Tessar lenses for RF?

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noimmunity

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I've been looking at some old photos, and I've found that photos taken with my Yashica T5D, with Zeiss Tessar 35/3.5 lens, have a special quality. They are not especially sharp, but have a smooth tonal quality that appeals to me for black and white portraits. I've also noticed, in my photos and on flickr, that photos taken with Tessar lenses seem to share certain bokeh...objects in the out of focus area become almost ghostly shapes. I can't find the scan of a negative I really wnat to show so I'm using this one:
1012294981_80abdf2f81.jpg


Notice the trees branches in the upper right corner. I've seen this sort of "effect" (or limitation of the lens) in other photos taken with Tessar lenses, and I kinda like it. Used in the right setting it reduces the background to almost geometric basic shapes that accentuate the B&W figure in the foreground.

Is this common with Tessar lenses? Are there any lenses in LTM or M mount that have the Tessar formula and are worth considering? Anyone had any experience with other Tessars? I think there are a couple for SLRs and then of course many on vintage cameras...
 
Hi,

noimmunity said:
They are not especially sharp, but have a smooth tonal quality that appeals to me for black and white portraits. I've also noticed, in my photos and on flickr, that photos taken with Tessar lenses seem to share certain bokeh... [...] Is this common with Tessar lenses? Are there any lenses in LTM or M mount that have the Tessar formula and are worth considering?
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You have the "Tessar bug". This is more common that we think :)

There are a couple of Tessars in interchangeable mounts. The most obvious choice is the pre-war or post-war Zeiss Tessar for the Contax. If you have an LTM or M body this desn't get you very far though :) I'm not sure if there were LTM versions of those, but I've never heard of any.

Other than lenses with Zeiss written on them, there are a couple of lenses which are more or less close to the original Tessar. (I don't know enough about Leica lenses to make a 100% statement about which lenses there are from the big L, but the original 50/f3.5 Elmar was supposedly close). There are several Soviet lenses that fall into this category; the 50/f2.8 Industar-26 was a direct clone, and the 50/f2.8 Industar-61 is based on a refined Tessar formula using more modern optical glasses and one of the LTM lenses I like best, regarding tonal rendering as well as apparent sharpness. If you want to try a Tessar lens on an LTM or M body, get one of these two, an I-61 should set you back about $15 and should be pretty rewarding.

Philipp
 
I don't know enough about Leica lenses to make a 100% statement about which lenses there are from the big L, but the original 50/f3.5 Elmar was supposedly close
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Same optical formula, but a different position for the diaphragm, I believe (and not just the original - I think all the 50 Elmars use a Tessar formula)

Of the FSU lenses I particularly like the Industar I-50, which I think is effectively a rigid I-22 (and both of which are Tessar formula)
 
My first 35mm camera (a Zenit SLR) had an Industar 50. Compared with later acquisitions, that lens was a dog. I'm afraid I couldn't see any redeeming qualities in it.
 
Hi there are some adapters LTM to M42, it will allow you to put one of them, of course you must to use the hyperfocal distance to focus.
regards
 
I made one. Put a preset Carl Zeiss Jena 50mm F2.8 in 42mm mount into a Russian I61 mount. The lens is not pretty, but it is RF coupled. And beautiful Bokeh.

1089262784_e521cf1262_o.jpg
 
My first 35mm camera (a Zenit SLR) had an Industar 50. Compared with later acquisitions, that lens was a dog. I'm afraid I couldn't see any redeeming qualities in it.
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I suspect that was probably down to quality control - as with most FSU stuff, you could get one that was properly assembled and adjusted and was very good, or you could get one that was thrown together on a Friday afternoon, or when the workers were full of vodka, or when they were rushing to get their monthly quota done, and was a dog.

And on an SLR, f/3.5 was awful - it made the Zenith viewfinder really dark.
 
> Can you post a pic of the lens? Thanks

I will this evening. Basically, took the optics module out of the Tessar, took the I-61L/D optics module out of the its mount, then epoxied the mounting nut from the Tessar into the I-61 mount. Adjusted it until collimated, then epoxied in place.

And the I61L/D optics work great on my Nikon.
 
Brian's photo demonstrates the appeal...but I don't think he is going to sell me that one and I'd surely be unable to do it myself!

So it sounds like FSU lenses might be worth a try. But there seems to be some disagreement on which one is best to try (I-50 or I-61?) and then there is the problem of where to find a good sample? Maybe RXMD can tell me a reliable source...

I read that Elmars after 1994 have the exact Tessar formula; while earlier LTM 50/3.5 Elmars are another place to look. Can this Elmar be used on a modern Zeiss Ikon?

For SLR, Zeiss made a pancake Tessar 45/2.8 in C/Y mount for the Contax SLR. Seems like it would make a neat fit with my little (and little-used) Aria, so I'm starting with that, but I want to find one for my RF M mount bodies (did I say that already?):D
 
So it sounds like FSU lenses might be worth a try. But there seems to be some disagreement on which one is best to try (I-50 or I-61?)
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I think the I-61 (L/D version) is probably going to be the sharpest and overall best lens, but I'm not sure how true to the Tessar look it is (I haven't really used mine, so I can't tell).

Can this Elmar be used on a modern Zeiss Ikon?
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An M-mount Elmar will fit as it is, and a screw-mount Elmar will fit with an adapter.
 
oscroft said:
An M-mount Elmar will fit as it is, and a screw-mount Elmar will fit with an adapter.
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I mean in terms of being collapsible...

Reading about elmars and looking at pics, it seems like the older LTM elmars have more of the classic tessar look, but the new Elmar-M has a very appealing look in general. But the differences seem dependent on too many variables to figure out (for me)...
 
noimmunity said:
I mean in terms of being collapsible...

Reading about elmars and looking at pics, it seems like the older LTM elmars have more of the classic tessar look, but the new Elmar-M has a very appealing look in general. But the differences seem dependent on too many variables to figure out (for me)...
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The collapsible bit is quite short so I think it will safely go in
 
The I-61L/D is sharp. Too sharp for the classic look. It is made with modern glass, has higher contrast, and is much sharper than the older lenses. It's a great lens. The mount is not as well designed and fabricated as the optics. I just repaired one that had a "wobble" in the mount that caused the RF image to shift by 2m for a 5m subject.
 
noimmunity said:
For SLR, Zeiss made a pancake Tessar 45/2.8 in C/Y mount for the Contax SLR. Seems like it would make a neat fit with my little (and little-used) Aria, so I'm starting with that, but I want to find one for my RF M mount bodies (did I say that already?):D
Click to expand...

If you can get your hands on a 45/2.8 in C/Y mount, by all means, give it a try!

Especialy on an Aria it makes one of the smalles possible SLR packages possible, and it is a real gem :)
 
Socke said:
If you can get your hands on a 45/2.8 in C/Y mount, by all means, give it a try!

Especialy on an Aria it makes one of the smalles possible SLR packages possible, and it is a real gem :)
Click to expand...

smaller than a lot of RFs, actually!

i picked up an exc+ from adorama for $199 after watching ebay prices continually go over $200...looking forward to trying it.
 
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