Zett P-Color 2.5/90 SMC, wow projector lenses continued

alex ph · Joined: 16 Mar 2013 Posts: 1614

The lens has a very good reputation, some put it in the same league with Leitz Super-Colorplan P2. I have some other projection lenses to compare with. It is true that sharpness and detail rendered by Zett lens are amazing. CA (purlple fringing) is also quite present, especially in contrast light conditions.

A speculation says this lens might be a rebranded Carl Zeiss P-Sonnar 2.5/90. If someone used the latter, it would be curious to clear out the similarities and differences.

Here are some test shots from Zett put on Sony Nex and custom adapter.

#1

#2

#3 A sunset test

#4 The same scene some time later, in a dimmer light

kiddo · Joined: 29 Jun 2018 Posts: 1183

Is this same lens as Zett super talon 90mm 2.5 smc?

caspert79 · Joined: 31 Oct 2010 Posts: 3008 Location: The Netherlands

You have some full size images?

blotafton · Joined: 08 Aug 2013 Posts: 1580 Location: Sweden

Looks good indeed!

alex ph · Joined: 16 Mar 2013 Posts: 1614

Here is a SOOC original. I manage to upload only one.

There is a bold speculation on origins and similarities of this lens to some others, including Zeiss, Leitz and ISCO. The hypothesis concerning Super Talon might be considered among others. Although their barrels are different.

Here are some links which provide speculation with some more or less hard facts. They are partly in German, easily translatable:

https://www.photoscala.de/2009/12/18/pradovit-diaprojektoren/
https://yashica.boards.net/thread/990/zeiss-zett
https://www.fotocommunity.de/forum/analoge-fotografie/zett-objektive---35730
https://www.digicamclub.de/showthread.php?t=20790

alex ph · Joined: 16 Mar 2013 Posts: 1614

simple.joy · Joined: 30 May 2022 Posts: 508

I had thought it was widely accepted that Zett was another name for Zeiss projector lenses... but I've never looked into it. Mark mentions it here:
https://deltalenses.com/whats-in-a-name/
So I would guess he knows more about it.

I've never seen a Zett P-Color, but it does indeed look like the P-Sonnar 90 mm f/2.5 in terms of quality and rendering, which also suffers from the same purple/blueish CAs. Mark has tested it, and it did okay, but wasn't outstanding in terms of sharpness:
https://deltalenses.com/projector-lens-group-test-1-fast-90s/

I also think it does provide nice results with appropriate lighting, but does have problems with CAs in challenging situations (like the highway image you showed with the lights). I still think it's a capable lens overall, even though I personally prefer the Braun Ultralit-PL 90 mm f/2.4 overall. The P-Planar I have is in a pretty bad condition unfortunately, so I don't know how that one compares.

Here's a shot with the P-Sonnar:

#1

caspert79 · Joined: 31 Oct 2010 Posts: 3008 Location: The Netherlands

Nice, I think this lens shines particularly as a bokeh lens. CA is quite obvious, but I could work around that (or in PP).

alex ph · Joined: 16 Mar 2013 Posts: 1614

Thank you, simple.joy, for the useful info completing the question!

I find the Zett very sharp, at least my copy looks a bit better in this respect than P-Planar and P-Sonnar samples do. But testing in better light should be beneficial to conclusions. CA is very strong indeed.

From what I read in various discussions and publications, Zett might be Zeiss Ikon, located in Braunschweig and swallen by Voigtlander, and not the Zeiss Oberkochen.

kiddo · Joined: 29 Jun 2018 Posts: 1183

stevemark · Joined: 29 Apr 2011 Posts: 3776 Location: Switzerland

Summary of some information from photoscala.de and other German sources:

Zett was founded in 1928 by Erich Zillmer in Braunschweig (Brunswick) in northeastern Germany. In 1956 (or maybe 1964, depending on the source you believe) he sold it to VoigtlÃ¤nder which sold it in 1969 to Zeiss Ikon. During these times up to 100'000 projectors per year were produced. 1972 when Zeiss Ikon went bankrupt the Brunswick optical workshops went to Rollei, but the projetor stuff remained at Zeiss Ikon.

In the 1980s the former Zett workshops were producing not only Zeiss projectors, but also the expensive Leica Pradovit 150 and 250 series as well as the Hasselbald projectors. Carl Zeiss sold the Zeiss Ikon (including the former Zett) to the finnish WÃ¤rtsilÃ¤ group in 1989. They sold the Zett (projectors) to Leica (now "Leica Projektion GmbH "), and Leica focused on producing only their own P150/155/255 series. Interestingly, from 1996 on they went back to the old Zeiss constructions, selling them as Leica P600.

In 2004 the name changed again, to "Zett Optics", and the company was sold to Allegra Capital. They sold it to Ventizz Capital Fund IV, L.P., and the lights finally went off in 2015 when the last 25 workers lost their jobs.

https://www.photoscala.de/2009/12/18/pradovit-diaprojektoren/

S

alex ph · Joined: 16 Mar 2013 Posts: 1614

alex ph · Joined: 16 Mar 2013 Posts: 1614

kiddo · Joined: 29 Jun 2018 Posts: 1183

alex ph · Joined: 16 Mar 2013 Posts: 1614

I will check it later with a better fit, when back to my "secondary" equipment and paraphernalia.

I don't have a caliper with me, but it looks like the standard 42.5mm.

stevemark · Joined: 29 Apr 2011 Posts: 3776 Location: Switzerland

alex ph · Joined: 16 Mar 2013 Posts: 1614

Wow, thank you! The story is even more complex than I thought it to be, with two homonyme Zeiss and the split between the Western and Eastern CZJ after the WWII.