Exakta lenses experience

[Attila]

Do you have experience with Exakta lenses ?

Currently my favorite set a semi-automatic Exakta lens+adapter+Olympus E-1. Pretty amazing to focusing always with open aperture and close the aperture with a button, don't need to rotate aperture to the right position all time.
Favorites are: CZJ 120mm f2.8 Biometar, CZJ 58mm f2 Biotar and CZJ 20mm f4 Flektogon, CZJ Sonnar 180mm f2.8,CZJ Sonnar 300mm f4.
For P6 mounts I have a P6 - Exakta adapter. I am looking for fast semi-automatic Exakta portrait lens. Any idea ?

[peterm1]

Attila if you are into Exakta lenses you should check this site out if you have not done so. I never seriously considered them but when I looked at this site it blew me away with the range of lovely old exotic looking lenses.

http://captjack.exaktaphile.com/index.htm

Exakta kit is a bit rare in Australia - I do not know if it was ever imported officially as I have only ever seen a few old bodies and lenses , the last being perhaps more than 10 years ago in an old camera store. (Gave the impression that people may have bought their cameras with them when they migrated here from Europe.) So I have never been tempted to become interested until I saw the Captain Jacks web site. But I am still in Nikon phase so cannot see myself chasing Exakta gear right now but I was amazed at how many top German makers made lenses for these cameras.

[hacksawbob]

I have the 35mm flek and the dirty 20mm sstill waiting for prices on the EOS adapter to drop so I can mount! But now I have a varex IIB so I have no excuses.

[Attila]

Yes, this was the first site what I found in this subject. Thank you!

[LucisPictor]

These are my lenses with EXA-mount:

Pentacon 3.5/30

Construction: ****
Condition: A-
Optical Performace: 6.5 /10


Carl Zeiss Jena Tessar 2.8/50

Construction: *****
Condition: A
Optical Performace: 7.5 /10


Meyer Optik Domiplan 2.8/50 1Q

Construction: ****
Condition: A-
Optical Performace: 7 /10


Isco Isconar 4/135

Construction: ***
Condition: B
Optical Performace: 6.5 /10

[Capt Jack]

With over 50, 75 to 100mm Exakta lenses in my collection, for portraiture, I recommend the following:

1. Carl Zeiss Jena 2.8/80 Auto Biometar (can also be found in preset version, and in P6 mount that can be adapted to Exakta)

2. Steinheil 3.5/100 Auto Quinar (chrome lens) or Auto-D-Quinar (black lens)

3. Angenieux 90mm f2.5 Auto Y12 (Very Hard to find - also available in manual configuration

And for low light and very narrow depth of field, either the venerable 1.5/75 Biotar or the 1.5/85 Enna (Ennalyt, Lithagon, etc.)

[Attila]

I have a couple of Biotar 75 , how Angenieux and Ennalyt compare with Biotar 75 ?

[Capt Jack]

All three are just about equal with the Biotar being just slightly contrastier.

[Attila]

This is good news! Thank you!