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Explore the world of vintage lenses through repair notes, real test shots, and detailed archive threads packed with images.

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Voigtländer SL APO Lanthar serial numbers production volumes
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SLII Ultron 40/2 N/AI-S 9811546 Lens made in Japan


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Saw four listed on eBay: two 125's, OM mount, # 9150450 and # 9150554, a 125, FD mount # 9150338 and a 180, M42 mount, 9341167


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Here is my lense, bought today here in Oslo, Norway. Used but looks like new.

125 mm f/2.8 APO
s.nr 9250489 Japan
N/Ai-S


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Welcome to the forum cascapedia Smile

Your 125/2.5 is from the last batch manufactured, it is #489 out of 1 000 total in the final production run.


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Esox lucius wrote:
Welcome to the forum cascapedia Smile

Your 125/2.5 is from the last batch manufactured, it is #489 out of 1 000 total in the final production run.


Thank You! Very Happy Great Job you`re doing!


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kds315* wrote:
cascapedia wrote:
Here is my lense, bought today here in Oslo, Norway. Used but looks like new.

125 mm f/2.8 APO
s.nr 9250489 Japan
N/Ai-S


your surely wanted to type f2.5 - right? Wink


Very Happy Very Happy Very Happy Sorry! (Obviously I have been handling too many nikon lenses)


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Here is my lens: APO LANTHAR 125mm f2,5
Serial: 9150329 Japan
Bought it a few months ago from an ebay seller in Hong Kong
Expensive - yes, worth the price - I will not sell it for any price.


Last edited by hooli on Tue Feb 16, 2010 9:23 pm; edited 2 times in total


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Congratulations. Owners of this lens share your thoughts, to sell it is quite unlikely.

Can you tell me what mount it is? Canon? Nikon? Olympus? Minolta? Pentax K-A? M42? Contax?


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Sorry Embarassed It's Nikon AI-S


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Here's my 90/3.5 lens in Pentax K mount: 9160190

Cheers!

Abbazz


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Here are the Serial Numbers of my SL I lenses:

40mm M42 92403xx
75mm M42 90321xx
90mm M42 92102xx
125mm M42 91212xx
180mm PKA 93308xx

I bought these while they were still being made and the prices were cheap Smile
My 125 has the original 95,000 Yen Price ticket in the box.

I'm curious, does anyone else have all the SLI's?

Cheers,
R


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Quite a collection acquired at the right moment.

So far, during my survey of collecting SL serials, I have encountered only one gentleman who had all SL I (and SL II) lenses. Congratulations, if not unique your collection is at least very very rare Cool


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Welcome to mflenses forum!

How do you find your 75mm Heliar? its not a lens that people seem to talk about much.


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ChrisLilley wrote:
How do you find your 75mm Heliar? its not a lens that people seem to talk about much.


Yes, I am also keen to hear about it. The rangefinder shots I've seen are very nice, bokeh also pleasing to my eye.


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ChrisLilley wrote:
Welcome to mflenses forum!

How do you find your 75mm Heliar? its not a lens that people seem to talk about much.


Thanks.

The 75mm is a great little lens with very nice colours & bokeh, definitely recommended Smile

Unfortunately I don't have any images taken with it online as they're all on slides.

Going back to my original post, I don't actually have all the SLI's as I'd forgotten about the Topcon-styled 58mm SLI.
Does anybody have (or indeed even seen) one of these?

Cheers,
R


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Reuben0 wrote:
I don't actually have all the SLI's as I'd forgotten about the Topcon-styled 58mm SLI. Does anybody have (or indeed even seen) one of these?


I received photos and serials from two owners, but I have already deleted all emails and private messages so I can't contact owners. Deliberately, I didn't think it was courteous to share info entrusted to me.

I had never seen one before receiving photo from one owner some time ago.


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Here's a picture of this superb lens, linked from the Cameraquest website:


Photo credit: http://www.cameraquest.com/Voigt%20SL.htm

Cheers!

Abbazz


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125/2.5 PKA: 9121954 JAPAN


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Ok, update on my latest achivement.

CV 90/3.5 in OM mount - s/n 9220452 Smile


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- 75/2.5, O/OM, 90309xx

- 90/3.5, LTM, 90602xx

- 125/2.5, M/MD, 91500xx


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My 2 cents...

APO-Lanthar 4/180 SL PK-A SN: 9341278


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Just got mine on Monday. Very expensive but not over-priced.

CV 125mm f/2.5 apo-lanthar
Nikon ais
SN=920736 Japan
Numerals are machine stamped.


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bruceliv wrote:
CV 125mm f/2.5 apo-lanthar
Nikon ais
SN=920736


congratulations on a very rare acquisition! I believe you forgot one digit from the serial though... is 9250736 the correct serial?

Vilhelm


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Thank you Vilhelm. No, earlier...
I've been having a great time with the feel of this lens and the results I achieve.
I paid too much for it, but it's mint and the images are worth every penny!
Serial # 9120736
Bruce


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Thank you, I've added it to my database.

Does anyone know why the amount 1 600 could be significant to Voigtländer? I have now gathered a fair amount of serials, and lens/mount production runs seem to center a lot around volumes of 1 600. I have no idea why so many different lenses would have the same production volume, apart from theories about some strange number symbolism or Asian symbology invisible to me as a westerner. Or, maybe that was the factory output for quality control. Beats me.

The original Voigtländer SL I Topcor 58/1.4 was manufactured in 1 600 copies only. When I look at individual production runs it is clear that many other SL I lenses also have the same production volumes. 1st Nikon 90/3.5 production run, it seems 180/4 was made in two times 1 600 production runs etc. etc.