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Which is your oldest (interchangeable) MF lens?
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PostPosted: Sun Apr 06, 2014 2:08 am    Post subject: Which is your oldest (interchangeable) MF lens? Reply with quote
Which is your oldest MF lens designed for a camera body which allows fitting of a variety of lenses?

Mine is not for a 35mm camera body. My oldest MF lens for a 35mm SLR camera body is probably one of my preset lenses from the 1960's.

But my oldest interchangeable lens, of any type is a:

Graflex Optar 135mm f4.7

which fits my Graflex Pacemaker Crown Graphic 3" X 4" camera body.

The Optar is the only lens I have so far for this camera body. It's a pretty pedestrian lens AFAIK. But it has to date back into the 1950's.

So which is your oldest MF lens? Anyone have a lens from the 1940's or 1930's. I'm not even sure they made camera bodies in those days which allowed for interchangeable lenses. Confused


PostPosted: Sun Apr 06, 2014 2:21 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Sola f=9cm 1:4 No. 62110 Sun Opt. Co.


PostPosted: Sun Apr 06, 2014 2:29 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
ANY vintage camera system that takes lensboards would qualify. If so lots of people here have 19th century lenses that are or could be so mounted.
If you mean a mounting system other than lensboards, specific to a particular camera system, then there are some of these around from the very early days too. At the moment I have an Ica Ideal and a Certo Certotrop that both have interchangeable lens mounts. These are from the 1920s. Other cameras from that time with similar systems include Voigtlander Bergheil and Zeiss/Ica Juwel.
There were even interchangeable lens slrs . Graflex SLRs from as early as 1900 used lensboards too, as did various German and British SLRs. I have a nice 1920s Ica slr rebadged as a Butcher like this.


PostPosted: Sun Apr 06, 2014 2:31 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
visualopsins wrote:
Sola f=9cm 1:4 No. 62110 Sun Opt. Co.


Acknowledged. Sounds like a beauty. But do you know the year, at least approximately? I see the "62" in the serial number. Does that indicate 1962?


PostPosted: Sun Apr 06, 2014 2:33 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
luisalegria wrote:
ANY vintage camera system that takes lensboards would qualify. If so lots of people here have 19th century lenses that are or could be so mounted.
If you mean a mounting system other than lensboards, specific to a particular camera system, then there are some of these around from the very early days too. At the moment I have an Ica Ideal and a Certo Certotrop that both have interchangeable lens mounts. These are from the 1920s. Other cameras from that time with similar systems include Voigtlander Bergheil and Zeiss/Ica Juwel.
There were even interchangeable lens slrs . Graflex SLRs from as early as 1900 used lensboards too, as did various German and British SLRs. I have a nice 1920s Ica slr rebadged as a Butcher like this.


Sure. Anything that's interchangeable counts. What you have sounds great! . . . . . and really old!


PostPosted: Sun Apr 06, 2014 3:09 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
First interchangable lens body for 35mm like we know them from today was Leica Ic from 1930, closely followed by the Contax I in 1932. First interchangable lens SLR for 35mm was "Ihagee Kine-Exakta" in 1936.
So the oldest mounts for 35mm are LTM, Contax and Exakta.

I think my oldest interchangable lens was an in 1936 made Ernst Leitz Wetzlar Elmar 5cm f=3.5 with M39 Leica Thread Mount (rangefinder coupled), collapsible.
A very important piece of history, as it was the first lens for photography with 35mm film; it produced an awesome output for it's time while allowing to use cheap and easy 35mm film and changed the photography market more than any other lens before and after That lens/camera combo was the mother for the whole age of 35mm lenses which still lasts until today

These old Leitz lenses were made very well, most are still fully working if glass is not scratched etc., their IQ was outstanding at their time but it rather crappy today, lenses are uncoated (low contrast) and their sweet spot is around F8. But with especially with B/W film they can still deliver very nice results and I have seen lenses which were 50 years younger and producing worse or similar IQ Smile

I also had medium- and large format lenses for example by Rodenstock which were even older, but they were all not easily interchangable.

Last edited by ForenSeil on Sun Apr 06, 2014 4:08 am; edited 4 times in total


PostPosted: Sun Apr 06, 2014 3:45 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
1938 Ernst Leitz Wetzlar Hektor 4,5/135


PostPosted: Sun Apr 06, 2014 7:09 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
little Tessar. 50mm f2.8 Serial has it between 55 and 58.

