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Fake Biotar 58mm
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PostPosted: Tue Aug 12, 2014 8:49 pm    Post subject: Fake Biotar 58mm Reply with quote

http://www.ebay.com/itm/CARL-ZEISS-JENA-BIOTAR-Russian-Copy-Lens-SLR-M42-8170259-/390904879089?pt=Camera_Lenses&hash=item5b03bf17f1

How people silly , make fake clone of an inexpensive lens ?!


PostPosted: Tue Aug 12, 2014 9:00 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hi Attila,

as someone with so much lenses - i've thought you've had much more experience...CZJ (Carl Zeiss Jena - East Germany) is no fake
Zeiss brand, it's real! The seller wrote in the ad that it's refurbished, that means perhaps that he had put the dust out of the lens,
and recalibrated the optical elements - where is a fake there?! I can't see it!

Well, but i can agree with you - it might seem to be just a Helios 44-x which had been relabeled to a Carl Zeiss Jena Lens...because
the Originals are more expensive...but the Helios 44 Series, which had been made after WWII, are of good quality, my 44-2 copy is
into mint condition and works very well....some Helios 44 Series are even sharper, better than the original CZJ Design...which is a
very old design.

Marc


PostPosted: Tue Aug 12, 2014 9:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I got an helios 58mm f2. it's look's like 100% expect the "carl zeiss" and "biotar" inscription.


PostPosted: Tue Aug 12, 2014 10:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

He does actually say that it is a Helios 44 in the description. I'm not sure quite what his angle is but the starting price is about 3 times what its worth.


PostPosted: Tue Aug 12, 2014 11:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

doomed-forever,

A complete disgrace, fake Biotar from a nice Helios 44. Why? For a front ring saying "Zeiss" and the rest of the lens screaming loud it's an Helios?
BTW, I'm pretty sure Attila knows the history of Zeiss lens manufacturing at both sides of the iron curtain way much better then you and I,

Cheers,

Renato


PostPosted: Wed Aug 13, 2014 12:58 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

As fake as it gets.

I supose anyone looking for a black biotar will immediately recognize the Helios lens body.


PostPosted: Wed Aug 13, 2014 2:00 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

doomed-forever wrote:
Hi Attila,

as someone with so much lenses - i've thought you've had much more experience...CZJ (Carl Zeiss Jena - East Germany) is no fake
Zeiss brand, it's real! The seller wrote in the ad that it's refurbished, that means perhaps that he had put the dust out of the lens,
and recalibrated the optical elements - where is a fake there?! I can't see it!

Well, but i can agree with you - it might seem to be just a Helios 44-x which had been relabeled to a Carl Zeiss Jena Lens...because
the Originals are more expensive...but the Helios 44 Series, which had been made after WWII, are of good quality, my 44-2 copy is
into mint condition and works very well....some Helios 44 Series are even sharper, better than the original CZJ Design...which is a
very old design.

Marc


Need learn lot more Marc.. to you about lenses Smile was a funny reply to most of us I think.


PostPosted: Wed Aug 13, 2014 2:11 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

+1 Laughing


PostPosted: Wed Aug 13, 2014 3:59 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

If I had free money, I'd buy it just for curiosity. Making a "fake" lens of such quality (even re-badging the plates) is not a task you can routinely can do in little shop, garage or whatsoever. This is high tech factory made fake product Smile


PostPosted: Wed Aug 13, 2014 4:41 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Good thing is that the seller is clearly stating everywhere that this is a Russian copy made from an helios 44.

I agree with Attila in that I don't understand why making a fake a product that doesn't even comes close to what the original biotar looks like, specially considering that, as CuriousOne pointed out, this is not garage project. And also the original biotar is not that expensive.

And the price of this fake?? Almost as an original biotar, just because of the effort or what??

Just crazy


PostPosted: Wed Aug 13, 2014 6:29 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Also puzzled why they would make a copy?? Its rather kinda stupid..
I would rather own the real Zeiss Jena 58mm.. :)


PostPosted: Wed Aug 13, 2014 7:24 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Putting "Biotar" label on a Helios is one thing, but how about putting "Sonnar" label on Industar: http://www.ebay.com/itm/201145854866 ???


PostPosted: Wed Aug 13, 2014 8:40 am    Post subject: Re: Fake Biotar 58mm Reply with quote

Attila wrote:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/CARL-ZEISS-JENA-BIOTAR-Russian-Copy-Lens-SLR-M42-8170259-/390904879089?pt=Camera_Lenses&hash=item5b03bf17f1

How people silly , make fake clone of an inexpensive lens ?!


The silly ones are the ones who fall for this scam and buy the lens. The seller is simply a shameless thief. The fact that he "clearly states" that it is a Helios, as some posters pointed out is just an "escape clause" to get him out of trouble if anyone makes a big stink about it. The fact is, he engraved "Biotar" and "Germany" on an ordinary run-of-the-mill (even if often excellent) Soviet lens. He is asking three times what an average Helios costs and this is a good indication of what his purpose is (someone here was wondering).
Az nagyon rossz bácsi Smile


PostPosted: Wed Aug 13, 2014 8:48 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

The Industar / Sonnar is another lens that has had the paint stripped off and the aluminium buffed up - but if you look at the knurling there is still black paint in the bottom of the grooves, which shows that the paint was removed by the buffing wheel and not by chemical paint stripper. I would guess that the complete lens is just held on the buffer until the paint is gone and the aluminium is polished, which I know from experience of buffing alloy parts for classic cars and bikes takes a lot of effort and time and produces massive amounts of heat, the lens would be too hot to handle without welders gloves. The heat would probably ruin the lens on it's own, but the buffing wheel is impregnated with an abrasive soap, which melts in the heat and the stuff gets everywhere. If the lens is stripped down completely, polished, cleaned and reassembled it would be OK. But who's going to spend that much time and effort for a $50 lens?

They are selling shite!


PostPosted: Wed Aug 13, 2014 10:52 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
The lens was re-made from Russian Inustar-24m.


wow... he took a 3.5/105mm and made a 2.8/52mm out of it.. Shocked


oh and he has Leica too Wink

Click here to see on Ebay


Lloydy wrote:
If the lens is stripped down completely, polished, cleaned and reassembled it would be OK.


Want it more shiny? There you go...

Click here to see on Ebay

or

Click here to see on Ebay


PostPosted: Wed Aug 13, 2014 11:33 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Well, I have seen gold plated genuine Zeiss lenses, but they all were for microscopes...


PostPosted: Wed Aug 13, 2014 11:58 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

There's an Israeli guy selling lots of polished shiny Helios and other run of the mill lenses for high prices.


PostPosted: Wed Aug 13, 2014 2:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Tedat wrote:
Quote:
The lens was re-made from Russian Inustar-24m.


wow... he took a 3.5/105mm and made a 2.8/52mm out of it.. Shocked


oh and he has Leica too Wink

Click here to see on Ebay


Lloydy wrote:
If the lens is stripped down completely, polished, cleaned and reassembled it would be OK.


Want it more shiny? There you go...

Click here to see on Ebay

or

Click here to see on Ebay


Nice. Very Happy But somehow he must make money, otherwise no one would do it.