Olympus OM Zuiko 35mm f2.8 serial number and version dilemma

[conmai]

Hi,

 

Someone may hopefully clear this up for me, I have the 35mm shift lens, the beauty ring has the following:

 

Olympus OM System Zuiko Shift 1:28 f=35mm 109415

 

By all accounts this was type 1 with a single coating ©, when looking it has a mild magenta hue to it

 

A colleague also has a 35mm shift lens, the beauty ring has the following:

 

Olympus OM System Zuiko Shift 35mm

1:28 107444 Japan

 

By all accounts this is type II, and is multi coated (NMC), when in the light it has a green hue to it

 

The question is the type two in this scenario, has an older serial number (I think)

 

Could it be that both type 1 and II lenses were still being produced in parallel?

 

My own lens I should say is excellent and a joy to use but this has peaked my curiosity!

[m42dave]

Hi,

 

Not familiar with this particular lens, but it may be possible that Olympus continued to produce the older lens from existing parts inventory until the newer-style lens was phased in. Manufacturers have been known to be inconsistent in their use of serial numbers. The Zuiko 70-150 zoom was in the original OM lens lineup and was produced for many years, and I don't think it was ever offered with the later-style multicoatings, so it seems they kept that capability for a while.

 

Soviet manufacturers, notably, produced many older-style, single-coated lenses alongside newer, multicoated versions.

 

Another possiblilty, though unlikely, is that one of your lenses may not have its original trim ring, if it had been repaired in the past with parts from another lens.

Edited May 28, 2020 by m42dave

[hans_janssen1]

Serial numbers belong to a serie, so it could be possible to have two different lenses with the same number.

[conmai]

Thanks guys, and same series for different versions, very plausible, from what I can tell both are original lenses and exhibit the trademarks of their respective versions, my copy is is ~approx 1mm shorter and does not have a green hue but a slightly mild magenta hue, in my head I had the mild magenta as the © coating and the green hue as the (nmc) coating

[m42dave]

I've usually taken the green color to be suggestive of multicoating, but it can be hard to say. I have a Yashinon-DS lens which has one or two surfaces coated green, but is not marked as MC like the later DS-M lenses. Also have a Pentacon lens which is marked as MC but only has magenta/amber coatings. Edited May 28, 2020 by m42dave