The Pentacon Six System
by TRA
Lens Data Summary
Novoflex & Astro Lenses
Novoflex
The (West) German company Novoflex marketed over many years at least
two lenses in the Pentacon Six mount. Both of these lenses incorporated
the Novoflex Follow Focus system, a spring-loaded pistol grip that is squeezed
to focus. Here are the details (again, from Gillespie):
| Lens name |
Max aperture
& focal length
mm |
Closest
focus
(feet & inches) |
Weight
(pounds &
ounces) |
| Novoflexar |
f/5.6 / 240 |
9' 3" |
3 lb 6 oz |
| Tele Novoflexar |
f/5.6 / 500 |
38' 9" |
5 lb 8 oz |
When I tried out one of these lenses, I did not find it easy to use,
as it was a pre-set lens, so one has to open to maximum aperture for accurate
focussing, and then
-
squeeze the trigger to focus
-
stop down the lens
-
fire the shutter.
Doing three things at once with only two hands is anything but easy!
It certainly did not speed up operation for me, compared with the standard
Carl Zeiss Jena/Pentacon lenses.
I believe that Novoflex also sold some of their bellows lenses in the
Pentacon Six mount, namely the:
-
Novoflexar f/4 / 200mm
-
Novoflexar f/4.5 / 240 mm
-
Novoflexar f/5.6 / 300mm
All three of these lenses were designed to give both infinity focus and
macro focussing.
Astro
The Astro company was apparently located in Berlin and is usually known
as “Astro-Berlin”. The lenses are reported to have been designed
and originally sold in the 1930s. We must remember that the superb
Carl Zeiss Jena f/2.8 / 180mm Sonnar was designed in 1936, so we should
not dismiss such lenses. However, Astro lenses have been described
by an experienced user as “not meeting today’s quality” and “in the league
with Kilfitt or less, not Zeiss Jena”. (Sam Sherman in Old Bridge,
New Jersey)
| Lens name |
Max aperture
& focal length
mm |
No of
elements |
Closest
focus
m |
| Color-Astrar |
f/2 / 150 |
5 |
2.2 |
| Astro-Tachar |
f/2.3 / 150 |
4 |
2.2 |
| Astro-Tachar |
f/1.8 / 150 (1) |
4 |
2.2 |
| Astro-Telestan |
f/3.5 / 200 |
4 |
2.5 |
| Astro-Telestan |
f/3.5 / 300 |
4 |
3.5 |
| Astro-Telestan |
f/4.5 / 500 |
4 |
7 |
| Astro-Fernbild |
f/5 / 640 |
2 |
10 |
| Astro-Fernbild |
f/5 / 800 |
2 |
16 |
| Astro-Fernbild |
f/6.3 / 1000 |
2 |
25 |
| Astro-Telestan |
f/10 / 2000 |
4 |
45 |
Notes
(1) This is incredibly fast for a lens of this focal length.
It is a very large and heavy lens! It has appeared on eBay, where
it sold for a very high price.
All these lenses are reported to have had a “click-stopped diaphragm
(not pre-set)” – Gillespie, 1975.
This data is based on published sources. I do not have any of
these lenses.
To go on to the next section, click below.
Next section (Other manufacturers) |
|
The Astro “Noctron” Tachar f/1.8 / 150mm lens
on a Praktisix IIA
My thanks to the collector who let me photograph this item
|
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© TRA May 2002, January 2007