First C lenses

[blowupster]

I wander witch lenses existed the first year of 500C.
I have the feeling that 100mm and 80mm (and perhaps 60mm 3.5) are really old lenses witch did not change for more than 40 years (?).
I never saw a chromed 100mm 3.5, (exept front ring) and I wunder when it was available first.
As this last lens is one of the best in quality, amazing to use a very old one daily with a CFV...as workhorse for up to date results.

 

[polypal]

As far as I know the oldest lenses were the 80 mm Planar with six elements and the 150 mm Sonnar.
Production of these lenses started in 1956 even before the first 500C body was sold by hasselblad.

The 80 mm lens has seen many upgrades some insignificant but others like the change from 6 to 7 elements were more important.

1956 first 80 mm Planar lenses with 6 elements produced for Hasselblad.
Serial number starts with 159xxx front element is more curved than later 7 element lenses.

First series of 150 mm Planar lenses started in 1956 as well.
Serial numbers start with 159xxx.
Although the number of elements was not changed glass from early 150 lenses is different from later 150 Sonnar lenses.

The 60 mm Distagon came after these early lenses.
Probably the same design as the predeccesor for the 1600F/1000F cameras.
The 250 Sonnar appeared at about the same time as the 60 mm Distagon.

The 100mm Planar came later and was developed for NASA.
The optical design was not changed in over 40 years of its productrion run.





Moderators collection

Two rare samples of the 100 mm Planar.
Left the C version with T* and chrome front ring, right 100 mm Planar in MK guise.

 

[blowupster]

Thanks for reply. What was the first year of 100mm's production ?

 

[polypal]

The oldest 100 mm Planar lens I have was made in 1968.
Total production of C model 100 mm Planars was just over 10.000 units.

My estimate is total production of all 100 mm Planar lenses, C, CF and CFi is less than 25.000

That makes the 100 mm a rare lens compared to the 80 mm Planar of which around 400.000 lenses
were produced in C, CF, CFE and CFi guise.

 

[ulrik]

Hi,
my 5,6/60 mm Distagons are from 1958 and 1961, my 4,0/60 mm Distagon from 1962. My early design 2,8/80 mm Planars are from 1956 and 1959, my Sonnar 4,0/150 is from 1957. So much about the early lenses of the modern Hasselblads.

Ulrik

 

[polypal]

"Modern" means post 1600F/1000F cameras..........

 

[hume]

As far as I know the oldest lenses were the 80 mm Planar with six elements and the 150 mm Sonnar.
Production of these lenses started in 1956 even before the first 500C body was sold by hasselblad.

The 80 mm lens has seen many upgrades some insignificant but others like the change from 6 to 7 elements were more important.

1956 first 80 mm Planar lenses with 6 elements produced for Hasselblad.
Serial number starts with 159xxx front element is more curved than later 7 element lenses.

First series of 150 mm Planar lenses started in 1956 as well.
Serial numbers start with 159xxx.
Although the number of elements was not changed glass from early 150 lenses is different from later 150 Sonnar lenses.

The 60 mm Distagon came after these early lenses.
Probably the same design as the predeccesor for the 1600F/1000F cameras.
The 250 Sonnar appeared at about the same time as the 60 mm Distagon.

The 100mm Planar came later and was developed for NASA.
The optical design was not changed in over 40 years of its productrion run.



View attachment 2390 View attachment 2391

Moderators collection

Two rare samples of the 100 mm Planar.
Left the C version with T* and chrome front ring, right 100 mm Planar in MK guise.

On the basis of Hartmut Thiele's book I can provide the following details:
(1) I guess, the very first C lenses are 80/2.8 Planar, a batch of 6,000 from about 1594931 to 1599765 in 1957.

(2) Then there came the 150/4 Sonnar, a batch of 200 from about 1593448 to 1593639.

(3) The 60/5.6 Distagon C was, I guess, introduced in around 1958. The earliest batch was 200 lenses from about 2678983 to 2679171.

