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Can you identify this lens?
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PostPosted: Sun Aug 11, 2024 6:00 pm    Post subject: Can you identify this lens? Reply with quote
Hello,

I found this lens, and still can't identify it.
Important things to know :
Focal lenght is around 75mm.
Max relative aperture f2
It covers 6x6.
It weights almost 1kg.
Focus indications are verticaly positionned (like on many cine lenses).
Thread mount M74x0.75
It does not have a very long rear working distance : around 40-50mm.
It can focus from 1m to infinity.
Diaphragm indications go this way : 2 - 2.4 - 2.8 - 3.4 - 4 - 4.6 - 5.6 - 6.7 - 8 - 11.3 - 16 - 22.6 - 32
It is not coated.
Lens design : It has several elements in front of the diaphragme, and only one relatively thin element behind the lens. It makes me remember Ernostar design.
It does not have internal shutter.
Origin : It comes from the state optical institut in Leningrad (St Petersburg), so it might be soviet. The grease smells soviet too. But it is not certain, they had a lot of Zeiss Jena and other European lenses there. Also the quality of the metal is quite nice, which looks more western.

The first idea that came in my mind was Ermanox camera, the overall design of the lens is relatively close, but they used only 100/2 Ernostar lens.
Second idea is early cine camera (from 20's).

Here are the photos :

#1



#2


#3


#4





PostPosted: Sun Aug 11, 2024 6:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
The logo next to f/16 mark 1st photo looks familiar...


PostPosted: Sun Aug 11, 2024 6:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
visualopsins wrote:
The logo next to f/16 mark 1st photo looks familiar...


Very Happy It looks like a logo if you look for a long time, but in fact it's a blotch (trace of dry grease) Smile.


PostPosted: Sun Aug 11, 2024 6:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
https://forum.mflenses.com/mysterious-emil-busch-glaukar-7-5cm-f-2-t85363.html

Question


PostPosted: Tue Aug 13, 2024 11:10 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
It might be helpful to post a rough sketch of the optical design. It looks really unique!


PostPosted: Tue Aug 13, 2024 4:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
More importantly what kind of images does it create!


PostPosted: Wed Aug 14, 2024 6:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
ostenespen wrote:
It might be helpful to post a rough sketch of the optical design. It looks really unique!


I might try to disassemble, but I don't like to do it. I'll see if I can X-ray scan it.

Quote:
More importantly what kind of images does it create!


I have ordered an adapter for it. I'll share samples once I try it.


PostPosted: Sat Aug 17, 2024 7:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
jamaeolus wrote:
More importantly what kind of images does it create!


Here is a photo taken with this lens on my Sony A7II (FF), wide open.



PostPosted: Sat Aug 17, 2024 9:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
BurstMox wrote:
jamaeolus wrote:
More importantly what kind of images does it create!


Here is a photo taken with this lens on my Sony A7II (FF), wide open.



Looks interesting, even though it's not particularly sharp wide open. Would you call the lighting conditions in the shot challenging? I would suspect this lens doing better in less challenging light, or perhaps with an improvised lens hood.


PostPosted: Sun Aug 18, 2024 11:42 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Quote:
Looks interesting, even though it's not particularly sharp wide open. Would you call the lighting conditions in the shot challenging? I would suspect this lens doing better in less challenging light, or perhaps with an improvised lens hood.


Light was pretty arsh, not great conditions. The lens is not coated, quite old, from late 20's or 30's, no wonder it does not make crisp images.


PostPosted: Sun Aug 18, 2024 7:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
You've got a curious item! Uncoated Xenon F2 lense from the same era renders pretty "normally", so there must be a diversity of optic qualities and internal blackening which make difference.

A glance at the engraved numbers on your lens gives me a feeling that this is rather a German than Soviet produced item. For instance, the number "4" in Soviet lenses is written more frequently like here in the forum, while in your case its upper part is open. The Soviet "8" has more frequently smaller upper circle, while in yours both circles have equal sizes. I juge mostly looking at lenses for 35mm cameras which are well presented at this web site. It's just an intuition. Knowing your large Soviet collection and expertise in the matter, I wonder what you think about the style of engraving.


PostPosted: Mon Aug 19, 2024 8:48 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
alex ph wrote:
You've got a curious item! Uncoated Xenon F2 lense from the same era renders pretty "normally", so there must be a diversity of optic qualities and internal blackening which make difference.

A glance at the engraved numbers on your lens gives me a feeling that this is rather a German than Soviet produced item. For instance, the number "4" in Soviet lenses is written more frequently like here in the forum, while in your case its upper part is open. The Soviet "8" has more frequently smaller upper circle, while in yours both circles have equal sizes. I juge mostly looking at lenses for 35mm cameras which are well presented at this web site. It's just an intuition. Knowing your large Soviet collection and expertise in the matter, I wonder what you think about the style of engraving.


You are right, the engraved numbers don't look soviet. After a quick research amoung my early prototypes, I have found such "4" (open upper part) only on one lens (a GOI triplet from 1946). But it has dots, not coma. GOMZ prototypes aswell don't have this "4".

FED in prewar period used this "4". But FED was all about copying Leica II , and it does not look right.


PostPosted: Tue Aug 20, 2024 5:57 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Sounds interesting! Also your observation about dots and commas in fractioned diaphragm values.


PostPosted: Tue Aug 20, 2024 9:06 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Looks really interesting. Can perhaps the aperture stops be of help to identify the lens? From 2 up to 32 is not really common I think, and the half-stops aren't either. Nor are the chosen values like 2.4, 3.4, 4.6 etc. are very common I think. 11.3 and 22.6 are rather strange aperture indications I think.
A wild guess: lens for an enlarger perhaps?
Lex


PostPosted: Tue Aug 20, 2024 10:54 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
SandroB wrote:
Looks really interesting. Can perhaps the aperture stops be of help to identify the lens? From 2 up to 32 is not really common I think, and the half-stops aren't either. Nor are the chosen values like 2.4, 3.4, 4.6 etc. are very common I think. 11.3 and 22.6 are rather strange aperture indications I think.
A wild guess: lens for an enlarger perhaps?
Lex


I strongly doubt it's for enlarger since the focus scale goes from 1m to infinity. But yes, the weird aperture stops are a real thing to identify it. But still I did not find anything revelent about it.
Also obvious but strange thing : why no name?
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