Need some information about Carl Zeiss Tessar 50mm F3.5

[Elmar Lang]

The Biogon is a very fine lens, in my opinion, better than Leitz's Summaron and Nikon's lens.

While searching for a Biogon, be careful not to mount a Zeiss Jena one (with protruding, rear lens group) on a IIa/IIIa camera!

A fine lens is also the East German Zeiss Jena 35/2,8 Biometar: it's quite uncommon to find, so it can be expensive to buy.

E.L.

 

[zeissguy]

Hello,

just as an information, I have a rigid-mount Tessar 50/3,5. It's marked Zeiss Opton and its serial number is 1003428.

It's a very sharp lens indeed, in the best tradition of the Tessar scheme.

Another 50/3,5 Tessar (but signed "Carl Zeiss Jena") is mounted on my postwar Contaprox-I. Also this one is an extremely fine lens. The serial no. is 1840444.

Best wishes,

Enzo (E.L.)

Thanks for the lens info. We should be able to figure out the point at which Zeiss-Opton became Carl Zeiss.

Again, just for information purposes, I have 4, 50mm F3.5 Tessars. One of them has a really surprising serial number. They are as follows:

50mm F3.5 Tessar T Zeiss-Opton 1002123
50mm F3.5 Tessar Carl Zeiss 1003721
50mm F3.5 Tessar Carl Zeiss 1004750
50mm F3.5 Tessar Carl Zeiss 1525377

Does anyone know anything about these 50mm F3.5 Tessars that have serial numbers in the 1.5M range?

My 5cm F3.5 Tessar mounted to a Contaprox-(?), also Carl Zeiss Jena, is serial number 3009797. What do we know about Contaprox serial numbers?

 

[Elmar Lang]

My Contaprox is no. 1251.

Best wishes,

E.L.

 

[zeissguy]

My Contaprox is no. 1251.

Best wishes,

E.L.

E.L., when you say that your Contaprox is no. 1251, I assume that you are referring to a part number. Part no. 1251 refers to the focusing magnifier that screws onto the ground glass focusing screen which is no. 5520/6.

The part number for my Contaprox unit is 563/04. On my unit, this number is found inscribed around the tripod mount.

I am curious if there was anything other than the Contaprox I. In other words, was there a Contaprox II or III?

 

[furcafe]

I have no special knowledge, but do have CZ 50/3.5 Tessar 1525551.

50mm F3.5 Tessar Carl Zeiss 1525377

Does anyone know anything about these 50mm F3.5 Tessars that have serial numbers in the 1.5M range?

 

[Elmar Lang]

First of all, I need to apologize for the mistakes in my previous posts:

- the Tessar 50mm.f:3,5 mounted in my Contaprox is not made by Carl Zeiss Jena, but actually is a western "Carl Zeiss", with serial number 1840444.

- the "1251" attributed by me as a sort of serial no. of my Contaprox, actually is, yes, the part-number of the magnifier. From what I can see, examining my Contaprox, it has no serial number, besides that on the Tessar lens.

That said, I would like to add that generally, it's assumed that the Contaprox-I is fitted with CZJ (DDR) Tessars only, but my own piece proves the opposite.

Regarding the 50/3,5 Tessars, there is this fine and well-documented article: http://www.marcocavina.com/articoli_fotografici/Pierpaolo_Ghisetti/39/00_pag.htm .

It's written in Italian, but well illustrated and easy to translate.

Best wishes,

Enzo (E.L.)