ZK Lens

On eBay, seller Moskowphoto, there is a ZK lens 1,5/50 1947 n.000180.
I knew that the ZK 1.5 had been produced since 1948 and I know body numbers lower with the inscription 19 48.
What do you think?
Vittorio

The same thing about a ZK 2/50 1948, same seller, not existing with this kind of body.
Vittorio

Hello,

I have sent a private message.
It seems you have not received it?

Jacques.

No yet. My email is alerichi@hotmail.it

I'm seeing a lot of "forgeries" of late, ZK, Sonnar, and early KMZ lenses. A 1952 KMZ Jupiter-3 that I worked on was a ZOMZ, probably a 1962 or so. The shape of the rear triplet is different, and ZOMZ used 3 screws to hold the helical into the mount. KMZ used one, as did the ZK and German Sonnars. The Ebay seller in the link has a lot of "don't look right" lenses for sell.

I totally agree.
There is a real problem about these lenses. An sometimes it is very difficult to know if a lens is original or not. We must ask for extra photos, serial numbers... somewhat discouraging.

A wartime or early post war lens can have been
- mounted in Germany, transferred in Russia and kept with a non modified beauty ring (Sonnars),
- idem, but with a modified "KMZ" beauty ring,
- block lens mounted in Germany, body made in Russia (early ZK),
- block lens partially mounted in Germany, completed by KMZ,
- all made by KMZ (late ZK)

And when the triplet has been changed for some reason, the Zeiss number disappears, of course...

We must too remember that LTM original Sonnars are exceptional: most of those we see for sale were originally made for Contaxes, then remounted. But when, where and by whom?

And there are some curious cases. For example, this 1952 LTM Jup 12 I own, with an original Zeiss block. But I have too a 1951 one, always with a "new" body, but optically which is only KMZ. And there is a 1950, actually for sale on eBay, with an old body but a block without Zeiss number...

During the 1946-52 years, it is probably impossible to know how KMZ had worked: in which order they took the Zeiss parts, when exactly they introduced KMZ parts, and which ones, and for which lens: Jup 8 first? And Jup 3 last?

All that makes things more complex. The specialist say that you must have a lens in hand to know. So, buy first, you will know after!

Jacques.