East German lenses everyone should know?

[räuber]

East Germany was producing cameras and photo lenses for 4 decades. There where brands with a long history like Carl Zeiss Jena, Meyer-Optik Görlitz or Opt.Werke Ludwig and later the huge Pentagon manufactory. I'm just starting to discover the history behind all of this. I'm wondering why it is all that quit about East German lenses. There is not much talk about those lenses compared with for example Leica, Carl Zeiss (West), Canon, Nikon, Pentax, Olympus and so on.

So the question is, which East German lenses are important, unique, must-have, great glass or simply legendary? And why?

[visualopsins]

[blotafton]

Must have lenses:

Carl Zeiss Jena Pancolar 50mm f2, 50mm f1.8 radioactive, 50mm 1.8 MC, 55mm 1.4, 75mm 1.4, 80mm 1.8.
Carl Zeiss Jena Flektogon 35mm 2.4

Prakticar 50mm 1.4.

Meyer Optik Görlitz:
Domiron 50mm f2
Oreston 50mm 1.8
Primoplan 58mm 1.9, 75mm 1.9
Trioplan 50mm 2.9, 100mm 2.8
Diaplan 80mm 2.8, 100mm 2.8

[visualopsins]

Also from Meyer Optik Görlitz:

Orestor 135 mm f/ 2.8 Lens (Sonnar! Same as Pentacon 135/2.

[papasito]

The trioplan 2,9/50 and the domiplan 2,8/50.
They should be the same lens, but the rendering is different

[räuber]

Some information about the mentioned Prakticar 50mm F1.4

• Most people know this lens as Carl Zeiss Jena Pancolar / Prakticar 50mm F1.4.
  
• There are 2 versions of the Pancolar 50mm F1.4. It is the successor of the very expensive and claimed very sharp Pancolar 55mm F1.4 for the Pentacon Super camera. The Pancolar 55mm F1.4 and the first version of the Pancolar 50mm F1.4 have radioactive lenses. After information of zeissikonveb.de the second version is free of any radioactive glass. The second version was build from 1982/83. It seems that the second version was build from Pentacon VEB Werk instead of CZJ.
  
• How can you separate both versions of the Pancolar 50mm F1.4? There is this site that goes into detail and shows images taken with both lenses and other Pentacon lenses. You can find 3 versions of the Pancolar 50mm F1.8 there too.
  
• What put me off this lens first was the wild bokeh. Sharpness seems ok but the background looked very distracting and rough. The linked images are from the second version. But there is this thread that shows that version 2 has a somewhat smoother bokeh than version 1 and how to use the expressionistic side of both lenses (especially version 1). There are those examples from version 2 that show how good this lens renders with people. And this Flickr group where poster Neto-Zene is very active shows remarkable images taken with the Pancolar 50mm F1.4.
  

Version 1 Specs

• Engraving: CARL ZEISS JENA PRAKTICAR 1,4/50 MC (on the outer site of the filter ring)
  
• Mount: Praktica-B
  
• max Aperture: F16
  
• max Diameter: 61mm
  
• Length from mount: 43,5mm
  
• Weight: 308 gr
  
• Elements, Groups: 7/6
  
• Glass: radioactive (SSK11 Thorium)(yellow tint)
  
• Coating: MC
  
• Apertures: 6, slightly round
  
• Filter: 52mm
  
• MFD: 0,36 m
  
• Design: 20.03.1978
  
• Build: 1980-08 - 1983-08
  

Version 2 Specs

• Engraving: CARL ZEISS JENA PRAKTICAR 1:1.4 f=50mm MC
  
• Mount: Praktica-B
  
• max Aperture: F16
  
• max Diameter: 62mm
  
• Length from mount: 44mm
  
• Weight: 270 gr
  
• Elements, Groups: 7/6
  
• Glass:
  
• Coating: MC
  
• Apertures: 6, ninja star shaped
  
• Filter: 52mm
  
• MFD: 0,40 m
  
• Design: 01.06.1982
  
• Build: 1984-04 - 1990-07
  

Here are both versions of the Pancolar / Prakticar 50mm F1.4 side by side.
left: Version 1 (radioactive), right: Version 2

#1


#2


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[Oldhand]

Excellent resources räuber
Thank you
Tom

[Zamo]

