wj cody Loc: springfield illinois

interesting, in re: the 2.8 with the schneider lens. i've used both the planar and schneider and have found both to be equally excellent. i stuck with the schneider because most other users had the planars and i liked being "different"!!! so much for contrariness!

jackinkc Loc: Kansas City

I bought my Rollei back in 1956 and I seem to remember that the only Zeiss lenses available then were East German Jena made. I'm not even sure there was a 2.8 Planar then but I do know that all 3.5 Tessars were from "The Worker's Paradise." I didn't want any East German camera gear back then because I was aware of the fact that the Soviets had removed so much Zeiss machinery to Kiev, and supplied essentially inferior raw materials and lubricants that the quality of products severely deteriorated. In the '60s, I did use old Exacta lenses on a reversal ring to make stunning macro shots with a Pentax LX.

Despite my reluctance to buy USSR Occupied German gear, I did later acquire a Contax D, with Biogon lens, and several Exakta cameras with Zeiss glass. My prejudices against East German products was bang on where the cameras were concerned but the lenses weren't bad at all. I wasn't surprised at the pathetic showing of the Contax D, but, I was seriously disappointed about the Exaktas. When I was a teen ager - back in the Late Stone Age - I deeply lusted for an Exakta. They were pretty expensive then; thank God I was never able to scrape together enough money to buy one. When faced with their reality instead of my dream, I might have had has to lay my head on the railroad track and let the 5:15 pacify my weary mind.

GoofyNewfie Loc: Kansas City

Ha! That reeks of familiarity.
I assisted a photographer on a shoot at a pig farm.
The film backs smelled for weeks after that job.
For those who don’t know, when using the prism, your nose is right on the film back. LOL!

wj cody Loc: springfield illinois

thanks for your reply. according to rollei in west germany, the glass quality was the same. but i've never used either 3.5s so i surely cannot speak to that. the exakkta lenses and the pentax lx combination sounds like and excellent choice. some of those lenses for the exakta system were pretty spectacular. i too, had hungered for the exakta 1000 just because of its killer art deco design. operating it, however was another story.