Are there any duplicate lenses in your collection ?

Attila · Expire: 2025-11-18

We are all collect many cheap but quality lenses. From the best ones I always collect more than one copy if I can. I am worry about perhaps something happen with my lens and I can't buy any more from them.From others I just buy more because cheap.

My duplicate copies are:

Carl Zeiss Jena Biotar 1.5/75 mm
one M42 mount and one Exakta mount they are different models
Tamron SP 300mm 5.6/300 mm
Just bought two because very good lens
Meyer-Optik G�rlitz Orestor 4/200 mm
Meyer-Optik G�rlitz Orestor 2.8/135 mm
Pentacon "zebra" 2.8/135mm
Pentacon MC 2.8/135mm at least 5 pcs because cheap and very good
Carl Zeiss Jena Sonnar 3.5/135mm
Carl Zeiss Jena Biotar 2.8/58mm
Industar-50 3.5/50mm
Kiron 28-210mm
Nikkor 4/200mm
Konica Hexanon 3.5/200mm
Jupiter-11A
Jupiter-137A
Jupiter-11 4/135mm black M39 and M42
Carl Zeiss Flektogon 20mm f/2.8 M42
Carl Zeiss Flektogon 35mm f/2.8 M42
Carl Zeiss Pancolar 50mm f/1.8 M42
Vivitar Macro-focusing 2x converter

Orio · Expire: 2012-12-04

I have many different lenses but only a few of them with duplicates, for different reasons:

- Jupiter-37xx
I have four of these because I am collecting the different versions. I now have the four basic models, but I would like to get one "Olympic" copy if I can. But since the four copies I have are actually different lenses (or at least, differently named lenses), I don't think that these can really be considered duplicates. They are, in fact, different from each other.

- Jupiter-21M
I also have four of these, because they sell very cheap (from 20 to max. 30 Euros here), and since it's a lens I especially love, I always think that I can perhaps get the "best of the best" copy. Differently from the 37s, these jupiters are real duplicates (many copies of identical lens)

- Volna-9
This happened by accident. I bought one from Ukraine, which arrived after almost four months. In the meantime, having considered the one lost, I bought another. A few days after the second purchase, the first lens arrived in the mail. The problem is that the lenses proved to be so good, that now I have problem deciding to separate myself from one of them

- Tair-11A
I have two of these. Here again the reason is the cheap price, I got my second one for very little money, I bought it because it is a not so common lens to find, and one with a very special characteristic: it has a huge amount of blades.

- Flektogon 4/20
Like the Jupiter-37xx, I don't think I can call my two Flek 4/20 real duplicates, because they are different: one is zebra, the other one is black/orange. Also optically the black/orange copy seems to be slightly better with regards to flare. I will buy a third copy of this lens when I can find one cheap. It's just so good.

- Nikon 2.8/100 series E
My copy of this lens fell on the floor and the hit made the focusing ring not smooth. The lens is optically ok but I wanted to have another one in perfect order. The lens is cheap, so I got a "new" one.

- Helios 40-2
I have two of these and one of the 40 model. Technically only the two 40-2 can be considered duplicates, but again, the two copies are not identical: one has cyrillic writings, the other one western characters. But most importantly, one is most probably multi-coated (or anyway differently coated), while the other one is certainly not.

I finally had a duplicate Flektogon 2.4/35 too, for the same reason as the Volna-9 (I thought first copy was lost in the mail). But I recently sold one of them, so it's not duplicate anymore. And again, they were not real duplicates, because one carried the writing "Carl Zeiss Jena DDR", the other (the one I kept) has the writing "Aus Jena".

I currently plan to get only one more duplicate: another 4/20 Flektogon, because it's probably the lens I use the most, and my two copies are mechanically far from ideal (one is actually defective).

Attila · Expire: 2025-11-18

LucisPictor · Expire: 2013-12-03

No, I have each lens just once.
I have more lenses of the same focal length, though.

I rather like to play with new lenses or lens types than collecting copies.
However, I can understand you why you try to get more copies of some lenses.

Carsten

P.S.: Attila, if we ever happen to meet, please bring your Carl Zeiss Jena Biotar 1.5/75 in Exa-mount. I would love to shoot some pics with that lens at my EXA I.

Attila · Expire: 2025-11-18

hacksawbob · Joined: 28 Feb 2007 Posts: 1293 Location: LANCS UK

No, i have just the one of each copy, Although I think I may have a few CZ tessars that came with a bundle! I cant really justify having more than the one copy, otherwise it will just be a dust and fungus farm sitting on the shelf! I would but another tamron 90SP as mine has small ammount of fungus but otherwise is good but I still would like a better copy! Remember you can only put one copy on your camera at once. Are the other copies for looking "at" rather than "through"?