Asahi
Super-Takumar 3.5/135
(M42)
Construction: ******
Condition: A-
Optical Performance: 8.5
/10
Estimated value (mint): € 60,-
Highlights: optical performance, built, handling, street price
Downsides: not many, "only" f3.5
"This lens is some kind of hidden gem. You can easily find it for very little money, but it offers such a nice peformance, it handles well and is still rather compact."
Nikkor-Q.C
Auto 3.5/135
(F)
Construction: *****
Condition: B-
Optical Performance: 8.5
/10
Estimated value (mint): € 101,-
Original price: approx. DM 390,-
Highlights: optical performance, built, handling
Downsides: not many, "only" f3.5
"An extremely nice lens. My copy has been professionally rebuilt to AI. There is some internal haze in my copy, but it still is amazingly sharp, even at f3.5! Nice bokeh and very pleasant colours. One of my best 135mm lenses, definitely! It probably shares the lens design with a Zeiss Sonnar, but I have to find out more about that."
Olympus
Zuiko Auto-T 3.5/135
(OM)
Construction: ******
Condition: A
Optical Performance: 8.5
/10
Estimated value (mint): € 75,-
Original price: approx. DM 320,-
Highlights: optical performance, small size, built, handling, incl. hood
Downsides: not many, "only" f3.5
"Wow! This is a very small lens but such a great performer. It produces a rather cool cast on images but sharpness, bokeh, details rendition - all is great. It just misses the 9 pts. because of it fastest stop of f3.5. Perhaps my favourite 135mm at the moment."
Tamron
MC 2.5/135 Close Focus 03B
(A2)
Construction: ******
Condition: B+
Optical Performance: 8.5
/10
Estimated value (mint): € 95,-
Highlights: optical performance, f2.5, built, handling, incl. hood
Downsides: not many
"What a nice lens! Pretty fast and still not too big. I really like it."
Schneider-Kreuznach
Rollei SL - Tele Xenar 3.5/135
(QBM)
Construction: ******
Condition: A-B
Optical Performance: 8.5
/10
Estimated value (mint): € 75,-
Highlights: optical performance, built, handling, incl. hood, beauty
Downsides: "only" f3.5, (no infinity focus on an EOS body)
"A real beatuy! And it performs as well as it looks!"
Jupiter
37-A 3.5/135
(M39 SLR)
Construction: ****
Condition: B-C
Optical Performance: 8.5
/10
Estimated value (mint): € 30,-
Highlights: optical performance, handling
Downsides: poor paint, "only" f3.5
"I have read many good things about it and the first shots seem to prove all the praise right. After some more shots, I can second all the good reports about that lens. A fantastic lens! Even open very sharp and an excellent bokeh."
TAIR-11
2.8/133
(M39 SLR)
Construction: *****
Condition: B+
Optical Performance: 8.5
/10
Estimated value (mint): € 75,-
Highlights: Bokeh quality, "magical" rendering, sturdy built
Downsides: handling, heavy
"This lens has an aperture diaphragm that consists of 20 blades! This causes a perfectly circular aperture at any f-stop and thus an excellent highlight bokeh. The Tair-11 renders colours and details in a way that has been describec as 'magical' by several photographers."
Carl
Zeiss Jena Sonnar 4/135 1Q
(EOS/MF)
Construction: *****
Condition: B
Optical Performance: 8.5 /10
(only due to f4!)
Estimated value (mint): € 70,-
Highlights: very nice pictures, handling, built
Downsides: only f4
"This lens is something special. A camera mechanic has mechanically adapted it to the EOS system for good. So it only can be used at an EOS body. Its only disadvantage is the lowest f-stop of 4. Otherwise this is a very good lens."
Carl
Zeiss Super-Dynarex 4/135
(EOS/MF, originally BM)
Construction: originally *****, now: ***
Condition: D, lenses: B+
Optical Performance: 8.5 /10
(only due to f4!)
Estimated value (mint): € ...,-
Highlights: very nice pictures, looks
Downsides: only f4 is usable, handling
"I got this lens with an BM-mount for Icarex and I tried to change it to EOS. It did only work up to a certain extend. I can use the lens with infinity focus but only at f4."
MC
Jupiter 37-AM 3.5/135
(M42)
Construction: ****
Condition: C-D
Optical Performance: 8
/10
Estimated value (mint): € 45,-
Highlights: optical performance, handling
Downsides: poor paint, "only" f3.5
"As far as I can judge, the "AM" version is pretty similar to my "A" version, although it is multi-coated (MC). Perhaps I have not shot in a situation where an MC is needed, yet."
Jupiter-11
4/135
(M42)
Construction: *****
Condition: B
Optical Performance: 8 /10
Estimated value (mint): € 50,-
Highlights: nice bokeh, handling, built
Downsides: only f4
"A heavy lens (though not that big) with a very nice bokeh, just a little slow (f4)."
