a sonnar 1,5 challenge...

[photovdz]

could we try to be a bit typological ? and try to have examples of all variation of contax Zeiss sonnar 1,5 (not copies... but true zeiss)

- black and nickel for contax I
- f11
- f16
- f22
- CZJ post war
- Zeiss opton
- Carl Zeiss

and modern

any other variation ?

[Brian]

- f11
- f22
- CZJ post war
- Zeiss opton
- Carl Zeiss

I have the above, and adapters for the M8. I'll be getting to it.

[photovdz]

i'm missing

the post war CZJ
the f16 version
and the modern one ;-)

[Brian]

I believe the F16 version is optically identical, and was probably around for a very short time. My SN267xxxx lens is F22.

My 175xxxx lens has a coated front element, and "seems" to have been made concurrently with the Black and Nickel lens. At least, very close to it. Do you know when the switchovers occurred by SN?

[dexdog]

John Keesing lists 14 variations of the 5cm/1.5 Sonnar in his book, Contax Rangefinder Lenses, 1932-1962.

1932, CZJ black/nickel, f8
1934, CZJ black/nickel, f11
1935, CZJ black/nickel/chrome, f16
1935, CZJ chrome, f16
1941, CZJ nickel/aluminum, f22
1941, CZJ chrome w/black front ring, f22
1942, CZJ aluminum, f22
1943, CZJ chrome, f22
1946 CZJ aluminum, f22
1946, CZJ chrome, f22
1950, ZO chrome, f16
1951, ZO chrome w/black filter ring, f16
1952, ZO chrome, f22
1953, CZ chrome w/ black filter ring, f16

Lots of variations, hard to keep track of all of them. I own most, except for the 1932 f8 version, the 1942 aluminum and 1943 chrome.

[photovdz]

so... as usual I have variations inside the variations

1826128 is chrome and f11
2726483 T is mixed : mount is aluminium (dull grey), body is chrome (birght and heavy) and filter ring is black f22

[Brian]

I'm not sure if the early Chrome lenses stop down to F16, mine go to F11. I think there are fewer lenses with F16 as the smallest stop than what is listed. I've worked on 20 or so.

[photovdz]

just bought an early coated one... f11 and coated ? probably post-coated
we will see...

[icemanh]

just bought an early coated one... f11 and coated ? probably post-coated
we will see...

you won the bid I was bidding :bawling::bawling::bawling:
It is because the bid end at 4am in the morning, I've to go to sleep :bawling::bawling::bawling:

[photovdz]

sorry... I'll tell you if it's a postwar coated or an original one...
And I'll send you a message if I see another one interesting
there a few f2 T war or prewar lenses on ebay for the moment...

[Brian]

My 175xxxx has a coated front element. I thought it was after-market coated, but then saw one with in a few SN's of it with the same coating. They might have been quietly experimenting with it. Nikon did the same thing with multi-coated lenses in the 1960s, introduced it on some elements without advertising the fact.

[cookiecutter]

1939 f/11 uncoated for Contax
1943 f/22 coated for Leica
1952 f/16 coated Opton for Contax