Questions about Opton lens for Super IKonta.

[literiter]

I have 3 Super Ikonta Bs. Two have "Opton Tessar" lenses, the other just a straight "Tessar" lens.

The "Opton Tessars" are two types it seems, but can't be too sure. One "Opton" is obviously coated, whereas the other seems uncoated. This brings a question or two:

1) What are the characteristics of a "Opton Tessar" lens.
2) Did Zeiss make a uncoated "Opton Tessar" ?
3) Is the "Opton" particularly desirable?

Any thoughts?

Vincent

 

[steamer]

I think the Opton Tessar is post war and if I recall correctly they were coated. I have Carl Zeiss Jena Nr 2832*** Tessar on my Super Ikonta A. It appears to be uncoated.

 

[ZeissFan]

1) What are the characteristics of a "Opton Tessar" lens.
It should be marked Zeiss-Opton, should be accompanied with a red "T" and would be coated.

2) Did Zeiss make a uncoated "Opton Tessar" ?
Some of the early postwar Zeiss-Opton lenses are uncoated, specifically those for the roll-film Ikontas and obviously aren't accompanied by a red "T." Postwar West German (Zeiss-Opton and Carl Zeiss) almost always are marked in millimeters.

Prewar uncoated lenses will be marked Carl Zeiss Jena and the focal length will be in centimeters. Postwar East German Carl Zeiss Jena lenses will include a red "T" and the focal length usually is marked in millimeters.

3) Is the "Opton" particularly desirable?
The coated lenses usually brings more value than its uncoated counterpart. But among the postwar coated lens, there were those marked Zeiss-Opton and those marked Carl Zeiss. I've never heard one way or the other, and surely there are people on both sides who want either the Zeiss-Opton or the Carl Zeiss version for differences -- perceived or real -- in lens formulations.

Zeiss has updated its lenses through the years but never made a big deal about it.

Regarding the roll-film Ikontas and Super Ikontas, most people currently seem to desire those with coated lenses. They aren't rare, as Zeiss never set out to make limited runs of lenses to push up the price.

 

[M. Valdemar]

There was a trademark dispute for awhile in the early 1950's, with "Zeiss" on both sides of the Iron Curtain claiming the trademark names.

Hence, to be exportable, the West German Zeiss had to name their lenses "Opton". These are almost all coated, post war.

The dispute was finally settled and "Opton" was dropped.

 

[furcafe]

Following some of the earlier posts:

(1) Lenses marked "Zeiss-Opton" predate the settlement/resolution of the trademark dispute between the W. German (Oberkochen) & E. German (Jena) halves of the Zeiss optical empire around 1953, IIRC. Lenses made before & during WWII are marked "Carl Zeiss Jena." After 1953 or so, the W. German lenses are marked simply "Carl Zeiss," whereas E. Germany continued w/the "Carl Zeiss Jena" marking.

(2) Not that I know of, since Zeiss was already coating most of their production by the late 1930s.

(3) Depends. On the 1 hand, some of the Zeiss-Opton lenses, especially the early ones, may have been below normal Zeiss standards as they were produced in the early postwar period when there were still serious shortages of materials & skilled manpower in Germany & Zeiss (W. Germany) had just begun to resume production of lenses in Oberkochen (the main glass works had been in Jena, which was now on the other side of the Iron Curtain). On the other hand, the later "Carl Zeiss"-marked lenses were made using a Canadian balsam adhesive that hasn't stood the test of time as well as that used in the Opton lenses.

I have 3 Super Ikonta Bs. Two have "Opton Tessar" lenses, the other just a straight "Tessar" lens.

The "Opton Tessars" are two types it seems, but can't be too sure. One "Opton" is obviously coated, whereas the other seems uncoated. This brings a question or two:

1) What are the characteristics of a "Opton Tessar" lens.
2) Did Zeiss make a uncoated "Opton Tessar" ?
3) Is the "Opton" particularly desirable?

Any thoughts?

Vincent