Carl Zeiss Jena 1Q Tessar 3,5 / 105 T. Medium Format Lens Review by Rodion Eshmakov

Material according to Carl Zeiss Jena 1Q Tessar 3,5 / 105 T specially for Radozhiva prepared Rodion Eshmakov (subscribe to Instagram!)

Adapted Tessar 105 / 3.5 with P6-EF adapter.

Adapted Tessar 105 / 3.5 with P6-EF adapter. increase.

The four-lens design of the Carl Zeiss Tessar type is one of the most common standard photographic lenses produced in the XNUMXth century. The inventor of the scheme is the German optician Paul Rudolph, who proposed combining the "halves" of four-lens Unar and Protar lenses (see a short history of the development of the Tessar scheme here).

The first Tessar had an aperture ratio of 1: 6.3, but by 1906 Ernst Wandersleb was able to obtain acceptable image quality at an angle of 30-40 ° and a relative aperture of 1: 3.5. This was largely due to the achievements of Otto Schott in the field of optical glassmaking. After the Nazis came to power in Germany, E. Wandersleb, who was married to a Jew, was replaced by Willy Merte, whose labors achieved Tessar aperture of F / 2.8. Less aperture lenses were also recalculated for new types of glass, which improved their correction.

Correction curves for Tessar lenses of different years of production. The X-axis is the tangent of half the angle of the field of view in the image space, the Y-axis is the value of the lateral deviation from the plane of best focusing. The closer the curve is "pressed" to the horizontal line, the better. Source:

Correction curves for Tessar lenses from different years of production. The X-axis is the tangent of half the angle of the field of view in the image space, the Y-axis is the value of the lateral deviation from the plane of the best focusing. The closer the curve is "pressed" to the horizontal line, the better. Source.

Carl Zeiss Jena Tessar lenses with f / 3.5 aperture have been made for a wide variety of camera formats. Widely known are standard lenses with a focal length of 50 mm (for small format cameras), 75 mm (for dual-lens cameras 6x6 cm), 105 mm (for medium format cameras 6x9 cm). Longer, large format lenses are rare and expensive. Pre-war Tessars had unenlightened optics, anti-reflective coating technology was introduced during World War II, and lenses received their famous red “T” on the title ring.

After the war, standard Carl Zeiss Tessar lenses began to lose ground to the more complex six-element Planar lenses. Some features of the aberration correction of Tessar lenses limited the use of their high-aperture modifications on medium format cameras (pronounced effect of the focal plane shift with aperture), therefore small-format Tessars with a relative aperture of F / 2.8 remained in the ranks (1947 - Carl Zeiss Jena Tessar 50 / 2.8, calculation by G. Zollner) and large format lenses with a relative aperture of F / 4.5.

This article introduces the 105 Carl Zeiss Jena Tessar 3.5 / 1954 (as indicated by the 1Q emblem and lens number). The calculation was carried out in 1936. The lens is intended for cameras with a 6x9 cm format, but in fact, it was especially often used on cameras with a 6x6 format and small format cameras as a telephoto lens: in this case, the central area of ​​the field was used, which is less affected by the field distortions characteristic of these lenses. Source of the above information.

Specifications:

Optical design - 4 lenses in 3 groups, "Tessar";

Optical design of Tessara

Optical design of Tessara

Focal length - 105 mm;
Aperture ratio - 1: 3.5;
Aperture limits - 1: 3.5 - 1:22;
Aperture - 15 blades, no presetting mechanism;
Filters thread - М40.5х0.5 mm;
Features - does not have a focusing mechanism.

Design and adaptation features

I got the lens in the form of a lens unit with a diaphragm without a focusing mechanism. It is likely that he was previously the lens unit of the version for Exakta camera... The Carl Zeiss Tessar 105 / 3.5 is certainly very easy to mount on any small format camera due to its large rear focal length, but I chose to adapt the MC Volna-3 lens barrel with the Pentacon Six mount to maintain the medium format lens.

View of the adapted lens with adapters P6-M42

View of the adapted lens with adapters P6-M42. Modified, See here... М42 / EOS, UV filter.

The large flange distance of the P6 system forces the use of long adapters when using the lens with small format cameras. So, the bundle of adapters P6-M42 + M42-EF + EF-NEX is much longer than the lens itself in length.

The dimensions of the P6-M42 adapter are comparable to the dimensions of the lens itself.

The dimensions of the P6-M42 adapter are comparable to the dimensions of the lens itself.

Due to the lack of a built-in hood, the Tessar 105 / 3.5 is not much inferior in compactness to the Tessar 80 / 2.8 (1949, Exakta M60 mount), for example.

Adapted to M42 lenses Carl Zeiss Tessar 75 / 2.8 (1938, left), Tessar 80 / 2.8 (1949, middle) and Tessar 105/3/5 with P6 mount (right).

Adapted to M42 lenses Carl Zeiss Tessar 75 / 2.8 (1938, left), Tessar 80 / 2.8 (1949, middle) and Tessar 105/3/5 with P6 mount (right).

Helicoid Volny-3 provides a minimum focusing distance of about 0.8 m. The lens unit does not rotate during focusing - it is possible to use 40.5 mm polarizing filters.

View of the lens with adapters P6-M42 + M42 / EOS when focusing at infinity.

View of the lens with adapters P6-M42 + M42 / EOS when focusing at infinity.

