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Carl Zeiss Sonnar T* 5.6/250 from Agiflite aerial camera
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PostPosted: Sat Sep 20, 2014 1:50 pm    Post subject: Carl Zeiss Sonnar T* 5.6/250 from Agiflite aerial camera Reply with quote

I picked this beast up for an incredibly cheap price - it's brand new, never been used, in fixed focus mount for an Agiflite aerial camera.

If this is the same optics as the Hasselblad and Linhof versions then it's designed to deliver critical sharpness and highest order corrections wide open.

I shall adapt it for use on my Sony a850 by fitting a tripod ring and attaching a set of bellows to the back.

Anyone got any experience of this lens?






PostPosted: Sat Sep 20, 2014 1:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The Zeiss performance data and MTF curves for this thing are rather mouth-watering. Smile




PostPosted: Sat Sep 20, 2014 4:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

It looks superb!!! Shocked Very Happy
I have the Taylor Hobson 12" f/4 lens for the Agiflite cameras and is one of the sharpest lens I've ever seen in this focal length. Its only draw beck (except for the weight and bulk) is the magenta cast when used wide opened. At around f/8 the cast is gone.
My lens came with a huge yellow filter, just like yours, and I think that there is a reason why they added this heavy filters. Probably the Agiflite cameras were meant for B&W film only.
I'm very curious how your lens handles the CA wide opened.
My TTH 12" covers well 4X5" . Have you tried yous on the GG of a large format camera?
I've remounted my lens in a big bellows unit with a Pentax 645 mount to use it on film but, frankly, I never took it out for a photo session. It's just too big for me to be comfortable with it. I've only made some tests on the window with Pentax 645 and Sony NEX.


PostPosted: Sat Sep 20, 2014 5:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'm not so sure this is really the data of the lens you have. Just 5.6/250mm should not be enough, your's is a special one, not the Hasselblad version.


PostPosted: Sat Sep 20, 2014 5:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hi Dan

The Agiflite originally used TT&H lenses - there were f2/4inch and f4/12inch, maybe others. The 4 incher is supposed to be very good on 6x9.

Once TT&H stopped production sometime in the 70s, they switched to using Zeiss lenses.

I haven't tried mine on anything yet, there is a version in shutter for the Linhof 4x5 technical camera, so this one I have, might be the same as that.

The Agiflite cameras shot 70mm, whether they were intended for BW only or not I don't know,I suspect that this Zeiss lens I have is the same as the regular production 5.6/250 Sonnars so should be fine for colour. I'm not sure how the CA will be, probably very well corrected, although there is a Superachromat version of this lens so maybe CA wasn't the best point of the version I have?


PostPosted: Sat Sep 20, 2014 5:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

kds315* wrote:
I'm not so sure this is really the data of the lens you have. Just 5.6/250mm should not be enough, your's is a special one, not the Hasselblad version.


Aah, okay, thanks Klaus.

From your Zeiss production databooks are you able to tell what version I have from the serial number?

The serial number is 6392651.

This data from http://motamedi.info/serial.htm says that my lens was made sometime between 1971 and 1975:

Carl Zeiss (Opton), Oberkochen, West Germany.
10,000-500,000 1946-1951
500,000-1,100,000 1951-1953
1,100,000-2,600,000 1953-1959
2,600,000-3,000,000 1959-1961
3,000,000-4,000,000 1961-1965
4,000,000-5,000,000 1965-1969
5,000,000-6,000,000 1969-1971
6,000,000-7.300,000 1971-1975


PostPosted: Sat Sep 20, 2014 5:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Congrats!!


PostPosted: Sat Sep 20, 2014 8:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Looked it up: computed 8.9.1952 and made in a batch of 40 lenses. But actually the Habla C version
is based on the same computation, so they seem to be optically identical indeed.


PostPosted: Sun Sep 21, 2014 1:52 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thankyou Klaus.

I have been looking on the net for info and the Sonnar 5.6/250 was sold for Hasselblad and Rollei MF cameras and for Linhof 4x5, no mention at all of the Linhof version being any different; one user states that it is possible to get 12mm of movement on a Linhof. 4x5 has an image diagonal of 153mm so this lens should have an image circle of 165mm. That sounds about right for a Sonnar design - the 4/135 Sonnar has an image circle of around 85mm - I converted one to use on my speed graphic for 6x9 and it doesn't cover at infinity.

