[Asahiflex]

Thanks Georg and Steve. Frankly, I don't even know why I got it. I just found it on eBay 10 minutes prior to bedtime, so I decided to try my luck with a manual snipe bid.

I really don't know if it's the holy grail of CZJ lenses. I just want to see the results with my own eyes. That's why I want to use as much M42 lenses as possible, preferably also the 'holy grails'.

I usually avoid minty lenses as this could imply that these are bad examples. I always think that the lenses with "battle scars" are the best lenses, as the owners clearly loved them. Fortunately I see some scars on the lens so this should be a good buy

[hinman]

Thanks Georg and Steve. Frankly, I don't even know why I got it. I just found it on eBay 10 minutes prior to bedtime, so I decided to try my luck with a manual snipe bid.

I really don't know if it's the holy grail of CZJ lenses. I just want to see the results with my own eyes. That's why I want to use as much M42 lenses as possible, preferably also the 'holy grails'.

I usually avoid minty lenses as this could imply that these are bad examples. I always think that the lenses with "battle scars" are the best lenses, as the owners clearly loved them. Fortunately I see some scars on the lens so this should be a good buy

You are well on the path to enjoy Zeiss as much as I do. I have not managed to join the Zeiss club. I hate opening any of the Club threads as every picture has lured me for more lenses.

And without participation in the Zeiss club thread, I am waiting for Czj Biometar 58mm f/2.0 with 12 blades in silver color and Czj Biotar 80mm f/2.8 in p6 mount and with M42 adapter. If I jump in to the Zeiss club thread, I AM DEAD for sure.

Thanks,
Hin

[hinman]

Peter/Asahiflex,
those Pancolar shots look very good. I'm not sold on the full open bokeh of the Pancolar,
but I like stopping down a bit anyway. Nice shots!



Hin, that's good news, I thought you had given it away to a friend. Anyway, I'll try to use this lens more often.
Not easy cause I am a bike-/metro- and rucksack-guy but we'll see.


CZJ 1Q Zebra Sonnar 180/2.8, f5.6 probably, M42 adapter on K100D

"Sonne" means sun in german and that's were "Sonnar" comes from. It likes the sunlight, definitely.
Best, Georg (the other)

Georg, that Czj Sonnar 180mm f/2.8 is a beautiful lens but it is way heavy to use it. I call it my Zebra football lens. But I feels like a football player with a bigger pride when I used it in two occasions. I sold my 1st copy to a good friend of mine (my best LBA buddy -- Rose), and later bought the 2nd copy in better shape.

Due to this bulkiness of this lens, I also upgraded my bag and neck strap to handle it in outing. It is one of the most difficult M42 lens to use. And there is no looking back, this is my best charmer in the M42 world. There is NO other M42 lens that is like this big, heavy, chunk of glass -- its filter is about 91mm and the hood leads to a cap over 100mm, I think. It is crazy, but it has a legendary history behind it.

update: You can see some history of this 180mm f/2.8 in Olympia related telescope in the past

Legendary Zeiss 180/2.8 Olympia Sonnar in CameraQuest


picture from CameraQuest

[georgweb]

Hin said:
I also upgraded my bag and neck strap to handle it in outing.

Lol, I never thought about using it other than with a tripod, it will for sure get some looks out in the streets :-) Looking forward to your shots with the Biometar and the Biotar.

Solaris,
your pics have very good feel to it in my eyes, really like them! About the birds' feet pic, not much pp (only brighter). And no, haven't even tried the full open shot yet (that's why I actually got this lens, low light stage photos).

Here's an el cheapo entry lens for the CZJ addicts,

CZJ Tessar 2.8/50 on K100D

Keep 'em coming,
Georg (the other)

[quattro]

I have a CZJena 50mm 2.8. It's an interesting lens, always takes unique shots, but not the sharpest 50mm I have. The Tak 55 1.8 and Pentax-M 50mm 1.7 are both on the K10d far more than the Jena.

[Asahiflex]

I've tested my Aus Jena MC S 135/3.5 tonight against:

- Super-Takumar 135mm f/3.5
- S-M-C Takumar 135mm f/3.5
- S-M-C Takumar 135mm f/2.5
- SMC Pentax-F 70-210 f/4-5.6 @ 135mm.

Although my test was a little flawed (tripod shake in some cases) the sharpness test was won by the Sonnar...

You can view the test here (scroll down to view the samples):

Manual Focus Lenses :: View topic - MC Jupiter 37AM 135/3.5 and MC Sonnar 135/3.5

[Asahiflex]

Some samples with the Carl Zeiss Jena 80mm f/1.8 Pancolar Electric. Unless otherwise noted the pictures are shot wide open.

