[How to determine the age of a Carl Zeiss lens - Vintagelens](^3^)

Part of the serial number sequence of lenses made by Carl Zeiss Jena [1]. After the war Carl Zeiss separated into two branches and lens production resumed both in Jena (East Germany) as well as in Oberkochen (West Germany)[1].

Initially the lens was offered in a black paint barrel with a nickel apertrue ring in the middle of the barrel, and a nickled front rim. It took 37mm slip on filters, or with a slip on adapter 1314/17 it could take 42mm slip on accessories. The minimum f/stop was f/22. The second version of this lens uses 42mm slip on accessories, and the rear element has a 19mm diameter. Numbers ranged from roughly 1416xxx to 1429xxx. One batch in this version, with numbers 1421600-1422200 only stop down to f/16. The next version is from 1933, and is the same as the previous version except the rear element is larger, measuring 23mm across.

Carl Zeiss Jena Lens Serial Numbers

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The last known example was serial number 8,275,578, produced in Exakta mount in 1967. However, the 1969 catalogue for the Exacta VX 1000 still shows the lens for sale, so the factory must still have had stock on hand even after production ceased. 2ff7e9595c