Meyer-Optik Gorlitz Primoplan 58mm f/1.9 II

Meyer-Optik Görlitz Primoplan 58mm f/1.9 II

The Primoplan 58mm f/1.9 II is a modern reissue that recreates the look of a prewar Meyer-Optik design rather than a corrected, neutral standard lens. The original Primoplan 58 f/1.9 was created by the Meyer-Optik designer Paul Schäfter, and its relatively fast 1:1.9 aperture was considered notable for its era [1][2]. The current "II" lens carries that lineage forward, marketed for its character at wide apertures, where the manufacturer describes a swirly bokeh with light bubbles, and a calmer rendering when the lens is stopped down. The M-mount version places it within the Leica rangefinder ecosystem, though it is an all-manual lens.

Optically the lens uses a compact arrangement of five elements in four groups, with a 14-blade aperture diaphragm intended to keep out-of-focus highlights rounded across the aperture range. It is a fully manual design with manual focus and a manually set aperture spanning f/1.9 to f/22, and its minimum focusing distance is 0.5 m. The M-mount version is not rangefinder coupled and carries no six-bit coding, so on a Leica M body it is used by scale or with live view focusing rather than through the rangefinder patch. The lens was offered across many systems, with the M mount being one option among full-frame and crop formats [3]. It uses a 52 mm filter thread.

Meyer-Optik Görlitz offered the Primoplan 58 f/1.9 in both an earlier version and this second-generation "II." According to the maker and contemporary reporting, the second-generation lenses keep the visual signature of the first generation while using higher-grade materials and an improved production process. Buyers should note that the Primoplan name has been produced under different ownership over time, so it is worth confirming which generation and which mount a given example carries.

Optical qualities

Rendering Documented rendering centers on character rather than clinical correction. The manufacturer states that the lens produces a swirly bokeh with light bubbles at its open aperture, and that the out-of-focus areas become smoother as the lens is stopped down. This bubble-style background blur is the defining trait collectors and users associate with the design. Beyond this, detailed independent performance data is limited here, so claims about sharpness, contrast, distortion, and vignetting are best confirmed against firsthand reviews and sample images.

History

Development and Launch The Primoplan name dates to a prewar Meyer-Optik fast standard lens credited to designer Paul Schäfter, whose f/1.9 aperture was unusually bright for its time. The modern Primoplan 58 f/1.9 II was announced as a second-generation reissue intended to reproduce that classic rendering with updated manufacturing.

Production Evolution The brand behind the lens has a turbulent recent corporate history. After a 2014 revival under net SE and a series of crowdfunding campaigns, the company faced widespread criticism over quality and undelivered products, and the rights passed to OPC Optics, which relaunched the Meyer Optik Görlitz brand following insolvency [4]. The new owners publicly acknowledged that some earlier-era models marketed under the brand had been converted lenses rather than original German production, and stated their intent to rebuild quality and infrastructure [5]. The second-generation "II" lenses, including this Primoplan, emerged from that relaunched operation and were positioned as keeping the original optical character while improving materials and production.

Collector Notes When evaluating an example, confirm the generation, since the maker sells both an earlier Primoplan 58 f/1.9 and this "II" version. Verify the mount as well, because the lens was produced for many systems and only the M-mount variant belongs to the Leica rangefinder world; that M version is not rangefinder coupled and lacks six-bit coding, so it focuses by scale or live view on a Leica body. One sourcing caution: an early announcement listed a 12-blade diaphragm and a 60 cm minimum focus distance, which conflicts with the 14-blade, 0.5 m figures recorded here and on the manufacturer's specification page, so trust the verified data over that early report.