Steinheil Culminar 2.8/85 mm

[sandro]

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Today I picked up a Steinheil Culminar 2.8/85mm for use on my M bodies. I would like to know more about this lens, especcially if production years are known, like we have for Leica material. I have a serial number but I have no idea in which year or decade it has been produced. Does somebody know which kind of hood could be used well on this lens? Does any of you have any experience with it?

Thanks in advance, Lex

[dkCambridgeshire]

If you Google "Steinheil Culminar 85 mm f2.8" there are lots of links to explore including Flickr.

 

dunk

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[doubice]

Lex,

 

I doubt if you will find any serial number data, like we have for Leica products. Reason is very simple - Leitz kept records and collectors can't live without them. Same cannot be said about Steinheil products....

 

The Culminars did not have a stellar reputation when new (if I remember well, there also was a 4.5/135mm Culminar), their build quality was definitely not up to Leica standards and even not up to Canon Rangefinder standards. Production took place during the late 1950's and early 1960's.

 

Cheers,

 

Jan

[joeswe]

There is a book in German published in 2001 that contains lists with serial numbers and production years:

Helmut Franz and Eduard Reutinger: Steinheil - Münchner Optik mit Tradition ISBN 978-3895061974

Unfortunately I do not own the book, but maybe someone else here can help.

 

According to the German Wikipedia entry, which is well worth a read, Steinheil was founded 1855 in Munich and existed until 1995. I assume the company wouldn't have existed for so long if they weren't able to keep proper records. Camera lenses were only a small part of their product portfolio.

[sandro]

To continue on this topic: despite a likely lower quality (both in optics and built) this lens may have been interesting. It was only in 1959 when the Elmarit appeared that Leitz offered a 2.8 90mm lens. So when the Culminar was produced before 1957 it (the first Summicron 90mm) it nicely filled the gap between the Summarex 1.5/85mm (1943) and the Elmar 4/90mm.

So if anyone has this book "Steinheil, Münchner Optik mit Tradition" it could be interesting.

Lex

[Orient XI]

Sandro, your if your Culminar was made for a Paxette it will have a Leica thread mount but may be too short to achieve a useful focussing range. Back in 1961 (in my impoverished student days) I bought an 85mm f/3.5 Steinheil Tele-Quinar but had to buy an extension tube to fit it to my Ig.

[sandro]

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My Culminar has the Leica thread and an M adapter. It has a focussing range from 1 m to infinity, very much like the Elmarit 90mm.

Lex

[Heiko Hahn]

Regarding the serial number question, a list of Steinheil numbers and dates is to be found in the "Lens Collector's Vademecum" by Wilkinson and Glanfield. Just to give some hints: the consecutive number series was started in the late 1920's. No. 500000 dates to 1950, 1000000 to 1955, 2000000 to 1957. Your example will, most likely, be within that range (early to mid-1950's).

 

The Culminar 2.8/85 was introduced in the late 1940's in Casca mount. After the failure of the Casca project, Steinheil issued M39 versions both for LTM and Neidig/DeJur/Paxette (there is an Exakta bayonet version as well, and most likely several other bayonet mounts for some Western German central shutter cameras of the time, like AKArette, Diax etc.).

Edited March 13, 2013 by Heiko Hahn

[sandro]

Heiko, would you by any chance have that book? The serial number of my Culminar 85mm is 617301, so it would be early 1950's.

Thanks anyway,

Lex

[Heiko Hahn]

According to the (not very precise) Vademecum list, the serial numbers went up to No. 650000 in 1950, so your lens should date to 1950 as well.

 

Until 1949, Steinheil lenses were marked "Made in Germany US Zone" on the lens barrel (near the mount). Afterwards, the "US Zone" marking was omitted. So, if your lens just shows "Made in Germany", we can be quite shure that it was made in 1950.

[sandro]

Yes Heiko, it says 'Made in Germany', so it must date from 1950. Thanks a lot for this information! The period of production of this type of Culminar is interesting in comparison to Leitz lenses of the period. The 1.5/85mm Summarex was in production until 1960, but the first Summicron 2/90mm appeared only in 1957, to be followed in 1959 by the first Elmarit 2.8/90mm.

Lex