50mm F3.5 Novar lens any good?

hi ! was just checking out a camera with this lens,and was

just wondring if any of you have used/shot photos, and seen results

with this particular lens, and your conclusion ? TIA ....pc

I had one on a Zeiss Contina. It's ok but nothing more. Like the lens on a cheaper compact camera.

The Novar has been much maligned and praised. It's usually a good starting point for a lengthy discussion. I've found it to be good though a notch below the Tessar. The general consensus is that stopped down, the Novar performs decently. A camera with a Novar should be less expensive than the one with the Tessar.<P>

 

This was taken wih the Novar on a Contina II -- the first Zeiss-Ikon camera that I bought:<P>

 

<center><img src=http://pages.prodigy.net/mm-elek/photos/images/Stanley-Bay.jpg border=0></center><P>

 

It's a bit hard to see, but it's soft in the corners. I think I was shooting at about f/5.6 -- give or take a stop.<P>

 

<a href=http://host.fptoday.com/melek/pages/cameras.html target=_new><b>And on my camera page,</b></a> click on the "Ikonette (35mm)" link under "Zeiss-Ikon." There is a link at the bottom of the description page to eight photos. This Novar, I think, performs a bit better than the Novar on my Contina II.<P>

 

One more with the Ikonette:<P>

 

<center><img src=http://pages.prodigy.net/mm-elek/photos/images/water-hookup.jpg border=0></center><P>

by the way, i think this usually is seen in a 45mm size for 35mm cameras. more or less the same, i guess.

thanks Patrick and Mike for the quick response. nicely done pics Mike , as always . yep , now i got a pretty good idea how this lens performs . not bad really , but i'd still prefer the Tessar configuration anytime.. pc

oh and i prefer the 45mm lens to the 50mm, just like i enjoy shooting with my 3.5F more than my 2.8F Rolleiflex. ..pc

I have had a Zeiss Ikon Contina 1a loaded with Superia 400 for a time right now. Am going to take it for a spin tomorrow, might share the results here.

I have a Contina II with the Novar Anastigmat 45mm f3.5 lens. I haven't used it a lot. It has given reasonably good photos.

 

On the other hand, perhaps the sharpest 50mm lens I have is later version Pro-Tessar 50mm 2.8 on a Contaflex. I am comparing it to my experience with Nikkor AI 50s (1.4, 1.8 and 2), Pentax Takumar 50mm (f1.4 in screwmount and 1.8 in K mount). These are all good to very good, but that Pro-Tessar seems to have something a little extra.

 

I dont tend to shoot wide open that often.

 

I do like the Contina II despite the non rangefinder viewfinder. It is a compact very well made, feels good in the hand, smooth operations, camera.

 

I got mine by luck while wandering around in a Antiques Mart, saw a camera bag locked away in a glass case under a table, just about impossible to spot from the walkway. I got the bag full of vintage accesories, camera information booklets, the camera and camera case, for $100 CDN, which at the time would have been about US $ 60-65.

 

I will see if I can post some photos sometime in the next week or so.