Carl Zeiss Jena Tessar 50mm f3.5 M42 mount ?

motleypixel · Joined: 12 May 2010 Posts: 135 Location: Austin, TX USA

Hey gang,

Considering picking up a Carl Zeiss Jena Tessar 50mm f3.5 with M42 mount to use an M42 to EOS adapter on my Canon 5DMK2. Any thoughts on potential issue with this lens and the performance of this lens?

Here's a shot of the lens on the camera:

Thanks,
Roy

exaklaus · Expire: 2011-12-02

That is not M42, it is an Exakta bayonet mount lens on that picture.
Klaus

motleypixel · Joined: 12 May 2010 Posts: 135 Location: Austin, TX USA

Thank you very much. This is very good to know.

-Roy

pat donnelly · Posted: Thu Jun 10, 2010 11:20 am Post subject: 3.5 50 Pancake Russki

I have a few of these. Got one in 39mm as well as the far more common M42. They were so cheap at one stage. The big advantage is the size. Tessar, so good performance. Build quality can vary as Comrades might have had a hangover on a Monday.

Much scarcer these days on fleabay, but I got 3 for $40 inc postage, a week ago. Direct from the Motherland. Actually Ukraine.

It will look odd on your camera and not be as useful as a wider 50mm. Why do you want one?

motleypixel · Joined: 12 May 2010 Posts: 135 Location: Austin, TX USA

Thanks for the help. It's just the nostalgia of it really, well to a degree. I wish I have more expendable money and time as I would buy up all the 50mmihs lenses and test them all.

Right now I plan to do a controlled shoot-out for center/corner sharpness, contrast, and color of the following lenses:

Minolta MC-Rokkor PF 58/1.4
Oly G-Zuiko 50/1.4
Super Takumar 55/1.8
Canon EF 50/1.8 MkII
Canon EF 50/1.4

I would like to add a few more such as the SMC tak 50/1.4, CZJ Pancolar 50/1.8, Yashica Yashinon-DX 50/1.4 and a few more popular ones too.

In a few week I will be adding the Rokkor-X 50/1.4, and the Yashica Yashinon-DX 50/1.4.

Thanks,
Roy

Univer · Joined: 30 Jun 2009 Posts: 282

pat donnelly · Posted: Fri Jun 11, 2010 1:59 am Post subject: M39 Tessar

John
No idea! I intend to use it with an adapter on my ep1, some day. I presume it was originally for a CCCP RF? Or do I mean LTM39?

Attila · Expire: 2025-11-18

Univer · Joined: 30 Jun 2009 Posts: 282

nemesis101 · Expire: 2015-01-22

M40 mount?

or M42 mount or

And you thought you were confused? lol

Doug

pat donnelly · Posted: Thu Jun 17, 2010 4:14 am Post subject: Tessar or tessar?

I also recently came across one on fleabay, but it did not look as deep as mine.

I will post asap ......

pat donnelly · Posted: Thu Jun 17, 2010 9:59 am Post subject: "Russian" in first ref .......

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/USSR-RUSSIAN-TESSAR-COPY-INDUSTAR-50-3-5-50-M39-LENS-/360272407009?cmd=ViewItem&pt=Camera_Lenses&hash=item53e1e8a9e1

This looks like a M42 example as it is so shallow? Russian? CCCP or Ukrainian.

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/INDUSTAR-50-3-5-50-M39-Russian-lens-Zenit-/260620951849?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3cae382129

Again a little shallow but I referred to this one in my earlier post.

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Industar-50-50mm-f-3-5-Rare-lens-M39-Fed-Zorki-Leica-/250640125920?cmd=ViewItem&pt=Camera_Lenses&hash=item3a5b50cfe0

A very deep example possibly the same as the second above, but set to a different focal length?

All of these are tessar lenses, termed Industar 50?

Univer · Joined: 30 Jun 2009 Posts: 282

@nemesis101: The original Praktiflex camera was M40 screwmount. I haven't been able to determine the precise register distance, but it's shorter than that of the M42 screwmount that followed it. There are online references suggesting that the register distance is the same, but my own experience - confirmed by the proprietor of the marvelous site www.dresdner-kameras.de - indicates otherwise.

@pat donnelly: The Industar-50 was made in both SLR and rangefinder versions. The first two linked Industars are M39/Zenit SLR mount (note that an Industar-50 is M39, while an Industar-50-2 is M42). The third linked lens is L39 (rangefinder) mount. And yes, all the Industar-50s, so far as I know, are Tessar designs; but I believe the term "Tessar" itself is reserved for Zeiss (or Zeiss-licensed) products.

And yes, it all gets rather confusing!

Cheers,

Jon

pat donnelly · Posted: Sat Jun 19, 2010 12:28 pm Post subject:

Jon

Thank you!