A Souvenir from the Isle of Wight
Stealthy Billingham
Meyer-Optik Gorlitz Orestegor 200mm f/4 Zebra
Teeth
Nikon D50
Royal Mail
Great Pulteney Street
Artist
Daffodil
Daffodils
Bikes
Tables and Chairs
A Musician in Bath, Somerset
Passenger
Ajar
Numerals and Letters
WH 445
Weymouth
Weymouth Harbour
Streetlife
St Patrick's Day
Nets
Ropes
Bath, Somerset
Mozart
Sydney Gardens
Bridgnorth Cliff
Three Watering Cans
Alcester
Untitled
Brown Study
Cheekbones and Cheeky Hat
The Long Grass
Listed
Tuesday Afternoon
Sunlit Chair
Living on the Edge
Time is Brown
Lens Test: Nikkor-O.C Auto f/2 35mm
Lens Test: Nikkor-P 105mm f/2.5
Lens Test: Nikkor 200mm f/4 AI
Holidaymakers, 2014
About Face
Storm Jake
The Homeless Elephant
See also...
Pentacon, Tessar, Carl Zeiss Jena, Helios and Jupiter Photos
Pentacon, Tessar, Carl Zeiss Jena, Helios and Jupiter Photos
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Tessar Lens


Carl Zeiss Jena Tessar 50mm f/2.8 lens (£12 on eBay) on a Canon EOS 40D digital camera.
The cheapest route to a lens with 'Carl Zeiss' on it. Manufactured between 1952 and 1978, thus there is plenty of choice on the secondhand market. The moment I had it in my hand, I loved the feel of it and the smooth focus and aperture adjustment. Using it on a crop sensor digital camera avoids the criticism that it is soft at the corners: I'm using only the best part of the simple optics. Nevertheless, optimum performance is f/8 - f/11 where contrast is best; otherwise post-processing will improve your efforts. F/2.8 is slow, but these days we're all used to levels of ISO which were unimaginable when this lens was in production, and so only photographers chasing depth-of-field will be bothered by the slowness. Close focus is about twelve inches - it's practically macro! And the long focus throw provides plenty of scope for tiny adjustments. The front element is well recessed: no need for a lens hood, nor a protective filter for that matter (but I disdain protective filters anyway. Like extended warranties, they exist to improve dealers' profit margins).
Not as good as the 55mm f/3.5 Micro-Nikkor, which is hard to beat by any lens, but much cheaper, and fun to use. Colour rendition isn't bad, either.
The cheapest route to a lens with 'Carl Zeiss' on it. Manufactured between 1952 and 1978, thus there is plenty of choice on the secondhand market. The moment I had it in my hand, I loved the feel of it and the smooth focus and aperture adjustment. Using it on a crop sensor digital camera avoids the criticism that it is soft at the corners: I'm using only the best part of the simple optics. Nevertheless, optimum performance is f/8 - f/11 where contrast is best; otherwise post-processing will improve your efforts. F/2.8 is slow, but these days we're all used to levels of ISO which were unimaginable when this lens was in production, and so only photographers chasing depth-of-field will be bothered by the slowness. Close focus is about twelve inches - it's practically macro! And the long focus throw provides plenty of scope for tiny adjustments. The front element is well recessed: no need for a lens hood, nor a protective filter for that matter (but I disdain protective filters anyway. Like extended warranties, they exist to improve dealers' profit margins).
Not as good as the 55mm f/3.5 Micro-Nikkor, which is hard to beat by any lens, but much cheaper, and fun to use. Colour rendition isn't bad, either.
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