The same design optically, the difference is the Pancolar had much better new coatings, these gave far better colour balance. The earlier T coating gave a colder (bluer) look on transparencies films.
Ian
The same design optically, the difference is the Pancolar had much better new coatings, these gave far better colour balance. The earlier T coating gave a colder (bluer) look on transparencies films.
Ian
Here is a pic of the lens that had the pancolar ring over the flexonView attachment 332787View attachment 332787
Here is a pic of the lens that had the pancolar ring over the flexonView attachment 332787View attachment 332787
And another question:
How would I know from the lens mount if a lens is the SB or ASB version? Has the SB lens always a little lever to open the aperature? Anything which can be seen when looking only at the bottom of the lens?
So, the camera arrived. Unfortunately, even though the Tessar was described as "semi-auto", it is preset. This alone would be ok I guess, even though I would have preferred the semi-auto version, but the camera is as well the FX without any aperature stop-down thing (this version: http://www.praktina.com/pucam04.htm ), which means I could not use any semi-auto lenses on it. Since the ebay ad said it's a semi-auto lens and those work only on the FX with the semi-auto feature, I assumed it is one of those. Of course I could have asked. The camera mount internals where not shown on the photos, so the only glue would have been the lens. And of course, the FX versions with semi-auto aperature are much more common then the preset only ones.
I contacted the seller, a repair man in Slovakia who knows about cameras and not just a random person selling a camera unknown to him. His answer: Sorry, I copied the text from an earlier ad (but updated serial numbers), but you should have seen in the images that it's preset and not semi-auto since it looks different.
I meanwhile found as well a IIa with double aperture function (SB and ASB), in a good shape (have not received it yet, but seller seems to know what he talked about and used it not too long ago, without shutter time problems or light leaks). It comes with the Pancolar 50/2, Flektogon 35/2.8 ASB, and Sonnar 135/4 (plus a few other things, like both prism and waistlevel finder, rapid-winding lever, some original boxes and papers and stuff).
So, what do you think about the FX? I mean it is serviced, works well, outer appearance ok without being crazy mint, but limited to preset/manual aperture lenses. Should I keep it (if yes, why?), or use the ebay return due to wrong item description?
Shipping took quite a while (slow non-express with German post is 2 months to Canada right now, on the boat. Somehow the same from Austria and Slovakia needs only 2-3 weeks...), so I received the IIa with the Flektogon 35/2.8, Pancolar 50/2, Sonnar 135/4 (this one is a but stiff but useable, the other two lenses very smooth) just 2-3 weeks ago and I am still in the first testing film (as I had also still a Canon Demi EE17 loaded...).
The IIa is in the most beautiful condition you can imagine, and for both full- and semi-auto lenses, with the rapid-wind lever (first I found it strange to have a wind lever on the bottom instead of the top, but it's really useful and faster then the knob!). Also in the package: Both waist lever and eye-level finder (with split-screen, the FX I received first has only a simple mat screen).
The FX, even though it had a CLA, is in a much rougher outer condition. Glad I got the IIa too! From inspection the shutter curtains and shutter speeds seem fine, the first film will show if I need a CLA for this one. And since it is in such beautiful condition, it would make sense...
I also got as a portrait lens a Biometar 80/2.8, which I got for a reasonable price since the focus ring was completely stuck and a bit hazy, but Service Camera Pro fixed both at a very reasonable rate.
Since you have the Biotar 58/2, the Tessar 50/2.8 and the Flexon 50/2: Is the Biotar much different to the other two? Worth to add if I find it for a reasonable price, or not really needed when having the Tesser and the Pancolar (which should be similar to your Flexon)?
I think I have no need for the T-mount adapter at the moment, first I need to play with the lenses I got now, and some native lenses are cheap as well (after looking into the market for a while and reading: Zeiss Jena, Schneider, Steinheil and Angenieux seems the premium, ZJ the most common of these and therefore a bit cheaper then the others. The cheaper brands with, except some special lenses, are Meyer Görlitz, ISCO, Enna. Schacht maybe somewhere in the middle...).
I don't think I would use him for a CLA, for general repair I have servicecamerapro.com/ in Quebec City (they did already a few cameras for me). For a specialist in East German cameras and lenses, I would always go to Olbrich in Görlitz ( http://www.fotoservice-olbrich.de/repair-programme-en/ ), at least for a camera which is in Europe already, or on a trip to visit family...
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