StevenBirmi Posted May 28, 2020 Share #1 Posted May 28, 2020 Advertisement (gone after registration) I love shooting with my Nickel Elmar 50mm f/3.5, but I've always wondered the exact year it was made. It has no visible serial number inside or out. There is a 0 stamped on the bottom and another 0 beside the focus knob. The number 4 is stamped under the focus knob. The front shows: Leitz Elmar 1:3,5 F=50mm The distance marks are: mtr 2, 2.5, 3, 4, 5, 7, 10, 20, infinity, 1, 1.25, 1.5, 1.75 The aperture stops are: 3.5, 4.5, 6.3, 9, 12.5, 18 Any sleuths out there want to hazard a guess for the year the lens was made? Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Quote Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/310070-year-of-nickel-elmar-50mm-f35-no-serial/?do=findComment&comment=3982375'>More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted May 28, 2020 Posted May 28, 2020 Hi StevenBirmi, Take a look here Year of Nickel Elmar 50mm f/3.5? (no serial #). I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
Pyrogallol Posted May 29, 2020 Share #2 Posted May 29, 2020 I think the experts will come back with a date of 1930-31. is the infinity position at 11 o’clock or 7 o’clock when it is mounted on the camera? Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevenBirmi Posted May 29, 2020 Author Share #3 Posted May 29, 2020 3 hours ago, Pyrogallol said: I think the experts will come back with a date of 1930-31. is the infinity position at 11 o’clock or 7 o’clock when it is mounted on the camera? Unfortunately, I don't have a camera from that era to mount it to, so I'm not sure if it's an 11 or 7 o'clock. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
willeica Posted May 29, 2020 Share #4 Posted May 29, 2020 If it is 7 O'Clock it would have an infinity stop claw to hold it at infinity. 11 O'Clock versions did not have this feature. This has a '0' to indicate that it is standardised. I suspect that this is from a standardised I Model C from 1930 or 1931. I have two 11O'Clock versions of that standardised lens and two with 7 O'Clock conversions. None of them have serial numbers. William 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
luigi bertolotti Posted May 29, 2020 Share #5 Posted May 29, 2020 Have an 11 o'clock with 5 digits serial (95368) that ought to be from 1931, but has the "bell-push" knob.. yours is surely a bit older... so if you like to declare an age... 90 years is a fine round figure 😃 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevenBirmi Posted May 29, 2020 Author Share #6 Posted May 29, 2020 18 minutes ago, luigi bertolotti said: Have an 11 o'clock with 5 digits serial (95368) that ought to be from 1931, but has the "bell-push" knob.. yours is surely a bit older... so if you like to declare an age... 90 years is a fine round figure 😃 And it still takes beautiful pictures at 90 years old! Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! 4 Quote Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/310070-year-of-nickel-elmar-50mm-f35-no-serial/?do=findComment&comment=3982925'>More sharing options...
luigi bertolotti Posted May 30, 2020 Share #7 Posted May 30, 2020 (edited) Advertisement (gone after registration) 22 hours ago, StevenBirmi said: Unfortunately, I don't have a camera from that era to mount it to, so I'm not sure if it's an 11 or 7 o'clock. 11 o'clock by sure, see the position of the block pin - identical to my (numbered) one. Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Edited May 30, 2020 by luigi bertolotti Quote Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/310070-year-of-nickel-elmar-50mm-f35-no-serial/?do=findComment&comment=3983218'>More sharing options...
willeica Posted May 30, 2020 Share #8 Posted May 30, 2020 All push button models are 11 O'Clock, I have two or three of them. The lens of the OP has a flat top infinity knob, but does not appear to have the 'claw' to work with the infinity knob which appears on 7O'Clock models. I think it is 11 O'Clock. A better photo of the lens would help. Jerzy and I did a major exercise on 50mm Elmars some years ago, but we abandoned it as the size of it was getting too big. As I indicated above, this seems to a standardised (note the'0' opposite the infinity knob) 11 O'Clock Elmar for a I Model C from 1930 or 1931. William Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jerzy Posted May 31, 2020 Share #9 Posted May 31, 2020 Hi, the lens in question is 11 oclock, without infinity lock. Early lenses like this did not have SN stamped outside. Steven does not mention if there is any onther number engraved on DOF (except of 0), this let me assume that the lens was produced as standartized (0). Otherwise I would expect yet another 3 digit number on DOF. As other member indicated lens would be from 1930/31 There is as well a chance that the lens was converted from fix mounted Elmar (IA) or (rather slight chance) converted from 5 digit non-std Elmar. In this case the 5 digit number would be visible after removing DOF. In case of conversion original lens would be possibly bit older, hard to be more precise 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jemke Posted June 2, 2020 Share #10 Posted June 2, 2020 It seems to have some glow too on the images, love that. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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