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zwicko
8-Nov-2017, 08:33
Hi everone, just came acros a previously unknown (at least to me) Docter Wetzlar Tessar in a large Copal 3 shutter.
Does anybody have first hand experiences with that lens? Worth getting one?
Found a few infos on the net but not too much.
Cheers, zwicko

Steven Tribe
8-Nov-2017, 10:55
Plenty under search.

Perhaps best here.

http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?16468-On-Docter-Optics-and-testing-210mm-lenses&highlight=docter

zwicko
8-Nov-2017, 12:13
Thank you Steven.

zwicko
10-Nov-2017, 08:12
Ok, as almost no one seems to have first hand experiences with that lens I just bought it.
Looking forward to comparing it to my Sinaron-S 5.6/210mm.
Only thing I need is a matching lensboard.

http://up.picr.de/30908743ml.jpg

http://up.picr.de/30908744ln.jpg

David Lindquist
10-Nov-2017, 11:52
Perhaps you've seen this already, Arne Croell has done an excellent treatment of the Docter Optic line here: http://www.arnecroell.com/docter.pdf

David

zwicko
10-Nov-2017, 13:20
Thank you David.

Jon Wilson
11-Nov-2017, 19:12
Chris Perez did a great analysis of what this lens can do. He posted a link on this forum in 2006 IIRCC
Great lens. I have one I purchased from Kerry Thalman years ago. Need to use it more.

Jon Wilson
11-Nov-2017, 19:32
Here is the link I was thinking about...
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=6&ved=0ahUKEwj21rqB_LfXAhUr44MKHSLwB2EQFggdMAU&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hevanet.com%2Fcperez%2Ftest%2FGerminar.html&usg=AOvVaw0M4V38gi3SP2LPM_P-1gCp

Jason Greenberg Motamedi
11-Nov-2017, 23:28
They are fine lenses, I used one in the late 90s, and it compared favorably to a 210 f6.3 Xenar. I found it made a fantastic portrait lens for 4x5, a slight bit soft from f4.5 to f5.6 and by f11 it was as sharp as a modern plasmat, like your Sinaron-S. I ended up selling it after moving to 5x7 because I found the corners went soft with moderate movements.

zwicko
13-Nov-2017, 14:35
Thank you, Jon and Jason. Seems like a rare find, my new Tessar. As my lensboard has not arrived yet I didn't have the chance to actually use it...

RJ-
17-Nov-2017, 11:37
Hi Zwicko,

It's a lovely modern Tessar design which was made in small batches. The extra stop makes for its particular interest optically.

I use the 300mm f4.5 single coated Docter Wetzlar designed lens for wholeplate format (covers well with a few mm of movement at infinity)- the 210mm being more appropriate for 5x4" format. There isn't much to separate one Tessar from another optically, but the f4.5 kind of does it. Enjoy working with it!