Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2008/12/16

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Subject: [Leica] ZEISS BIOTAR 58/2 TEST
From: marcsmall at comcast.net (Marc James Small)
Date: Tue Dec 16 21:31:23 2008
References: <7FED1040-7983-4ACB-8037-A10CA1DAF9A3@telefonica.net>

At 07:55 PM 12/16/2008, Lluis Ripoll wrote:
 >I've got a new camera too, a Pentacon with a Zeiss Jena Biotar 58/2,
 >this is a nice lens, probably not si smooth as some Leica glasses but
 >it has a nice rendition and transition from focus to non focus areas,
 >as Dr.. Marc J. Small says "he never founded a bad Zeiss lens", I was
 >quite influenced to try this once I've read his book, it is a cheap
 >and amazing camera.

Hmm.  Luis, could you be so kind as to send the 
model number of the Pentacon camera and its 
serial number, together with that of the 
lens?  Private e-mail, if you prefer.  I will 
share this with others but only in sanitized 
format with your name not included.  There is a 
very active Zeiss Ikon Collectors' Group and a 
Praktica Users' Group where such cameras and lenses are actively discussed.

All of the Praktica breed of cameras are grand 
picture-takers albeit some are, I admit, a bit 
quirky.  And the 2/5.8cm Biotar, later the 2/58mm 
Biotar, is a most fascinating lens, having been 
calculated by the mavens of Jena when they were 
first recognizing the impact that coating would 
have on optical performance.  It first was 
designed in 1939, incidentally, as part of a 
project from the odd-ball Noble owners of KW, and 
this also resulted in the M42 mount.  The lens 
survives in production today in a Post-Soviet 
form used on Zenit SLR's, made by the KMZ works 
nearby to Moscow.  A continuous production for a 
photographic lens for almost seventy years mst set some sort of a record.

I would retract a flat statement that "I never 
met a Zeiss lens I didn't like", as I have met 
some which I found, well, not of the first 
water.  Allow me to amend this statement to one 
which Max Berek would applaud, that I have never 
met a Zeiss lens not fully capable of great 
use.  Almost all are cutting edge but, then, some 
of them pushed too hard, though they are still capable opticks.

Marc


msmall@aya.yale.edu
Cha robh b?s fir gun ghr?s fir!



Replies: Reply from luisripoll at telefonica.net (Lluis Ripoll) ([Leica] ZEISS BIOTAR 58/2 TEST --> To Marc J. Small)
In reply to: Message from luisripoll at telefonica.net (Lluis Ripoll) ([Leica] ZEISS BIOTAR 58/2 TEST)