Pentacon 135mm 2. 8 (initially branded as Meyer Optik Orestor 135 2., first version with 15 blades, is also a very famous one. Big, but nice results for portraits and very smooth bokeh. EDIT: I see it was mentioned before
Carl Zeiss Jena Sonnar 135mm 3.5 is also a personal favorite. It is quite sharp, but, above all, I like its colors. There is also a Prakticar version which is identical, and usually a bit cheaper (had 2 of each, compared them all and could not find the difference, so I kept a PB mount one only).
And from the above mentioned "Pancolars" (the 50 1.4 is not strictly a Pancolar) I like them both a lot too. The 50 1.8, final versions, is a very nice lens. The Prakticar 50 1.4 is also great (first version, with the name on the outside of the ring). Sharp, with a slight yellowness that I enjoy in certain cases (great for sunset light, for instance). I didn't know, until now, that it was radioactive (although the yellow tint of the glass should have made that obvious, I never thought of it).

[memetph2]

I like very much my Pancolar 50mm f1.8 but we should not forget those ones ( recent buy).

[caspert79]

Carl Zeiss Jena Sonnar 135/3.5 is the only East German lens I own at the moment. Very good performer, especially for the price.

[D1N0]

The Biotars CZJ 58mm F/2 and 75mm F/1.5

The older Flektogon 35mm F/2.8

Orestor 100/2.8

CZJ Tessar 50mm F/2.8 ubiquitous cheap and versatile (Wide open nice for portraiture and on extension rings or reversed great for macro)

[Pancolart]

Can we simply compose a list of them all . All are worthy and have their enthusiastic users. Even Domiplan as a cheap, fun, trick lens. My question: Besides Zeiss Jena and Meyer/Pentacon what companies where there?

[D1N0]

Quite a lot https://www.dresdner-kameras.de/firmengeschichte/firmen/firmen.html

[memetph2]

thank very much you for this link !

[stevemark]

Lots of useful information also here:

https://zeissikonveb.de/

Not only Zeiss (Jena), but also Meyer (Görlitz), Busch (Rathenow), Ludwig (Weixdorf) and Feinmess (Dresden), for example.

S

[jamaeolus]

I have an affliction for the Meyer Helioplan. Especially the 40mm 4.5. But I also have several different enlarger FLs and the Hugo Meyer 165mm from a Nagel Vollenda.

[visualopsins]

[koji]

History: https://www.dresdner-kameras.de/files/zeittafel_objektive.pdf

And Prakticars: https://pbase.com/kkawakami/mylens_prakticars

[Gatorengineer64]

Now the question is would anyone put any of these in their all time top 5?

[Dejan]

[kypfer]

The East German lens that got me started in the genre was the Meyer Optik 30mm f/3.5 Lydith.
There was a lot of sales blah-blah-blah when the "new version" was initially launched a few years back, "painterly bokeh" and such, but the asking price was "hopeful", to say the least!
Nevertheless, I figured, maybe there's no smoke without fire, so I kept my eyes open and found a mis-described original on eBay for "not a lot" and got it for a maiden bid
It duly arrived, already fitted with an M42-PK adaptor, which is maybe what confused any other potential bidders, and it now lives "semi-permanently" on one of my Pentax DSLR's …. love it!
The Lydith was kept in production after the Pentacon merger, as the 30mm f/3.5 Pentacon, not to be confused with the also available 28mm and 29mm Pentacon lenses
Other GDR lenses to watch out for?
The Carl Zeiss Jena 135mm f/4 Triotar … oh yes!
The Carl Zeiss Jena 50mm f/2.8 Tessar - obviously!
The E. Ludwig 50mm f/2.9 Meritar, as an alternative cheap triplet to the Domiplan.
The Meyer Optik 35mm f/4.5 Primagon and 50mm f/2.8 Primotar both perform well
Should I mention the Trioplan? It's accrued quite a reputation for it's "bubble" bokeh, but you'll notice it's mostly the 100mm version used for the "special effects", the more readily available 50mm seems rather more fussy about it's subject distance etc. to produce anything unduly "special".
Inevitably … YMMV Enjoy!

[kds315*]

The really fine CZJ PANCOLAR f1.8/80mm lens!!

https://www.flickr.com/photos/kds315/albums/72157685827975625

[Gatorengineer64]

Thanks for the reply I picked up a Meyer Primoplan 50 1.9, and not a bad lens but nothing to write home about. Not sure why its priced the way it is....

The Primoplan is on the list at 50 as well as a Zenitar.....

[Indigo82]

Carl Zeiss Jena Flektogon 20mm f2.8 is a very good lens and should be mentioned in this discussion. Some say that f4 version is even better. Anyhow, it may well be the widest lens produces in East Germany as far as I know.