If you know anything about Prince Edward Island, it is winters here can be cold and long. So it was a real treat to have temperatures between 12C and 14C on November 27th. I donned a few layers and went for a ride on my Harley-Davidson Ultra-Limited along PEI’s north shore. It was also a good excuse to try out a vintage lens I recently bought on Ebay. I like shooting through old lenses mounted to my Sony A7III, the lack of autofocus and automated aperture causes one to slow down. One has to carefully focus the lens by hand and then set the aperture. It takes time and patience to get a decent image and it reminds me of the joy I used to experience shooting film. I also like the personalities of these old lenses, they have a particular character when it comes to colour, rendering, contrast and sharpness. Moreover, many of these lenses are dirt cheap, I paid $72 CAD for this one in near mint condition.
Carl Zeiss Jena Tessar 50mm f/2.8 – A Cold War Lens
In the world of photography Carl Zeiss lenses are some of the best ever made and often cost a small fortune. Zeiss was founded in Jena, Germany by optician Carl Zeiss in 1846. Together with Ernst Abbe and Otto Schott, he laid the foundation for today’s multi-national company. In the first half of the twentieth century, Zeiss was already a world renowned manufacturer of outstanding optics. At the end of the war, Jena was occupied by the United States Army. When Jena and Dresden were incorporated into the Soviet occupation zone (later East Germany) some parts of Zeiss Jena were relocated by the US army to the Contessa manufacturing facility in Stuttgart, West Germany, while the remainder of Zeiss Jena was reestablished by the German Democratic Republic as Kombinat VEB Zeiss Jena. The Soviet Army took most of the existing Zeiss factories and tooling as World War II spoils back to the Soviet Union, establishing the Kiev camera works. Effectively Zeiss was split into two companies, however they shared many of the same technologies and optical designs.
Carl Zeiss lenses made in West Germany were simply branded as Zeiss, whereas those made in East Germany were branded as Carl Zeiss Jena (CZJ). The lens above was made in East Germany probably during the early 1970’s. It should be noted western versions are of higher mechanical quality, yet optical designs are virtually the same in their eastern counterparts, meaning they are very good. Pristine copies of vintage Zeiss lenses still command a premium price, whereas many CZJ lenses can be purchased for peanuts.
The CZJ Tessar 50mm f/2.8 has a pedigree that goes back to the beginning of the twentieth century. The Tessar construction dates back to 1902 and was computed by German physicist Paul Rudolph. The Tessar design was one of the most widely used lens formulas and it persisted until the collapse of the Soviet Union. This lens is often referred to as “Adlerauge” (Eagle’s eye) because of its excellent image quality and sharpness. Light and compact it is a great “grab and go” lens and pairs nicely with modern cameras via a cheap adapter. This lens is known for producing warm, pleasing and saturated colours. It renders images that I find quite appealing. Not bad for something that costs little more than a full tank of gas.
Most images in this gallery were shot at Covehead Harbour and the last two were taken at North Rustico Harbour.
