Paxette Lens Test Photos (long)

[nikkortorokkor]

Where to post?

Could've put these in shots of the season or the lens page, but since I was trialling some Paxette Screw Mount (M39) rangefinder lenses, I thought I'd put them here.

Lenses:
Staeble Lineogon 3.5/35
Staeble Color Ultralit 2.8/50
Staeble Telexon 3.8/135 (with delaminating front elements!)
Enna Werk Tele-Ennalyt 3.5/135

Body:
ca1957 Braun Super Paxette II B L. The Super II BL has an uncoupled Bewi Selenium meter, which I pretty much followed for all of these pics.

Film:
Fuji Superia 200 Print.


Lineogon - that's my wife hiding behind our tomatoes. The Evening Primrose (those yellow flowers) really pop, they almost look flashed-up, but weren't


Lineogon - warm tones


Color Ultralit 2.8/50 - cooler than the Lineogon


Telexon - also cool; parallax error is quite noticeable - I was aiming a lot lower - but I think it is acceptably sharp, especially considering the knackered front element. Well stopped down: f11 @ 1/125th


Tele-Ennalyt on infinity - warm but soft


Telexon on infinity - cooler & sharper than the Tele-Ennalyt, despite the front element


Lineogon - into the morning sun. I crossed the road and metered off the wall of the old camera shop before wandering back and composing. I feel that the Lineogon handled the challenging lighting well considering its humble reputation. Note the strange, diagonal bands of light right in the middle of the image - weird, but not unacceptable.


Lineogon - Mr Bean's mini? - The Mini is angled down from the camber on the road but the buildings are nice and perpendicular at the edge of the frame - I don't get that much with my rangefinder images


Lineogon - more challenging back lighting - I was worried about this, but though it is a tad over-exposed, I think it is contrasty enough given the conditions.


Color-Ultralit - I really like this lens. Our town was a provincial market town, and farmers used to gather along the main street in clusters on a Friday afternoon/evening. Now we are a satellite town and the Friday markets are long gone. The clusters still gather, but more often on a Saturday morning. Mobility Scooters are beginning to swarm

I hope that the last few shots demonstrate the ability of the Color-Ultralit and Lineogon as street lenses. The Braun Paxettes are tiny - about the size of a 70s compact rangefinder, and with the Bewi uncoupled meter, all the fiddling with apeture and speed is done at waist, rather than eye level. The tele lenses are really too unwieldy to make them fun to use, though the results from the Telexon pleasantly surprised me. In the future I'll take it out with me just in case.

[Rachel]

Excellent results Michael. Never thought much of Paxettes but these pictures have changed my opinion.

[nikkortorokkor]

thanks, Rachel.

Peter W has pointed out that the early Paxette lenses imported into Britain had lenses built down to a price in order to beat import restrictions. I know also that the bodies had a reputation for fragility. Having now worked on some (admittedly, all post 1957 designs) I find that a little surprising. They appear robust and simple to me, with steel rather than brass gears, etc. The finish is perhaps a little thin, and many suffer corrosion, especially around the aluminium alloy parts, which were never anodized.

An enterprising Japanese gentleman has mounted Paxette glass to his G series Contax in order to test them. I can't read Japanese, but by clicking on the picture of each lens, you can link to his sample images.
fine.tok2.com/home/mountmagic/lens/paxette_lens/paxette_lens_impressions.html#Anchor737803
The comparison between a Steinheil Cassarit 50mm F2.8, Carl Zeiss Jena Tessar 50mm F2.8 and Leitz Elmar 50mm F3.5 is interesting.

[Rachel]

Hi Michael,

That comparison test is very interesting. The Cassarit does very well.

I recall PWs comments on the Paxettes in the UK. Most that I've seen have suffered from deterioration of the aluminium finish. I'll look closer next time

[PeterW]

Interesting site, Michael. I wish I could understand the text!

My thoughts are that comparisons like this lose a lot if you don't know what apertures were used in each case and what degree of magnification there is in each picture. I assume these are shots from the centre of the image, not at the edges. I also assume these pictures were taken with the camera on a tripod and not hand held, to try to eliminate as much as possible 'human error'. Maybe he explains all this in the text, and gives his interpretation of the results.

