Enlight me on this Zeiss Jena Coating Symbol

dehk · Apr 22, 2013

Enlight me on this Zeiss Jena Coating Symbol, its not T or F, please see attachment.

E. von Hoegh · Apr 22, 2013

It's a "T" with a line in the middle and a line at the bottom. The legend I heard was that Zeiss Oberkochen wouldn't let Jena use the "T" and they modified existing lenses this way so they could be sold. As I said, a legend; I've no idea if it's true but there you go.

dehk · Apr 22, 2013

E. von Hoegh said:
It's a "T" with a line in the middle and a line at the bottom. The legend I heard was that Zeiss Oberkochen wouldn't let Jena use the "T" and they modified existing lenses this way so they could be sold. As I said, a legend; I've no idea if it's true but there you go.

That'd make sense, I've heard about similar stories just never seen a marking like this one before.

AgX · Apr 22, 2013

There seems to be a slight assymmetry in that "striped" T. That would indicate a re-engraving.

Ian Grant · Apr 22, 2013

My 1953/4 CZJ 150mm f4.5 T Tessar has the T marking but that was made at the point the separate East and West German parts of Zeiss had been forced to cease co-operation and legal wrangling over the trade names and trade marks started.

CZJ enses sold in Europe could have markings that were not allowed in the US, this is an Exacta lens and all Exactas sold in the US has to state they were made in the Soviet Zone, I can't remember the exact wordint but I have an Exacta WLF that "USSR Occupied"

E Von Hoegh's anecdote is probably right as it coincides with these US markings.

Ian

dehk · Apr 22, 2013

So best guess it was earlier on with all the arguments over the right to the name because this one still only says Germany instead of occupied etc, i have ones that says USSR Occupied.

dehk · Apr 22, 2013

AgX said:
There seems to be a slight assymmetry in that "striped" T. That would indicate a re-engraving.

The more and more I looked at it, the bottom two lines looks a little off. Probably was a T and they re striped it later on then.

dehk · Apr 22, 2013

Really guys, Just tell me this is some kind of prototype coating that worth thousands of dollars! Only one can dream, that's a joke, really it's interesting to see something new and have to figure out the story behind it. Thank you everyone for their input.

Ian Grant · Apr 23, 2013

dehk said:
Really guys, Just tell me this is some kind of prototype coating that worth thousands of dollars! Only one can dream, that's a joke, really it's interesting to see something new and have to figure out the story behind it. Thank you everyone for their input.

You can dream, and keep dreaming

The T coating on my 53/54 Tessar is very good, as flare resistant as later MC lenses, but like much of the coating of the era has a blue bias (very much so with my lens), it was the CZJ Pancolors and the Color Voigtlander lenses that really addressed the colour biase with colour films. (I'm sure there were others as well but they were the ones I first came across).

Ian

Enlight me on this Zeiss Jena Coating Symbol

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