Used Carl Zeiss Jena 50mm f/2.8 Tessar for Sale — From £30 | UsedLens.co.uk

£29.64 Low price

£114.94 High price

14 Listings

1 Retailers

2 Reduced

Great for: general portrait street

Carl Zeiss Jena's classic Tessar — the 50mm f/2.8 in Exakta mount, the well-regarded design.

The Carl Zeiss Jena Tessar 50mm f/2.8 is a classic four-element lens from Carl Zeiss Jena for the Exakta SLR system. The Tessar formula (patented by Zeiss in 1902) is one of the most enduring optical designs in photography, using four elements in three groups for its characteristic combination of sharpness, compactness, and smooth rendering.

The lens delivers 50mm at f/2.8 maximum aperture with the Tessar four-element formula, Carl Zeiss Jena T-coating, Exakta bayonet coupling, fully manual focus and aperture, and full-frame 35mm coverage. The Tessar was Zeiss Jena's standard lens across many of their camera and system products.

The Tessar 50mm f/2.8 is more modest in aperture than the Pancolar f/2 but offers the classic Tessar sharpness and rendering characteristic. It was described by Zeiss as the 'Eagle Eye' for its sharp image quality. The Tessar formula remains one of the most studied in optical design history, balancing performance with simplicity.

Check Zeiss T-coating integrity on all four elements. Test aperture ring for smooth, oil-free operation. Verify Exakta bayonet coupling. Focus ring should travel smoothly. The Tessar's performance improves noticeably when stopped down from f/2.8 — test at f/5.6 for its characteristic sharpness peak.

Avg £61, down 4.0% over 1 month

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Used Carl Zeiss Jena 50mm f/2.8 Tessar price history

Tracking the used Carl Zeiss Jena 50mm f/2.8 Tessar price? Over the past month, the average has fallen 4.0%, from £64 to around £61. Depending on age and condition, expect to pay between £48 and £79 for a used lens.

Average market price (line) and typical price range (shaded). Source: UsedLens daily price index, 11 Jun – 4 Aug 2026.