Information about Zeiss Jena and Saalfeld

Hello to all,

maybe I can get some more information about Contax lenses and cameras that were made in Jena and Saalfeld. I have met a guy online that lives in Rudolstadt and has worked as Zeiss in Saalfeld in the lens factory.
I showed him the thread about the Jena Contax and we talked about it. Then he says that he knows a lot of retired people that have worked in Jena and Saalfeld at Zeiss and he can ask them questions about those days.

So, what kind of questions should I ask him? Let us make a little bit of brainstorming here :-)

Ulrich

http://fotos.cconin.de

Dear Ulrich,
Ask, please, why in 1980-1990 Zeiss lenses sometimes marked by short numbers(5 digits in serial). Probably it's means lenses with lower quality control tests, or simplified glass, or diffirent coating...

http://xalmaz.narod.ru

Hi Ulrich,

Two questions, if possible:
- About this Contax: http://ussrphoto.com/Forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=2827 we think it should be a Jena-Contax prototype. What does he think about it?
- Concerning the TSVVS which has some common parts with the Contax, and which was made in the same years as the Jena-Contaxes, does he know anything? Some of us think it could have been made in (what will be) DDR, perhaps with Zeiss tools.

Thanks, even if he does not know!

Amitiés. Jacques.

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="MS Trebuchet, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by xalmaz</i>
<br />Dear Ulrich,
Ask, please, why in 1980-1990 Zeiss lenses sometimes marked by short numbers(5 digits in serial). Probably it's means lenses with lower quality control tests, or simplified glass, or diffirent coating...
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Actually, there is a simple explanation. Carl Zeiss Jena started these new, shorter serial numbers in 1980 after nearly reaching 11.xxx.xxx with its earlier, consencutive serial numbers. Each lens type produced after 1980/81 featured its own range of serial numbers starting with 1001.
Why? Fewer digits means lower cost and space-savings for imprints on the front rings and it was easier to maintain a factory log.