Sonnar 135/4 in LTM: Any users?

[gbb]

I found one of these ltm sonnars for $75, and was wondering if that's a good price, whether it's much better than a jupiter 11 for $25, and whether it's a focusable length on a Bessa R. Thanks,

GBB

 

[ZeissFan]

A 135mm lens probably exceeds the rangefinder accuracy of a Bessa. The narrow width of the Bessa rangefinder probably would make it difficult for you to consistently focus accurately.

The West German 135mm Sonnar is an extremely sharp lens. I believe the East German lens is based on a prewar design but I would expect to also be sharp. I have no experience with the East German version -- I know Henry Scherer says it's sharper than the West German version. I would disagree with that.

For the difference of $50, I would also pick the East German lens over a Soviet lens. Both use light alloy mounts, but the quality of construction appears to be consistently better with East German products than Soviet products.

 

[gbb]

How do you tell east from west german? What's a fair price for the eastern lens?

 

[grifon]

I have a J11, tried it out with a Zorki 4 and 5, with excellent results. Focus is not a problem as long as your subject is at least 10m away or so.

 

[furcafe]

I wouldn't worry about distinguishing E. from W. German, as there's no such thing as a factory-produced W. German 135/4 Sonnar in LTM. They were only made in Contax RF mount. If you do see 1 in LTM (FYI, it would be marked "Carl Zeiss" or "Zeiss-Opton" rather than "Carl Zeiss Jena"), it would have to be a custom job.

How do you tell east from west german?