Odd Old Carl Zeiss Jena Goerz-Dagor 15cm f/9 lens

[picomp314]

Hi,

I am new the community and a complete novice with LF photography. I just bought my first camera (Calumet CC-400) and it came with two lenses a Carl Zeiss Jena Tessar 210mm f/6.3 and a more unusual lens, a Carl Zeiss Jena Goerz-Dagor 15cm f/9 lens. This Goerz-Dagor appears to be significantly older than the 210 Tessar.

I am interested in learning more about this CZJ Goerz-Dagor, I have had some difficulty in finding any other examples of this lens through my googling. Here is a picture:

http://i.imgur.com/hcVgdAH.jpg

I am interested in learning more about this lens.

Thanks,
John

[Dan Fromm]

Look here http://www.cameraeccentric.com/html/info/zeiss_3.html, pages 5, 14, and 28. Uncommon and somewhat valuable lens, especially if in shutter. They claim it covers 100 degrees.

There are always a few f/9 CZJ Goerz Dagors on offer on eBay, all at ridiculous Buy it now prices. I have no idea how many of them sell for anything like the asking price. Asking is cheap.

I have a 45/9 CZJ Goerz-Dagor. It just barely covers 2 1/4 x 3 1/4. Not a bad lens, but on the whole I prefer my 47/5.6 Super Angulon.

[Liquid Artist]

Welcome to the world of Large Format John,

I have the same camera, along with a Graflex. Unless I want to pull out my 90mm which is a little too wide to work with my Calumet, (unless you use a recessed lens board) it's pretty much the only camera I use these days.

[picomp314]

Thank you Dan for the information, that is by far the best resource I have seen so far. There are several 10cm CZJ Goerz-Dagors on ebay, but nothing in 15cm currently.

[E. von Hoegh]

Hi,

I am new the community and a complete novice with LF photography. I just bought my first camera (Calumet CC-400) and it came with two lenses a Carl Zeiss Jena Tessar 210mm f/6.3 and a more unusual lens, a Carl Zeiss Jena Goerz-Dagor 15cm f/9 lens. This Goerz-Dagor appears to be significantly older than the 210 Tessar.

I am interested in learning more about this CZJ Goerz-Dagor, I have had some difficulty in finding any other examples of this lens through my googling. Here is a picture:

http://i.imgur.com/hcVgdAH.jpg

I am interested in learning more about this lens.

Thanks,
John

Carl Zeiss Jena acquired C.P. Goerz Berlin in 1926, along with several other optical and camera firms around the same time forming Zeiss-Ikon. The popularity of the Dagor type was such that they continued making it in the standard (70 deg.) and wide angle (100 deg.) versions up to around the beginning of WWII.

On 4x5 you could use extreme movements with this lens. Be sure to double check focus at working aperture due to focus shift. Nice find! That Tessar is a great lens, too, and a very good focal length for a first lens.

[David Lindquist]

From Harmut Thiele's epic work Fabrikationsbuch Photooptik II Carl Zeiss Jena, your lens was the first of a batch of 20 15 cm f/9 Dagors. Production of this batch started on September 13, 1937. My thanks to Arne Croell for his past help in translating for me some of Thiele's terminology. I agree, this is a nice find.
David

[jesse]

The f9 wide angle Dagor is very rare, I like it's compact size. Now I have 10cm, 12.5cm, 15cm, 18cm, 21cm and 24cm.

[Jim Galli]

Lucky you! A 100 degree 150mm should just cover 8X10 although design intent was probably for "full plate" 6.5X8.5 inch which is why they may never have sold many. Still in use in Europe but already obsolete in America by 1937. That's a beauty.

[jesse]

Lucky you! A 100 degree 150mm should just cover 8X10 although design intent was probably for "full plate" 6.5X8.5 inch which is why they may never have sold many. Still in use in Europe but already obsolete in America by 1937. That's a beauty.

This 8x10 photo is by 150/9 Carl Zeiss Dagor.

[beegee]

the Zeiss Dagor 150mm f9 that you have is the later type of C.P. Goerz Berlin Weitwinkel Dagor f9. barrel cosmetics were changed when Zeiss took over Goerz. when Zeiss made them they did not engrave the word "weitwinkel" anymore ( weitwinkel>wideangle in German), but glass design was the same , even though the orginal Goerz Weitwinkel Dagors covered slightly more than Zeiss Dagors f9.