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Anyone with the Meyer-Optik Primotar 50mm 2.8 zebra?
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PostPosted: Tue May 14, 2019 4:08 am    Post subject: Anyone with the Meyer-Optik Primotar 50mm 2.8 zebra? Reply with quote
I've had this one in the Meyer collection for a while now and not done much with it so far. It's unlike the other Meyers in that the barrel is like a zebra pod. Here it is: http://allphotolenses.com/lenses/item/c_4065.html#prettyPhoto

I believe this one is rarer as it was only produced for 2 years. Anyway, one interesting quirk is that the aperture blades don't quite fully retract into the sides of the barrel when wide open. This produces an uneven circle. It's not too bad, but I always assumed it was a defect with my copy of this lens. Today, I came across this post where someone else mentions the uneven blade retraction and now I'm beginning to think it's not just my copy and is the design of the lens: https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/10-pentax-slr-lens-discussion/356233-rare-meyer-optik-g-rlitz-primotar-50mm-f-2-8-m42.html

If anyone here has this neat zebra version, can you confirm this uneven blade retraction when wide open?

Steve


PostPosted: Tue May 14, 2019 7:11 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Mine is in EXA mount, it looks like the one in your first link ... I'm not sure I'd call that "zebra" ... but I can confirm that the aperture blades do not fully retract, so probably a design "feature" Wink

I've not yet had inclination/opportunity to take it out and "play" - summer's coming Smile


PostPosted: Tue May 14, 2019 3:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I have one of these. It is one of the sharpest meyers I have tried. Just a gorgeous bit of kit as well. Its on my "buy if reasonable" list. Its rare but not not vanishingly rare, it is sharp, and it is amazingly well designed, and prices have not yet shot to the stratosphere . (ie it checks all of my collecor lens bxses.)


PostPosted: Wed May 15, 2019 1:58 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
kypfer wrote:
Mine is in EXA mount, it looks like the one in your first link ... I'm not sure I'd call that "zebra" ... but I can confirm that the aperture blades do not fully retract, so probably a design "feature" Wink

I've not yet had inclination/opportunity to take it out and "play" - summer's coming Smile


Ahhh...ok. I guess it looks a bit oval-like from certain angles. That makes sense then. Well, maybe like a reversed baby zebra! It looks very different anyway. I actually have a Meritar in Exa mount that has almost the same type of barrel and design. It's quite unusual.
Have you ever had the front element out for cleaning by the way? Mine has always had this one little visible spot right under the front element. Could be in the glass. I'll have to shine a light in there and check it out.


PostPosted: Wed May 15, 2019 2:00 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
jamaeolus wrote:
I have one of these. It is one of the sharpest meyers I have tried. Just a gorgeous bit of kit as well. Its on my "buy if reasonable" list. Its rare but not not vanishingly rare, it is sharp, and it is amazingly well designed, and prices have not yet shot to the stratosphere . (ie it checks all of my collecor lens bxses.)


Yes, quite a neat looking lens really. Unusual. Produced for only 2 years I think? Most of the ones I see are the Primotar E 3.5 designs.


PostPosted: Wed May 15, 2019 6:29 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
quietsome wrote:
I actually have a Meritar in Exa mount that has almost the same type of barrel and design. It's quite unusual.
Have you ever had the front element out for cleaning by the way? Mine has always had this one little visible spot right under the front element. Could be in the glass. I'll have to shine a light in there and check it out.


I also have a Meritar in the similar design, I do like the "rounded" shape Smile

Although not in "pristine collector" condition, my Primotar is serviceably clean, so I've not needed to disassemble it. Experience has demonstrated that it really does take rather more than one or two flecks of dust to noticeably affect image quality. I have a Tamron zoom with a scratch on the front element several millimetres long. You'd never know from the pictures Wink


PostPosted: Thu May 16, 2019 2:29 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
kypfer wrote:
quietsome wrote:
I actually have a Meritar in Exa mount that has almost the same type of barrel and design. It's quite unusual.
Have you ever had the front element out for cleaning by the way? Mine has always had this one little visible spot right under the front element. Could be in the glass. I'll have to shine a light in there and check it out.


I also have a Meritar in the similar design, I do like the "rounded" shape Smile

Although not in "pristine collector" condition, my Primotar is serviceably clean, so I've not needed to disassemble it. Experience has demonstrated that it really does take rather more than one or two flecks of dust to noticeably affect image quality. I have a Tamron zoom with a scratch on the front element several millimetres long. You'd never know from the pictures Wink


I've looked at the spot and it's definitely under the glass. I'd be tempted to suggest it's a fungus spot, but it's not that clear to me that it is. From the front, it looks a bit like coating loss. Anyway, I note that there's a tiny grub screw in one of the retaining rings, so as long as I have the name plate out and the grub screw removed, it should theoretically unscrew so I can get to the front element and clean it. I have a zebra version Oreston with the same grub screw and it has spots of fungus under the front element. I'll experiment on that one first, seeing as I have another perfectly serviceable Oreston anyway.


