Versions of Zeiss Luminar lenses
or: How old is that Luminar lens advertised on Ebay?  

In a few other pages of this site (1, 2, 3, 4) I tested a number of Zeiss Luminar lenses, and of other lenses that can be used in photomacrography. The Zeiss Luminar lenses always turned out to be the best performers for this application, together with the Zeiss S-Planar 74 mm, among the lenses I tested. Zeiss Luminars seem to be actively sought by photographers as well as collectors. They come up quite often on auction sites like Ebay and, unless grossly overpriced or seriously damaged, never fail to sell. Most of the time, about half a dozen such lenses are simultaneously available on Ebay. Depending on the condition and model, actual selling prices usually range in the 250-450 € for a specimen in prime condition. You can find sellers asking twice these prices, but this does not mean that they actually sell their items. In fact, some of these overpriced items have been advertised for years and have become "a part of the landscape" one becomes selectively blind to.

Not many sellers nor potential buyers are aware of the fact that these lenses have been produced during a time span of at least 40 years, and in successive versions that differ in both mechanical and optical respects. Although I certainly do not claim to be an expert on the history of these lenses, I have collected a number of observations that may be useful to users, collectors and buyers. If you intend to acquire one or more of these lenses for the purpose of using them to take pictures, perhaps you are interested principally in the later versions. Although my tests have failed to show any significant differences in pictures taken under realistic conditions with lenses of different versions, the later versions might have a slightly better resolution and contrast. In any case, if in prime condition, later versions certainly cannot be worse than earlier ones, and are less likely to have hardened grease or oily diaphragms. On the other hand, you might pay a lower price for a Version 1 or 2 Zeiss Luminar (see below) and, in most cases, still get pretty much the same lens in terms of optical performance. If you are a collector, the "right" price may be determined by factors I am unaware of, because my own interest is primarily as a photographer and user of these lenses. This page may help you not to pay too much for an older Luminar versions if this is what you seek, or to get a modern version if you are actually looking for one.

Information on the exact production years of different versions of Luminar lenses is especially scarce. Unless Zeiss will make this information available, this situation is unlikely to change. None of the Luminar manuals I have seen is dated, and very little Zeiss literature on these lenses is available in any case (especially of the later versions). The following table is copied from a 1974 Zeiss price list, and shows all Luminar models except the Zoom (see below). At this time, Version 2 Luminars (described below) probably were being produced.

In this page, I use only illustrations of lenses I own. In the past couple of years, I have seen other specimens, as well as at least two hundred pictures of Luminar lenses from Ebay auctions and web sites. I will not reproduce any of them here, because they may be protected by copyright, and/or sellers may not wish them to be re-published. Nonetheless, I am discussing in the text several details that should easily be recognizable even without pictures. The Macro Lens collection database site by Dr. Klaus D. Schmitt contains numerous pictures of these and other photomacrographic lenses (albeit not of all the Luminar versions).

Often, photomacrographic lenses with small barrels, manual irises and typically an RMS mounting thread are called Luminar-type lenses. However, Zeiss Luminar lenses are neither the only, nor the first lenses of this type. A 1941 Carl Zeiss Jena catalog, for instance, lists the following lenses for macro photography and photomacrography, all for use with the Utraphot 1 system:
Tessar 16.5 cm f/6.3 (perhaps made by Leitz?)
Mikrotar 9 cm f/6.3.
Mikrotar 6 cm f/4.5.
Mikrotar 4.5 cm f/4.5.
Mikrotar 3 cm f/4.5.
Mikrotar 1.5 cm f/2.3.
Mikrotar 1 cm f/1.6.

This page deals only with Luminar lenses produced by Carl Zeiss West Germany (or Carl Zeiss Germany as the company used to call itself, even though at the time there were a West Germany and an East Germany). Eventually, Carl Zeiss gave up the Carl part and started using just the Zeiss name and the West Germany label on Luminars. By the time Germany was re-united, Zeiss had already stopped making Luminars.

The Zeiss company revived in Soviet-occupied East Germany was usually called Carl Zeiss Jena, although often, and purposefully, marking its products in a way that might confuse them with those of its western counterpart. They never made Luminars, and their equivalent lenses were the Mikrotar series (not to be confused with Leica's Makrotar and Spiratone's Macrotar). In the Soviet Union, Lomo received most of the equipment and technicians plundered from the German factories by the Soviet army at the end of World War 2, and produced a series of Mikroplanar lenses. These are not substantially similar to the Luminars. In West Germany, Leitz produced a few series of Photar photomacrographic lenses as well, which were regarded as direct competitors to the Luminars. Nikon, Olympus, Minolta and Canon, together with lesser-known Japanese, European and US brands, also produced lenses similar in general design to the Luminars. Canon might still be producing a couple of models. Zeiss made other types of lenses for macro and photomacrography, including a few S Planar designs (like the S-Planar 74 mm).

In the present page, I refer to Luminar versions by numbers (1 to 4), starting with the oldest one marked Carl Zeiss. I am not aware of any official Zeiss denomination for the different versions, but a few web sites refer to later versions (version 2 to 4 in my nomenclature) as Luminar II or Luminar 2.

Judging from the number of lenses available at present on auction sites, Zeiss Luminars were the ones most widely sold, with Leitz Photars coming in second, and the remaining brands making up a small portion of the market. In terms of image quality, Zeiss Luminar, Leitz Photar and Macro Nikkor lenses are generally regarded as the best.

Carl Zeiss also produced a few series of Epiluminar (or Epi Luminar) lenses, roughly in the 60's and 70's. These are optically similar to, or identical with, Luminar lenses of the same period, but the optics are mounted in different barrels that do not have a variable aperture. They were meant primarily to be used on microscopes, where a wide aperture is needed to reduce the loss of resolution caused by diffraction. I don't know enough about Epiluminars to discuss them here.

