Description
This is a post-war, multi-coated, Carl Zeiss Jena 75mm f/1.5 Biotar which has been uniquely converted to Leica M mount with full RF coupling.
Mechanics:
Using a variety of precision CNC machines, lathes and other specialized equipment, we’ve managed to convert the post-war 75mm Biotar lens into a Leica M bayonet custom body which has RF coupling and 6-bit coding. The lens is able to focus from Infinity to 0.65m MFD using the Leica camera’s rangefinder system. This is a one-off creation, and has various uniquely made parts such as a partly new optical block, helicoid system and aperture control. The lens’s existing mechanics were all ultrasonically cleaned during the conversion. Mechanics are near mint/ as new on the new parts we created.
Optics:
The optical elements were all cleaned during the conversion. The optical formula was also re-centered and collimated for maximum sharpness wide open. Optically, the lens elements are in excellent condition for their age. There are some minor coating marks on the rear element of the lens, but these don’t affect the image quality at all. The front element is near mint/ very pristine. There is some occasional dust inside the lens (very minor) that could not be completely removed during service. The lens has no haze, no fungus. One internal element to its very far edge, has a small start of separation, which was seen when the lens was dismantled, but can’t be photographed properly now that the lens is assembled. Again, it does not affect the image quality, its being noted for full transparency purposes. Its possibly one of the best condition optical specimens one can find of this 70 year old lens, and one o the best ones we’ve had here in-house.
Sample Images:
Most of the sample images were taken wide open at f/1.5 on a Leica M11 and Leica M9 camera. On certain images like landscape shots were all the image is very sharp corner to corner, the aperture would have been between f/5.6 and f/8.
Lens comes with a front Carl Zeiss Jena cap, rear M cap, and a complimentary 58mm Marumi filter.
Shipping time within one week of payment, item undergoes a pre-departure inspection in preparation for shipment.