Voigtlander 36-82mm f2.8 Zoomar lens

Voigtlander 36-82mm f2.8 Zoomar, Exakta mount + cap – no reserve
This landmark lens was designed by Frank G Back (1902-1983) and introduced in 1959. It was the first production zoom lens for a still camera. Dr Back’s company had previously produced zoom lenses for 16mm & 35mm movie cameras but this design was the first production zoom lens for a still camera. The optical quality of these lenses is surprisingly good, distortion at extreme focal lengths being the only notable criticism. “Looking back today, it's amazing how much he got right from the start. Dr. Back succeeded in obtaining a very useful wide to short tele zoom range, with a fast 2.8 aperture and a convenient single zoom control ring” kilfit.org website This particular Exakta mount example is unusual. On other examples I’ve seen (and others you’ll find illustrated on the Internet), a special cable release is required to operate the iris mechanism. On this version, the shutter release is linked to the iris with a mechanical linkage. This is a much neater design than the cable release one. I can find no reference to this version either in print or on the Internet but the quality of the linkage mechanism is such that I’m sure it’s factory produced. I can only assume that this design improvement is a later version. The Zoomar is not difficult to find in Bessamatic/Ultramatic fit but very rare with an Exakta mount. This particular version is even rarer and is the only example known to me.

Sold for GBP 254,00