Carl Zeiss Jena Prakticar 135mm f3.5 MC PB on NEX-3

iangreenhalgh1 · Expire: 2014-01-07

This lens has fantastic resolution and microcontrast, the latter is somewhat masked by the misty conditions, but a lesser lens would produce totally flat images in this setting. I haven't touched the contrast, just applied some sharpening then resized for web.

This might be my best 135mm lens, of which I have some great ones like the Hexanon 3.2/135, Tele-Xenar 4/135, Opton Sonnar 4/135 for Contax and RE Auto Topcor3.5/135. Anyways, those are the top 5 out of the many I own.

It makes a very good street shooter as you can be discrete and keep a fair distance from the subject. These were both closed one stop and retain good isolation of the subject from the background without resorting to wide open where the lens is at it;s weakest.

At f8, it renders distant objects with great detail.

It does perform well wide open too, these were the first snowdrops of spring:

The last frost of winter:

It renders 3d objects well and has that classic smooth Sonnar bokeh.

One of my best lenses for doing stitched landscape panos.

uddhava · Expire: 2021-06-21

Nice photos. Seems like a very nice lens. I have the aluminum(?) f4 version with Exakta mount, but I do not use it very much because of a too stiff focus. Perhaps I could buy a M42 version of the 3.5.
Did you buy another Nex 3? I thought yours was not working any more.

iangreenhalgh1 · Expire: 2014-01-07

I have an f4 Sonnar 135, a western one in Contax mount from 1957 and it's superb, but this late Jena one is every bit as good. I had a 3.5/135 Jena zebra one that was also as good so I think as long as you have a good copy in good condition, there's not a lot to choose among Zeiss Sonnar 135s.

I managed to fix my NEX, thank god! Wink

uddhava · Expire: 2021-06-21

Thanks for the lens information, Ian.
My lens does take nice photos, but is a little stiff. Keeping in mind what you have said, I will
keep my eyes open for another one.
Now that you fixed the Nex are you still using the a850?

iangreenhalgh1 · Expire: 2014-01-07

Oh sure, I use both the NEX-3 and the a850, very different cameras and each has it's roles it is better suited for.

Lloydy · Expire: 2022-01-01

It's done a good job on the hazy landscape shots, they look perfectly natural and not just gloomy and grey. The pano's are excellent. That's a very capable lens.

iangreenhalgh1 · Expire: 2014-01-07

Jena Sonnars are all great, but this one has their latest and best MC which is why it does so well on the hazy shots. A single coated older one would do less well, I'm sure.