Zeiss Proxar Set for Rollei Old Standard

[sharpnikkor]

I just bought a Zeiss Proxar #1 lens set (28.5mm slip-on lenses) for my Rollei Old Standard 622 with 75mm f3.5 Tessar Lens.

The Proxar lenses appear identical and slip onto to the Rollei viewing and taking lenses.

My first question is: There was information on a piece of card stock in German that I would like to have translated. It is information on the Proxar lenses and a literal translation from Google is rather mangled. Can anyone translate this for me?

My second question: The two Proxar lenses appear identical. Is there any difference between them, and should one go on the viewing lens vs the taking lens? (The later Rolleinar lenses had the larger lens fit on the viewing lens).

See photos below.

Thanks,
Scott

 

[JPD]

It basically says that it's a matched pair with the exact same focal length and that both give the same extension when focusing at different distances. The lenses are identical.

The Rolleinar Heidosmat is thicker because it has a built-in optical wedge for parallax compensation. For the Proxar 1 you can find the Rolleipar 1 (also called Rolleiparkeil 1) attachment, which is the separate parallax correction wedge.

 

[AgX]

The text says that as your two lenses have exactly the same focal length, with camera lenses that also have identical focal length the appropriate extension will be achieved.

 

[AgX]

There are Proxar sets that contain different lenses for taking and viewing, I assume a one-element lens for viewing and a cemented doublet for taking.
In your case both lenses seem to be of the same optical design.

 

[sharpnikkor]

Thank you everyone for your answers.

There is some information on the early accessories for the Original Rollei and Rollei Old Standard but not that much.

I'll have to take a look at the Rolleipar 1 / Rollqeiparkel 1 to supplement this Proxar 1 set.

 

[JensH]

There are Proxar sets that contain different lenses for taking and viewing, I assume a one-element lens for viewing and a cemented doublet for taking.
In your case both lenses seem to be of the same optical design.

Hi,

... yes, there are sets containing a 28.5mm and a 24mm slip on lens. These were made for the first Rolleiflex (Rolleiflex Original / K1).
I don't know if there are simplyfied versions, all my pre-1945 look optically the same for viewing and taking lens (and Prochnow doesn't report such). I guess they are all cemented doublets?

Anyway I was surprised how well the Proxars 1 and 2 work. I use them a lot.

Best wishes
Jens

 

[JPD]

The Proxars are single meniscus lenses, not doublets. They were originally made as wide angle attachments for plate cameras (as well as for close-ups). Zeiss also made Distar lenses with minus diopters that makes the focal length longer, as a cheap way to make your lens a "tele", but those are for plate cameras with double extention bellows and can't be used on Rolleis. Schneider made their ISCO Curtar and Longar lens attachments that had the same use.

 

[AgX]

I stand corrected.
The only hint of its design I found was at... Apug.

So much about expectations at Zeiss products. So now it was me to fall into that trap.

 

[AgX]

A indicator for being an achromat should be the thickness of the filterring, but I would not bet on that.

 

[JPD]

A indicator for being an achromat should be the thickness of the filterring, but I would not bet on that.

And three reflections, two bright and one very faint. Achromatic close-up lenses are rare and expensive. The single meniscus Proxars and Rolleinars are surprisingly good, and maybe it's party thanks to the film format. The Rolleipar/Rolleiparkeil wedge attachment can be used alone for perspective correction according to Das Rolleiflex Buch. That could be useful when taking photos of tall buildings.

I found this test of Proxar and Distar lenses used on a plate camera: http://photo-analogue.blogspot.com/2014/11/distars-and-proxars.html

 

[JensH]

And three reflections, two bright and one very faint. Achromatic close-up lenses are rare and expensive. The single meniscus Proxars and Rolleinars are surprisingly good, and maybe it's party thanks to the film format. The Rolleipar/Rolleiparkeil wedge attachment can be used alone for perspective correction according to Das Rolleiflex Buch. That could be useful when taking photos of tall buildings.

I found this test of Proxar and Distar lenses used on a plate camera: http://photo-analogue.blogspot.com/2014/11/distars-and-proxars.html

Hi JPD and AgX,

I took a closer look at the reflections on several Proxars and an achromat...
indeed the Proxars lack one weak reflection. So You, JPD are correct.
I looked at some publications by Heering, Prochnow and Zeiss-Jena and nowhere they were described as achromats, just as "lens" and "Vorsatzlinse".

I read about the "PC-mode", too. That should cause some color fridge, but for B&W and stopped down well, why not...

Best
Jens

 

[AgX]

My experience with Tessar.type lenses etc. was that such weak reflection from the cemented plane is not always visible, thus I would not base an assumption on this.
(Just this moment I got such lens in hand without any 7th reflection at all.)