p.1 #1 · The most impressive Triplet lenses you've encountered
I'm very interested in old lenses and I've been thinking a lot about Triplet lenses recently... and while today they're perhaps mostly known for being basic or budget lenses, they've apparently been among the most expensive lenses when they first were released, very challenging to manufacture in good quality and advertised as superior in many aspects. And I've seen some incredible results taken with very old Triplets on large format cameras which makes me believe it wasn't just marketing...
So I've been wondering: Are there some Triplet (3/3) lenses out there which you still hold in high regards?
I've heard the Elmar 90 mm f/4 mentioned several times, when I've asked a similar question before... the Tair 3 has also been mentioned, the Takumar 105 mm f/2.8. The Carl Zeiss Triotar series was also brought up several times in different places, where I've looked into the matter. The Nikkor-T 10.5 cm f/4 got its own page by Nikon at its Thousand and One Nights series. Corfield made a Triplet lens labeled "Apo" for whatever that means... There are slightly longer lenses by Minolta, Asahi and Topcon. Of course almost any lens maker with a significant history has created its own attempt at a "Cooke lens". And of course everyone knows the Trioplan (though mainly for its bubble bokeh... even though its history is certainly more than that).
So I'm curious to know some of the Triplet lenses you've encountered and which have impressed you. I'll share some of the ones I have some experience with as well, even though I'm afraid, they won't be the most well-known ones.
p.1 #2 · The most impressive Triplet lenses you've encountered
The only triplet lens which I own to my limited knowledge is the mentioned Leitz 90/4.0 Elmar lens which I own as collapsible version. Mine is in nearly mint condition and works very well even on my digital M cameras. I admit that I googled the definition how triplet lenses are defined, and I found a good discussion thread on a different manual lens focused site which describes it and deviations from it. I assume you specifically refer to three single lens based lens arrays only? Or do you consider triplet lenses also when in one of the three lens groups have additional lenses attached to it?
p.1 #3 · The most impressive Triplet lenses you've encountered
retrofocus wrote:
The only triplet lens which I own to my limited knowledge is the mentioned Leitz 90/4.0 Elmar lens which I own as collapsible version.
That 90mm is 4 elements. I own the collapsible, the rigid with same 4-element formula, and the late-era 3-element circa 1961 which was only rigid.
p.1 #5 · The most impressive Triplet lenses you've encountered
rico wrote:
That 90mm is 4 elements. I own the collapsible, the rigid with same 4-element formula, and the late-era 3-element circa 1961 which was only rigid.
Thanks for correcting - then it seems I don't even have one at all !
p.1 #6 · The most impressive Triplet lenses you've encountered
retrofocus wrote:
I assume you specifically refer to three single lens based lens arrays only? Or do you consider triplet lenses also when in one of the three lens groups have additional lenses attached to it?
Thanks for making sure!
Yes, exactly! I'm referring to the so-called "Taylor-Triplet" from 1893 with 3 elements in 3 groups (there were more variants in the initial patent, but this one had the most impact).
Lenses with more than 3 elements which were based on the Triplet are sometimes called "Triplet derivatives" which I find a good distinction, even though I'm aware that lenses with more than 3 elements were called Triplets as well in the earlier days of photography.
p.1 #7 · The most impressive Triplet lenses you've encountered
fjablo wrote:
Neither of them is a triplet. The Takumar 100mm f3.5 is a triplet.
Thanks a lot for the clarification! Since I don't own any of these lenses, I didn't know. The person mentioning the Takumar could have been wrong on the version. The Tair-3 seems to be a 3 elements in 3 groups design, though it doesn't fully resemble a Taylor Triplet. I have no idea how that design is called though. Do you perhaps know?
Thanks. Yes, of course I'm aware of the Trioplan and its remakes, as I've mentioned. I don't think they're uninteresting lenses, but far from the only relevant Triplets in my opinion.
p.1 #8 · The most impressive Triplet lenses you've encountered
The only triplet I've spent a significant amount of time with is the Zeiss-Opton Triotar 85/4. It didn't blow me away with resolution, but my copy, at least, was pleasingly soft (good with the big definition, not much for details) regardless of aperture setting. I only used the post-war, coated version.
!