| Latest Review Posted | Carl Zeiss Biotar T 58mm F2
Carl Zeiss Jena Biotar, 58/2, 17 blades
This review is for a 17-bladed, M42 screw-mount, black Biotar T, manufactured around 1950, according to this list of serial numbers. http://forum.mflenses.com/carl-zeiss-jena-lenses-issue-date-by-serial-number-t6865.html. It has a MFD of 0.9m. Most Biotar 58/2's have 10 blades, or sometimes 13 blades, and most have a MFD of 0.5m.
A photo of the lens and its "sons", a Helios 44-2 and Helios 44 zebra is shown below. As you can see, the Biotar is considerably smaller - quite a surprise when it arrived. It has a preset (no stops) aperture ring at the front that opens and closes all those tiny little blades in the most exquisite manner. Less good is the focus ring. It's tough to turn, but I was expecting this - it's a common problem of the lubricant used, apparently. Sometimes, I've unscrewed the lens from its adaptor trying to change the focal length.
An 'expected surprise': air bubbles in the glass. If you worry about dust inside your lens, then these bubbles may tip you over the edge. Equally, given the old age of these versions, its normal to find the front glass has scratches....certainly the fifty or so lenses for sale I looked at before buying mine had at least a few micro scratches, and sometimes loads of scratches. However, neither the bubbles nor small scratches appear to show on the images taken by the lens. Just think of the bubbles as a sign of exceptionally high quality glass. :)
Optically, the lens... |
