Biotar 75mm f/1.5 — early postwar version with a compact barrel design. Serial number: 323xxxx. Exakta mount. Manual aperture. Features T coating.
A high-speed medium telephoto lens made by Carl Zeiss Jena, based on a 4-group, 6-element double Gauss design. Distance scale in feet. This example features an aluminum barrel and weighs 403g.
It sports a beautiful, soft purple T coating. The aperture has 18 blades. Minimum focusing distance is 3.5 feet (1 meter).
This particular lens was shipped in November 1941. The Biotar 75mm exists in various barrel designs—around the same period, a small number were also made with the same design but in chrome-plated brass. Later models featured a preset aperture and a bulkier, heavier barrel.
Still beloved today—with even a modern reissue released in recent years—the Biotar 75mm is a legendary lens. It delivers sharp and detailed rendering in the center while maintaining a soft, smooth quality, along with its signature swirling bokeh. Its rich color reproduction and uniquely three-dimensional rendering give it a distinctive character that is ideal for portraiture—classic vintage lens charm at its finest.
This compact aluminum version is user-friendly and a true joy to shoot with. At wide apertures, it produces the lens's iconic lemon-shaped bokeh—adding to the creative appeal of this exceptional lens.
There is a small dent just below the aperture index mark and a few extremely minor scuffs, but for an aluminum-barrel Biotar, this is an exceptionally clean example.
Fully overhauled in March 2025. The aperture and helicoid now operate with a smooth, well-damped feel, full of that satisfying tactile quality.
As is typical for Biotars, the inner elements show a number of small air bubbles from the manufacturing process. However, there are no cleaning marks or haze—the glass is clear and bright. It's rare to find a Biotar with glass this clean.
Includes the original Carl Zeiss-branded front cap, case, and box.
Interestingly, this lens appears to have been sold in New York as part of a set with an Exakta body. It comes with the original box and a dedicated leather case designed to hold an Exakta body with this Biotar 75mm mounted—a fascinating bit of evidence that the Biotar 75mm was offered as part of a set with the Exakta.
