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Carl Zeiss Jena Biometar 120 mm f/ 2.8 Lens

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Carl Zeiss Jena Biometar 120 mm f/ 2.8 lens

Optical design

Format: Medium Format SLR

Type: Prime lens

Focusing: Manual Focus (MF)

Lens mounts: Pentacon Six

First year of production: 1956

Last year of production: 1988

Optical design: 5 elements in 3 groups

User reviews (1)

Photos (35)

Tests (0)

Owners (10)

Views (23872)

Average price: $305

Specifications:

Focal length	Max. aperture	Min. aperture	Blades	Min. Focus (m.)	Filter Ø (mm.)	Weight (gr/oz)	Length (mm/in)
120mm	f/2.8	f/22	8	1.3	67	550/19,4	87/3,4

Additional information:

The Carl Zeiss Jena Biometar 120 mm f/ 2.8 is a portrait fast lens for the medium format SLR Pentacon Six cameras.

The picture is rather flexible and soft, with nice Bokeh. As a result, we've got an inexpensive portrait lens of quality which can be easily mounted on DSLR cameras by means of an adapter.

The lens came in two variants. A single-layer coating has a "zebra" design – black and metal-colored stripes. The black Carl Zeiss Jena Biometar 120 mm f/ 2.8 lenses (with a multilayer coating) came later and were more expensive. Nevertheless, the "zebra" enables to use color film due to a high-quality coating.

Initially, it was a bayonet mount for the east German Pentacon Six TL camera, produced at the Pentacon works in Dresden till the 1990s. In the USSR the medium format SLR camera Kiev 60 was produced for this bayonet mount.

The Carl Zeiss Jena Biometar 120 mm f/ 2.8 with a DSRL camera will be much more convenient by replacing standard focusing screen with the screen with Doden wedge bars and microraster.

The version with multicoating handles side and back light much better. Nevertheless, a hood is recommended to use with both variants.

According to its characteristics, the Carl Zeiss Jena Biometar 120mm f/2.8 lens is one of the best portrait lenses. It is well fit for the other types of photography, typical for this focal length.

It can be easily mounted on modern SRL and mirrorless cameras by means of adapters.

Links to online resources:

Posted by: Sergei Borodin Date of publication: 02.08.2010

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Photos taken with this lens Carl Zeiss Jena Biometar 120 mm f/ 2.8:

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Autor: Sergei Borodin

2701

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Autor: Sergei Borodin

3020

Olga (8)
Autor: Sergei Borodin

1961

Sketch with a dandelion
Autor: Sergei Borodin

2005

Mechanical quality	4.20	5
Optical quality	4.60	5
Usability	3.80	5
Pricing / Value	4.20	5
Bokeh	4.60	5
Overall lens rating	4.28

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Owner reviews: Carl Zeiss Jena Biometar 120 mm f/ 2.8

Сергей Бородин 1.1.2000 00:00:01

Period of use: 1 year

Strengths:

Gives a very nice picture. Color, plasticity, bokeh - all on an excellent levels. Very comfortable, smooth focusing. Resistant to the backlight.

Weaknesses:

This lens occur problems with sticky aperture.

Comments:

I purchased the MC version of this lens at an auction. He came to open the stuck diaphragm. I had to disassemble and clean. One of my favorite portrait lenses. Always pleased with his picture. Use on a Canon 5D Mark2 with adapter

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Carl Zeiss Jena Biometar 120 mm f/ 2.8 Lens

Owner reviews: Carl Zeiss Jena Biometar 120 mm f/ 2.8