The GetDPI Photography Forum

Great to see you here. Join our insightful photographic forum today and start tapping into a huge wealth of photographic knowledge. Completing our simple registration process will allow you to gain access to exclusive content, add your own topics and posts, share your work and connect with other members through your own private inbox! And don’t forget to say hi!

Fun with the Leica M Monochrom

xdayv

New member
Early morning breakfast after the 4:30AM holy mass (Misa de Gallo), a Roman Catholic tradition of 9 days novena in preparation for Christmas day...









 

Woody Campbell

Workshop Member
Another one with my "Zeiss Jena Sonnar". Here's an interesting link on the post-War history of Zeiss Jena and Contax: Kiev camera. In round terms the Russians took the Contax and Zeiss Jena businesses as reparations and were acting within their legal rights in doing so. They moved the equipment, plans and people from Jena and Dresden to Kiev. The only Contax and Zeiss Jena products post-1948 or so were made in Kiev. The Kiev factory retained the Zeiss Jena DNA but the Soviet quota system had a terrible effect on quality control. So it's not accurate to refer to the products of the Kiev plant as Russian knock offs - at that point there were no Zeiss Jena products to knock off. I'm not certain what they did for glass as historically Zeiss Jena's relationship with Schott, also in Jena, was critical to Zeiss.

So my lens is from the Kiev plant and it was rushed out the door to meet a quota so they skipped the depth of field scale. The optical cell is just fine, though.

Other research suggests that this design had some focus shift and tend to back focus wide open, which is consistent with my experience. Stopped down to f2.8 or so focus is fine.

 
Last edited:

Shashin

Well-known member
Having spent a great deal of time in Europe (West Germany and then England) when I was young, Soviet optics have a special place in my heart. The best deals and some of the most interesting stuff for a poor photographer taking a foray into the discipline came from the CCCP. I still have the parts to a Soviet briefcase 35mm enlarger--the foam turned back into oil.
 
V

Vivek

Guest
Another one with my "Zeiss Jena Sonnar". Here's an interesting link on the post-War history of Zeiss Jena and Contax: Kiev camera. In round terms the Russians took the Contax and Zeiss Jena businesses as reparations and were acting within their legal rights in doing so. They moved the equipment, plans and people from Jena and Dresden to Kiev. The only Contax and Zeiss Jena products post-1948 or so were made in Kiev. The Kiev factory retained the Zeiss Jena DNA but the Soviet quota system had a terrible effect on quality control. So it's not accurate to refer to the products of the Kiev plant as Russian knock offs - at that point there were no Zeiss Jena products to knock off. I'm not certain what the did for glass as historically Zeiss Jena's relationship with Schott, also in Jena, was critical to Zeiss.

So my lens is from the Kiev plant and it was rushed out the door to meet a quota so they skipped the depth of field scale. The optical cell is just fine, though.

Other research suggests that this design had some focus shift and tend to back focus wide open, which is consistent with my experience. Stopped down to f2.8 or so focus is fine.
Not sure where you got yours from, Woody.

Mine (http://www.getdpi.com/gallery/files/7/8/4/_dsc1705.jpg) is from 1964 and is an exact clone (I have seen pictures of the original Zeiss Jena lens*), complete with dof markings. I also added the Voigtlander hood I have for this in the picture.

*ISBN 3-930359-47-2
 

Woody Campbell

Workshop Member
A poster on another forum was kind enough to track down the serial number on this lens. According to Zeiss records work started on the optical cell in Jena in December 1945. Post in another forum. The lens cell was evidently later installed in its current mount in Germany, the UK or US for the English or US market. Experts in the other forum have never seen a Soviet manufactured lens with feet distance markings.

Sorry to have diverted this thread from its true purpose - I became obsessed with this oddity. I'll start a new thread for old lenses on new cameras.
 
Last edited:

xdayv

New member
It's now time to prepare for the new year... for the meantime here are some recent shots during the stormy weather this Christmas:





 
Top