| Review of: Carl Zeiss Jena Sonnar MC 135mm F3.5 by APO-Teufel on Mon May 25, 2015 | Rating: 8 | View more reviews | |
Views: 141028
Reviews: 14
| [SIZE=1]Own definition of points - using the above scaling: 5 = still good,[/SIZE][SIZE=1] 7-8 = good to very good,[/SIZE][SIZE=1] 9-10 = excellent
(10 = "100%" for technical aspects: such a immaculate thing does not exist)
[/SIZE] About this as good as new copy: it was produced within the latest version at the end of 1980s in Saalfeld in the former GDR (therefore no "Aus Jena" export version) and
sold a short time later after the political changes from acquired inventories.
Traditionally one of the best 135mm lenses for the 36mm-film format, however, the most useful optical performance is available, when stopped down at least f/5.6 or higher.
The high color contrast and intense, as well as pure colors are typical of this lens, with color slide film quite welcome characteristics (in digital image processing, this tends
to play a minor role), but an edged diaphragm and significant color fringing at high contrast details lead to a less beautiful reproduction outside the focal plane.
Compared to S.-M.-C. Takumar 1: 2.5/135 (Model II):
Very stiff focusing grip with extremely uncomfortable, needle-sharp bare metal pyramids, painful for the fingers (in this regard, the former, painted models feel a little more
"comfortable"); on the other hand, mechanical slackness is hardly to be felt; the Takumar here feels at worlds better, but also at the expense of a wobbly front barrel.
Slightly inferior imaging performance in the lower apertures (and thus far less contrasty than the also tested much older aluminum bare, "silver" Sonnar 4,0/135); does not
quite reach the sharpness in the center at closed apertures, but sharper, more contrast and less CA in the corners, overall a more homogeneous performance across the
entire image field. MC SONNAR 3,5 / 135 CARL ZEISS JENA DDR 
Variations
left: the model above, anodized and partially painted body, right: previous and "electric" model, completely painted body, different coatings
Overview
f/8 / APS-C / standard ooc jpeg file, scaled down on 1200x1800 of 5184x3456 image size, taken with the above, left model
 Detail (100% crop)
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| Review of: Mamiya AUTO M/Sekor MDl I (DTL Series) 50mm F2 by APO-Teufel on Wed January 21, 2015 | Rating: 9 | View more reviews | |
Views: 14968
Reviews: 1
| [SIZE=1]Own definition of points - using the above scaling: 8 = very good, 10 = excellent, 9 = almost as good as excellent
(10 = "100%" for technical aspects: such a immaculate thing does not exist)[/SIZE]
(Description) Notation engraved on the front ring: AUTO mamiya/sekor 1:2 f=50mm No.280xxx
Evolutionarily a Double-Gauss 6/4 Planar resp. Xenon/Biotar/Summar/Heligon type
This aged lens from the end of the Sixties has surprised me very positively.
A few facts with which I rate it:
wonderful quality workmanship (fortunately the glasses comes without scratches, cleaning marks
etc.), the focus, for example, is so smooth and precise, as I know it only from some older Zeiss or
Leitz lenses; to disassemble, we see a classic, high quality mechanics, completely made of metal
and glass (amongst a lot of heavy and nowadays expensive brass)
already from open aperture sharp and contrasty, from f/4 up until f/8 very sharp over the entire image
[SIZE=2]
excellent coping without appreciable fringings at high contrast details, also at the borders with
extremely high contrast there is virtually no flare visible - spherical and chromatic aberration have
been corrected almost perfect over the entire image field; in this respect, I think it is even better
corrected than the already very good S-M-C 1.8/55 / 1.4/50, SMC M 1.4/50 / 1.7/50[/SIZE][SIZE=2]
[/SIZE][SIZE=2]high resolution with the APS-C format (due to the higher pixel density compared to the full format)
[/SIZE][SIZE=2][SIZE=2]A very nice soft bokeh without disturbing longitudinal CA.
[/SIZE][/SIZE][SIZE=2]
[/SIZE][SIZE=2]a special feature of former times: the brinks around the glasses suffers at the "Schneideritis",
also be seen in the photo of the description
(overpainting is futile, because the old paint should be removed first awkward, improper painting
also hides the danger of de-centering)
Finally, [/SIZE][SIZE=2]this fifty years old, [/SIZE][SIZE=2]heavily used[/SIZE][SIZE=2] lens gives me a lot of pleasure. Particulary, in view of the
high resolution demands of APS-C sensors, [/SIZE][SIZE=2]this Sekor becomes one of my favorite 50mm-lenses[/SIZE][SIZE=2],
if very good reproduction properties are required [/SIZE][SIZE=2]- [/SIZE][SIZE=2]ad hoc[/SIZE][SIZE=2] without postprocessing [/SIZE][SIZE=2][SIZE=3][SIZE=2]in most cases[/SIZE].[/SIZE]
AUTO mamiya/sekor 1:2 f=50mm[/SIZE] 
Overview / Open aperture / APS-C / [SIZE=3][SIZE=3][SIZE=3]standart-ooc jpeg file[/SIZE][/SIZE], scaled down on 19% of 5184 x 3456 image size:
Detail (100% crop):
[/SIZE][SIZE=3]Overview / F/8 / APS-C / [/SIZE][SIZE=3][SIZE=3]standart-ooc jpeg file, scaled down on 1800 x 1200 of 5184 x 3456 image size:[/SIZE]
[/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][SIZE=3][SIZE=3]Detail (100% crop):
[/SIZE][/SIZE]
[/SIZE]
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