Winkel Zeiss Luminars

There are early Luminars marked Winkel Zeiss on their barrels (the logo is the same sketch of a section of an achromat doublet used by Carl Zeiss, with Winkel placed inside the upper lens element and Zeiss inside the lower one (or sometimes Winkel-Zeiss in the upper part and Göttingen in the lower). The 16 mm f/2.5, 25 mm f/3.5, 40 mm f/4.5 and 63 mm f/4.5 Winkel Zeiss Luminars look identical (except for the engraved logo) to the Carl Zeiss Luminars produced shortly thereafter. Serial numbers are also engraved on the barrel. I have not seen any 100 mm Winkel Zeiss Luminar.

There is a simple reason for the existence of Winkel Zeiss Luminars. For several years, Zeiss became more and more involved in the Winkel firm (originally founded as a separate company), until Winkel became completely absorbed into Zeiss in 1946. Until that time, Winkel continued to produce photomacrographic lenses marked Zeiss-Winkel.

There are also early Winkel Mikroluminar lenses, produced roughly at the same time as Leitz was making their equivalent Tessar and Milar lenses (probably in the 40's and 50's). At least the 100 mm, 50 mm and 26 mm models (the two last ones in chrome-plated barrels) were produced as Winkel-Zeiss Göttingen products.

For a collector, Winkel-Zeiss Luminars and Mikroluminars might be interesting, because probably there are not many of them in circulation. For a user, it is best to seek Zeiss Luminars. Being produced later, they likely have better lens coatings, and consequently a higher contrast and lesser sensitivity to flare. I have only seen pictures of Winkel Zeiss Luminars, and being primarily interested in Zeiss Luminars as a user, I have never actively tried to obtain one of the former.

Luminar 100 mm f/6.3

The Luminar 100 mm f/6.3 is available in at least three versions (which probably are not simultaneous with the versions of other Luminar lenses) . This lens, with an optimal reproduction ratio between 0.8x and 8x, actually overlaps the macro photography range, in addition to the photomacrographic one. Reaching 8x with this lens requires a bellows (or stack of extension tubes) roughly 850 mm long, so the maximum practical magnification with this lens is actually around 1.5x to 2x. In this magnification range, there are many lenses that are easier to use (e.g., normal macro lenses, with or without extension rings) and/or perform equally or better (e.g., the 63 mm Luminar, or the 74 mm Zeiss S-Planar). Thus, the Luminar 100 mm does not appear to be especially desirable for use with DSLRs. Many of the specimens for sale on Ebay apparently were either used with Ultraphot photomicroscopes, or mounted on large-format cameras.

Luminar 100 mm Version 1 has a long barrel, a front lens element well recessed within a filter mount and a mounting thread located at the end of a long, cylindrical portion of the barrel that was designed to sleeve into a matching Ultraphot adapter with a thread deeply recessed within a cylindrical tube. This is probably the earliest version of the lens, and may be a similar, or the same, design that I have seen in a 100 mm Winkel Mikroluminar. The mount is said to use a 44 mm x0.75 thread, although this may be incorrect.

Luminar 100 mm Version 2 changed the front of the lens to its modern, flat appearance without a filter mount. The barrel remained long, with a total of four knurled rings (including the aperture ring), and an attachment thread of 33 mm x0.75 .In this version, the threaded attachment is located on a short end of the rear barrel that has a lower diameter than the rest, and screws into a shallow adapter. The front of the lens barrel can be unscrewed, revealing a second attachment thread, and screwed onto the rear of the lens. This allows the lens to be reversed (primarily for use at magnifications below 1x). Also this version was primarily made as an Ultraphot attachment.

Luminar 100 mm Version 3 shortened the barrel considerably. Perhaps the optical formula was also modified. The barrel has only two knurled rings (including the aperture ring). In most specimens of this version, the front knurled ring can be unscrewed for reversing the lens (however, specimens without this feature also seem to exist). Most specimens for sale are of version 3. Although this version is the last for this lens type, it is probably older than versions 3-4 of the other Luminars (see below), because production of this focal length stopped earlier, probably in the 70's. Version 3 of the 100 mm may have been produced also with a fixed Ultraphot mount. Some Version 3 100 mm Luminars are mounted in long Ultraphot adapters that bring the total length of the lens and adapter to the same as in Versions 1-2.

Zoom Luminar

The Zoom Luminar is optimized for magnifications between 2.5x and 5x. It was made both with a fixed Ultraphot attachment (or more precisely, a 43 mm male Zeiss bayonet commonly used in many Zeiss microscope components), and with an unspecified screw thread. This is a very rare lens, and I cannot add much more to this discussion. I am unaware of different versions.

The Zoom Luminar is not listed in the 1974 Zeiss price list, and I believe it is older than this. Apparently, its production stopped approximately around the time Version 2 Luminars were introduced.

From the point of view of usefulness in modern photomacrography, its zoom mechanism could save some time when many pictures must be taken (especially if this lens is parfocal, which I cannot confirm). However, the zoom ratio is quite small. If time and ease-of-use are important, a Tessovar is a better choice.

Version 1 Luminars

The remaining Luminar lenses have the following focal lengths and maximum apertures. These lenses are especially relevant when discussing different versions, because all focal lengths exist in at least three versions.
16 mm f/2.5
25 mm f/3.5
40 mm f/4.5 and f/4
63 mm f/4.5

Version 1 Luminars seem to be identical to the ones produced with the Winkel Zeiss logo. The tell-tale characteristics of their barrels are: