Leica 5cm F1.5 Carl Zeiss Jena Sonnar, converted to Leica Mount | Location: USA | Ships: Worldwide

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Brian

Product of the Fifties
Buy & Sell Listing - Want to Sell
Selling
5cm F1.5 Carl Zeiss Jena Sonnar, converted to Leica Mount

Prices
$430 within US, $460 International

Location
USA

Ships to
Worldwide

Description
For sale is a 1937 Carl Zeiss Jena Sonnar 5cm F1.5 (uncoated optics) custom converted to Leica Thread Mount using a Jupiter-3 focus mount. Glass is near perfect, nice bloom on the front and rear surfaces, some bubbles, normal for this vintage. Optimized for wide-open and close-up use, tested on the M Monochrom. It focuses best at infinity stopped down to F2, out to ~100ft wide-open at F1.5. I built this one using an Uncoated pre-war optic from a Contax mount lens and a 1973 ZOMZ chrome focus mount. Focus is well-damped and very smooth, I replaced one of the guide pins of the focus mount with a larger one- which eliminated a light play in the focus. I disassembled, cleaned, and relubed the focus mount and the optics module. Took out the front element and rear triplet, and cleaned all of the optical surfaces. I flood cleaned the aperture blades from the rear, got most of the oil off the blades, removed the old grease under the aperture ring and used a dab of vacuum pump grease to dampen the movement. The retaining ring of the middle triplet was in tight, and what little oil on the blades is not worth the risk of damage.

Cosmetically the aluminum mount is in 8.5/10 condition, marks in the aluminum as shown. Plastic front and rear caps included.

Price: $430 shipped within the United States Priority Mail, $460 anywhere else via International Priority Mail. Paypal, Personal Check, Money Order ($15 discount for Check/MO/Paypal Gift). I reserve the right to hold shipment until check/MO clears. Return policy: returns must be made within 10 days, refund for the price of the item will be given after receipt. Postage cost are not refundable.

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Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)


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All Photographs taken with a Walz Orange filter, on the M Monochrom.

F1.5, Closest Focus.

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At F4,

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Distance at F1.5,

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F4:

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F1.5 Fence Slat test,

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Bokeh Shot- F1.5,

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Flare Test, wide-open.

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More here, all full-sized images uploaded to Flickr.

[url]https://www.flickr.com/photos/90768661@N02/sets/72157648676346617/


Payment accepted
  • Regular PayPal (fee included in price)
  • Personal check
  • Personal/Gift PayPal (violates PayPal policy and no buyer protection)
  • Cashier's check/money order (no buyer protection)
Shipping method
USPS Priority

Shipping charge
-

Handling time
-

References
-

Additional comments
  • Open to trade offers
Acknowledgement
  • I have read and agree to the Buy and Sell rules.
 
Oh Brian, how I have missed that fencepost! (I only just discovered LeicaPlace)

BTW, I now have one of your conversions that's almost identical to this (came to me from Cathy Flood) - lovely lens and great performance on my MM.
 
Welcome to Leicaplace! I remember Cindy's Sonnar, she posted a number of shots with it on Getdpi.

Be sure to post some of your pictures here. I've been using my M Monochrom to set the shims on J-3's and Sonnar conversion for the last year. I usually put an Orange filter on the Sonnars.
 
Brian - yes, of course "Cindy" - I have a dreadful memory for names (never forget a face though). She was very complimentary about the performance of your conversion.

I'm hoping the lens will be an acceptable replacement for my genuine 1943 ltm version which I sold to raise cash for the M9-P. It now lives in Shanghai and has sent me some wondeful portraits from there just to convince me I should never have sold it. Such is life.......

I have a light yellow filter that I like to use, must try an orange - I have had good resluts on an uncoated Summar with an orange on the MM.
 
Let me know how it comes out, I have an original 1943 Sonnar. The J-3 focus mount is superior, less likely to pick up wobble. I have one wartime 1945 Sonnar that I had to make a lining for the mount for the RF cam to move through- wobble was that bad.
 
From memory my lens was 3 off your serial # and had a good mount, if a little dirty, no matter, it is gone now.

I will post anything worth looking at in one of the other threads.
 
I started using Silver Polish on the Aluminum, then a tooth brush in the knurling. Then into an ultrasonic cleaner with some detergent in it. I've done about 40 Sonnar conversions now. It's getting very hard to find Contax Mount Sonnars in good condition, and mechanically good J-3's at a reasonable price. The latter is a real gamble these days, I've had a couple that were just good for parts. I have one "hybrid J-3 Sonnar" that has a mount, helical, and focus ring all from different lenses.
 
It's getting very hard to find Contax Mount Sonnars in good condition, and mechanically good J-3's at a reasonable price. The latter is a real gamble these days, I've had a couple that were just good for parts. I have one "hybrid J-3 Sonnar" that has a mount, helical, and focus ring all from different lenses.

Tell me about it! I have done a couple of them but find the Sonnars really hard to find now. I was looking for a f2 example recently and horrified to find that a good one of those is now virtually as expensive as the f1.5 - it must be all those "digital" photographers :rolleyes:
 
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