Favorite 'Tessar clone'

<p>The Tessar will no doubt be remembered as one of the great lens designs. As with all great designs, it has spawned many copies. I say this in a positive way as many of these Tessar-type lenses are very good. So what is your favorite Tessar copy? It's okay if your favorite lays outside the time limit for classic manual cameras as the lens that inspired it is a classic. For me, my favorite is the SMC Pentax-M 40mm f2.8 "Pancake" lens. Compact, fast, and sharp. Maybe one day I'll test it against my C/Y mount Carl Zeiss 45mm f2.8 Tessar. </p><div></div>

<p>Wow, you will open a tin of worms here! Just about any Tessar clone that I can think of is pretty good, it is a great design, four elements give quite good correction with little flare.<br>

Having stated that I would have to nominate the Schneider Xenar and Voigtlander Color-Skopar as my favourites, although I'll bet that Pentax is a cracker too.<br>

Tony</p>

<p>They're all good. :)<br>

That said, I really like the 50/3.5 Industar-22 in its collapsible, LTM-fit form. For the most part, a Tessar is a Tessar is a Tessar (...is a Skopar is an Ektar is a Xenar is an Optar, et cetera), but there's something unique about the I-22.<br>

To be fair, the actual Zeiss Tessars I have from the '20s and '30s are nothing to sneer at - but you *did* limit this to "copies", after all...</p>

<p>Most Ektars by volumes made are Tessar designs. But Ektar is really NOT a design; but a philosophy; Kodak Ektars really come in 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 element lens designs; of ALL types. Saying an Ektar is a Tessar is like saying all corn is from Iowa; all cars are from Detroit; all pros use Canons or Nikons; or all folks drink Budweiser; or that a 7 1/4 inch saw is Skill brand saw; maybe a good guess; but in no way the rule.</p>

<p>best performer that I shoot is the Minotar on my Minox GL and Complan in my Minox IIIS, favorite is my Retina-Xenon on my IIa (simply because it is on my IIa)... I like the design of my I-22, but the performance is really only so-so.</p>

<p>Hi, Mike From my personal experience, I'd go for both the AGFA Solinar which I've used in f3.5 guise on my Super Solinette, and the f2.8 Schneider Xenar on one of my Diaxes. However, as that other postee mentioned about Kodak Ektras, things aren't always that straightforward - for example, prewar faster Xenars like the f2.8 7.5 cm ones for Reflex Korelles actually have a fifth element, so are those really still Tessar clones? Perhaps not.</p>

<p>One Tessar clone that I haven't yet used is a non-retractable f3.5 50mm Industar 50-2. It's all-black with a s/no starting with '77' so one assumes made in 1977, with an M42 thread but no rangefinder actuating cam, so I guess it was likely a home-market stock lens for the Zenit. I only bought it for peanuts at a pawnshop out of curiosity, because it has two sets of identical aperture settings, one at the top 12 o'clock position and one at the 6 o'clock position at the bottom. Aha! I thought at the time - this must be some sort of weird KMZ interchangeable camera/enlarger lens, but when I got home I found it had an M42 not M39 thread. I've since heard really good reports about its contrast and tonal qualities, no doubt thanks to that renown Russian optical sand from Lake Mir or wherever it is.</p>

<p>Another famed Russian lens with a Tessar formula is the f3.5 7.5 cm Industar-58 as fitted to the KMZ Iskra 6 X 6 CRF folder, aka the Super Isolettski. I have a working Iskra so I really should dip its toe in some 120, but I'm suffering from 'too many cameras and not enough time' syndrome as usual ....<br>

Pete In Perth</p>

<p>Picked up, with a very abused Super Paxette, a Schneider-Kreuznach Xenar 50mm f/1:2.8 in surprisingly tidy condition. I understand it's a Tessar clone, and it's certainly tack-sharp. Anyone have any information on this? It's certainly a cut above any other Paxette-designated lens I've encountered.</p>

<p>Because the Tessar is such a solidly reliable design, it's certain that clones are going to include some pretty smart performers too. I like the Skopar, but the clone I use most is the Agfa Solinar, which takes care of the image on my Isolette 6x6. (Actually, I have two of those, one red bellows, one black. They're pocketable enough that I can load one with colour, the other with B&W, and take them out together.) At sensible apertures, it's sharp edge to edge and outperforms any compact I have.</p>

<p>I know it's entirely off-topic, but that's often a forgiven fault here where there is another lens worth mentioning in the same breath. That the Tessars attract a premium often means that a lens lower in the design hierarchy (and affections) can often be had for much less with little sacrifice in performance. My little Zeiss Ikonta only has a Novar f/4.5 on the front, but stop it down a little, and it will produce pictures that will square up to any of its Tessar or clone buddies.</p>

 

<p>The Schneider Xenar is a very nice lens. I also like the Ross Xpres. However the best Tessar I have used is a Zeiss Opton Tessar which I suppose is not a clone.<br />Most Xenon designs are 6 glass gaussian design so don't count (But I agree they work very well!)<br />Nominated as Tessar Clone Turkey : Kodak Ananstigmat as fitted to their folders around 1930's - as soft as a very soft thing.</p>

<p>I would nominate the Kodak Special Anastigmat lenses that were mounted on the Kodak Monitors. I have gotten very nice and sharp results with these. And while mentioning American glass, how about the Raptar f/3.2 lens that came on some of the Ciro Flexes? I quite like the lens, although the camera is kind of clunky and without any convenience features besides a fresnel lens. I just finished restoring an Ikoflex with an Opton Tessar. Soon I will know if it really is much better than the clones (I doubt it is).</p>

<p>I think my Yashinon (yashicamat 124 G) is a Tessar clone and yeah, it rocks !</p>

I find the Hexanon on the Koni-Omega one of the sharpests lenses I own. It might be that the flange

tolerances are just right. Still! super sharp. Hight quality clone!

