E. Ludwig Meritar 2.9/50 Exakta mount , Canon Rebel T3

uddhava · Expire: 2021-06-21

Purchased this lens recently. Not in the greatest shape, but still takes nice pictures. I enjoyed using it.
Please comment. I applied auto contrast and sharpening.

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parabellumfoto · Joined: 06 Apr 2013 Posts: 413 Location: Sydney, Australia

Very nice colours! I like the first image the most.

Going by the name of the lens my guess is it's a German lens.

I think all German lenses are very good going from the samples I have seen here.

uddhava · Expire: 2021-06-21

aoleg · Joined: 22 Feb 2008 Posts: 1387 Location: Berlin, DE

Interesting rendering. Very soft, almost Gauss-smooth background.

Attila · Expire: 2025-11-18

One of the few lens what I always pass it to try later, shockingly good results from a low respected lens, congrats!

Oldhand · Posted: Mon Jun 03, 2013 9:57 pm Post subject:

Great results.
From these it would be difficult to draw the conclusion that it is a second tier lens.
Well taken
OH

pavko · Joined: 31 Jan 2011 Posts: 216 Location: PL

Quite a nice result for a triplet lens. Have you stopped it a lot?

philslizzy · Joined: 07 Aug 2012 Posts: 4745 Location: Cheshire, England

I've been doing some test on my lenses.
This is my Meritar in M42 mount

1st pic shrunk to fit forum
2nd pic 100% crop, top at full aperture, bottom at 2 stops down. What a difference.

Good results for a common triplet that was used on so many cameras. I have a Bierette with the same Meritar.

mo · Expire: 2016-07-30

I have passed up this lens a few times...looks like I have made a mistake Laughing

Very nice colors!

scsambrook · Expire: 2011-11-18

These images look pretty good.

When the Meritar was being sold back in the late 1950s and early 1960s it was always dismissed as being optically inferior to just about anything else in the shops - it usually appeared only on "entry-level" cameras like the Exa I and its trade-in value was virtually nil. Interestingly, the 100mm Trioplan was seen pretty much in the same light. Today, folks climb over each other to buy the Trioplan and I wonder if the Meritar might go the same way, eventually.

MF Lenses members should maybe start buying Meritars early and often, eh ? Wink

std · Joined: 09 Feb 2010 Posts: 1826 Location: Bulgaria

I do have this lens and like it a lot. It makes kind of dreamy pictures wide open but very sharp when you stop it down.

uddhava · Expire: 2021-06-21

Thanks for the comments.

I was surprised by the nice colors and smooth background. I stopped down the lens a good amount,
unfortunately it doesn't stop at the different apertures so I am not sure what the setting was. Next sunny day I can do some tests.
Purchased it for $9 on a nonworking Exa 1a. I didn't really know what to expect, glad it's decent.