Zeiss Jena APO Tessar 1200/11 process lens

**surfotog** · 13-Oct-2010, 16:05

I haven't been able to find out much information on this lens. I came across one cheap, and with delusions of making a simple (crude) camera for it, for long lens landscapes, I bought it. Serial # is 7332592, which according to the research I've done, means it was made between 1964-1967. if anyone can confirm this, or give me any other information I'd greatly appreciate it. Don't have it in hand yet, should be here in a few days. Thanks for the help.

**Dan Fromm** · 13-Oct-2010, 16:18

If no one responds to you, send a message to Arne Croell. He has copies of Hartmut Thiele's Zeiss production books, should be able to give you a solid date and probably knows quite a lot about the lens too.

Tell us more about y'r crude long camera. I ask because I have a crude long 2x3 camera that uses a 610/9 Apo Nikkor and think I have a 900/10 Apo-Saphir coming. So will have to redo the crude long camera to work with a longer much heavier lens.

**Dr Klaus Schmitt** · 17-Oct-2010, 13:22

That serial # is missing in the Thiele book ...593 is there, but before there is a gap of 50 lens numbers, most likely the batch your lens is from. But that 593 lens was made June 17, 1969. The lens batch before ending in 542 were made July 2nd, 1969, so I guess these 50 lenses in between incl. yours were made around that date.

**surfotog** · 21-Oct-2010, 18:14

Thank you Dr. Schmitt. The lens arrived from Canada today. It's in very nice shape, and it's HUGE! Glass is coated, and the lens is marked Aus Jena APO-T 1:11 f=1200. From my understanding, this means the lens was produced for export to the west as Aus Jena means from Jena, and Zeiss used abbreviations for the different lens designs. T for Tessar, P for Planar etc. Is this correct?

**Daniel Unkefer** · 22-Oct-2010, 14:20

Surfotog,
I'd be interested to know what you paid for such a big lens, and to know how wide across is the diameter of the lens? My longest lens presently is a 760mm F14 Rodenstock Apo-Ronar.

I found this one :

http://cgi.ebay.com/Zeiss-Apo-Tessar...item51957dbd9e

It seems really very overpriced to me.

Thanks!
-Dan

**sun of sand** · 23-Oct-2010, 18:51

I'd like to see these long cameras
I want to make a bazooka box but havent yet
thats 50inches of box or bellows
i'd think a box would actually be better

don't think much movements would be needed with such a long lens ..maybe swing
dont think convergence would be an issue with such a long lens so if need rise ..just tilt the camera?

**surfotog** · 23-Oct-2010, 19:49

Sun of sand,

To keep things as simple as possible, I'm going to start out with a long rectangular box, probably plywood, to which I'll attach an old Korona 5x7 back. If I like what I get from the lens, I'll look into something a little higher tech :~)

**Dan Fromm** · 24-Oct-2010, 01:48

Sun, long bellows have to be supported. And given the pain and cost of making a proper camera, there are times when a relatively easily-made and inexpensive proof-of-concept prototype is preferable to doing the job bygod right first.