Exakta 11a what a corker

[dustym]

Just purchased a near mint Exakta 11a with two Carl Zeiss Jena lenses a 50mm and 20mm ,WLF and Veiwfinder prism for next to nothing and the lens quality is mind blowing everything on the camera is near mint and fires beautifully on all speeds.
I have printed some test images and the lenses are super sharp. When I do something decent i wil post in the gallery.

 

[Roger Hicks]

Dear Dusty,

Which lenses have you? I also have a IIa with a 58/2 Biotar. I've had other Exakta-fit lenses in the past and there were some real dogs (often from Meyer) along with the good stuff. I don't think I'd be quite as enthusiastic as you but some of the better lenses (including much of the Zeiss Jena range) were indeed among the best of their day (essentially the 1950s) and are surprisingly good to this day.

Have you seen the prism with meter and direct vision finder? Bulky, but impressive.

Cheers,

Roger

Cheers,

Roger

 

[bob01721]

"... some of the better lenses (including much of the Zeiss Jena range) were indeed among the best of their day (essentially the 1950s) and are surprisingly good to this day..."

Roger, I've heard conflicting stories about the "Jena" name. Some say it was only used on pre-war Zeiss lenses... that it was dropped after the war because Jena is located in East Germany. Something about not being able to import stuff from Communist countries. (?)

Others say that the Jena name appeared on many Zeiss lenses even after the war. Do you happen to know what's what?

Also, do you know anything about the LF CZJs? Some say they're "soft" and others say they're sharp. Can't see why there'd be much difference in image quality between a 150mm or 300mm CZJ for LF and a 50mm for an Exacta.

 

[Roger Hicks]

Roger, I've heard conflicting stories about the "Jena" name. Some say it was only used on pre-war Zeiss lenses... that it was dropped after the war because Jena is located in East Germany. Something about not being able to import stuff from Communist countries. (?)

Others say that the Jena name appeared on many Zeiss lenses even after the war. Do you happen to know what's what?

Also, do you know anything about the LF CZJs? Some say they're "soft" and others say they're sharp. Can't see why there'd be much difference in image quality between a 150mm or 300mm CZJ for LF and a 50mm for an Exacta.

To the best of my knowledge, 'Zeiss Jena' was a postwar marking after the 'other' (or possibly 'real') Zeiss had moved to Oberkochen. Zeiss was at Jena before the war, of course. There may well be others who can correct me here.

As for LF, no, I know even less. Sorry.

What I do know is that for 10-15 years there appears to have been some rivalty between the two Zeiss families, so Zeiss Jena was still very good indeed, but Jena slipped further and further back and eventually was completely outclassed.

Cheers,

R.

 

[bob01721]

Roger,

Very interesting. Thanks.

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

I had a 58/2 Biotar in M42 mount for a while, and I thought it was dreadful. Maybe I had a bad copy, but it seemed to have the essence of bad bokeh--

http://www.photo.net/bboard/image?bboard_upload_id=14727084

 

[Roger Hicks]

I had a 58/2 Biotar in M42 mount for a while, and I thought it was dreadful. Maybe I had a bad copy, but it seemed to have the essence of bad bokeh--

http://www.photo.net/bboard/image?bboard_upload_id=14727084

Dear David,

Mine is surprisingly good. At least, it surprised me. But then, I'm far less sensitive to bokeh than some people.

Cheers,

Roger

 

[dustym]

Exakta 35mm

Dear Dusty,

Which lenses have you? I also have a IIa with a 58/2 Biotar. I've had other Exakta-fit lenses in the past and there were some real dogs (often from Meyer) along with the good stuff. I don't think I'd be quite as enthusiastic as you but some of the better lenses (including much of the Zeiss Jena range) were indeed among the best of their day (essentially the 1950s) and are surprisingly good to this day.

Have you seen the prism with meter and direct vision finder? Bulky, but impressive.

