Zeiss Sonnar 50/1.5 Question

Recently bought a Contax IIIa with a 50/1.5 Sonnar lens (see pictures at the

bottom) and got some questions about the lens.

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The body dates to 1955-1956 but it appears that the lens may be pre-war.

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The lens serial number is 1170866 and if <a

href="http://www.craigcamera.com/zeisslen.htm">this</a href> site is accurate

then the lens is made in 1930.

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I've been looking around for Zeiss 50/1.5 lenses with a later serial number

(made in the 50's) but been unable to find one with a serial number even over

2,000,000.

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Does anyone know how late this lens was manufactured and when they were

manufactured coated?

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(Funny thing is that the lens I have has a colour-cast that makes it look as if

it's coated).

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Any information would be appreciated.

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Fun camera by the way, running the first roll through it this weekend.

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<img src="http://www.pbase.com/rsilfverberg/image/60748089.jpg">

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<img src="http://www.pbase.com/rsilfverberg/image/60748090.jpg">

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<img src="http://www.pbase.com/rsilfverberg/image/60748091.jpg">

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Can't help you with the historic trivia.

 

"Funny thing is that the lens I have has a colour-cast that makes it look as if it's coated."

 

It looks coated to me. Typical of single coated lenses. It is not a color cast.

<a href="http://members.aol.com/dcolucci/zc.htm">Maybe this Contax Lens Page will help</a>

PS - Contax RF lens serial numbers do not run in that sequence as posted.

Since it's marked "Carl Zeiss" (not "Carl Zeiss Jena" or "Zeiss-Opton") it is clearly a post-war lens from 1953 @ the earliest. Since your body dates from 1955-56, it's probably the original lens that came w/the camera (assuming you bought the body & lens together).

There isn't the word Jena anywhere on your lens. That's a proof it was made by Zeiss Oberkochen, a company established after WW2.

 

It is a 50mm lens. Pre-WW2 lens would be a 5cm one.

 

It's coated. Very very few pre-WW2 lenses were made coated.

 

The serial number page you quoted lists serial numbers of Carl Zeiss Jena lenses. You've got a West German Zeiss (Carl Zeiss, Zeiss Opton, Opton) one.

 

 

Best regards,

 

Miha

According to my "Official made-it-up-myself" serial number directory, your lens serial number comes from 1954. My list is made up from a number of sources, largely matching numbers from lenses on cameras that had short production runs and are therefore easy to date... it includes a fair amount of interpolation between points and is therefore only an approximate guide, but it suggests that it is the original lens for your Contax.

Thanks all. Great information.

It is almost certain to be a post WWII lens for all the reasons stated.

 

One imortant aspect of German lenses is that they usually weren't coated until around 1937 (some American lenses were coated as early as 1928 or 1929). Kodak coated some fine lenses in the very early '30s.

 

Lynn

I thought this NEW lens may interest you. It is for Leica M-Mount, the <a href="http://www.zeiss.de/C12567A8003B8B6F/EmbedTitelIntern/CSonnar_1.5_50_ZM.DE/$File/CSonnar_1.5_50_ZM.DE.pdf". >New Zeiss Sonnar 50mm/f1.5</a>.

Rich - where did you get the case for your CIIIa? I just got a IIa with 50/1.5 sonnar and the only thing I'm missing is a case...

Hi, I got it from Luigi at www.leicatime.com Great case and strap.