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Isco Westromat 35mm f2.8, Isco Mat 50mm f1.9 and Westar 75mm
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PostPosted: Tue Dec 22, 2020 10:46 pm    Post subject: Isco Westromat 35mm f2.8, Isco Mat 50mm f1.9 and Westar 75mm Reply with quote
Isco Göttingen is no well known among German makers of the time, with Zeiss Jena, Meyer Optik Göerlitz and Schneider Kreuznach producing many more lenses. However they made some of the finest lenses for German SLRs of all those manufacturers. The Isco Westromat (or sometimes Isco-Mat) 35mm f2.8 is a unique formulation with five elements in five groups. It is very sharp, with interesting bokeh, and performs very well at close distances. The Westromat (and Isco-Mat) 50mm f1.9 is a classic double gauss 6/4. This lens performs better than my Meyer Domiron or the later Pentacon 1.8, the Schneider Xenon 50mm f2 or any of the Japanese lenses of similar speed and focal length that I have. It is marginally sharper, but has much better microcontrast on close inspection of details.

They also made a very nice Cooke Triplet, the Westar C 75mm f2.9 for middle format folders in the day. I'm posting some images to demonstrate the looks.

Westromat 35mm f2.8


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#6


Isco-Mat 50mm f1.9


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Westar 75mm f2.9


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PostPosted: Wed Dec 23, 2020 4:13 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
...

Last edited by Blazer0ne on Tue Feb 22, 2022 6:40 pm; edited 1 time in total


PostPosted: Wed Dec 23, 2020 4:50 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
The Westromat focuses very close on its helicoid. I honestly don't remember if that is on an extension tube or not, and I don't have the lens handy to check minimum focus distance. I guess it is on a 10mm tube.


PostPosted: Wed Dec 23, 2020 4:57 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
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Last edited by Blazer0ne on Tue Feb 22, 2022 6:11 pm; edited 1 time in total


PostPosted: Wed Dec 23, 2020 9:05 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Westromat #6 - Forced an involuntary Ooooh!, out of me. Exquisite Like 1 .


PostPosted: Wed Dec 23, 2020 9:32 am    Post subject: Re: Isco Westromat 35mm f2.8, Isco Mat 50mm f1.9 and Westar Reply with quote
kymarto wrote:

#3



looks like my dreams sometimes


PostPosted: Wed Dec 23, 2020 5:14 pm    Post subject: Re: Isco Westromat 35mm f2.8, Isco Mat 50mm f1.9 and Westar Reply with quote
kymarto wrote:
Isco Göttingen is no well known among German makers of the time, with Zeiss Jena, Meyer Optik Göerlitz and Schneider Kreuznach producing many more lenses. However they made some of the finest lenses for German SLRs of all those manufacturers.


ISCO (= Jos. Schneider & Co., Optische Werke, Göttingen) was founded by Schneider in 1936 under the guidance of Albrecht Tronnier, chief optical engineer of Schnieder Kreuznach.

kymarto wrote:
The Isco Westromat (or sometimes Isco-Mat) 35mm f2.8 is a unique formulation with five elements in five groups.

Does it have the same construction as the early Schneider Curtagon 2.8/35mm?


kymarto wrote:
It is very sharp, with interesting bokeh, and performs very well at close distances.

I only have the Var II of the Schneider Curtagon 2.8/35mm, which (for its time) is very sharp indeed. For better correction mainly of coma the last lens was replaced by two thinner lenses:



In fact the Minolta MC 1.8/35mm (1968) is based on the above Schneider Curtagon 2.8/35mm II. As you can see, the first and the last lens of the Curtagon II was replaced with a dublet, probably for a better color correction of the much faster Minolta lens:

Around 1970 the Minolta MC 1.8/35mm was considered the best retrofocus wideangle, and testing of roughly ten contemporary fast 35mm on 24 MP FF confirms that.



kymarto wrote:

#6


This image is really nice Smile

S


PostPosted: Wed Dec 23, 2020 6:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Kymarto, it s all your fault that i have four Isco lenses, Westron 28/4 and 35/2.8, Westromat 50/1.9 and a Berloina Westromat 135/3.5 (all in the late plastic version), a year ago or so i saw your pictures with the 50/1.9 and i was hooked Smile I also have the S.K. Curtagon 35/2.8 and a Xenon 50/1.9 (looking for a Curtagon 28/4 in need of CLA) both in the latest version.
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