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A Word about Russian Serial Numbers
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 20, 2012 3:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Quote:
I have a couple of Industar-22 collepsible 5cm lens , all serial start with 7xxx and surely this lens not made in 197x years.


The "7" represented the year in the decade they were produced: 1957.


PostPosted: Fri Jan 20, 2012 4:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
themoleman342 wrote:


The "7" represented the year in the decade they were produced: 1957.


Why do you believe this? I ask because the VM, which is sometimes mistaken, says that the first two digits of Soviet-made lenses contain the last two digits of the year the lens was made. "76" means made in 1976, and so on.

This seems to fit with my Era-7 (790021), Uran-27 (600192), Industar-51 (634904), and RF-5 (850080).


PostPosted: Fri Jan 20, 2012 4:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Quote:
Why do you believe this?

Because it's true. Scroll to the last entry: http://www.sovietcams.com/index.php?804100465

What you say is correct for most series though.


PostPosted: Fri Jan 20, 2012 4:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Thanks for the link.


PostPosted: Tue Jan 24, 2012 12:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
My second soviet lens, Helios 44-2 with serial number 0009562. Body is Zenit B with sn. 70021094.



PostPosted: Tue Jan 24, 2012 4:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Quote:
My second soviet lens, Helios 44-2 with serial number 0009562. Body is Zenit B with sn. 70021094.


Just to avoid confusion, your lens is not in fact a pre-series. Sad It's a very early production in 1970. MMZ, in this period, did their Helios 44-2 serial numbers with the first number signifying the year in the decade. So your first "0" means 1970. The zeros that follow simply mean it was early in the production line.

The zenit's serial number and the helios's body design (zebra pattern) confirm this.

They are a beautiful matching set though.


PostPosted: Tue Jan 24, 2012 6:02 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
themoleman342 wrote:
Just to avoid confusion, your lens is not in fact a pre-series. Sad It's a very early production in 1970. MMZ, in this period, did their Helios 44-2 serial numbers with the first number signifying the year in the decade. So your first "0" means 1970. The zeros that follow simply mean it was early in the production line.

The zenit's serial number and the helios's body design (zebra pattern) confirm this.

They are a beautiful matching set though.


Thanks for the correction! Actually this doesn't bother me, as the condition of this set is so good and the price was cheap Smile Waiting for the M42-Nikon-adapter to arrive, so I can test these lenses...


PostPosted: Tue Jan 24, 2012 9:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
DTR wrote:
themoleman342 wrote:
Just to avoid confusion, your lens is not in fact a pre-series. Sad It's a very early production in 1970. MMZ, in this period, did their Helios 44-2 serial numbers with the first number signifying the year in the decade. So your first "0" means 1970. The zeros that follow simply mean it was early in the production line.

The zenit's serial number and the helios's body design (zebra pattern) confirm this.

They are a beautiful matching set though.


Thanks for the correction! Actually this doesn't bother me, as the condition of this set is so good and the price was cheap Smile Waiting for the M42-Nikon-adapter to arrive, so I can test these lenses...


...Here I was thinking my Helios 40 with its N003636 serial was special, but now it seems its just plain normal Sad


PostPosted: Tue Jan 24, 2012 9:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Your Helios 40 is considered a pre-series. I was speaking very specifically about the MMZ Helios 44-2 pictured.


PostPosted: Sat Jan 28, 2012 1:50 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
themoleman342 wrote:
Your Helios 40 is considered a pre-series. I was speaking very specifically about the MMZ Helios 44-2 pictured.


YAY!...So my Helios 40 is a genuine Commie VIP lens and therefore a bit special afterall Very Happy


PostPosted: Mon Apr 23, 2012 3:28 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
How about this one? http://www.sovietcams.com/index.php?-57535812, model PM2210 on the picture. Serial number on the body is 6521003 and 49283 on the lens.

I bought my Zorki 10 export version today and serial numbers are 6509923 (body) and 0026533 (lens). Are the extra zeros added because the lens is an export model?



