Super Ikonta C 531/2

[theoria]

I recently bought a Zeiss Ikon Super Ikonta C 531/2 with a Tessar 105 3.5 and a Compur-Rapid shutter. According to this page the camera was manufactured in 1950. The thing that still puzzles me is that the lens is stamped"Carl Zeiss Jena". Wasn't it manufactured in Oberkochen, or is it just a brand name that came to be used in the west immediately after WWII?
Though I bought the camera mainly as a decoration item, I plan to shoot with it occasionally, and therefore a coated post WWII lens would be a great bonus.
BTW, has anyone had any experience with some version of this camera/lens? How does it compare to similar cameras of its age?

Many thanks,
Bogdan

[Ian Grant]

There was still some co-operation between CZJ and Zeiss West Germany until 2 or 3 years later. So if it says Jena it's an East German lens. The two halves of the company still hoped to re-unite in 1950, and CZJ were still making lenses for the West although there were some quality issues. Zeiss (West) used the name Opton for a time to show these were there own lenses although it's thought a few were still from CZJ but passed through Oberkochens quality control first.

I have a 1952 (approx) 150mm f4.5 CZJ Tessar T coated, and it's a very good lens, the same lens was supplied to Linhof until the East severed the ties between the two companies.

Welcome to APUG BTW

Ian

[theoria]

Thank you for your informative answer and warm welcome. Nice to know that it still might be coated . I am eagerly waiting for the parcel to arrive, glue the holes in the bellows and shoot a few rolls with it.

Regards,
Bogdan

[premo]

I had a 6X6 version of the Ikonta from the late forties, CZJena in a compur. Very sharp.

[Andy38]

Not sure this lens is coated...
The page you mention is unfinished : I have a pre-WWII 531/2 with an uncoated f3,5 CZJ Tessar and a Compur Rapid.
An other 531/2 with f3,5 Novar exists and I have seven different 530/2 models (I think there are more...).
When you receive your camera, please tell us what is the version.

I have made some rolls with coated (f3,5 Zeiss Opton-531/2) and uncoated (f4,5 CZJ Tessar_530/2) lenses : when the camera is in a good working condition, the results are very good.

[theoria]

What should I look for, except for the tint of the lens, in order to determine if it is a pre or post WWII camera?

[Ian Grant]

If the camera is post WWII then the factory fitted Tessar's were all coated, Zeiss started coating some Tessars before WWII there was a T coated 150mm for sale last year with a 1938 serial number.

The lens and Compur shutter serial numbers will give a good indication of when it was made.

Ian

[theoria]

According to this page the lens was made in 1937, judging by its serial. I guess the mystery was solved. I'm waiting to satisfy my other, more important curiosity, that is to see what pictures it is takes.

Regards,
Bogdan

[Andy38]

The lens of mine was made in 1938, with serial number 2287xxx.

Before taking pics, try to see if rangefinder is adjusted, if lens infinite is correct with rf; I have often noticed it's not...

[theoria]

Thanks Andy for pointing out that issue about the rangefinder. Good to know its quirks, and go beyond fixing the obvious holes in the bellows. Do you have scans of pictures taken with some of the Ikontas in your collection, so that I could have a standard for what the camera is capable? I am prepared to take it to a specialist to do precision restoration work, if needed, but I don't want to chase an image quality that might not be achievable. I must confess, I've never shot a camera that old (except maybe for my grandfather's Agfa Box, when I was a kid). My oldest lens is a 65mm Zeiss Jena Flektogon for P6, manufactured in the mid-sxties, which is still quite a capable piece of photographic equipment. I feel this camera is going to be fun...

B.