Meyer-Optik Gorlitz Trioplan 105mm f/4.5

Meyer-Optik Gorlitz Trioplan 105mm f/4.5

The Meyer-Optik Gorlitz Trioplan 105mm f/4.5 is a German short telephoto made in an original, rangefinder-coupled Leica 39mm screw mount. Lens DB records a three-element, three-group optical construction and a 1.5-metre minimum focusing distance. Leitz Auction documents a black-and-nickel factory M39 example manufactured in 1934.

The lens uses the simple triplet arrangement associated with the Trioplan family. Its 105mm focal length gives a narrow field suited to portraits and distant detail, while the moderate f/4.5 aperture keeps the optical and mechanical package less demanding than a high-speed telephoto. A suitable external finder is normally needed because most Leica screw-mount bodies do not provide a dedicated 105mm frame.

This profile covers the native coupled Leica-thread lens, not a Trioplan removed from a folding camera, shutter, enlarger, or projector and later adapted to M39. Reliable sources used here do not establish the diaphragm-blade count, filter fitting, dimensions, weight, coating specification, or total output.

Optical qualities

Rendering

Three separate elements in three groups form the classic triplet structure. It offers economy and compactness, but fewer optical correction variables than a more complex six- or seven-element design. No factory MTF chart or controlled multi-copy test has been located for the exact 105mm f/4.5 Leica mount, so modern performance claims should remain observational.

At full aperture, centre performance and focus placement may be more consistent than the extreme image field, while stopping down generally improves contrast and field evenness. The actual progression depends on spacing, centring, glass condition, and whether the mount remains correctly registered. Results from a different Trioplan focal length should not be transferred automatically.

Contrast and flare

The documented 1934 date places the lens before postwar coating became routine at Meyer, but the sources do not establish the treatment of every surviving example. Some old lenses were coated or serviced later. Internal reflections, worn blackening, haze, and cleaning marks can strongly influence contrast in a triplet, and a deep telephoto hood can be useful when light approaches the front element.

Out-of-focus rendering

Modern discussion often associates Trioplan lenses with bright-edged defocused highlights, yet that description is not a guaranteed property at every distance and aperture. The exact 105mm f/4.5 blade count is not securely documented here. Background structure, focus distance, and optical condition should be recorded when describing its defocus behaviour.

Rangefinder use

The 1.5-metre minimum focus and f/4.5 aperture make focus less critical than with a 75mm f/1.5 lens, but a 105mm focal length still magnifies cam and body errors. Verify rangefinder agreement at infinity and portrait distances. An LTM-to-M adapter permits mounting on Leica M, though framing still requires a suitable external or variable finder.

History

Development and Launch

Hugo Meyer and Heinrich Schätze founded the Görlitz optical company in 1896. The firm developed a broad lens range and, during the interwar period, supplied optics for multiple camera makers as well as its own interchangeable mounts. By 1934 the Trioplan 10.5cm f/4.5 was available in a complete coupled Leica screw-mount barrel.

The Leica version belongs to the expansion of third-party lenses for the growing 35mm rangefinder system. Its dedicated cam and focusing helicoid distinguish it from the many 10.5cm triplets installed in leaf shutters for larger film formats. The focal-length engraving may appear as 10.5cm, which is equivalent to 105mm.

Production Evolution

Leitz Auction's 1934 example establishes the prewar black-and-nickel execution. The available sources do not provide a verified production span, serial chronology, or evidence for a redesigned Leica-thread optical formula. One catalogued year should not be turned into an exact start-and-end range.

Meyer continued to use the Trioplan name after the Second World War, and later Trioplans appeared in different focal lengths, mounts, coatings, and barrel styles. The company's history notes postwar magnesium-fluoride coating from 1952. That development should not be assigned retrospectively to this documented 1934 lens.

Special Editions/Variants

The black-and-nickel factory M39 version is documented, but no formally named editions have been established. Original yellow filters and hoods can accompany individual examples without defining a new model. The well-known 100mm f/2.8 Trioplan and modern Trioplan revivals are separate lenses, not revisions of this 105mm f/4.5 profile.

Collector Notes

Identification should combine the Meyer or Hugo Meyer Görlitz engraving, Trioplan 4.5/10.5cm marking, original Leica screw thread, coupled cam, and period black-and-nickel focusing barrel. Confirm that the rangefinder follows the full focusing movement and that the lens reaches infinity at the correct flange distance.

Avoid assuming that any loose 10.5cm Trioplan in an M39-looking adapter is the factory lens. Inspect thread registration, cam geometry, engravings, and barrel construction. Auction prices, serial numbers, condition grades, filters, and hoods describe individual lots rather than the generic model.