PostPosted: Fri May 17, 2019 7:52 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
I don t have this lens, btw if anyone is selling it i ll buy it, but i have have the Domiron 50 f2. On that one the blades also don t retract fully when wide opeb, but if you look closer the elements behind it are narrower, so that doesn t affect the roudness of the oof areas, in particular oof highlights. The Domirin is famous for its swirly and soapy bokeh, oof are oval shaped towards the corners like on almost all lenses. I perhaps that s what you are seeing?


PostPosted: Sat May 18, 2019 1:14 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
tomasg wrote:
I don t have this lens, btw if anyone is selling it i ll buy it, but i have have the Domiron 50 f2. On that one the blades also don t retract fully when wide opeb, but if you look closer the elements behind it are narrower, so that doesn t affect the roudness of the oof areas, in particular oof highlights. The Domirin is famous for its swirly and soapy bokeh, oof are oval shaped towards the corners like on almost all lenses. I perhaps that s what you are seeing?


I'll trade you my baby zebra Primotar for your Domiron...haha Wink I've been lucky lately with my lens pickups actually. I had an old Trioplan 50/28 that was full of fungus but someone was willing to buy it. I replaced it with a good copy of the same Trioplan in Exakta mount (I prefer the simple Exakta mount over the M42 actually because less screwing and unscrewing!). But apart from that, I've managed to pick up a Helioplan 40/4.5, Orestegon 29mm, Orestor 135/2.8, and a Steinheil Cassar S 50mm in good condition too.

Have yet to take them out. Yeah, my German lens collection has grown a bit recently!


PostPosted: Sat May 18, 2019 5:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Try that helioplan. I think it will impress. Really just a marvellous little lens if you don't ask too much of it. Most are single coated but some of the early ones seem to be uncoated so not good in situations that cause flare. But with a helical adapter it is a very very good macro lens and the 40mm FL is very useful, being the edge of normal to wide angle. Another lens on my buy if not too expensive list ( I think I have 4 or five of them).


PostPosted: Sun May 19, 2019 3:27 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
jamaeolus wrote:
Try that helioplan. I think it will impress. Really just a marvellous little lens if you don't ask too much of it. Most are single coated but some of the early ones seem to be uncoated so not good in situations that cause flare. But with a helical adapter it is a very very good macro lens and the 40mm FL is very useful, being the edge of normal to wide angle. Another lens on my buy if not too expensive list ( I think I have 4 or five of them).


I am looking forward to trying it out. I have the M42 mount version, so makes it very easy to adapt. Will post pics here when I get the chance Smile


PostPosted: Sun May 19, 2019 8:03 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
quietsome wrote:
tomasg wrote:
I don t have this lens, btw if anyone is selling it i ll buy it, but i have have the Domiron 50 f2. On that one the blades also don t retract fully when wide opeb, but if you look closer the elements behind it are narrower, so that doesn t affect the roudness of the oof areas, in particular oof highlights. The Domirin is famous for its swirly and soapy bokeh, oof are oval shaped towards the corners like on almost all lenses. I perhaps that s what you are seeing?


I'll trade you my baby zebra Primotar for your Domiron...haha Wink I've been lucky lately with my lens pickups actually. I had an old Trioplan 50/28 that was full of fungus but someone was willing to buy it. I replaced it with a good copy of the same Trioplan in Exakta mount (I prefer the simple Exakta mount over the M42 actually because less screwing and unscrewing!). But apart from that, I've managed to pick up a Helioplan 40/4.5, Orestegon 29mm, Orestor 135/2.8, and a Steinheil Cassar S 50mm in good condition too.

Have yet to take them out. Yeah, my German lens collection has grown a bit recently!


I am a big fan of MOG lenses myself, i more or less got the more expensive ones now (yes...that means both the Primoplans), so now i ll start to look for the others, i got a good deal on a Primotar 50/2.8 first pic, that has the same finish as the Domiron 50/2, second pic.




PostPosted: Mon May 20, 2019 6:48 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
I had been after one of these Primotars for a few years hoping to buy one at a reasonable price.
I absolutely love the styling!
About a month ago I managed to find one within my budget but with a few fixable issues.
Anybody know of an online cla guide for this lens?


PostPosted: Mon May 20, 2019 8:14 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Braddanman wrote:
I had been after one of these Primotars for a few years hoping to buy one at a reasonable price.
I absolutely love the styling!
About a month ago I managed to find one within my budget but with a few fixable issues.
Anybody know of an online cla guide for this lens?


