Not every fast vintage lens is a 50mm. Sometimes others are fast in relation to their focal length, like the Carl Zeiss BIotar 75mm f/1.5, considered by some to be the original ‘King of Bokeh’. The lens has a reputation for creating an incredible picture, which can be partially attributed to its ability to produce amazing bokeh, which was not exactly something that was mainstream in the mid-decades of the 20th century.

The Biotar lenses were designed in 1927 by Willi Merté (1889-1948) for cine cameras (Patent No. DE485,798). Merté continued developing the Biotar lenses, and in 1938 introduced the Biotar 75. Construction was complete by April 1938, and the lens went into production in February 1939. It was quite radical for the time, especially considering that all calculations for these systems were performed manually, i.e. by humans. It is often the reason very few of these lenses changed their specifications. The lens is a 6-element, 4-group, Double-Gauss optical design.

The first copies were made for cinematography, followed shortly after for Ihagee’s 35mm Kine Exakta. The advent of WWII meant that few lenses were sold, and those sales were likely restricted to lens enthusiasts who could afford them. Based on the available literature, it doesn’t seem like any were exported from Germany. In 1943, competition arrived in the form of the Leitz Summarex 85mm f/1.5. The design was a 7/6, but was prone to flaring, and heavier, at 700g to the Zeiss’s 500g. Post-war more competition in the German market resulted in the Meyer-Optik Görlitz Primoplan 75mm f/1.9; the Enna-Werke Ennaston-Lithagon 85mm f/1.5, and the Carl Zeiss Jena 85mm f/2 Sonnar. By the mid 1950s there was also competition originating from Japan.

“The ultra-light intensity of the 75mm ‘Night Lens’ ensures adequate exposures even under the most adverse lighting conditions, i.e. theatre, circus, cabaret, and night life. As this particular lens is more than three times as fast as the 2.8 lens, successful pictures can be obtained in towns and cities, illuminated only by normal street lighting.”

Exakta Varex IIa brochure, 1958

There are three known variants of this lens. The first pre-war variant is known as the “skinny” Biotar 75. Introduced in 1938, this version has a thin, compact barrel. It was supposedly made of brass with a chrome-plated finish (although it is likely this changed to aluminum during the war). This lens were predominantly made for the EXA mount (not surprising considering the Exakta was the prominent 35mm SLR of the period). Early versions did not have an anti-reflection coating on ​​the glass surface, which could cause flare when shooting against the light. Coatings, marked with a red “T”, began to be applied during the war (possibly for the military).

After the war, Zeiss-Ikon was to release the Contax S, which used the M42 screw mount. Zeiss redesigned many of their lenses to take on the M42 mount. This resulted in the second version of the lens, produced between 1946 and 1952. This lens made use of lanthanum-containing Schott glass for its lens elements. This version was made in East Germany. Starting with this model, aluminum was used for the lens barrel to reduce weight. Additionally, the minimum aperture has been changed to allow up to f/22. In this variant, mounts for M42, Leica (L39), and Praktina were added, and it was compatible with at least five types of mounts, including those for Exakta and Contax. All have the “T” coating, although it may not be marked with a red “T”. Around 1950 markings were changed from 7.5cm to 75mm. The distance scale is a single one, which is very easy to read.

The third version of the lens was produced from 1952-1968, as is known as the “fat” Biotar 75. This version has a solid barrel with a knurled/scalloped focus ring, a double distance scale, i.e. numbers on either side. The diaphragm is now preset, and the minimum aperture is back to f/16.

The lens had various names over the 1950’s based on where it was sold. The lens was known as Nachtobjektiv Jena B (Night-lines Jena B), Zeiss-Biotar, “Jena B”, or just Biotar.

The lens is truly a pivotal design, it was not until new types of glass were designed, and the advent of computer-aided optical development that further progress could be achieved, ultimately leading to the Zeiss Pancolar 75mm f/1.4 in the mid-1960s. The 75mm lens itself would not really feature in the future of lenses, supplanted by the 80mm and 85mm focal lengths. Over its 30 years in existence, only roughly 20,000 copies were made. Supposedly they were made in very small batches (100-200) due to the nature of the lens – the optical elements required large pieces of flawless glass.

In the early 1950s, the lens sold in the USA as a “high speed lens”, for around US$216, which is US$2,500 in 2023 based on inflation. In Germany in 1953, this lens sold for DM596 (which when converted was cheaper than in the USA (US$141). Today these lenses sell anywhere from US$2000-6000+ depending on condition, and variant. An alternative, which honestly costs a whole lot less, is the modern Biotar 75 f1.5 II, from Meyer Optik Görlitz (it sells for €1400, ca. C$2000).

NB: You can always tell when a Zeiss lens was manufactured from the serial number.