Damn, I must admit that I'm liking the lens.



This one is at f/5.6 (unfortunately not the same exposure as the previous one).

[Asahiflex]

A few more with the Pancolar... It really is a dream lens!

[solaris]

Thanks for all the input guys.

Asahiflex, your shots convinced me to get myself a 50mm pancolar. Unfortunately I doubt I will find any 80mm ones at a reasonable price.

The 35mm macro looks great, I might look into one if I can fall ass backwards into some money.

The 200mm looks great, but I don't think I would enjoy carrying it around.

Here's another shot with the 135. If it wasn't so cold I'm sure I'd have some better shots to post.

[georgweb]

Peter,
the photo with the three lonely sheep and the reed plants picture below that do it for me, thanks for posting!

Solaris,
be happy with what you got :-) I guess that 135 Sonnar is just an oh-so-nice compromise between resolution and bokeh. What it really separates from the rest (and you have shown it in your previous posts when the sun was involved) is the color-punch, especially blue colors.

CZJ MC Sonnar 3.5/135 on K100D. Water reflection
[IMGWIDELEFT]http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2183/2214253265_5849cd0a89_o.jpg[/IMGWIDELEFT]

Georg (the other)

[solaris]

Well, I'm a spoiled American child. I can never be happy with what I have.
At least I am doing my part to help the economy, although it would be great to be employed when my LBA kicks in.

I am also wondering about the sharpness of your lens. My lens actually seems to be sharpest wide open, at 3.5. I took some shots with it at 8 or so, and they didn't loon nearly as good as the ones wide open. The colors are also much nicer wide open. Perhaps these lenses suffer from a very sever case of diffraction due to their build?

Georg, does your Sonnar have the red MC? I've seen some other photos of Zeiss lenses that have a very strong red reflection when you hold them up to a lightbulb. I remember seeing it on some 28 or 35mm lenses, but not sure if I've seen one on a longer focal length.

I think that it's actually reds and oranges which the lens picks up very well. Here is one of the originals of the shots I first posted in this thread. I liked the other colors better when I was playing around with the light temperature in photoshop.

[georgweb]

Solaris,

about sharpness I don't know. If you have a copy that does so well at f3.5 that's not too bad after all :-)
To really know about it you could shoot something like an alley on the long focus end (choose a distinct subject about say 30ft away) and then shoot the same pic from full open to fully closed.
You'll then see if your chosen subject was really the one in focus (talking about camera calibration and matte screens and so on), and also any focus shift through stopping down. BTW did you have enough shutter speed on your f8 pics?

About multicoating, my 135 Sonnar also has a markedly reddish coat. If you look inside (see the reflections of the next lenses), it is also deep blueish. You could be right about the rendering of red colors - but maybe you just have one of those super-rare one-off Sonnars :-) Zeiss (west and east) are said to actually mute reds and blues and bring more pop to them, which not everybody likes. It does seem to work well though with those CZJ on Pentax.

Georg (the other)

[richard64]

I am also wondering about the sharpness of your lens. My lens actually seems to be sharpest wide open, at 3.5.

Umm, does it close down beyond f3.5? I have to admit that since it performs so well wide open, and the bokeh is so good, I tend to keep it on f3.5.

Georg, does your Sonnar have the red MC? I've seen some other photos of Zeiss lenses that have a very strong red reflection when you hold them up to a lightbulb. I remember seeing it on some 28 or 35mm lenses, but not sure if I've seen one on a longer focal length.

My Sonnar is red MC and it has a very distinct red reflection. My Flektogon 35/2.4 has a bluish reflection from the front element but when I tilt it, I can see a more purpleish reflection from a lens near the diaphragm.

Talking of the Flektogon, this was taken today at f5.6:



crop:



The Flektogon is very good at greens.

As to the Sonnar, well the colours generally are good. The following have been taken straight from the PEFs with just some cropping. (Plastic pegs are good for colour tests <g>). I think the railway bridge was taken with a polariser.




I cannot remember exactly (I took the photos of the pegs over a year ago), but looking at the size of the pegs I must have used an extension tube. I've only cropped slightly for better composition.





I think you'll agree that the colours are very good.

Richard

[stevebrot]

A few more with the Pancolar... It really is a dream lens!

I knew you were going to like it. I would love to have this lens, but have not seen one for sale in a long time. Thanks for sharing the fuits of your good fortune!

Steve

[richard64]

I've seen some other photos of Zeiss lenses that have a very strong red reflection when you hold them up to a lightbulb.

I've just taken this, shining a halogen desklamp on the surface, the camera at about 20 degrees to the vertical. OK, the white balance appears a bit off, but that just helps the red reflection



Richard