View of the lens with adapters P6-M42 + M42 / EOS when focusing on the MDF.

View of the lens with adapters P6-M42 + M42 / EOS when focusing on the MDF.

The lens aperture was controlled on the nose part and is carried out by rotating the lens unit in the focuser. To facilitate the adjustment, a frame from the M40.5x0.5 light filter with a mark has been added.

105-blade diaphragm Tessar 3.5 / XNUMX. Front lens view.

105-blade diaphragm Tessar 3.5 / XNUMX. Front lens view.

The lens aperture has as many as 15 blades. Unfortunately, they do not have matte blackening - this leads to a deterioration in the contrast of the image when aperture is taken.

105-blade diaphragm Tessar 3.5 / 6. View from the PXNUMX mount.

105-blade diaphragm Tessar 3.5 / 6. View from the PXNUMX mount.

The optics has a single-layer antireflection coating of blue shades (“blue optics”), which is characteristic of the 40-50s. The lens turns slightly yellow in the light.

The applied antireflection coating reflects the rays of the short wavelength region of the spectrum.

The applied antireflection coating reflects the rays of the short wavelength region of the spectrum.

The lenses contain a certain amount of small bubbles, which is a typical defect in glassmaking of those years: some types of glass are rather viscous in the melt and are difficult to clarify without the use of specially selected reagents or advanced equipment (vacuum furnaces).

Carl Zeiss Tessar 105 / 3.5 T in terms of its characteristics is an analogue of Industar-24 (overview of the variant for small format cameras). The design of the medium-format version of the I-24 (for 6x9 cameras Moscow-5) is more primitive and uses focusing due to the movement of the front lens, it also has a more modest aperture. The small-format version (Industar-24M) is of better quality. The main difference between the Tessar 105 / 3.5 T and the Industar-24M is when it comes to image quality.

Optical properties

Largely because of the desire to compare the Soviet Industar-24 with the German original, the Tessar 105 / 3.5 T.

Tessar with an open aperture forms a fairly sharp image over the entire field of the 36x24 mm frame. There is no desire to aperture the lens - only to increase the depth of field if necessary. Unlike the I-24, the Tessar has much better fixed chromatic aberration and the magnitude of the residual spherical aberration is less, its profile is more pleasant - the Zeiss lens is of much better quality.

The contrast of the image is good in normal lighting, but it sags a lot in the backlight. The main problem is re-reflections in the lens space when used on a small format camera. The diaphragm installed in my P6-M42 adapter helps to combat them, slightly covered in the light cutoff mode without introducing vignetting. Contrast can be degraded when using a shiny aperture lens - fogging appears at a certain angle of incidence of light. A lens hood can be an effective solution.

The color rendering of the Tessar 105 / 3.5 does not present any surprises.

Artistically, the Tessar 105 / 3.5 attracts with a good balance between sharpness and softness (ie we are dealing with a "good" frequency-contrast characteristic), pleasant bokeh characteristic of high-quality Tessars.
Due to the large reserve of the image field, the lens can be used with speed boosters and shift adapters on modern cameras. I used the Tessar 105 / 3.5 on a full-frame Sony A7s (12 Mp 36x24) with a shift adapter, thus getting 36x45 or 72 * 24 (20+ Mp) frames. Some shots were taken with a z-lens aperture in vignetting mode.

Conclusions

Old Tessar won't spoil the photo. True, it should still be a really good Carl Zeiss Tessar 105 / 3.5 T - a lens that today, almost 70 years later, offers a pleasant and high-quality picture.

You will find more reviews from readers of Radozhiva here... All Rodion reviews in one place here.

Add a comment: Rodion

 

 

Comments: 9, on the topic: Carl Zeiss Jena 1Q Tessar 3,5 / 105 T. Medium format lens review by Rodion Eshmakov

  • Oleg

    A bit dark for our time

    • Rodion

      You can put it through a speed booster, not a shift adapter - and there will already be a quite fast lens a la 75 / 2.5.

    • Trueash

      And what is it about “our time” compared to not ours? Has the light become dimmer? Or did the depth of field inflate more?

      • Rodion

        In our time, whales from F / 5.6 to 105 mm are gone)

      • Zoleg

        I mean 2.0 on portrait lenses

        • Rodion

          If you ask in essence, then why F / 2 with such a DF? This lens has about the same depth of field as a 50 / 1.7 lens - more than enough for bokeh and shot games. The lens is excellent - you don't need to close or “open” it.

          • Zoleg

            And why create a 100 / 1.4 full-length half-length portrait. 50 / 1.2, 85 / 1.4 at Nikon 100 / 1.4. But so yes, it's okay for an old man

  • Maksim

    Lens Rodenstock Trinar-Anastigmat 1: 4,5 / 10,5 cm + Nikon D90

  • Zoleg

    In general, for a lens designed in 1936 and released in 54, it's oh so good, it's not for nothing that the Tessars called the eagle eye

Add a comment

Copyright © Radojuva.com. Blog author - Photographer in Kiev Arkady Shapoval. 2009-2023

Russian-version of this article https://radojuva.com/en/2021/07/carl-zeiss-jena-1q-tessar-3-5-105-t/?replytocom=472733

Versión en español de este artículo https://radojuva.com/es/2021/07/carl-zeiss-jena-1q-tessar-3-5-105-t/?replytocom=472733