That's nothing for you guys Razz


PostPosted: Sun Apr 06, 2014 8:29 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
1870s - several Rapid Rectilinears, one by Wray, one by Ross, the rest unnamed


PostPosted: Sun Apr 06, 2014 1:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
tromboads wrote:
little Tessar. 50mm f2.8 Serial has it between 55 and 58.

That's nothing for you guys Razz


Naaa, you're good and so is your old Tessar, which is plenty old IMO. It's not a contest to learn who has the oldest lens.

So many of my own MF lenses are from the 1970's . . and I'm now venturing a bit into the 1960's. I just became curious to learn what others are doing, and where they stand vis a vis MF lens age.


PostPosted: Sun Apr 06, 2014 1:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Meyer Helioplan 40/4.5 from 1949, followed by Tessar 50/3.5 1952-55's. But it's hard to get below that as I only look for M42 lenses. Smile


PostPosted: Sun Apr 06, 2014 2:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
1937 50/2 Leitz Summar and 1938 90/4 Leitz Elmar both for screw mount Leica of course.


PostPosted: Sun Apr 06, 2014 2:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
The oldest lens I have and have used is a Heliar 15cm f4.5.
I used it with a folding Voigtländer 9x12.
This camera should be from the 30s or beginning of the 40s.


PostPosted: Sun Apr 06, 2014 2:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
My oldest meyer lens is from 1949. I planned to buy one or two pre-war lens after I clean up my space.


PostPosted: Sun Apr 06, 2014 5:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Seems one of my more recent purchases is the oldest, 1949 Helioplan 4.5/40.


PostPosted: Sun Apr 06, 2014 9:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
My Canon LTM are early 50's.
My Kodak enlarging Ektar is from 46.


PostPosted: Sun Apr 06, 2014 9:28 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
My oldest lens is a beautiful little CZJ Tessar T 3.5/50 in m42 mount. From the serial number (3467xxx) it should date back to the very first '50s.


PostPosted: Tue Apr 08, 2014 10:21 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
I think I still have a couple of those old super tak 50mm f1.4 lenses from the mid 1960's


PostPosted: Tue Apr 08, 2014 12:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I'm amazed I'm the only one who has really old lenses, I have lenses from the 1910s, 1920s, 1930s, and a few 19th century ones. Most of these oldies I use on 6x9 or 5x7 film cameras.


PostPosted: Tue Apr 08, 2014 12:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
My oldest interchangeable lens for a 35mm SLR camera is my Rokkor PF 1.8/55, which I believe dates from 1959/1960.


PostPosted: Tue Apr 08, 2014 12:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Diax iib with
Schneider Xenagon 3.5/35
Schneider Xenar 2.8/45 (until 1954)
Schneider Tele-Xenar 3.5/90
(some when from 1951)

Agfa Ambi Sillette with
Agfa Color Telinear 4/90
Agfa Color Ambion 4/35
(some when from 1956)

and few more medium format folder that just stays in the shelf, perhaps older, but not inter-changeable lenses.


PostPosted: Tue Apr 08, 2014 12:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
1937 Leitz Summar uncoated
1939 Leitz Summitar


PostPosted: Tue Apr 08, 2014 1:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
You aren't the only one Ian.
I have a dozen at least pre-1920, and many more 1920-1940.
Some on cameras but most are easily mountable on lensboards.
I even have a couple from the 19th century.
And I swear I never intended to collect them!
These things aren't rare, aren't expensive.


PostPosted: Tue Apr 08, 2014 1:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
iangreenhalgh1 wrote:
I'm amazed I'm the only one who has really old lenses, I have lenses from the 1910s, 1920s, 1930s, and a few 19th century ones. Most of these oldies I use on 6x9 or 5x7 film cameras.

I used to have many older lenses and shutters when I did 4x5,5x7 and 8x10 LF photography but I sold all my LF film gear around 5 years ago. Got spoiled on a DSLR even though its not really the same. Tessars, Red Dot artars, Ektars, symmars, rodagons, etc.

Last edited by hifisapi on Tue Apr 08, 2014 1:43 pm; edited 1 time in total


PostPosted: Tue Apr 08, 2014 1:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
hifisapi wrote:
I think I still have a couple of those old super tak 50mm f1.4 lenses from the mid 1960's
The reason my oldest lenses are only a couple from the 1960's are that I really prefer to shoot with multicoated glass which wasn't invented until 1971 by Pentax "SMC". Hence most of my glass is from the 70's or later.
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