Additional information:
The E. Ludwig Meritar 50 mm f/ 2.9 is a standard lens for 35 mm Exakta SLR cameras. The ultimate variant was designed for cameras with the m42 screw mount.
Ernst Ludwig is a German optic company, established in Lausa, not far from Dresden, in 1938. After WWII it successfully competed with Carl Zeiss Jena and Meyer-Optik Görlitz companies. In 1980 it became part of VEB Pentacon.
Meritar is a trademark used by this company for the lenses employing Triplet and Tessar optical schemes.
The E. Ludwig Meritar 50 mm f/ 2.9 lens utilizes the Cooke triplet optical scheme. When wide open, it features a soft-focus effect, though it is less pronounced than that of the Meyer-Optik Görlitz Domiplan 50 mm f/ 2.8 subsequent triplet.
The lens came in three variants. The ultimate variant is remarkable for its zebra design. The frame of all three variants is made of solid aluminum alloy.
The E. Ludwig Meritar 50 mm f/ 2.9 is rather sharp when wide. Maximum sharpness is achieved at f/8. A formed image features good resolution across the whole frame and rather high contrast.
The lens produces a peculiar bokeh, typical of triplets. At open apertures there is a twisting effect.
The lens is well resistant to stray, side and back light. This is facilitated by the fact that the front element is deeply recessed into the frame, forming a kind of a built-in hood
The E. Ludwig Meritar 50 mmf/ 2.9 lens features accurate, smooth and convenient focusing and rather long ring travel.
It can be easily mounted on modern SRL and mirrorless cameras. There are no problems with a mirror when mounted on the Canon 5d Mark 2 (at least on the Zebra variant).
The E. Ludwig Meritar 50 mm f/ 2.9 is a good choice as a compact kit lens, producing distinctive images.
Links to online resources: Reviews, tests, comparisons on AllPhotoLenses.com: Posted by: Sergei Borodin Date of publication: 11.05.2011
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