Rare Zeiss zoom

[chuck colburn]

Here's one you don't see very often.
No idea what they are worth, but sure is a nice focale length range.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Zeiss-Vario-Sonnar-2-8-22-154mm-T-Arri-Arriflex-35-PL_W0QQitemZ350220831710QQcmdZViewItemQQptZFilm_Ca meras?hash=item518ac9cbde&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

[Karl Gustav H.]

Old thread on it here.
http://reduser.net/forum/archive/index.php/t-26734.html

Apparently, it has no iris blades. Then again, it does seem to have an aperture ring.

[Jannard]

Looks to me like someone is making this in China (5 per day) and selling them for $3600US. Not sure what this means but it doesn't smell very good.

Jim

http://www.alibaba.com/product-free/105879028/Zeiss_Vario_Sonnar_2_822_154mm.html

[chuck colburn]

Karl,

You think it's the same lens? Can't tell from the photos if it has iris leaves or not.

[Karl Gustav H.]

Well, both adverts use the same photos (the one where the guy has it in his hand, the SN around the front element is the same).

Your lens is the same as the one Jim posted. His link raises my suspicions.

Gut feeling: avoid the lens. I suspect Sanjin's comment about the lack of Iris blades relates to the genuine unit; those with the aperture ring are probably more questionable.

[filip kovcin]

if you are desperate - i can mail this guy (the seller), he lives in poland like me, so i can ask him to check this lens in person, and maybe make some other photos, and tell more about background of this lens (if he knows more, of course).

when i asked him about the lens in march this year, he said that: (translation) "the lens itself is prototype, and PL mount is "adopted", but it was designed for arri "

i believe "arri" means bayo mount.


filip

[Sanjin Jukic]

Exactly what I said before it was a special order from "military" or even more like "traffic" control at 80's or 90's... just about 100 produced...

"It's S35mm lens made just about 100 pieces and "probably" for some special applications (I dunno which one?!).

Also I was interested in that lens but because there were no aperture blades inside the lens I didn't buy it.

Btw, you cannot find any info at Zeiss archive page about that lens and I think it was sort of special order from "military", "traffic control", "medicine", etc,...
Also the price was here at "expensive" city of Vienna Euro 1.400 so that the new one is somehow overpriced...

LINK>>> (http://reduser.net/forum/archive/index.php/t-26734.html)

[Nick Gardner]

I've bought a lens or two from that guy (the Polish one), and it turned out well.

Nick

[Emanuel A.]

I've bought a lens or two from that guy (the Polish one), and it turned out well.

NickSame here. Foto-hobby (Jolanta for his customers) is legit and a honest ebay seller.

[Jannard]

So why the same lens for half the price on Alibaba?

Jim

[Nick Gardner]

Hacked/hijacked auction? The Polish dude is legit. Pretty interesting lens. Back before the suck, I almost bought it. He's had it for sale for a while, never sold, I think people are scared off because it's a weird lens.

It's got the zeiss T* thingy, so you know it has good coatings, good glass, and it's a great range and stop.

Nick

Edit- It also says made in west germany, so that gives you a ballpark date between the T* coatings and the reunification of germany.

[Pawel Achtel]

So why the same lens for half the price on Alibaba?

Jim

There is no shortage of crooks on Alibada, Jim. Some time ago some clown even tried to sell a prototype military rebreather there and published a picture of me wearing it. He lifted it from my website. Good prices, though :icon_bs:

[Douglas Underdahl]

I've seen funky zooms like this from Angenieux, too. If it's before German reunification it could be something built for 1" video, like those Ang zooms - then someone puts a PL mount on it and there you go. It looks quite new, but if it's lived it's whole life in a cushy box . . .

[Sanjin Jukic]

I've seen funky zooms like this from Angenieux, too. If it's before German reunification it could be something built for 1" video, like those Ang zooms - then someone puts a PL mount on it and there you go. It looks quite new, but if it's lived it's whole life in a cushy box . . .

This one what we are talking about is Arri S35mm with old Arri bayonet mount and somebody put Arri PL adapter on,

could be O.K. lens optically, also it was pretty heavy if I could remind well, but no aperture blades drove me out of purchase.

If I would be a lens technician then O.K. but I'm not. Also I'm talking about that because I had that lens in my hands at Leica Shop (http://www.leicashop.com/) in Vienna

a couple years ago.

Now is gone from there... and the price is doubled or even tripled (online)!!??

[Shawn R]

If someone really wanted this lens they could always use the same technique that the LensBaby's use for their iris. It is a pain, but depends how bad you want to use the lens.

[Brian D. Goff]

If someone really wanted this lens they could always use the same technique that the LensBaby's use for their iris. It is a pain, but depends how bad you want to use the lens.

I just got that lens - seems to be something wrong, since it doesn't zoom through without loosing focus. I'm going to take it to a optic-company I know who made some lens for arri a few years ago. I was able to do a simple test and the lens seems to perform well opticly and I think it will cover S35. It is definitely a Zeiss lens, build quality and glass just look like it. Seems to breathe pretty much, but breathing can easly be fixed in post if it's desturbing. It has a strange 3 blade iris, going from T3.3 -22 - close. It's 3.3kg (7.2lbs) - nearly 1/2 the Cooke 20-100 and about just as fast.
Sure hope I get this baby working, it definitely would become my run and shoot lens:)