Cheers,

Roger

Cheers,

Roger

Hi Roger my comments were only made in the context of the camera, of course I have better cameras with more advanced lenses, but for the period and design I feel the lens quality is superb.
I have the Pancolor 2/50
and the Flektagon 4/20
and it seems there are a lot of very enthusiastic users out there.
The only drawback is the film changing as I do not have a day light cannister
for this camera, but the look and the feel of the camera for me being a big chap is far more positive feel in the hand.


rgds

dustym

 

[Roger Hicks]

Hi Roger my comments were only made in the context of the camera, of course I have better cameras with more advanced lenses.

The only drawback is the film changing as I do not have a day light cannister
for this camera, but the look and the feel of the camera for me being a big chap is far more positive feel in the hand.

Dear Dusty,

I'll certainly agree on the first point -- sorry for the misunderstanding, but you do get people who say (for example) that the Jupiter-8 for the Zorkii is good in absolute terms. I'd say that the 20/4 Flektogon was pronbably the best reflex wide-angle of its day, and I reckon that the Biotar is even better than the Pancolar (though both could be variable).

The second point puzzles me slightly. It uses standard feed cassettes and can be used either cassette-to-cassette (with the famous knife, of course) or rewound. What do you mean by 'no daylight canister'?

You know that Dennis 'Eyebrows' Healey was a great Exakta user? The best of Old Labour.

Cheers,

Roger

 

[Richard Kelham]

You know that Dennis 'Eyebrows' Healey was a great Exakta user? The best of Old Labour.

I wonder what camera Roy Hattersley uses, if any? I only ask as he's my candidate for "best of Old Labour". I had Healey down as a Pentax user, though can't for the life of me remember why I thought that...

 

[dustym]

the daylight cannister is the term i picked up from a US site it is indeed the cassette,
I have tried to rewind back on to the film casette but it does not seem to take up. The film casette seems to sit to high so the prongs or fork does not engage fully in the centre spool of the casette so as to aid rewinding manually.

 

[dustym]

Eureka, I did not know the centre spindle on the knob on the film casette side indeed pushes up to engage said spindle for rewind.
You live and learn

dusty

 

[Roger Hicks]

Eureka, I did not know the centre spindle on the knob on the film casette side indeed pushes up to engage said spindle for rewind.
You live and learn

dusty

Dear Dusty,

Yup. Fooled me too, at first. I'd not had one in 20 years and had just plain forgotten.

Cheers,

Roger

 

[Roger Hicks]

I wonder what camera Roy Hattersley uses, if any?

Have to be an SLW (Single-Lens Weflex), I'd have thought.

Cheers,

Woger (another of Woy's admiwers)

 

[Daniel_OB]

Before the war there was only one Zeiss, Zeiss as we know, and was located in Jena Germany (at that time there was no east and west Germany. After the war Germany is cut in two east and west part. Just before the cut majority of technical and scietifical documentations are moved out of Zeiss toward west part of Germany where new Zeiss is formed. However and old Zeiss in Jena continue to operate but with no history and knowledge to build as in past, even and production machineries are downgraded by Rusians. Post war Zeiss in east germany does nothing with "real" Zeiss. Remained just name which could be just any (dert dadamata or whatever else). Just some people that still remained in the company. Shortly Zeiss in east Germany is NOT Zeiss as we know and glasses from that plant are NOT (real) Zeiss.

www.Leica-R.com

 

[Richard Kelham]

Have to be an SLW (Single-Lens Weflex), I'd have thought.

Cheers,

Woger (another of Woy's admiwers)

Wong Woy, Woger! You're thinking of Jenkins of "Gang of Four" infamy. RH just sprays, bless him (I've been on the receiving end).

 

[Roger Hicks]

Wong Woy, Woger! You're thinking of Jenkins of "Gang of Four" infamy. RH just sprays, bless him (I've been on the receiving end).

Dear Wichard,

You are of course entirely wight!

Bwain fade...

Cheers,

W.