Meyer Gorlitz Weitwinkel Aristostigmat 100mm F6.3 ???

[koh303]

Anyeone know anything about this lens?
I am guessing is a folding camera lens, but could not find any info on it. It appears to be a later production lens, by the type of shutter.
Will it cover more then 9X12?

Attachment 134122

[Dan Fromm]

koh303, the lens is a 4/4 double Gauss wide angle lens for 4x5. According to http://www.cameraeccentric.com/html/info/meyer_5.html it covers 90 degrees. Coated lens, by the s/n probably made around 1950. Not at all for a folder.

[Peter Yeti]

As Dan already wrote, it is a double Gauss originally patented in 1900 by Meyer Görlitz, a highly appraised competitor of Zeiss and Goertz at the time. It's composed entirely of meniscus lenses which reduces internal stray light. The wide angle version supposedly was the best wide angle before the angulon or biogon. I can't tell whether or not yours is coated. I have a 6.3/120 in barrel that is coated but has a much higher serial number. It is an excellent lens with an image angle up to 100° when stopped down. The 6.3/100 is meant for 9x12cm or 4x5" but could cover 13x18/5x7 with very little movements.

Since the shutter seems to be a synchro-Compur it should be produced after 1951 when Meyer Görlitz already was a state-owned company in then Eastern Germany (VEB Optisch-Feinmechanische Werke Görlitz). From then on, Meyer was forced by the state to produce mainly mediocre consumer optics but your Aristostigmat is a very high-quality professional lens. It would have been meant for a professional Mentor or Globica camera, or for export to the western hemisphere.

Peter

[Dan Fromm]

Peter, VEB Goerlitz continued to make Weitwinkel Aristostigmats until at least the late 1950s. I recently sold a 100/6.3 in barrel whose s/n dates from around 1959.

[Peter Yeti]

Dan, do you have a list of serial numbers? Would be interesting to have and right now I can't remember if there was a list somewhere on the internet or where. In principle Meyer produced till around 1990/1991 and then was closed down. Someone bought the trademark and started producing lenses under this name again last year. Has little to do with the original company, I guess, just like Rollei.

I don't know how long they made the Weitwinkel-Aristostigmat. My 6.3/120 has a serial number in the 2 millions, looks pristine and could be easily from the 70s or so. Unfortunately, the socialist "Planwirtschaft" condemned them to produce mainly the cheap consumer lenses like the Trioplan because VEB Zeiss Jena was assigned to produce the more expensive professional optics. So, the later Aristostigmats certainly were a minor side product for professionals, maybe because Zeiss didn't have anything comparable in the portfolio.

Peter

[koh303]

it is indeed coated.
Thanks for all the info Peter and Dan.

[Dan Fromm]

Peter, the 3d edition of P-H Pont's little book Les Chiffres Cles has a Meyer chronology. I think you can get the book from FNAC. I got my copy from a different seller in France who doesn't seem to be around anymore.

Pont puts 2,000,000 in the late '50s, perhaps 1959. My 100/6.3 was 2144309.

[David Lindquist]

See Arne Croell's excellent piece on Meyer Gorlitz large format lenses here: http://www.arnecroell.com/eastern-bloc-new.pdf

He comments that coated lenses were marked with a red "vee" (as seen above), though the earliest of their coated lenses may not have been so marked and this practice was later dropped.

David

[andemening]

Dan, do you have year of manufacture for a Meyer-Görlitz Anastigmat Trioplan 15cm f3.5, serial 420xxx. It's in a Compur dial-set shutter with weird apertures markings: 3.5 4.5 6.3 9 12.5 18 25. The apertures 18 25 are in a little bit different engraving but the lens does go to f25. Purchased on eBay from Finland (I'm in Sweden).

I would love to get some more information about this lens. The lens is not marken with "Portrait". My guess is that it came from a Welta 9x12cm, such as this one http://forum.mflenses.com/welta-9x12...-5-t19097.html

It's in pristine condition and is lovely on my 4x5. Does not seem to be coated. All these things considered, it is not in Arne Croell's piece (imho).
Sorry for highjacking the thread. I just thought the subject touched my mystery lens.

Andreas

[Dan Fromm]

serial 420xxx? Pont puts it in 1933.

I'm not sure there's much to know about the Trioplan. Some posters on mflenses like them.