Revuenon-Spezial
2.8/135
(M42)
Construction: ****
Condition: A-
Optical Performance: 7.5
/10
Estimated value (mint): € 45,-
Original price: approx. DM 160,-
Highlights: price, pictures
Downsides: it feels like one lens in thousands
"A little weaker than the Zeiss lenses but a little better than the Opticam. Quite a nice lens, better then its 'no-name' promises."
Pentacon
auto 2.8/135
(M42)
Construction: *****
Condition: B-C
Optical Performance: 7.5
/10
Estimated value (mint): € 50,-
Original price: approx. DM 250,-
Highlights: nice pictures, bokeh
Downsides: sometimes problems with aperture blades
"This is the best of my 2.8/135 lenses. It is solid and performs really well. My only 135mm lens, that opens to f2.8, which is almost as good as the f3.5 lenses. Not razor-sharp but fine colour-rendering and a legendary bokeh!"
Weltblick
3.5/135
(M42)
Construction: ****
Condition: B-
Optical Performance: 7.5
/10
Estimated value (mint): € 25,-
Highlights: nice pictures, pretty small, price
Downsides: "only" f3.5
"Even a little smaller than the Greens, it shows really good results. It is better than the Revuenon and the Opticam and knocks at the Zeiss door without getting there, really."
Carl
Zeiss Jena Sonnar 4/135 1Q
(M42)
Construction: *****
Condition: B-
Optical Performance: 7.5
/10
Estimated value (mint): € 80,-
Highlights: nice pictures, handling, built
Downsides: only f4
"A heavy lens (though not that big) with a very good performance, a little slow (f4) still."
Enna
Tele-Ennalyt 3.5/135
(M42)
Construction: ***
Condition: B
Optical Performance: 7
/10
Estimated value (mint): € 45,-
Highlights: price
Downsides: built
"It r eally feels like a plastic lens that does not make you expect a lot. After you've used it for the first time, you realise: very pleasant colours and very nice sharpness. The focus ring turns nicely and helps to focus exactly."
Raynox
Auto 2.8/135
(M42)
Construction: ****
Condition: A-
Optical Performance: 6.5
/10
Estimated value (mint): € 45,-
Highlights: price, handling
Downsides: rather soft
"Similar things are true for both the Raynox 135 and the Raynox 28. They live a little on the soft side but are suprisingly nice when it comes to bokeh and colour. I like it, because it is nice to handle. It seems that Raynox follows some internal policy: soft but pleasant colours."
Tamron
Tasei Kogaku 2.8/135
(M42 / T2)
Construction: ****
Condition: B-
Optical Performance: 6.5
/10
Estimated value (mint): € 60,- (as Twin Tele)
Highlights: bokeh
Downsides: all in all rather mediocre
"A weird lens (or should I say lenses?) This 'Twin-Tele' is a regular 135mm-lens (with a mediocre to good performance but a very nice bokeh!) that can be changed by a special adapter to a 1:5.5/225. But then it loses a lot of its quality: lower contrast, sharpness, worse colours. Thus fine as a 135mm, poor as a '225mm'."
Porst
Automatic-Tele 2.8/135
(M42)
Construction: ****
Condition: C+
Optical Performance: 6.5
/10
Estimated value (mint): € 30,-
Highlights: price
Downsides: all in all rather mediocre
"..."
Panagor
Auto Tele 2.8/135
(M42)
Construction: ****
Condition: C
Optical Performance: 6.5
/10
Estimated value (mint): € 40,-
Original price: approx. DM 230,-
Highlights: hood, price
Downsides: all in all rather mediocre
"An average lens, not really bad but not excellent either. My copy has a small scratch on the front lens which doesn't show on the pictures. A nice feature is the build-in hood."
Opticam
2.8/135
(M42)
Construction: ****
Condition: B-
Optical Performance: 6.5
/10
Estimated value (mint): € 40,-
Highlights: price
Downsides: unusual handling
"Although the Opticam shows several signs of usage on the outside, the lenses are clear and its performance is fine. It is a good 135mm-lens, but not spectacular."
Isco
Isconar 4/135
(EXA)
Construction: ***
Condition: B
Optical Performance: 6.5
/10
Estimated value (mint): € 45,-
Highlights: price
Downsides: built
"This Isconar looks funny at the EXA, a bit like a cigarette. ;-) Similar to the Tele-Ennalyt it feels like a plastic lens but it produces nice pictures."
Greens
London 3.5/135
(M42)
Construction: ***
Condition: D
Optical Performance: 6
/10
Estimated value (mint): € 25,-
Highlights: price
Downsides: built
"A 'Thirteen-Fiver' that is much smaller than most of my other ones. With aperture preset and in mint condition. First I was kind of amazed by this Greens London lens. Optically much more than I expected. But then I realised that it is a rather fragile little thing!"