What does this Tessar fit, anybody know?

[Ranchu]

Thanks rbeimer, I will plug along and see if I can get it going.

 

[ZeissFan]

If it's M42, it will only fit a couple of cameras: The very early Contax/Pentacon. I don't know if it will work on a Praktica.

The early Contax/Pentacons have a smaller mirror, which is able to clear the rear of the lens.

 

[f16sunshine]

Thank you both. I was just trying to look at pics on the internet to try to understand what f16sunshine's lenses look like on the back. I appreciate your kind assistance, Andy! I was looking at the lens earlier, and thinking despite what the panorama site says, I could probably take off enough with a file to get past a mirror. But it sounds like from what tunalegs says (thank you!), the problem is that the stop down pusher hangs up the camera because it's blocked. I that case filing won't help.

Thanks again everyone, I'll have to give this some thought. The easiest option might be to shave the mirror on an adapted EOS...

You're very welcome 🙂

Here is a photo showing my 40mm tessars.
I do own the same 50mm you show. Mine is a "semi-automatic" lens with the aperture you preset to choose an aperture while leaving the lens open and then, turn the ring to engage the chosen aperture when shooting.
The 40's are both fixed aperture rings that simply open or close the iris.
I place the tripod quick release in the image to gve some scale as to how small the little version is. It's tiny.

Please pardon the Phone images.

 

[tunalegs]

It will work on Prakticas up until the Nova I. The FX3 through Nova have an aperture plunger which can be disabled specifically for the use of these old lenses. These same lenses were commonly sold new with the Praktica FX series.

It will also work on most, if not all Edixa cameras, I've used my 3.5/50 Tessar on an Edixa Prismaflex many times:
prismaflex by berangberang, on Flickr

I suspect they will also mount on most, if not all other cameras which do not have an aperture plunger.

 

[Ranchu]

This is great, thank you for the pics, Andy, the back of mine is nearly identical to yor smaller one. Those 40mm are cool, I remember tunalegs's pics with one. tunalegs thank you for the solid information on the prakticas and edixas, I will likely get one at some point. For now, I ordered an adapter without the ledge, I'll see if it works on my Rebel Ti's. If I like how the lens looks, I'm going to need a camera with a proper focusing screen though. Zeissfan, I was looking at a praktica IV manual over at butkus.org, it has a switchable plunger to work with both these (I assume) and ones with stop down. Good news.

Here's the back end again, in case someone else has the same questions..

 

[shadowfox]

Also try the Chinon M42 bodies.
I use CM3 with the Biotar without problems, and the Chinons are just as cheap, but IMO nicer to use than the Prakticas.

 

[Ranchu]

I'll check it out shadowfox, I'm concerned about the plunger mechanism of the camera, though. The lens I have backs right up on the pusher of my spotmatics, so it can't move at all. Seems to survive OK on your Chinon, good to know!

 

[ZeissFan]

The Biotar doesn't have the rear protruding lens housing that the early Tessar has. This is the only lens that I've had trouble adapting to other M42 cameras.

This version of the Tessar is very sharp.

 

[Ranchu]

Lol, that's what I want to hear!

😛

 

[tunalegs]

All of the CZJ tessars are great. I actually prefer the later black barrel version for its close focus ability and automatic aperture - but the presets and semi-auto versions do have that nice round aperture at all f/stops.

 

[raid]

I have a 50/2.8 Tessar that has been adapted to LTM from M42 mount.

 

[Ranchu]

I'm looking forward to it! On the off chance, has anybody relubed the helical? Mines a bit too stiff, it will have to be done at some point. Should I go from the back?

 

[Sarcophilus Harrisii]

I'm looking forward to it! On the off chance, has anybody relubed the helical? Mines a bit too stiff, it will have to be done at some point. Should I go from the back?

Judging by other CZJ lenses I have handled for M42 or Exakta, probably, yes.
You could try two drops of petrol (not lighter fluid, for once) into the helical to soften the grease. Not something I would have thought of myself but a local camera store owner and long time repairer gave me this tip when I scored a bargain CZJ 35mm Flektogon last year and it worked a treat. Months later the lens is firm but smooth. I was prepared to strip it and do it properly, but delighted the hack worked so well. Of course you first need to be able to reach the threads...
Cheers
Brett

 

[Ranchu]

Many thanks, I was eyeballing doing just that (with lighter fluid, good tip on the gas), I can almost see the threads. I also found this somewhat intimidating discussion..

http://forum.mflenses.com/tessar-50mm-alu-reassembly-t11938.html

🙂

 

[Ranchu]

I have a 50/2.8 Tessar that has been adapted to LTM from M42 mount.

I just ran across a post you made with a picture of it over at photo net. You should dig it out and put it back in the bag! It looks just like mine, but for f2.8 and the mod.

 

[f16sunshine]

My alu CZJ lenses sre also very tight to focus.
Frustrating!

 

[Ranchu]

I'm finding more, might take me a while to get up the motivation. I'll probably see if I like it first. Or what usually happens is I just suddenly feel like getting it done asap. You have some nice lenses, Andy, you might consider having someone relube the helicals for you, if you don't want to. I don't think it would be that expensive compared to how nice they are. Or try two drops of gas on the helical, like Brett says, I'm going to try it.

🙂

http://rugusuutosa.blog.fc2.com/blog-entry-10.html

"Repairing of Carl Zeiss Jena Tessar 2.8 / 50
M42 screw this lens of mount. Helicoid is paranoid about deviate from the mount If you try to align the focus.
I tried to disassemble and clean and smell to ... because helicoid grease has finally arrived softened.