I find that, provided you know all the circumstances, picture comparisons generally give better practical guidance on what users can expect than MTF curves and charts of definition in terms of line pairs per millimetre which are fine if you can 'read' them well enough to interpret what they mean in terms of a picture. I often thought that magazines eventually got too 'scientifically technical' in their lens tests by using optical bench results instead of going out and taking pictures.

In its old 'ship' lens tests Amateur Photographer used to make a 20 inch print at nearly all the apertures, and show portions from both the centre and edge of the frame side by side. It was quite noticeable that even the cheap triplets gave good definition and lack of aberrations in the centre when stopped down to around f/8, but fell off sharply in comparison with more expensive lenses at wide apertures, particularly near the edges of the frame.

I can't remember now exactly what I said about the early Paxettes imported into the UK, but I'm sure the case was, in common with many imported cameas in the immediate post-war years, that where a range of lenses was offered, the higher price of cameras when fitted with more expensive lenses took them outside the price limit for imports, so we got only the lower end of the ranges fitted with cheaper lenses. It was often supposed that many German cameras intended for the UK market were fitted with lower priced lenses not offered in other markets, just to bring them under the import price limit, but how true this was I don't know.

I believe professional photographers could obtain special import licences for cameras like Rolleis and Leicas, but I wouldn't imagine many, if any, professionals imported the higher ranges of cameras like Paxettes. Higher priced cameras weren't available new to the general public, and the reputation of most new cameras rested only on the bottom of the range models. Import price restrictions also pushed up the price of good pre-war examples, sometimes ridiculously high. When the import restrictions were lifted, people who bought them found that their market value had suddenly dropped, often by as much as a half.

PeterW

[mickeyobe]

I had a Paxette some 50 +/- years ago. I don't remeber the model but I do recall it had an extinction meter that I actually learned to use well enough to get well exposed photos most of the time - out of doors.
I was not very fond of the camera as it was kind of clunky and coarsely finished.
I suppose they had nowhere to go but up.
I eventually traded for a used Exacta 66. A whole new kettle of fish.

Mickey

[doubs43]

Mickey, tell us about the Exakta 66. I've always admided the Kine-Exaktas but have not owned either the 127 roll film version or the 66. I would imagine that quality was high as it was almost to the end of the 35mm cameras.

Walker

[daveinpasadena]

Impressive photos. I take it that these are not standard LTM 39mm lenses, but some proprietary variation?

[nikkortorokkor]

daveinpasadena said:

Impressive photos. I take it that these are not standard LTM 39mm lenses, but some proprietary variation?

The following is information I've been able to glean, mostly from the net, on Paxette and LSM.

The Paxette II bodies do use an M39 thread which, given the small ammount of thread which actually engages on a camera lens/body, means that a Paxette lens will mount on a LSM (39mm by 26TPI) body.

The problem is register (flange to film distance). Paxettes use a Prontor SVS leaf shutter, and thus has a register of 44.0mm versus Leica's 28.8mm. A Paxette lens, therefore, won't focus properly on an LSM body unless you fabricate an extension tube to make up the shortfall.

This information is quite imortant because it seems that Paxette lenses have been hawked off on the Bay, fraudulently suggested as LSM lenses.

Interestingly, Staeble did make the Lineogon in LSM, marked: Lineogon L.

[paulatukcamera]

For information:

From the UK importers (Nebro) catalogue

1953
Paxette f2.8 Pointikar £23 - 15 - 0

1954
Paxette f2.8 Pointikar (now called 1) £21-17-6
Paxette f2.8 Pointikar with opt exp meter £24-15-0 (1m)

1954
Paxettes with interchangeable lenses
11 Westar f2.8 £26-17-6 11m £32-12-6
11 Wray Lustrar f2.8 £35-5-6 11m £41-0-6

Interchangeable Lenses:
Westar f2.8 45mm £10-10-0
Telon f5.6 85mm £12-17-6
Choro f4.5 35mm £10-10-0
Wray Lustrar f2.8 50mm £18-18-0
Wray Plustrar f4 90mm £24-15-0
Wray Architron f3.5 35mm £24-15-0

1955
model 1 £21-17-6
1m £24-15-0

No model 11s listed

1956
Model 1 £23-0-0
1m £26-12-0
(Still with Pointikars)

11 with f2.8 Pointikar £23-18-6
11m with f2.8 Pointikar £34-10-0
11m with f2.8 Xenar £47-10-0

