Zeiss Jena/Pentacon lens question

Does anyone know the history of these lenses? I keep seeing the name

as Zeiss/Pentacon, but who exactly built them? Did the designs switch

owners in the confusion after the war? Are some lenses (Zeiss) better

than others (Pentacon)? Or is it all one company?

Any Zeiss Jena websites? Or even Pentacon? I think I've hit all the

kiev ones........

TIA

Well, yes, a lot of people know a lot about these lenses and their

history! For starters, you might wish to consult that learned

treatise, Barringer and <ah-HEM> Small, THE ZEISS COMPENDIUM. Or

attend the Zeiss Historica AGM in New York on 24 October! The short

answer is that the original Zeiss plant fell into the Soviet zone of

occupation and was "nationalized", while the corporate management and

lens design folks moved west to Oberkochen. Hence, there were two

Zeiss entities for years, and it all got very confusing. The guys

from Oberkochen recovered control of Jena in '91 when the Germanies

merged, and it is now the site for Zeiss optical research and for the

production of professional astronomical equipment.

<p>

Marc

www.contaxcameras.com used to have a section about the history of

Zeiss lenses. It was very interesting and told of the two plants, the

lens coatings which were considered war secrets during WW-II, how the

USA made sure to get one of the plants for their lens technology, etc.

<p>

The last time I read it on their site was 1.5 years ago, but it should

still be there.

Late contribution but relevant for the record. A fairly good history of Zeiss is on the web at

http://www.companyseven.com/zeiss/history.html