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Zeiss Biogon

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Biogon
Introduced in1934
AuthorLudwig Bertele
Construction8 elements in 5 groups
Aperture4.5

Biogon is the brand name of Carl Zeiss for a series of photographic camera lenses, first introduced in 1934. Biogons are typically wide-angle lenses.

History

Bertele's first Biogon (1934), from US 2,084,309[1]

The first Biogon lens (2.8 / 3.5 cm, an asymmetric design featuring seven elements in four groups) was designed in 1934 by Ludwig Bertele[1] while he was working for Zeiss, as a modification of his earlier Sonnar design (1929).[2]: 120  The Biogon was assigned to Zeiss Ikon Dresden and marketed with the Contax rangefinder camera. It was produced by Carl Zeiss starting in approximately 1937, first in Jena, then a redesigned version was built in Oberkochen. Bertele would go on to reuse the design for the Wild Aviotar.[2]: 120 

  • Biogon and antecedents
  • Schneider Angulon by Tronnier (1930), from US 1,882,530[3]
    Schneider Angulon by Tronnier (1930), from US 1,882,530[3]
  • Zeiss Topogon by Richter (1933), from US 2,031,792[4]
    Zeiss Topogon by Richter (1933), from US 2,031,792[4]
  • Roosinov (1946), from US 2,516,724[5]
    Roosinov (1946), from US 2,516,724[5]
  • Wild Aviogon by Bertele (1950), from US 2,734,424[6]
    Wild Aviogon by Bertele (1950), from US 2,734,424[6]
  • Zeiss Biogon by Bertele (1951), from US 2,721,499[7]
    Zeiss Biogon by Bertele (1951), from US 2,721,499[7]
  • Schneider Kreuznach Super-Angulon by Klemt (1954), from US 2,781,695[8]
    Schneider Kreuznach Super-Angulon by Klemt (1954), from US 2,781,695[8]

Symmetric wide-angle lenses with meniscus elements facing the object and image had been developed in the 1930s, including the Schneider Kreuznach Angulon (Tronnier, 1930) with two outer negative menisci,[3] derived from the Goerz Dagor (Emil von Höegh, 1892);[2]: 92  and the Zeiss Topogon (Richter, 1933) with two outer positive menisci,[4] derived from the Goerz Hypergon (1900).[2]: 54–55, 118–119  These concepts were combined in a symmetric super-wide angle lens design using mirrored inverted telephoto lenses, as patented by Roosinov in 1946.[2]: 150 

In 1950, Bertele designed the Wild Aviogon as a similar highly-symmetric wide-angle lens with a large angular coverage.[6] The following year, in 1951, Bertele designed a new Biogon with a 90° angle of view (Super Wide Angle).[7] The Biogon has been characterized as a simpler Aviogon.[2]: 151  Compared to the Aviogon, the Biogon removed a meniscus element and simplified the group ahead of the aperture.[7]

The advent of the Biogon opened the way to extreme wide-angle lenses. The first examples were produced from 1954 as the 4.5 / 21 mm for Contax, in 1954, 4.5 / 38 mm for Hasselblad Super Wide, and from 1955 to 1956 as the 4.5 / 53 mm and 4.5 / 75 mm for Linhof. The original patent spanned three different variants, each with a different maximum aperture: f/6.3, f/4.5, and f/3.4 lenses.[7]

Examples

Leica CL with Carl Zeiss Biogon 2,8 / 28 mm lens
Zeiss Biogon 2,8 / 21 mm lens

Since their introduction, lenses branded Biogon are usually approximately symmetrical ("semi-symmetrical") wide-angle design with a usable angle of view of 90° or more. At 90° the focal length is approximately half as long as the format's diagonal.

Well known camera manufacturers like Hasselblad have or had Biogon derived lenses to offer.

Influence

The lenses branded Super-Angulon (sold by Schneider Kreuznach and Leica Camera) and Grandagon (sold by Rodenstock) are similar, highly symmetric super-wide angle lenses like the Biogon.

Other Zeiss lenses include the Triotar, Biotar, Biometar, Tessar, Planar, Sonnar, Distagon [de], Flektogon [de], Hologon, Topogon, Kipronar, Prokinar.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b US patent 2084309, Bertele, Ludwig, "Photographic lens system", issued 22 June 1937, assigned to Zeiss Ikon AG 
  2. ^ a b c d e f Kingslake, Rudolf (1989). A History of the Photographic Lens. San Diego, California: Academic Press. ISBN 0-12-408640-3.
  3. ^ a b US patent 1882530, Albrecht Wilhelm Tronnier, "Spherically chromatically and astigmatically corrected wide-angle lens with high aperture", issued October 11, 1932, assigned to Jos. Schneider & Co. 
  4. ^ a b US patent 2031792, Robert Richter, "Anastigmatic objective for photography and projection", issued February 25, 1936, assigned to Carl Zeiss, Jena 
  5. ^ US patent 2516724, Michael Michaelovitch Roosinov, "Wide angle orthoscopic anastigmatic photographic objective", issued July 25, 1950 
  6. ^ a b US patent 2734424, Ludwig Bertele, "Wide angle objectives of six air spaced components", issued 14 February 1956, assigned to Bertele, Ludwig 
  7. ^ a b c d US patent 2721499, Bertele, Ludwig, "Five component wide-angle objective", issued 25 October 1955, assigned to Bertele, Ludwig 
  8. ^ US patent 2781695, Gunter Klemt, "Optical system with large effective image angle", issued February 19, 1957, assigned to Jos. Schneider & Co. 

Bibliography

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