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Ever come across a Rollei Tele-APOtessar 500mm lens?

BradleyGibson

New member
I've been looking around to try to see if I could find a 500mm Zeiss Tele-ApoTessar for Rollei, but in all the years I've been working with medium format, I've never even heard of someone owning one.

I was wondering if anyone out there has come across one? I'd love to get a hold of a sample image from one, if possible, and/or a lead to a potential purchase.

Note, this is not for the non-apochromatic Tele-Tessar.

Thanks in advance,
 

Leigh

New member
Hi Brad,

This doesn't exactly answer your question, but Zeiss did make a 500mm f/8 Tele-Apotessar for Hasselblad. I own one.
Data sheet here http://www.hasselbladhistorical.eu/HW/HWLds.aspx

Since Zeiss also made lenses for Rollei, it's reasonable to assume that this lens could have been made for that camera.

I can provide sample images from the Hasselblad if that would help.

- Leigh
 
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PSon

Active member
http://www.zeiss.de/C125716F004E0776/0/3E640231096E4B6AC125717500672495/$File/Innovation_11_32.pdf
 

BradleyGibson

New member
Thanks, Leigh,

As Son points out, Zeiss indicate the 500mm ApoTessar exists for Rollei, just is so rare (I suppose) that neither I, nor anyone I know has ever even seen one.

Would you mind sending me a couple of full-resolution pictures from your Tele-ApoTessar? Something shot wide open and something shot stopped down to f/11 would be great. Nothing in particular required, I would like to see the imaging qualities of the lens.

I'll PM you my e-mail address--thanks so much!

Kind regards,
-Brad
 

Leigh

New member
Would you mind sending me a couple of full-resolution pictures from your Tele-ApoTessar? Something shot wide open and something shot stopped down to f/11 would be great.
Here are three full-res TIF test shots, taken with a Hasselblad CFV-39 digital back on a 555ELD body:
http://www.mayadate.org/pix/500mm_f8.tif
http://www.mayadate.org/pix/500mm_f11.tif
http://www.mayadate.org/pix/500mm_f16.tif

At 117 MB they're way too large for email. They're even too large for Zenfolio, so I put them on one of my other sites.



The subject is a manufacturing plant across the parking lot from my office. The lettering on the signs provides very sharp edges. The middle of the image is about 250 feet away per the focus ring on the lens. I applied lens aberration correction in Phocus, but the images are not otherwise manipulated.

The tree on the left side and those in the background were included to evaluate depth of field. I don't know the distances. The defocused artifact near top center is a tree limb much closer to the camera. There was a light wind, and shutter speeds were in the 1/60 range (ASA 50), so there might be a bit of movement. Light clouds kept changing the illumination, so I tried to select exposures that matched pretty closely per the histograms.

The camera was mounted on a gigantic double-leg Majestic tripod, probably strong enough to support my car. Actually, the lens was mounted since it has its own tripod shoe, and the camera hangs off the back. The exposures were made with the mirror locked up, to eliminate that source of vibration.

Hope this helps.

- Leigh
 
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gogopix

Subscriber
I have this lens as well. It is difficult to stop vibrations on these long lenses, even with a beefy tripod. What I found does work is to get a long bar from RRS and mount the lens and camera together on the bar. That way, relative movement is stopped.
Or shoot at 1/1000s

BTW, a darn nice lens, if a bit unwieldy to use (and focus!

Regards
Victor
 

Bill Caulfeild-Browne

Well-known member
I've been looking around to try to see if I could find a 500mm Zeiss Tele-ApoTessar for Rollei, but in all the years I've been working with medium format, I've never even heard of someone owning one.

I was wondering if anyone out there has come across one? I'd love to get a hold of a sample image from one, if possible, and/or a lead to a potential purchase.

Note, this is not for the non-apochromatic Tele-Tessar.

Thanks in advance,
I used to have one for my 6008. Couldn't find it in North America - a friend got it for me in Germany. I sold it about 15 years ago...sorry!

But it was great lens, if a little slow - f8 if I recall.

Bill
 

BradleyGibson

New member
Wow, a confirmed sighting of the elusive Rollei Tele-ApoTessar! Bill, do you have any recollection of how much it sold for? Ball park?

Yes, the f/8 is pretty slow, I'll have to make up for it using my super-clean high-ISO back... oh wait... damn :)
 

Bill Caulfeild-Browne

Well-known member
Brad, I really cannot recall, but I know it was VERY expensive by the standards of the day. My family gave me a very hard time! Maybe $3-4000? Thinking back, although I said 15 years ago, it must have been more like 20 because I remember where I was living and I sold that home in 1993. (Probably to pay for the lens....)

I do have a number of slides (6 by 6 Kodachromes) taken with it. One of them became a Cibachrome that sold in one of my exhibitions. I was told it ended up in GM Canada's corporate collection though I never verified that.

Wish I'd kept the lens, now!

Bill
 

BradleyGibson

New member
Haha--yep, I wish you had, too! Then maybe I could convince you to part company with it! ;)

And definitely sounds like a winning picture--congratulations! :)

I've sort of resigned myself to never finding one of these... They're crazy rare.

OTOH, for very long focal lengths, it might make more sense to go with a 1Ds4 with one of the new superteles; possibly similar pricing...

I'll keep my eyes peeled.

Thanks, all,
-Brad
 

dick

New member
I have a Leica 400mm 5.6 which I think should be worth using.

Novoflex marketed 2 400 lens heads for their follow-focus lens in the mid 1970, and I chose the more expensive of the two, the T-Noflexar. The 640mm was/is superb, giving the MF "3D" effect on a Nikon, and I hardly used the 400mm as I was shooting wildlife (birds in flight and deer) and needed the longer lens.

These are non-tele-focus lenses and have no elements behind the aperture ring, so it should be easy to fit an electronic shutter and use it on a P3. I think they used the same lens heads for 35mm and MF.
 

Geoff

Well-known member
While still an unabashed Rollei user, might you consider some Leica lens on a Canikon as an alternative. Or even a Canon long lens..... There's actually a market for these items!
 

BradleyGibson

New member
Geoff - yep--I think I mentioned that very possibility at the end of my last post.

Dick - I didn't know about the Novoflexes, but to be honest, I think I would prefer to keep it (relatively) simple by not adapting lenses.

Thanks for all of the creative suggestions,
 
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