no tinting of the light that is passed through.

With coated lenses there is a reflection from the front of the coating and a second reflection from the coating-to-glass boundry. The two reflections with interfere with each other to produce a brighter effect in a color that has a wavelength equal to the thickness of the coating. Purple is a characteristic of the common early coatings. Check out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optical_interference#Optical_interference