philip_pj Offline Upload & Sell: On
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On p114 of 'Fabrikationsbuch Photooptik III by Carl Zeiss Oberkochen' - which fell open at that exact page just now - is the entry:
'Objectiv Distagon - 1:x 1.4 - f= 25 - Rechng (blank) - Menge (x?) - Nr. von 2.595.321 - Nr. bis (blank) - Jahr (blank) - ]other columns] - Benerkungen Versuch'
For English speakers, 'versuch' translates generally as 'attempt, trial, experiment' - no doubt this is an entry for the prototype lens.
One of the images over at mflenses shows the 25/1.4 to have serial number 2595052. So it appears likely more of them were made...
There is a similar entry for the 18mm a few lines down.
Relatively small numbers of the less desirable; expensive; or special purpose CY lenses were manufactured; only 6,867 21/2.8 Distagons for example, and 7070 of the 100/3.5 Sonnar, for example. How many are still in use, I sometimes wonder - 16-19 years on.
The last 4,000 of the 21mm Distagon were stated as being 'von Japan' in the Remarks column. Mine is from 1994 with no indication of the country of manufacture in the Remarks column.
I am not sure what the fellow should do, but if it found its way into my hands, it would carry on making fine images in the Zeiss tradition. I would lend it to CZ and ask them to do a feature on it with lots of samples of images from it so others could also enjoy it.
Agree, Wayne (of course I do).
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