I shall post samples as soon as I manage to mount the thing to my a850.


PostPosted: Sun Sep 21, 2014 6:37 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Nice catch Ian, should deliver nicely!!


PostPosted: Sun Sep 21, 2014 8:32 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

superb! will wait to see it at working


PostPosted: Sun Sep 21, 2014 11:22 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Cheers guys.

I only paid 29ukp for it, no-one else bid, which surprised me.

I'm a huge fan of how Sonnars render so if this one has the typical Sonnar character then I'm sure I will love it. Smile


PostPosted: Thu Sep 25, 2014 7:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

It rained all day today and was terribly dark and gray so I spent some time figuring out a temporary mount solution. In the end I used an empty tin that once contained minced beef, an M42-A mount adapter, some epoxy putty, a piece of sticky-backed black flock material and lots of black electrician's tape.

Even in the terrible light conditions, the lens performs very well, this was wide open, 1/200 sec, ISO 400, I had to turn up the brightness a tad in Photoshop, but otherwise, no PP.



PostPosted: Thu Sep 25, 2014 8:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Looks very promising indeed Ian!


PostPosted: Thu Sep 25, 2014 8:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

wow, great find! Very Happy


PostPosted: Thu Sep 25, 2014 8:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

iangreenhalgh1 wrote:
It rained all day today and was terribly dark and gray so I spent some time figuring out a temporary mount solution. In the end I used an empty tin that once contained minced beef, an M42-A mount adapter, some epoxy putty, a piece of sticky-backed black flock material and lots of black electrician's tape.

Even in the terrible light conditions, the lens performs very well, this was wide open, 1/200 sec, ISO 400, I had to turn up the brightness a tad in Photoshop, but otherwise, no PP.


we need pictures Ian...... Laughing


PostPosted: Thu Sep 25, 2014 9:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

+1 looks great


PostPosted: Thu Sep 25, 2014 10:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Cheers guys, I'll take a picture of my temporary mount solution tomorrow.


PostPosted: Fri Sep 26, 2014 3:17 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Very nice job, Ian. I wish I could buy a $29 "paperweight" that took such great shots... Wink

iangreenhalgh1 wrote:
It rained all day today and was terribly dark and gray so I spent some time figuring out a temporary mount solution. In the end I used an empty tin that once contained minced beef, an M42-A mount adapter, some epoxy putty, a piece of sticky-backed black flock material and lots of black electrician's tape.

Even in the terrible light conditions, the lens performs very well, this was wide open, 1/200 sec, ISO 400, I had to turn up the brightness a tad in Photoshop, but otherwise, no PP.



PostPosted: Fri Sep 26, 2014 5:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Cheers. Sadly, 29ukp is not going to be the final cost because I'm going to have to pay t have it properly mounted in a helicoid; however, I feel it will be worth every penny.

We had sunshine today so I made a few more test shots. Focus is a bit tricky with my improvised mount, but the lens is superb, sharp as anything I have ever shot, contrast and colours and first rate, minimal CA, I love it.

#1

#2

100% crop:

#3

100% crop:

#4 Into the sun, but no flare,no loss of contrast

#5

100% crop: one of the three or four shots out of about 25 that exhibit some CA

#6

#7 Into the sun again, still no flare or loss of contrast

#8


PostPosted: Fri Sep 26, 2014 5:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Looks very good ! Congrats on your bargain. Wink


PostPosted: Fri Sep 26, 2014 6:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Looks like a very capable lens, lets see what it does in "real photography"!!


PostPosted: Fri Sep 26, 2014 6:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yes, might have to wait until it is properly mounted in a helicoid before doing any 'real' work.


PostPosted: Fri Sep 26, 2014 9:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

let me know the diameter Ian, I have a huge old Sun zoom here that could be cannibalized.


PostPosted: Fri Sep 26, 2014 10:38 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Cool, I shall measure it tomorrow.