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Got a really nice Zeiss 50mm, but what mount?
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PostPosted: Thu Dec 20, 2018 9:20 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
[quote="Seele"]
Gott23 wrote:



I have several Pancolars and I must admit that they are nightmares to work on, compared to their counterparts from Görlitz: the Meyer-built Oreston/Pentacon lenses are more or less designed in a modular fashion, where the parts are grouped into self-contained sub-assemblies and can be individually worked on if needed, and then they all come together for final assembly, making them real joys to work on. On the other hand, the Jena designers totally ignore the ease of repair, when you want to reach something you have to take everything apart with bits all over the desk; I would not really recommend working on it if you are a novice!



Laugh 1

Yes, I am thinking I might get a couple of repair jobs from ebay to take apart before I even think about going anywhere near something I use.. Very Happy I've not really done much in the way of repairs but I can build computers, so that experience might help in a way. I've got a few to-do projects for when I take a short sabbatical next year, ranging from light seals, sorting a squeaky shutter on a Canon AE-1 (supposedly a simple syringe job_, and a stuck shutter on a Mamiya/Rank rangefinder. I figure to work my way up through that before lookingg at lenses..

On a practical note what's the best set up for repairs, I'm imagining some kind of magnification, light but are there any screwdrivers that suit best? i have some micro ones, albeit a touch worn, and none of them seemed to fit the screws on the back of the 50 f/2.8.

As for construction, on a purely subjective and somewhat short experience, I think it'd be hard to call between the 50 and the 135 for shooting. The focus on both is amazingly smooth (the 50 works nicely mid-range), and both really surprise as to how little images need to be tweeked.

For now though, the 135 really feels like a game changer for me. I've got a small selection of good Canon glass, but nothing has come close to producing shots like Ive seen from the DDR glass yet. With the perspective from the focal length and the contrast and sharpness, it almost feels medium format.. (on that note I might shoot at 1x1 for a bit.. Very Happy )

I really shoot a lot of B&W - in camera B&W, then really just desaturating and cropping as PP, exposure as needed.. but, here's a colour shot from the 135. PP was basically a film simultion plugin, nothing else, no sharpening or contrast change (though contrast would change with filter; I can;t remmeber what it's emullating, it was in my recents and they're left unnamed, but I think it's an agfa.. There's also a good provia simulation with a slight blue cast also ups contrast a little, so it more than colour corrects..)



PostPosted: Thu Dec 20, 2018 3:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Gott23 wrote:


Yes, I am thinking I might get a couple of repair jobs from ebay to take apart before I even think about going anywhere near something I use.. Very Happy I've not really done much in the way of repairs but I can build computers, so that experience might help in a way. I've got a few to-do projects for when I take a short sabbatical next year, ranging from light seals, sorting a squeaky shutter on a Canon AE-1 (supposedly a simple syringe job_, and a stuck shutter on a Mamiya/Rank rangefinder. I figure to work my way up through that before lookingg at lenses..

On a practical note what's the best set up for repairs, I'm imagining some kind of magnification, light but are there any screwdrivers that suit best? i have some micro ones, albeit a touch worn, and none of them seemed to fit the screws on the back of the 50 f/2.8.

As for construction, on a purely subjective and somewhat short experience, I think it'd be hard to call between the 50 and the 135 for shooting. The focus on both is amazingly smooth (the 50 works nicely mid-range), and both really surprise as to how little images need to be tweeked.

For now though, the 135 really feels like a game changer for me. I've got a small selection of good Canon glass, but nothing has come close to producing shots like Ive seen from the DDR glass yet. With the perspective from the focal length and the contrast and sharpness, it almost feels medium format.. (on that note I might shoot at 1x1 for a bit.. Very Happy )

I really shoot a lot of B&W - in camera B&W, then really just desaturating and cropping as PP, exposure as needed.. but, here's a colour shot from the 135. PP was basically a film simultion plugin, nothing else, no sharpening or contrast change (though contrast would change with filter; I can;t remmeber what it's emullating, it was in my recents and they're left unnamed, but I think it's an agfa.. There's also a good provia simulation with a slight blue cast also ups contrast a little, so it more than colour corrects..)



Gott23,

Strangely enough I do not have any aptitude to work on cameras whatsover, but mechanically simple lenses, I can handle. But it really depends on the mechanical construction of the lens too; Meyers are great, Zeiss' much less so.

The most important tools would have to be good screwdrivers, and of different sizes; using one that is too small for the slot is just asking for trouble. Good quality tweezers are of course essential, where the two tips should always meet up when squeezed. I save my worn-out all-cotton T-shirts, tear the fabrics into strips of different widths (from 30mm to about 10mm in width), cutting them into little squares, wrap one around the tip of the tweezer, moisten in alcohol: great for cleaning and removing excess oils.

Tiny jam jars are great for containing alcohol for washing parts like iris blades: I drop one into it and swirl it around, fish it out and then wipe with alcohol-soaked cotton rag; works a treat. Needless to say, tools for lens disassembly are also very useful, along with quality grease.

