Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2003/01/30

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Subject: Re: [Leica] 1.5/5.8cm Sonnarex
From: Marc James Small <msmall@infi.net>
Date: Thu, 30 Jan 2003 18:28:39 -0500
References: <3.0.2.32.20030130174159.01396204@roanoke.infi.net>

At 03:05 PM 1/30/03 -0800, Jerry Lehrer wrote:
>Marc
>
>Are those like the one you had Steve Grimes do a partial
>restoration, for about a months salary?
>
>The 58mm ones were originally for the Contax "D" SLR,
>but remounted in LTM.
>
>I saw quite a few 50mm ones with aluminum Leica threads
>right after the war.  f1.5 and f2.0 both.  Never saw a
>Sonnarex or bronze-anodized one though.

The 5cm ones were genuine Zeiss lenses, Jerry -- I have one of these guys
on my IIIc at the moment, and IF you would ever buy my LTM lens book, you'd
see a really nice f/2 Sonnar in LTM on the cover.  The 2/5.8cm or 2/58mm
CZJ Biotar was the original normal lens for the early M42 Contax SLR and
Praktica cameras, also made for Exakta and Praktina;  it was later
superseded by the 2/50 CZJ Pancolar of similar design.  Note:  neither the
5.8cm Biotar or 50mm Pancolar were ever marketed in LTM;  that was what
makes these fake "Sonnars" so fascinating.

Carl Zeiss Jena DID make a very limited run of 1.5/6cm Sonnars;  the myth
runs that they made 25 each in LTM and Contax RF BM.  So far, the few which
have surfaced bear out this limited production run.  (I was an hour late
calling Le Phat about one of these he had a decade or so back, one of my
saddest misses.  Thank heavens for eBay!)

Marc

msmall@infi.net  FAX:  +276/343-7315
Cha robh bąs fir gun ghrąs fir!

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In reply to: Message from Marc James Small <msmall@infi.net> ([Leica] 1.5/5.8cm Sonnarex)