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Author Topic: Carl Zeiss Jena Biotar 1.4/50mm on Canon or Nikon?  (Read 3786 times)

haring

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Carl Zeiss Jena Biotar 1.4/50mm on Canon or Nikon?
« on: December 20, 2017, 01:58:54 pm »

Is it possible to mount a Carl Zeiss Jena Biotar 1.4/50mm lens on a Canon or Nikon DSLR? If yes, which adapter do you recommend?
Thanks!

Telecaster

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Re: Carl Zeiss Jena Biotar 1.4/50mm on Canon or Nikon?
« Reply #1 on: December 20, 2017, 02:56:31 pm »

I doubt it. I've seen 'em converted for Leica M but never for an SLR. The register (distance from lens mount to image plane) needed is probably too short for any camera with a "flipping mirror."

-Dave-
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mbaginy

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Re: Carl Zeiss Jena Biotar 1.4/50mm on Canon or Nikon?
« Reply #2 on: December 20, 2017, 03:27:35 pm »

Take a look at this: link
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Telecaster

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Re: Carl Zeiss Jena Biotar 1.4/50mm on Canon or Nikon?
« Reply #3 on: December 20, 2017, 04:30:22 pm »

Mike, the particular Biotar in question is a cine lens, made for the 16mm format though apparently 35mm-compatible too. I've seen 'em on eBay, sometimes converted to M mount. I have one of the Zeiss 58/2 Biotars in M42 screwmount and a friend has a 75/1.5. These are both SLR lenses and can be adapted to various modern cameras.

-Dave-
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mbaginy

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Re: Carl Zeiss Jena Biotar 1.4/50mm on Canon or Nikon?
« Reply #4 on: December 21, 2017, 01:06:21 am »

Dave, thanks for the clarification.  I simply threw the description into google and was presented with images of the site to which I posted.

I've always been amazed at the number of lens versions Zeiss (of East and West Germany) produced back in the day.
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Telecaster

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Re: Carl Zeiss Jena Biotar 1.4/50mm on Canon or Nikon?
« Reply #5 on: December 21, 2017, 03:44:49 pm »

Yep, lotsa lenses and sometimes confusing terminology too. A Biotar is a slightly asymmetrical variant of the original Planar (Double Gauss) design. Post-WWII West German Zeiss (Stuttgart) dropped the term and just used Planar in a more general sense. But East German Zeiss (Jena) kept on using Biotar. You'll see Flektogon lenses from Zeiss Jena too. W. German Zeiss used the term Distagon instead. Both specify a retrofocal wide angle design.

-Dave-
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haring

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Re: Carl Zeiss Jena Biotar 1.4/50mm on Canon or Nikon?
« Reply #6 on: January 16, 2018, 06:54:13 pm »

Mike, the particular Biotar in question is a cine lens, made for the 16mm format though apparently 35mm-compatible too. I've seen 'em on eBay, sometimes converted to M mount. I have one of the Zeiss 58/2 Biotars in M42 screwmount and a friend has a 75/1.5. These are both SLR lenses and can be adapted to various modern cameras.

-Dave-

Did you see them on Canon or Nikon SLRs?

Telecaster

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Re: Carl Zeiss Jena Biotar 1.4/50mm on Canon or Nikon?
« Reply #7 on: January 17, 2018, 12:12:07 am »

Did you see them on Canon or Nikon SLRs?

Back in 2005 I used my 58mm Biotar on a Canon 20D with an aftermarket split-image focusing screen. Worked real well. M42 lenses can't focus to infinity on a Nikon SLR, though…the Nikon's register is too long.

-Dave-
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