Carl Zeiss Jena Lamegon

[Dr Klaus Schmitt]

Btw. as there have been questions, this lens has over 250 lpm resolution and is a quasi-symmetrical 8e/4g (eight lens, four lens groups) design, with less than 5 micron distortion over the entire field.
It has originally been designed based on a simplified Biogon design, initially for aerial imaging, later also for microreproduction, hence the very high resolution and flatness of field.

One of the former lens designers told me, that especially the glued inner three elements demanded a very high manufacturing effort to produce and that the inner air gaps were adjusted per batch (!!)
to compensate the effect of refraction differences in glass melt batches.

Design image (c) Prof. Arne Croell

 

[Asher Kelman]

Very impressive Klaus and I personally appreciate you showing us these two images!

Two major achievements - that flower took eons to be thus fashioned! Thank goodness for donations of organic molecules from stray comets!

The lens is no less a miracle. It required millions of accidents and mistakes as vertebrates came from the seas and then of all these mammals and then man emerged, struggling with what was over the next horizon the moment they had just conquered the last one. In the end this lead to your lens! No less a miracle of nature and as natural as the flower!

Asher

 

[Tom dinning]

Bloody hell, Ash! What are you on?
Comets, stray molecules, accidents, vertebrates, miracles?
It's a lens and a photo of a flower, not a sign from God or proof of evolution.
Maybe we do need a 'like' button to stop nonsense like this being sprouted.
My apologies, Doc, for talking over you, but even you might admit that it's all gone a bit too far with the praise.
I don't get that much pleasure watching a clip of two lesso's having it off in a soap filled bathtub.

Nice flower picture, by the way. The diagram looks like any other schematic diagram of a lens to me.

Xxxx

 

[Asher Kelman]

Bloody hell, Ash! What are you on?
Comets, stray molecules, accidents, vertebrates, miracles?
It's a lens and a photo of a flower, not a sign from God or proof of evolution.
Maybe we do need a 'like' button to stop nonsense like this being sprouted.
My apologies, Doc, for talking over you, but even you might admit that it's all gone a bit too far with the praise.
I don't get that much pleasure watching a clip of two lesso's having it off in a soap filled bathtub.

Nice flower picture, by the way. The diagram looks like any other schematic diagram of a lens to me.

Xxxx

Well, Tom it was not intended for the thick-skiulled, those bereft of poetics and wonder or for people who are just "ornery" and rude! You are free describe your stew in your own words and I will use my own library of references as I wish for what fascinates me!

My views are not any "proof" of evolution, (none is needed, just as in the observations of "up" and "down" or "hot" and "cold"), but rather an expression of awe in the achievement of nature in two such apparently diametrically opposite forms. Both pictures are stellar, taken together in the work of one of the most respected biological vision experts on the planet, does give a fellow scientist, with that perspective, a privileged appreciation of the reach of nature's immense natural variation, selection and even with humans now, "biologically directed" creativity!

This realization of the paradox of the connection in provenance of such dissimilar objects and the images thereof, was for me an insight that I enjoyed immensely.

Asher

 

[Doug Kerr]

Hi, Tom,

We pay a terrible price for your wisdom, in terms of the poisonous package it comes wrapped in.

Best regards,

Doug

 

[Andy brown]

**** Tom, I think you just had your sorry arse kicked.

 

[Andy brown]

Having your arse kicked quite so eloquently is cold comfort mind you.

 

[Doug Kerr]

Hi, Asher,

Well, Tom it was not intended for the thick-skiulled, those bereft of poetics and wonder or for people who are just "ornery" and rude! You are free describe your stew in your own words and I will use my own library of references as I wish for what fascinates me!<snip>

I think you made an error by editing the original form of this message. Your metaphor about Tom's rude behavior was, I thought, very apt.

I respect your decision to withdraw it and I won't reconstruct it here.

Best regards,

Doug

 

[Doug Kerr]

As to evolution, there are those who (claim they) believe that God created the entire universe in six days, about 5,000 years ago.

I tell people that this event must have been a helluva shock to the people then living in La Luz (a small town just north of Alamogordo, an area in which archaeologists believe people had lived 10,000 years ago and onward).

Of course, the evolution of some people is apparently still incomplete.

Best regards,

Doug

 

[Asher Kelman]

For those who might not be aware, the Lamegon is one of the few lenses delivering some 250 l/mm and was made in very limited numbers and one version was used on a 5"x7" camera with the "film" being glass plates instead of cellulose. A few still are on the market! Glass plates, BTW, have the advantage of being very flat, an important consideration in optimizing the surface at the plane of focus. The commonly used cellulose polymer film,itself, makes rich reading!

These lenses are intended for the most fastidious, detail-rich photography and are highly valued by photographers who both understand their capability and use them!

Here is a famous article that I believe Klaus has referred to, that makes great reading in itself. You need neither "money burning a hole in your pocket" or any avid interest in large format photography lens to be well entertained. Like an adventure story, Arne Croel shows how the remnants of Zeiss company in Jena in what had become "East Germany" after War II, struggled to invent amazing optics in spite of lack of abundant financing support and even supply of shutters for these large format camera lenses. The determined drive for creativity and mastery of materials, working in relative isolation to do brilliant work is a built in, (but rarely expressed), human quality we can admire and value! Joyous reading! I hope you're as thrilled and inspired as I was!