Interchangeable Lenses:
Choro f3.5 35mm £13-5-0
Telon f5.6 85mm £15-15-0
Telemar f3.8 90m £22-10-0
Telemar f5.6 135mm £27-10-0

1957
1956
Model 1 £23-0-0
1m £26-12-6
(Still with Pointikars)

11 with f2.8 Pointikar £23-18-6
11m with f2.8 Pointikar £34-10-0

Super Paxettes (With Rangefinder)
1P f2.8 Pointikar £32-12-6
2/P f2.8 Pointikar £38-18-6
2/X f22.8 Xenar £48-18-6
2/T f2.8 Tessar £65-0-0
(A Lot of money in those days - over a month's wages)

Interchangeable Lenses:
For 11 & 11m
Choro f3.5 35mm £13-5-0
Telon f5.6 85mm £15-15-0

For Super
Telexon f5.6 £17-17-0
Westron f3.5 35mm £22-10-0
Telemar f3.8 90m £25-12-0
Telemar f5.6 135mm £32-10-0

1958
New Model 1AL with BL Finder
f2.8 Ennar £22-18-6

Super Paxettes
1/P f2.8 Pointikar £28-18-6 (non Interchangeable Lens)
2/P f2.8 Pointikar £34-18-6
2/X f22.8 Xenar £48-18-6
2/T f2.8 Tessar £65-0-0

Super Paxette 2 BL
2 BL/C f2.8 Casssarit £57-10-0
2 BL/X f22.8 Xenar £67-10-0
2 BL/T f2.8 Tessar £83-11-6

Also the Super Paxette Automatic with bayonet mount arrives
£75 (Cassarit) - £84 Xenar - £93 (Tessar)

Interchangeable Lenses:
For Super
Telexon f5.6 £17-17-0
Westron f3.5 35mm £22-10-0
Telemar f3.8 90m £25-12-0
Telemar f5.6 135mm £32-10-0

I don't have the catalogue for 1959, but I guess that was the last year of the non BL Paxette priced above.

I have catalogues for 60-63 if anyone wants more details & prices of the BL range - Discontinued in 1962

[mickeyobe]

Walker,

Here is some Exakta 66 information as you requested.

Credit for these pictures is due to - frendakfurnari photographic equipment, Bloomsbury N.J. U.S.A. [e-mail]

www.frendakfurnari.com/ebaypics/503cw/66-1.jpg
www.frendakfurnari.com/ebaypics/503cw/66-2.jpg
www.frendakfurnari.com/ebaypics/503cw/66-3.jpg

I purchased my Exakta 66 used about 1955. It was the basic camera with f2.8 80mm preset Ziess Tessar. Interchangeable lenses. Waist level finder with pop up magnifier and sports finder. It took twelve 6 x 6cm pictures on 120 film that ran vertically through the camera.

Film wind and shutter cocking and mirror return were done in one step by a big, rigid, "butterfly" key.
One could make intentional multiple exposures by winding a shutter speed dial instead of the key. All controls were, conveniently, on the right hand side.

There were 2 shutter speed dials. One for speeds from 1/2 second to 1-1/1000 second. The other was for speeds from1 second to 12 full seconds plus Bulb and Time and Self Timer which operated at all speeds. The focal plane shutter travelled vertically.

It had interchangeable backs.

On its left hand side there was a space for brief notes (film type & speed), exposure counter and tripod socket. There was also a tripod socket on the bottom.

There was a large, deep rectangular indentation in the back which made eye level
(sports finder - I don't know if there ever was a pentaprism for this camera) operation very comfortable.

Flash synchronization was adjustable from a 0 to 20 millisecond delay.

The camera was a pleasure to use despite its 5-1/2" height x 4-1/2" width and depth.

I wish I had it now. It sold new for $289.00. I bought my used one for $150.00 I have seen them selling today, well used, for about $1000.00 more or less.

Mickey

[doubs43]

Mickey, thank you for the detailed information and the links to pictures of the camera. If appearances mean anything, the camera looks to have a high build quality. That was standard for Ihagee IMO. The Exaktas I own are quite well built if somewhat idiosyncratic in operation.

I'd love to give one of those cameras a workout!

FWIW, I've done business with frendakfurnari before and I was well pleased by his service.

Walker