(4) The earliest 250/5.6 Sonnar C was a batch of 300 lenses from about 2638228 to 2638561.

(5) The earliest 100/3.5 Planar was perhaps a batch of 500 lenses from 4736080 to 4736579 in 1970. From his records until 1996, there were about (i) about 11,000 C lenses; and (ii) about 10,000 CF lenses.

His records are not complete though (mine is the first edition of his book). That's why the serial numbers' ranges are different to the numbers within the batches.

There are two versions of an unknown number of 100/3.5 Planar with chrome filter ring within the following batches:
(1) Those without T* coating: a batch of 2,000 from about 5151936 to 5153935 in about 1970.
(2) Those without/with T*coating: a batch of 3,000 from about 5194756 to 5197755 in about 1971.

 

[blowupster]

Thanks for interesting infos.
Conclusion: the 100mm never existed in silver (exept the front ring) and perhaps the firsts 110mm without T* where multi coated as in early time they did not mention this systematicaly.

 

[polypal]

I suppose you mean the early 100 mm lenses were multicoated without being labelled as T*?

Lenses not marked T* are often mentioned.
It seems unlikely, quite a few lenses had glass elements replaced because they were damaged.
In some cases later T* elements were used for early non T* lenses.

 

[Hgommy]

I'm new to Hassy and Medium Format. Only 1 weeks old.
Got myself a 500cm with chrome Planar 80mm CT*. I really like the C lenses, they seem much more compact when compared to the CF.
I've just got a Planar 100mm with chrome ring without T* and its on its way to me. What is the performance difference between a lens with & without T*?
How do you tell the difference visually of a T* & non-T* coated lens, eg the color of the coating?
Thanks.

 

[Victorh]

T* coating made lenses less vulnerable for flair and improved color rendition to a small extent.

Lenses with large front elements like the 40 mm C wide angle benefitted most from the new coating to improve flair problems.

Flair is best prevented by using a good shade.
Compendiums also called professional shades are most effective.

Think of the improvement in IQ for T* versions in terms of 1-2 %.

Older non T* lenses have a sort of greenish colored coating.
The first lenses with T* were blueish, color changed for later T* versions.



Vic.

 

[wbulte]

T* coating made lenses less vulnerable for flair and improved color rendition to a small extent.

Lenses with large front elements like the 40 mm C wide angle benefitted most from the new coating to improve flair problems.

Flair is best prevented by using a good shade.

Hehe... and still a lot of fashion photographers used HB/Zeiss lenses to record fashion models full of flair.

The optical effect is spelled as 'flare' ;-)


Wilko

 

[Victorh]

Thank you for correcting my poor command of the English language.

I am sure those fashion photographers use a lot of flair to get away with flare............



Vic.

 

[Hgommy]

Hood/Shade

I have seen old metal hood made for the Planar C 80mm & Sonnar C 150mm. Is there a metal hood made specifically for the Planar C 100mm? Thanks.

 

[Victorh]

Hasselblad made too few hoods, metal or plastic, to offer effective protection against excessive backlight.

For C series lenses there are only 5 shades:

38 mm : Round metal shade for the SWC with its Biogon lens

40 mm : The large rubber flap sometimes mistaken for a Buick tyre.

50/60 mm : Shade similar to the one for the 38 mm lens only longer.

80 mm : Square shaped metal or plastic model.

100-250 mm : Similar to the 80 mm shade only longer.


Hasselblad did not bother to offer more shades for the 100- 250 range of lenses.
They kept this policy for later lenses like the CF/CFE/CFi.

There are two more shades that were supplied with the 350 and 500 mm lenses.




Vic.

 

[wbulte]

Thank you for correcting my poor command of the English language.

I am sure those fashion photographers use a lot of flair to get away with flare............

Vic.

Absolutely What a horrible job that must be, watching all these women via your viewfinder...