Regarding the 135/3.5 Sonnar, the late version with multi-coating is quite formidable in performance, but your sample picture also shows the typical bokeh characteristics which I think can be a bit "nervous", for want of a better word. I tend to avoid backgrounds with closely-packed specular highlights, but that's a personal thing.


PostPosted: Thu Dec 20, 2018 5:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Ha, yeah where I was shooting from didn't really have much in the way of background so I was more shooting from a distance and wide open most of the time. Been shooting it earlier today again at smaller apertures and its performing great at those. The f/3.5 might be a bit slow for street shots, but the results tolerate pushing quite well.

Looks like I'll wait till I move before I start any fixing gubbins though, given I'll probably need some space for it. (That along with space for developing B&W film, I'd been experimenting with photographing slides on a full-frame DSLR, so it's mushrooming from there..)

As for a wide-angle M42, well I had a look on ebay and sourced a cheap 28mm Computar f/2.8. given Flektagons and the like are a tad out of my budget right now.. I'd come across them before reading about them on here and I'm figuring for the price it'll at least let me see how a wide angle m42 lens is going to behave on my full-frame.


PostPosted: Mon Jan 07, 2019 1:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Seele wrote:
Gott23 wrote:

Thanks for that, pretty much completes the picture. I had a few more words with the seller and he reckoned it was from the late 50s.

With the shoulderless mount it's working a lot better, but it has to be shot with live view to avoid the mirror hitting the rear of it. I really do want to try it for portraits though so for that kind of thing, shooting that way isn't as much of an issue.

I will have to bone up on greasing though, my experiences with this lens have kind of led to me acquiring a few more given how cheap they are. I've been blown away by a late 135 f/3.5 MC I just bought.. And theres a Pancolar 50mm f/1.8 I got cheap (again) but this time with the proviso that it has stiff focusing...

On that note, are there any noteable yet affordable wide angle CZ Jena primes?


Gott23,

I have several Pancolars and I must admit that they are nightmares to work on, compared to their counterparts from Görlitz: the Meyer-built Oreston/Pentacon lenses are more or less designed in a modular fashion, where the parts are grouped into self-contained sub-assemblies and can be individually worked on if needed, and then they all come together for final assembly, making them real joys to work on. On the other hand, the Jena designers totally ignore the ease of repair, when you want to reach something you have to take everything apart with bits all over the desk; I would not really recommend working on it if you are a novice!

But the Tessar like yours is easy to work on, start by taking off the two screws at the back and work your way in, taking copious notes along the way, and make special note on where the helicoid drive comes apart. My personal method is to wrap thin masking tape around the focussing scale, and I stop unscrewing the moment they come apart, and then mark on the tape where the focussing index is pointing; this would make reassembly much easier.

Regarding Jena-made wide-angles, you do not really have too much of a choice beyond Flektogons, I'm afraid they're also designed the same way as the Pancolars, except the first version without automatic iris. A good Flektogon can be very satisfactory indeed, there again, there should be other lenses of comparable performance out there at more sensible price points too.


Thanks for all that! No, I think I definitely will invest in a couple of parts-only lenses off eBay to use as cadavers to get some practice before I go near anything. I've got a CZ Jena 50/1.8 that's virtually falling apart as it is, so I can at least dissect that..

I've been using the Pancolar 50 quite a bit now and it's unbelievably good. I've used L lenses quite a bit on my Canon before but there's something organic feeling about it compared to using a fully-modern AF lens.

I am looking to the Mayer-Gorlitz lens though as a cheaper alternative to Jena glass in the interim; looking at some of the prices of the Flektagon and other "superior" types on that, I may have a bit more a play with what I've got now and save up a bit!

On that note, what would you recommend as a good, affordable wide angle to try?


PostPosted: Mon Jan 07, 2019 1:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Gott23 wrote:


Thanks for all that! No, I think I definitely will invest in a couple of parts-only lenses off eBay to use as cadavers to get some practice before I go near anything. I've got a CZ Jena 50/1.8 that's virtually falling apart as it is, so I can at least dissect that..

I've been using the Pancolar 50 quite a bit now and it's unbelievably good. I've used L lenses quite a bit on my Canon before but there's something organic feeling about it compared to using a fully-modern AF lens.

I am looking to the Mayer-Gorlitz lens though as a cheaper alternative to Jena glass in the interim; looking at some of the prices of the Flektagon and other "superior" types on that, I may have a bit more a play with what I've got now and save up a bit!

On that note, what would you recommend as a good, affordable wide angle to try?


A tip when you are working on lenses, especially Zeiss Jena lenses: at every stage, take plenty of photographs to indicate where each part goes.

Some M42-mount lenses are surprisingly good, an example I can say off the top of my head is the Mamiya-Sekor 35/2.8; not impressive to look at, but a good example can deliver the goods. I also like the later Chinon lenses with tapering barrels where it's thicker at the camera side, no complains about those, but I think across the board, old lenses are rising in value.
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