0039.jpg
Decomposition from the mount side. Especially when removing the parts I never difficult, Check whether turning the how much the screw from any part
More and more ballast while. Then when you reschedule, focusing becomes easier.

0040.jpg
Note that you do not jump out because it contains spring between the individual parts.

0041.jpg
In the kitchen detergent + brush so wiped firmly benzine the had solidified Gurizu ... but can not be taken at all smell
I washed Jabajaba.

0042.jpg
During drying and spread. Lens can not touch because it clean. This lens us decomposition method farewell tightly to the operation system optical system
Maintenance is hella easy since.

0043.jpg
Assembly while coating After Gurizu, and completed focus. Gurizu you got this time FC-4 grease for Nikkor
In that guy, and loose than I thought, But I might say out than around with mounting screws in the firm.

0044.jpg
It looks to smell but not a mon you say me clean also disappeared Oita over that became things that can be used at last."

also

http://rugusuutosa.blog.fc2.com/blog-entry-18.html

 

[f16sunshine]

Yes, you're right I should send at least one of them in.
The small one is more of a collectable and I may sell it as it is and keep the other.
I like the 50mm f2.8 tessar the best anyways. These 40's have a lovely rendering but the small max aperture does not really suit the style I like to use a lens of that focal length.
Also f4.5 is quite dark for an slr semi wide angle. It's not easy to focus on a film body.
Cheers!

 

[Sarcophilus Harrisii]

I'm finding more, might take me a while to get up the motivation. I'll probably see if I like it first. Or what usually happens is I just suddenly feel like getting it done asap. You have some nice lenses, Andy, you might consider having someone relube the helicals for you, if you don't want to. I don't think it would be that expensive compared to how nice they are. Or try two drops of gas on the helical, like Brett says, I'm going to try it.

🙂

http://rugusuutosa.blog.fc2.com/blog-entry-10.html

http://rugusuutosa.blog.fc2.com/blog-entry-18.html

Well, I can only relay my own direct experience.

When I scored a 35mm f/2.8 Flektogon from a recycle shop for, I think it was $10, I was delighted, as it is a lens that, from what I have seen online, has pleasing out of focus characteristics, focuses very close (around 18cm from film plane, from memory) and regularly sells for well over $100 on eBay. But the focus was very, very stiff. So bad that I had to slowly work the ring to the minimum distance a bit at a time, to ensure it actually had full travel. After that I didn't try to adjust the focus again, as I was concerned I might actually damage the helical threads, which are not known for being particularly robust in these East German lenses. It wasn't seized solid, but it was very close to it.

I had little hope of any improvement from any short cuts, and had resigned myself to probably having to strip the lens down (which I was fine with, the glass is good and fungus free, and I do that sort of thing, and I had, after all, picked the Flektogon up for a song). Luckily, I had the lens on me when I stopped in at my favourite brick and mortar camera store and showed it to the owner. I had figured on trying a couple of drops of lighter fluid to soften the rock-hard grease (something that is far from unknown with CZJ lenses from this period) because it is what I use for cleaning shutters and other items and is, after all, the first solvent informed people do think of when camera equipment is involved. It was the owner of the store, Robert (Walch, of Walch Optics in Hobart, Tasmania), who suggested a drop or two of petrol (which, frankly, surprised me) but when I thought about this, it made sense. I'd expect that the reason the focus rings of these lenses becomes hard to turn as they age is as a result of liquid and solid components of grease originally used separating, and the liquid then evaporating.

Lighter fluid is a petroleum based product (it typically contains a number of components but mainly, naptha) but it is one of the lightest fractions of the distillation process. Petrol, on the other hand, whilst being lighter than fuel oil, diesel oil, and other components is still (for want of a better term) more oily than lighter fluid. But, not so oily that it will remain in liquid form and spread all over your aperture blades (if used intelligently and in moderation, of course!).

The way I did it was to set the lens to the minimum focus distance (because you want to expose as many of the helical threads as possible when viewed from the back of the lens). With the Flektogon I had a bit of a head start, because it focuses so close, and there were a few bare threads to place a couple of drops of petrol onto. After rotating the lens a couple of dozen times, there was an immediate and noticeable improvement, so I continued exercising the lens for a few minutes.

After leaving it for a few hours I tried it again and, whilst better than when I bought it, the lens was still quite stiff, maybe even a bit stiffer than when I initially applied the petrol, but it had in fact made an improvement. I then added two more drops, and repeated the previous approach of exercising the focus ring for a few minutes. That was at least four months ago and as I write this today the focus ring of my Flektogon is still a little on the firm side, but 100% smooth, and constant, from infinity to 18 centimetres. Sounds too good to be true, but, that's exactly what I did, and exactly what occurred.

The main caution I would offer is against the use of excess petrol. Just a couple of drops right onto the helicals does it, and then a couple more only if needed, after the initial treatment has mostly flashed off or been absorbed into the grease. Obviously, if excess quantities are used, there is a better than even chance you'll contaminate the aperture blades and inside lens surfaces, in which case you will have to strip the lens at least partially to clean them.
Cheers,
Brett

 

[Ranchu]

Thanks for the details and congratulations on the Flektogon! I suspect I will have to open it up and clean it properly, eventually, now that I know what it looks like in there. I can get to the threaded part of the mount with the gas, the part that compensates for the main helical to keep the lens straight, but the main helical is inside. I'll try the gas first, though.