PostPosted: Mon Apr 23, 2012 9:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
My Taïr-3A 4.5/300mm is an old black Grand Prix Brussels 1958.
Serial number : 003034.


Samples here :
http://forum.mflenses.com/tair-3-grand-prix-brussels-1958-4-5-300mm-t24853,highlight,%2Btair+%2Bbrussels.html


PostPosted: Mon Apr 23, 2012 9:31 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
my Tair 11A is 005015... Smile


PostPosted: Tue Apr 24, 2012 9:52 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Olivier wrote:
My Taïr-3A 4.5/300mm is an old black Grand Prix Brussels 1958.
Serial number : 003034.


Samples here :
http://forum.mflenses.com/tair-3-grand-prix-brussels-1958-4-5-300mm-t24853,highlight,%2Btair+%2Bbrussels.html


Ooh, that's a very early one. M39? I guess for the Zenit 3.


PostPosted: Tue Apr 24, 2012 6:31 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
No, Ian. It's an M42 mount. Smile


PostPosted: Tue Apr 24, 2012 7:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Cool, very nice one, regardless, I have a much later Tair that has seen heavy use but still a stellar performer, I don't use it much, I must do some birding with it this summer.


PostPosted: Sun Jun 10, 2012 10:22 pm    Post subject: Serial number starting with 0x Reply with quote
Ok, sorry for this late thought on this old topic. I just acquired my Tair 11-2, serial number 02xxxx. So this indicates it is for the KMZ managers to take home.

Now, the lens also indicates TAIR and Made in USSR.

So if it were intended for locals, wouldnt it indicate TANP and Made in CCCP?


Now go figure....


PostPosted: Mon Jun 11, 2012 6:35 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Hello Focus.
Do you have a picture of the lens ?

Your thoughts seem correct but things may be not so logical.
For instance, my above Taïr-3 has no cyrillic caracters. As it is a Grand Prix Brussels 1958, maybe words were written with occidental alphabet.

It makes me think that maybe quality controls were better for export and that the best "export" lenses were for officials and personalities.
Another possibility is that these lenses, in the hands of officials, were a good advertising for russian quality, so written in occidental alphabet.

Then I wondered wther your n°02 should mean 2002 ? Smile


PostPosted: Mon Jun 11, 2012 10:42 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Well, if the lens was made in 2002, then there would not have been the indication Made in USSR, wouldnt it?


PostPosted: Mon Jun 11, 2012 10:58 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
I have two Jupiter 6 lenses, one silver with #00xxxx and a black with #0000xx.

What's the rule of 0000 before number? Very Happy


PostPosted: Mon Jun 11, 2012 3:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I wonder what is the original source for this serial number information? Is there any other source than "someguy said in the internet..."
Could it be just sales talk that has been repeated on different forums?

I have Tair-11 N020765 and Helios-44 N0225206. Both with KMZ logo. Any additional info on these?


PostPosted: Mon Jun 11, 2012 3:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Alain Berry...I said this in the original post
http://www.ussrphoto.com/Wiki/default.asp?WikiCatID=97&ParentID=49&ContentID=940

He seemed to have some great connections. Princelle being one.
As far as where he got the information on the pre-series stuff, that I can't say.


PostPosted: Mon Jun 11, 2012 3:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I've seen 3 Telemar 200ms in the last week with 00 serials, so I strongly doubt 00 always designates anything special.


PostPosted: Mon Jun 11, 2012 5:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
So, in all, at least we can say that there is something weird about the zero starting serial numbers. I think the communist leaders would not accept the "normal" European scribt. I think there would not have been so many factory managers for the about 30k lenses so far.

Is there any logic to what lenses have the Cyrillic script and which have the normal script?


PostPosted: Mon Jun 11, 2012 5:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Focus: very heavy wrote:
So, in all, at least we can say that there is something weird about the zero starting serial numbers. I think the communist leaders would not accept the "normal" European scribt. I think there would not have been so many factory managers for the about 30k lenses so far.

Is there any logic to what lenses have the Cyrillic script and which have the normal script?


Normal script where made for export?!? Surprised
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