Zeiss-Opton Sonnar f4 250mm

[sarahfoto]

I am just wandering if anyone knows more about this lens? How much it's worth?
Maybe I should have posted in Classifieds but haven't yet decided if I want to part with it...

 

[guitstik]

What camera does it go to? Doing a quick Google search brought up several options and all had good things to say but you gotta figure that with Zeiss.

 

[Ian Grant]

What camera does it fit ? Presumably Hasselblad.

The Opton name was used to show it's not a Carl Zeiss Jena made lens, so it's quite old 1950's I'd guess. There had been quality issues with CZJ lenses made for the newer West German Zeiss. Later the Opton name was dropped.

Ian

 

[Q.G.]

Assuming it is the f/4 250 mm Sonnar made for the Hasselblad 1000-series:

I have one for the 1000-series, and it, quite frankly, is not the best lens you'd hope to use. The later f/5.6 is much better. Not the thing you want to hear when trying to sell one.

But as a collector's item (and the market for this lens will almost exclusively consist of people wanting to have one for a collection), it certainly has a value that is completely unconnected to how good it is or is not. (Though for collectors more than anyone else, condition counts for a lot!)

The market isn't very large (which would depress the value), but they do not show up very often (which will make it more valuable), so it's hard to say what value that might be.
It all depends on how many people are looking for one the moment you decide to put your lens in the market.

(As an example of how things can be: some time ago, shortly after each other, a couple of f/5.6 60 mm Distagons for the 1000-series were put up for auction, and people went mad over them. Bidding went up to a quite respectable level, much, much more than i was prepared to pay for one.
A week later however, yet another one appeared. But then, the people who had been prepared to pay a quite large sum for one were nowhere to be seen, and though i couldn't believe my luck, i picked it up for less than a quarter of the price the other two had gone for. Same lens, same excellent condition, same marketplace. But apparently i was (just about) the only one not 'out to lunch' at that time.)

 

[guitstik]

I saw one of these on fleapay for $1400 when I Googled it.

 

[Q.G.]

I saw one of these on fleapay for $1400 when I Googled it.

There you go. (But did it sell for that? What people ask, i.e. hope to get, and what people will pay are two often quite different things.)

To show how difficult it is to put a price I paid about US$ 200 for mine (complete, i.e. including aluminium caps, lens hood and leather case, all in excellent condition).

A while ago, yes. But the market for this old stuff hasn't changed.
(Though on eBay, there's one seller offering this sort of Hasselblad stuff for prices much higher than these things went for on that same eBay. But the thing about asking what you hope, but getting what it's worth, still applies: he's offering the same stuff over and over again. )

P.S.
Had a look at the one on eBay: it's even just 1 dollar short of $ 1500. Looks to be in very good condition.
Except that it has no working aperture, and the diaphragm blades are even supplied separately!
I certainly wouldn't pay $1500 for that lens! Even $150 would be a lot.

 

[sarahfoto]

thanks guys! There seem to but a lot of the 5.6 around. Maybe I'll keep an eye on the one for $1500 and if it sells I know what I can ask. Do not own a Hasselblad so I haven't tried it with a camera but it looks to be in working order, with caps and bag. Although, I didn't even expect $200 so I'm happy

 

[noumin]

In the good old days the Optons were made by Carl Zeiss in West Germany
for export to countries behind the iron curtain. There the name CZ was
protected, and so west-lenses were labeled "Opton". Except for the name it's
still basically a 150mm sonnar. On the Rolleis' the term Opton is also used
on Tessars', probably Planars' too.

 

[Ian Grant]

Some Opton Tessar's were made by CZJ but were tested for quality by the West German CZ. The two companies hoped to re-unite and worked loosely together after WWII until around 1952/3 when the communist authorities stopped the co-operation.

Opton's were sold world wide.

Ian

 

[Q.G.]

In the good old days the Optons were made by Carl Zeiss in West Germany
for export to countries behind the iron curtain. There the name CZ was
protected, and so west-lenses were labeled "Opton".

Not just behind the iron curtain.

After the war, nobody yet knew how the legal situation regarding the Zeiss trademark would be. Heck, as Ian mentioned, they didn't even know what the future of the company would be: split forever, or soon to be rejoined.
Zeiss 'West' traded under the Opton name worldwide until the late 1950s. The legal going on about the trademark lasted a good deal longer.

Except for the name it's still basically a 150mm sonnar. [...]

Except that it is a 250 mm Sonnar.

 

[guitstik]

I wouldn't expect $1500 for the lens but hey, who knows, good luck.

 

[Mustafa Umut Sarac]

I had have a kiev 88 with a sonnar 250 copy and best lens I have ever used.
There is a giant 300 kilogram weight 1700 mm tele from Zeiss and still use a sonnar design.
Dont sell the lens , it is difficult to replace a working german lens later.
If it fits to kiev 88 , 60 , may be you can start to use it without investing to hassy.

 

[Q.G.]

The f/5.6 250 mm Sonnar they also made for the 1000-series, later also available for the 500-series until just about the very end (they don't offer it anymore), is quite a bit better.
So if you want to use a Sonnar and don't have a camera to use this one, i would indeed sell it and see how far that will take you towards a 500 C/M with f/5.6 250 mm Sonnar.
If it sells for $ 1500, you'll certainly be there and have lots of left over money to burn on film.