MORE INFO

For the Zeiss Jena collection of lenses, Iron Glass chose some of the most legendary Zeiss still photo lenses from the 2nd half of the 20th century. Many of these lenses have a cult following in the still photo world, are in that eclectic “if you know, you know” category of lenses, that don’t get all the attention of some more exotic lenses, but they truly deliver with exceptional performance, and the right amount of character.

The Zeiss Jena primes are quite sharp, even wide open, are neutral in color, and medium contrast, with subtly textured bokeh. They are truly made to shoot wide open. Their coatings are saturated amber and purple, and the results are lens flares that are controlled but with lovely character. Although “MC” stands for Multi-Coated, these coatings are nothing like the well know Zeiss T* coatings. They have virtually no chromatic aberration.

Iron Glass’ housings are very high quality. Focus and iris are buttery smooth. Focus rotation has been expanded to a generous 300 degrees, and close focus has been improved dramatically, including an impressive 8” close focus on the 35mm. They all are compact, lightweight, and have matching 110mm fronts, and matching gear positions across the set. These are compatible with film cameras, and they are sharp enough to get excellent results on film.

Iron glass will do a few different versions of quite a few of these focal lengths. We chose these for a reason. For example there is a 50mm f1.4, but it is not nearly as beautiful as the 50mm f1.8 Pancolar, which not only is sharper, and has more beautiful flare character, but it also matches the rest of the set much better. You can always trust that Old Fast Glass will do the research, and always choose the best donor glass for every rehoused lens set.