Zeiss Jena · M42 screw mount · 1939–1969
Willy Merté finished the Biotar 75mm f/1.5 at Carl Zeiss Jena in April 1938, and it went into production in February 1939. He built it for the new 35mm SLRs like the Exakta, and it set the technical standard for fast portrait lenses for years. For stage photography it stayed the standard for decades. Jena never recalculated it, so every Biotar 75 until production ended in 1969 follows the 1938 design, a six-element double Gauss. Lots were tiny, usually 100 to 300 at a time, and only about 20,000 were made in 30 years, which is why it was hard to get even when new. KMZ's Helios-40 85mm f/1.5 follows its layout. Kröger, who has shot one at f/2, describes a strongly three-dimensional look that lifts the subject off a busy background. On mirrorless you'll want focus magnification, because f/1.5 at 75mm leaves very little in focus.
On a mirrorless camera
It’s a M42 screw mount lens, and its mount sits 45.46 mm from the film. Every mirrorless mount below sits closer than that, so a plain adapter ring fills the gap and the lens still focuses to infinity. On a smaller sensor it frames tighter, like a longer lens.
Versions
Prewar Biotars are uncoated. Postwar ones are coated, and from the 1950s they have a preset aperture. In the 1950s it came for M42 (Contax S and Praktica), the Exakta bayonet and the Praktina, and a handful were made for the Leica thread with rangefinder coupling in 1948. Many late-1960s lenses went into cine or industrial TV mounts. Old M42 Jena lenses like this one have a conical rim behind the thread that later Prakticas and some digital adapters won't clear, so many were filed down or notched.
Expect what 55 to 85 years does to a lens, like haze, fungus, cleaning marks and stiff focus grease. Prewar copies are uncoated, so they flare more against the light.
New to old glass? How to check a used vintage lens covers haze, fungus and the rest in detail.
Buying guide
We'd buy the coated Exakta-mount Biotar titled Red T at $1,118 delivered from a US seller with 99.7% feedback, about $160 under the $1,275–2,200 band, if its glass checks out. There are at least 14 for sale, most in Exakta mount, and asks run from $750 to over $4,000 delivered as version, mount and condition change. Exakta copies need an Exakta adapter and M42 copies an M42 adapter, and old M42 Jena lenses have a conical rim behind the thread that some adapters won't clear, so ask whether the rim has been filed down. The model page lists the adapters by camera. At 55 to 85 years old, haze, fungus and cleaning marks are common, so ask for a flashlight-through photo before paying this much, and skip the $4,040 Japan copy at about twice the median.
$750.00delivered
The lowest delivered Biotar here at $750 with free shipping, an Exakta-mount 10-blade copy with caps from a 99.8% US seller. It's under half the median and the barrel shows wear in the photo, so ask what's behind the price and for a flashlight-through photo of the glass.
(36) Carl Zeiss Biotar 75/1.5 75mm f/1.5 in EXA mount, 10-blade version, w/caps
$1,118.02est. delivered
A coated Exakta-mount Biotar titled Red T, at $1,118 delivered from a US seller with 99.7% feedback, about $160 under the band. Ask for a backlit photo of the glass, since haze and fungus are common at this age.
Carl Zeiss Jena Biotar 7.5cm f/1.5 75mm RED T exakta
Delivered prices include shipping as eBay quoted it to a US address on Oct 12, 2026. Many sellers charge by distance, so your total may differ. eBay shows yours before you pay.
Snapshot
Checked . Some may have sold.
Delivered prices include shipping as eBay quoted it to a US address on Oct 12, 2026. Many sellers charge by distance, so your total may differ. eBay shows yours before you pay.
Used$750.00delivered
$750.00 · free shipping
Buy It Now$750.00
Good buy
Exakta (EXA) mount, 10-blade version, with caps. Worn barrel in the photo.
Seller: southbymidwest
99.8% positive
Used$1,118.02est. delivered
$1,099.00 + $19.02 shipping
Buy It Now$1,099.00
This seller takes offers, and many sellers accept less than the asking price.
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Good buy
US seller. Exakta mount, titled Red T.
Seller: cardinalcameraused
99.7% positive
Used$1,111.30est. delivered
$1,100.00 + $11.30 shipping
Buy It Now$1,100.00
This seller takes offers, and many sellers accept less than the asking price.
Fine if you might miss it? Send an offer first. Someone else can still buy it while you wait for a reply.
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Our take
US seller, M42. The lower barrel looks different in the photo, so ask whether the mount is original.
Seller: natwat_21
100% positive
Used$1,820.55est. delivered
$1,795.00 + $25.55 shipping
Buy It Now$1,795.00
Our take
US seller. Exakta mount, GOOD+ by the seller's grade.
Seller: seawoodphoto
100% positive
Used$1,964.00est. delivered
$1,899.00 + $65.00 shipping
Buy It Now$1,899.00
This seller takes offers, and many sellers accept less than the asking price.
Fine if you might miss it? Send an offer first. Someone else can still buy it while you wait for a reply.
Want it for sure? Use Buy It Now.
Our take
Titled 3rd version, Exakta mount. Case and caps in the photo.
Seller: camera-mb
100% positive
Used$2,122.28est. delivered
$2,047.36 + $74.92 shipping
Buy It Now$2,047.36
This seller takes offers, and many sellers accept less than the asking price.
Fine if you might miss it? Send an offer first. Someone else can still buy it while you wait for a reply.
Want it for sure? Use Buy It Now.
Our take
M42 export version, titled light scratches. Ships from Austria.
Seller: vintage-cameras-by-boris
100% positive
Used$2,159.99est. delivered
$1,799.99 + $360.00 shipping
Buy It Now$1,799.99
This seller takes offers, and many sellers accept less than the asking price.
Fine if you might miss it? Send an offer first. Someone else can still buy it while you wait for a reply.
Want it for sure? Use Buy It Now.
Our take
MINT+++ is the dealer's grade. $360 shipping from Japan.
Seller: irodori-store
99.6% positive
![[A- Mint] Carl Zeiss Jena Biotar 75mm f/1.5 T Lens V2 for M42 From JAPAN 9858](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/AeAAAeSwhYVqx2Xl/s-l500.jpg)
Used$4,039.99+ shipping
$4,039.99 · shipping not stated
Buy It Now$4,039.99
Priced high
About twice the median, seller feedback 97.6%, and shipping isn't stated.
Seller: japonicamera
97.6% positive
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