Carl Zeiss Tessar 150mm f4.5

[Ari]

Anyone here have any opinions on this lens in terms of sharpness, contrast, out-of-focus areas, etc?
I shoot portraits, 99% b&w.
Thanks in advance.

[IanG]

I have one that I bought off this Forum about 2 years ago, mine is T-coated, manufactured early 1950's.

It's an excellent lens very sharp at f16/f22, also good contrast on a par with my Symmar's and Sironar's. Out of focus areas are smooth, Tessar's tend to be softer at the edges & corners wider than f16, so a great lens for portraits at f5.6/f8.

The uncoated versions tend to be less contrasty, slight lack of micro-contrast but that might be advantageous for portraits.

Ian

[Ari]

Much appreciated, Ian.

[Ken Lee]

You might want something longer for portraits, from 180 to 300. They are all available in Tessars. The longer the lens, the more the blur, all things being equal.

[Ari]

Thanks, Ken;
I already use 210s or 240s for most of my work.
The 150 is for a homemade camera that will accept only lenses in the 90-150mm range.