<p>I recently used my Agfa Solinette with an f3.5 Solinar lens and was a little disappointed with the results, I expected it to be better than a Solinette I had a few years ago with an Apotar lens (a triplet) but this was not the case after casually inspeting the transparencies. I suppose when using 50 year old cameras things other than original design affect results although this Solinette shows no dings or dents and the lens appears clear. Andrew Yue has an interesting discussion of Agfa lenses on this web page - http://www.ph.utexas.edu/~yue/misc/AnscAgfa.html</p>

<p>The collapsible FED-50/Industar-22 is fun, mostly because it's a functional lens in such a compact package.</p>

<p>Diddo the M42-mount Industar 50-2. I picked one up online for $20 - I actually wanted the above-mentioned Pentax 40mm pancake, but considering the I-50 is 1/5 (or less) of the price and I already had a M42-K-mount adapter, it was a no-brainer (although I lose the auto-aperture).</p>

<p>The Apotar on my Isolette III folder is nice as well, although I believe it's a 3-element lens instead of the Tessar's usual 4-element.</p>

<p>You are right, Glenn. The Pentax 40mm pancake is expensive on the used market. I bought mine to make my MX pocketable. I could have bought a SMC M 50mm f1.4 for quite a bit less at the time. I just stuff the MX w/40mm in one coat pocket and a second lens in the other and I'm set. The Contax 45mm CZ Tessar also makes my Yashica FX-3 Super 2000 pocketable.<br>

Another Tessar type lens that I haven't seen in a long time is the Ricoh 45mm f2.8. I remember when Pop Photo tested on in 1995 it performed well. At the time one could buy it and a manual exposure Ricoh SLR for a reasonable price. I'm not sure, but isn't the 45mm f2.8 Nikkor a Tessar design as well? I wanted to buy an FM-2 with that lens when it was new, but it was too expensive.</p>

<p>I guess I don't have (or don't know of) that many Tessar clones in my collection, except for the Schneider Xenar on my Rollei 35, so I'll go with that. It's pretty nice! </p>

<p>BTW, quite a few 60's and 70's fixed lens RF cameras appear to have Tessar-type lenes. To name a few: Yashica Minister, Yashica MG-1, Konica C35, Canonet 28, Minolta HiMatic F/G. Even some of the AF fixed focal length P&S cameras sport Tessar inspired lenses. The 35mm f3.5 lens on the Konica A4 and Big Mini appear to have a Tessar design. Note- The Yashica T3 and T4 actually have CZ Tessar lenses.</p>

<p>Nikon 45mm f2.8 AI-P, a nicely computed Tessar varient with thoroughly modern coatings.</p>

Does anyone know if the 38mm lens on the Cosina Compact 35S was a tessar type? That was my first camera, and although it was a zone focusing cheapie, the 28-year-old slides that I have from it are not put to shame by anything I've used since.

<p>So- the 5cm F2.8 Tessar in Contax mount is not a clone, so I have to pick another!<br>

45mm F2.8 Xenar on the Retina Auto III. I just like the water-color style images that it produces.</p>

<p>Mike, I thought the Yashica MG-1 Yashinon was a five element design, whereas the Tessar is a four. Nice to see the Konica A4 get a mention. That was always a special little camera for me, because my wife gave me one for my fortieth birthday. I lent it to my daughter, and she lost it on a train. The pictures I got from it, while I had it, were pin-sharp. One rarely comes upon an A4 these days.</p>

<p>I can't believe anyone hasn't mentioned the Industar 61LD yet. It's coming out with me again in the near future. </p>

<p>The MG-1's lens <em>is</em> a 5-element lens and a super performer as I've recently discovered, but that's a post for another time...</p>

<p>Most of the tessars I have, are superb. I won't mind listing them:</p>

<ul>

<li>Uncoated Anastigmat Skopar</li>

<li>Color Skopar</li>

<li>Carl Zeiss Jena Tessar (uncoated)</li>

<li>Schneider Xenar</li>

<li>Kodak Anastigmat Special</li>

<li>Kodak Anastar (on my Tourist)</li>

<li>Neo Hesper (on the Zenobia Folder and the Zenobiaflex TLR)</li>

<li>Yashinon on any of the Yashica TLRs</li>

<li>Telmer on Beautyflex/Wardflex TLRs</li>

<li>Solinar (coated and uncoated)</li>

<li>Bausch & Lomb Tessar</li>

<li>Tomioka Lausar on my Taron RF</li>

</ul>

<p>There, phew, I let it all out. Did I miss anyone?</p>

 

<p>I second the Nikkor 45 AiP 2.8. I also like the Contax T* 35 2.8</p><div></div>