164 - Carl Zeiss Jena | Topogon 3.5/2.5cm Prototype

Carl Zeiss Jena | Topogon 3.5/2.5cm Prototype Estimate: €12,000–14,000 Year: c.1934 Serial No.: 1503295 Condition: B+ English: Possibly unique and historically significant Carl Zeiss Jena Topogon 1:3.5/2.5 cm housed in a specially constructed aluminum focusing mount for Contax. This remarkable lens, with a maximum aperture of f/3.5, appears to be virtually undocumented in Zeiss literature. The serial number suggests a date around 1934, placing the lens within the earliest period of Robert Richter’s pioneering Topogon development, which began in 1933. Of particular interest is the documented early Topogon no. 1503267, with a maximum aperture of f/4, bearing a serial number only 28 numbers lower than the present example. The lens is fitted into a precision-made aluminum focusing mount and is accompanied by matching machined aluminum front and rear caps, displaying the same distinctive knurling and surface finish. The housing was likely manufactured shortly after the war for Contax Jena (Kiev). The iris diaphragm can be stopped down from f/3.5 to f/22 (instead of f/11), another noteworthy feature of this unusual early design. The exact optical design and its original intended application remain to be determined. No other example of a Topogon 1:3.5/2.5 cm has been identified to date in the published references consulted. In very fine original condition, with clean optics. German: A historically significant Carl Zeiss Jena Topogon 1:3.5/2.5 cm in a custom-made aluminum focusing mount for Contax. This remarkable lens, with a maximum aperture of 1:3.5, has not yet been documented in Zeiss technical literature. The serial number suggests a 1934 design, placing the lens in the earliest development phase of the groundbreaking Topogon wide-angle lens developed by Robert Richter beginning in 1933. Of particular interest is the documented early Topogon No. 1503267 with a maximum aperture of f/4, whose serial number is only 28 numbers lower than that of the present specimen. The lens is housed in a precision-machined aluminum focusing mount and is accompanied by the matching, intricately turned aluminum front and rear caps. These feature the same design as the mount. The mount may have been manufactured shortly after the war for the Contax Jena (Kiev). The iris diaphragm can be stopped down from f/3.5 to f/22 (compared to f/11 on all other 2.5 cm Topogon lenses), another remarkable feature of this unusual early design. The exact optical design and the lens’s originally intended use have not yet been conclusively determined. No other example of a Topogon 1:3.5/2.5 cm has been found in the publications examined to date. In very good original condition, with clear lenses.