Zeiss 75mm f4.5 Biogon specs.

[Todd Young]

Any idea where I may find info on the Zeiss 75mm - f4.5 Biogon, in terms of cove rage and light fall off etc....? How do the compare to the Shcneider Super Angul ons etc....? Would this lens work well with 4x5 format? There is no mention of t his particular lens in the Zeiss web site. Thanks, T. Young

[Bob Salomon]

The 75 Biogon covered 170mm. a 75mm 4.5 Grandagon N covers 195mm and the 6.8 covers 187mm

[Masayoshi Hayashi]

The Zeiss lens you're talking about sometimes shows up on Ebay and is auctioned about $1600 up. In one of the ads I have seen, the seller wrote the lens weighs 4lb! Also from the picture, the lens is very massive and sticks out much like a Tele Nikkor lens. Not definetly for field use. There are pdf files available for Biogon 21mm (http://www.zeiss.de/de/photo/home_e.nsf/3187a822cd4605b7c1256709 00704e24/888ce5d3be9ff880c12567a80044eed7/ $FILE/Biogon+2,8_21_e.pdf) and 28mm (http://www.zeiss.de/de/photo/home_e.nsf/3187a822cd4605b7c1256709 00704e24/215947764996a260c12567a80044ed9b/ $FILE/Biogon_2_8_28_e.pdf) for Contax G mounts.

[Mike Christ]

On the 75mm f4.5 Zeiss Biogon Lens... I have two, and I wouldn't part with them for all the tea in China! Why, you ask.....Well, the reasons are many, and I will take the time to list them. The lens is FAST compared to other lenses in it's category. f4.5 is very handy when doing dimly lit interiors without the use of strobes. Most other lenses in this range are 5.6 and f8.0. BUT, the most desirable quality about this lens is that it DOES NOT require a "center filter." The light transmitted across the entire area of the film is the same top to bottom and sided to side. This is a fantastic advantage especially when shooting outside scenics and architecturals. The center filter can cost you as much as two f stops in the speed department. It can also cost you an arm and a leg in the wallet department. I had one that cost me over 400.00 for the 65mm Schneider. I sold both the lens and the filter and got my second 75mm. When it comes to sharpness, it is unsurpassed. Contrast is wonderful too. I have the one with the "Linhof" chrome band.....No different than the "surplus" lens in optical quality. The only problem with the lens is that you won't be mounting it on any flimsy "field" cameras. It is quite heavy. Close to 7 pounds. This lens far surpasses any other WA lens I have ever owned. If you can grab one on eBay or wherever in a barrel mount for 5-600.00 or less, and have S.K. Grimes mount it in a Copal shutter, you have done yourself the favor of a lifetime. It is truly a wonderful piece of glass... Mike Christ - 11-14-01 Lost Wages

[Mike McMullen]

No activity here in a long while - wondering what a good Zeiss 75mm Biogon is worth today, and whether a 1950's version is less desirable than a more recently made lens for the money. I can cope with the weight and limited movement, my question is whether the sharpness and even light dispersion are significantly superior to the other LF WA lenses out there - and worth the $2,500 and up prices I'm seeing, if you can find them at all?

[E. von Hoegh]

No activity here in a long while - wondering what a good Zeiss 75mm Biogon is worth today, and whether a 1950's version is less desirable than a more recently made lens for the money. I can cope with the weight and limited movement, my question is whether the sharpness and even light dispersion are significantly superior to the other LF WA lenses out there - and worth the $2,500 and up prices I'm seeing, if you can find them at all?

How much is the Zeiss name worth to you? I believe that at least one or two 75mm lenses from other manufacturers use the Biogon design.

[Neal Chaves]

I had one that I purchased with a Technika IV outfit and used for about a year. It is so big and sticks out so far that the bed on the Technika does not have to be dropped to use it. It was sharp and had even illumination but just covered 4X5. On a Technika, lens speed is not a big factor because you have a coupled rangefinder and optical viewfinder. I sold it and bought a 75mm f8, which I found more useful. Even the experts at that time were saying that the 75mm f4.5 Grandagon was just as good, and a lot less money. Some Biogons have a custom, almost impossible to repair Compur shutter from which the front lens element frequently cannot be removed. Stay way away from those!