Asher

 

[Tom dinning]

Here I was being 'adventurous'.
Might I digress for a moment, Doc.
Kicking my arse is a waste of time,as you know. But thanks for trying, Duod and Ash.

In another place we have been encouraged to comment.

Asher comments the way he sees fit. His pretentious prattle has little baring on the dimensions of the image or technology other than his own fantasies.

I make a comment and get an honest response, again, nothing but criticism for what I have said.

My analogy, in the dim light of morning, is this.

A crowd has gathered. They have heard that something wonderful is about to happen. The look to the sky for a sign. They praise the sky for its beauty.
A passer by notices the crowd admiring the sky.
"What's going on? " he asks.
"Look at the sky. Something beautiful is there. Can't you see it"
"It's just the sky. Did you notice the **** you were standing in?"

The passer by is ignorant of the values of the sky watchers. He has his own values. To him, sky watching is a waste of time. He finds interests elsewhere.

Just in case you're interested, the sky watchers continued to stand in the quagmire and watch the sky. On that day they found peace and harmony n the things they imagined.

The passer by continued on his way, aware of the sky but more concerned at not standing on cow pads.

Good morning to you all.

 

[Asher Kelman]

I ask your forbearance while I attend to some tidying up here. This thread topic is about the uniqueness and special craftsmanship and resolution of the Lamogen lens and it's use to produce detail rich beautiful images.

However, the above argumentum ad hominem interjections by one person, are not appropriate in our community. Per the terms of service, after letting the words speak for themselves of the poster, they will be deleted. One can always send email or private messages that are about any topic acceptable by any people corresponding here. These are neither read nor accessible by anyone else. The forum is out of bounds for personally harsh, dismissive and disrespectful comments.

Res ipsa loquitur

With respect,

Asher

 

[Tom dinning]

I ask your forbearance while I attend to some tidying up here. This thread topic is about the uniqueness special craftsmanship and resolution of the Lamogen lens and it's use to produce detail rich beautiful images.

However, the above argumentum ad hominem interjections by one person, are not appropriate in our community. Per the terms of service, after letting the words speak for themselves of the poster, they will be deleted. One can always send email or private messages that are about any topic acceptable by any people corresponding here. These are neither read nor accessible by anyone else. The forum is out of bounds for personally harsh, dismissive and disrespectful comments.

Res ipsa loquitur

With respect,

Asher

Uniqueness is right, Ash. So unique, most of us wouldn't know it from a bar of soap. Surely that's significant and relevant for you to know, or the good Doc.
As for the flower, I said it was nice. What more can I say? It's hardly a miracle that a lens can take a picture of a flower., whatever lens it is. And I can't tell the difference viewing it on my iPad.
I read your reply. I thought it was a bit over the top but why should I be surprised.
I commented on your comment. Is the relevance lost at that point?
You comment was neither a critique or anything we could relate to or learn from. Neither was mine.
I'm buggered if I get where the poison and offense might come from. You guys must live in a shoe box.

Thanks for promising not to edit my posts in a thread, by the way. It's the honest thing to do and I'm glad you agree.

Cheers
Tom

 

[Asher Kelman]

Uniqueness is right, Ash. So unique, most of us wouldn't know it from a bar of soap. Surely that's significant and relevant for you to know, or the good Doc.

Tom,

The expected audience for a discussion of the beauty of this lens would not fill the board room of your local camera club! My awe is that this particular lens or one like it, combined with film would make for exceptional and fabulous detail-rich images. For up close enjoyment, as much detail as I can get! Hence my admiration of this rather rare lens.

Klaus, on the other hand has many more reasons to be interested in this and other exotic vintage glass. Few other specialists around are as approachable to help anyone else also interested in such esoteric optics. His work covers spectral differences in the appearance of biological surfaces, especially plants, with estimations as to the way insects might make their way around in a world with far different spectral sensitivity than our own system of eyesight and perception.

In fact, in mastering his skills in optics, he has one of the richest and bespoke collections or exotic lenses, vintage and new, many with wonderful artistic effects!


.

Thanks for promising not to edit my posts in a thread, by the way. It's the honest thing to do and I'm glad you agree.

Cheers
Tom

I prefer to keep the threads tidy, but if you like what's written, that's fine, this time!

Regards,

Asher

 

[Tom dinning]

Good on you Doc. (Klaus and Asher)

 

[Antonio Correia]

Impressive and beautiful image Klaus !

 

[Dr Klaus Schmitt]

Thanks for the positive comments guys!

 

[Asher Kelman]

Well, Ladies and Gentlemen,

What a surprise! I have rediscovered that I have one of these Lamogen f 5.6, 55 mm, beauties.

I can’t work out the function of the various rings and it has a flash synchronized connection. It seems to have two adjustable apertures, one in front of the other, but I can only open one.

I also can see how to focus the lens.

I might have to send it to Grimes workshop to give it a cleaning and refresh the workings!

Would love to have a manual for it!

Asher

 

[Asher Kelman]

Bump for advice!

 

[Asher Kelman]

Klaus,

Can you tell me how the Lamogen focus and double iris apertures work?

Does the front end extend?

Asher