Well i ll CLA mine when i get it, as i did with the Domiron, but these aren t bigginers lenses in terms of CLA.


PostPosted: Mon May 20, 2019 4:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I look forward to hearing about your experiences opening this lens.
I do have some experience servicing lenses so not an absolute beginner, but some advice with a new lens (to me) just gives me a bit more confidence before opening up.
I have heard the aperture ring can be a bit tricky.
Thanks


PostPosted: Tue May 21, 2019 1:04 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Braddanman wrote:
I look forward to hearing about your experiences opening this lens.
I do have some experience servicing lenses so not an absolute beginner, but some advice with a new lens (to me) just gives me a bit more confidence before opening up.
I have heard the aperture ring can be a bit tricky.
Thanks


Opening up the front seems simple enough on the zebra pod version. It looks similar to the zebra Oreston. A tiny grub screw that needs to be removed before unscrewing the plastic retaining rings inside. As for the back, well I would not be confident touching the aperture ring.

I can see the screw in mine, but it seems to have been opened before and it's kind of recessed inside now, so slotting the screwdriver in there could be tricky. My other option is to drill it out with a tiny drill bit. As far as I can see, the screw isn't integral to the functioning of the lens. It just holds the retainer in place.


PostPosted: Tue May 21, 2019 1:09 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Very nice indeed. I have about 10 or 11 MOG lenses now, but none of the Primoplans. A bit expensive for me ! The one that really does annoy me is the Domiplan. Not a great lens I know, but for the sake of completion I have tried to find one without sticky blades. Out of 3 lenses now, the blades are either very sticky or only slightly sticky. The best one I have is a nice clean Exa version where the blades only really tend to stick at f5.6 or f8. Turning it to f22 and jogging the lever up and down a few times unsticks them quickly. It's perfectly usable, but that auto aperture is really annoying and cheap when there's no momentum in the blades to encourage them to retract!



tomasg wrote:
quietsome wrote:
tomasg wrote:
I don t have this lens, btw if anyone is selling it i ll buy it, but i have have the Domiron 50 f2. On that one the blades also don t retract fully when wide opeb, but if you look closer the elements behind it are narrower, so that doesn t affect the roudness of the oof areas, in particular oof highlights. The Domirin is famous for its swirly and soapy bokeh, oof are oval shaped towards the corners like on almost all lenses. I perhaps that s what you are seeing?


I'll trade you my baby zebra Primotar for your Domiron...haha Wink I've been lucky lately with my lens pickups actually. I had an old Trioplan 50/28 that was full of fungus but someone was willing to buy it. I replaced it with a good copy of the same Trioplan in Exakta mount (I prefer the simple Exakta mount over the M42 actually because less screwing and unscrewing!). But apart from that, I've managed to pick up a Helioplan 40/4.5, Orestegon 29mm, Orestor 135/2.8, and a Steinheil Cassar S 50mm in good condition too.

Have yet to take them out. Yeah, my German lens collection has grown a bit recently!


I am a big fan of MOG lenses myself, i more or less got the more expensive ones now (yes...that means both the Primoplans), so now i ll start to look for the others, i got a good deal on a Primotar 50/2.8 first pic, that has the same finish as the Domiron 50/2, second pic.




PostPosted: Tue May 21, 2019 1:48 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
The only domiplan I have is a cheap plastic thing that the aperture doesn't work. The "helical" consists of a grooved plastic tube. It came on a Praktika Nova 1b (That worked! even light meter) I traded the camera to a gal whose sun expressed some interest but swapped out the lens for an orestor. Crappiest lens I ever owned.


PostPosted: Tue May 21, 2019 4:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
quietsome wrote:
Braddanman wrote:
I look forward to hearing about your experiences opening this lens.
I do have some experience servicing lenses so not an absolute beginner, but some advice with a new lens (to me) just gives me a bit more confidence before opening up.
I have heard the aperture ring can be a bit tricky.
Thanks


Opening up the front seems simple enough on the zebra pod version. It looks similar to the zebra Oreston. A tiny grub screw that needs to be removed before unscrewing the plastic retaining rings inside. As for the back, well I would not be confident touching the aperture ring.

I can see the screw in mine, but it seems to have been opened before and it's kind of recessed inside now, so slotting the screwdriver in there could be tricky. My other option is to drill it out with a tiny drill bit. As far as I can see, the screw isn't integral to the functioning of the lens. It just holds the retainer in place.


From what you say i guess your copy of the Primotar 50/2.8 is in the Exakta mount? They ustally have two small screws at the back...bzr they aren t the ones that hold the mount in place. The one i bought is in M42 mount.
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