Weird lens: Slightly OT

[garythegit]

Just won a bid on the bay, Spotmatic F, Praktica L SLRs and an Olympus 35SP for £80 🙂 ("Merry xmas" to self!) It also came with 4 lenses, one of which I'm totally baffled by. It's described as a "Stenheil f4.5 35mm wide angle" and I'm guessing it's a M42 mount due to the SLRs but I can't find any info on it. I suspect also that it's a mispelling of 'Steinheil' which apparently made Leica copy lenses?? If anyone can shed a bit of light on it I would be very grateful!

 

[bmattock]

Gary,

First of all, congratulations. In answer to your question, yes, the lens is most likely a Steinheil. Steinheil is/was a German lensmaker in the same tier as Rodenstock - that is, well-regarded, but not in the same league as Schneider or Zeiss or Leitz. Steinheil made lenses for everybody who made cameras in Germany and elsewhere - in a staggering variety of lens mounts, including built-in lenses for fixed-lens cameras. Your 35mm f4.5 could well be a M42 mount, or a LTM lens, or a Praktica mount, and so on.

Nothing wrong with a Steinheil lens, and many of them were quite good. Let us know what you've got!

Best Regards,

Bill Mattocks

 

[Doug]

Hi Gary -- Agree with Bill... I don't know that particular lens, but I did have a Steinheil 135mm f/2.8 Quinar for my Spotmatic years ago. I used it quite a lot for about 7 years and then traded it in on a new Pentax SMC Takumar 120mm f/2.8 that was somewhat smaller and had the open-aperture metering whatnots on the mount to match my Pentax ES. As I recall the Steinheil performed well.

 

[garythegit]

Cheers guys! I will examine it closely when I receive it after xmas. Although the thought of using a 35mm with a aperture of 4.5 is a bit iffy! 🙂

Here's a picture of the haul... that SP looks sweet! Still with its original lens cap and manual!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/garythegit/76325202/in/photostream/

 

[bmattock]

Well, given all you've got listed there, I'd say that the chances are high that it will turn out to be an M42 lens. Knock us up if you decide you don't like that squinty thing. I'm a bit skint at the moment, but I might be able to come up with a tiny bit of dosh if you hate it. I have a small collection of oddball M42 lenses going. Nothing too serious, but fun.

And you're right, that SP looks lovely, as does the Spotty F. That 1.4 lens, a Super-Multi-Coated Tak or what? Could well be worth nearly what you paid for the entire rig, but the F is often consider the best of the Spotmatics if the meter works.

Best Regards,

Bill Mattocks

 

[garythegit]

Well I asked the guy just out of curiosity why the cameras have been so well looked after, it turns out that his grand father was a collector, which explains why all the cameras came with their original lens caps and manuals. So hopefully the spot F's meter is working! 🙂 I don't know which tak it is yet but I already have a SMC tak and a fungusy Super-Multi-Coat Tak. (I hate all these names!) and they are sharp as hell! 🙂

Just out of interest, anyone got a spare spotmatic case in relative good nick hanging around??

Bill I will def have a play with the lens and will contact you if I want to sell it on.. too many M42 lenses already litter my study!

 

[xayraa33]

some of the accessory lenses that Sears sold for their Tower(Nicca) LTM 35mm rf cameras in the mid to late 1950s were made by Steinheil.