Steinheil Orthostigmat 35mm f/4.5

Steinheil Orthostigmat 35mm f/4.5

The Steinheil Orthostigmat 35mm f/4.5 is a compact post-war wide-angle lens made in Munich for 35mm rangefinder cameras. Documented examples date from about 1949 through the early 1950s and use a native Leica-standard screw mount with mechanical rangefinder coupling. The lens is therefore a purpose-built LTM photographic lens, not an enlarging or projection cell that merely has a 39mm thread.

Specialist references consistently describe the optical system as six elements in four groups. They also give a minimum focus of approximately 1 metre and a 40.5mm front filter fitting. These figures are useful for identification, although accessible factory literature for this exact LTM generation remains limited. A dependable aperture-blade count has not been located and is not assigned here.

The small chrome barrel is distinguished by two projecting focusing tabs placed on opposite sides of the lens. Aperture and focus are set manually. The VL marking found on documented examples denotes a coated version in period Steinheil usage. Contemporary records also show the lens supplied with a dedicated 35mm accessory finder, necessary because most Leica-thread bodies do not show a 35mm field of view in their built-in finder.

The lens mounts directly on Leica-standard screw-mount cameras and can be used on Leica M bodies with a suitable 35mm LTM-to-M adapter. Rangefinder accuracy depends on the condition and calibration of both lens and camera. On other mirrorless systems, a passive adapter and live-view focusing provide the most direct route to use.

Optical qualities

Rendering

Controlled performance data for the exact LTM Orthostigmat is scarce. A modern specialist review of one lens reports good central definition with visibly weaker peripheral performance at wider apertures. The same review shows flare in some photographs but attributes at least part of it to haze in the tested lens. These observations describe one surviving example and should not be treated as a factory performance standard.

The documented six-element, four-group construction establishes that this is not simply a renamed four-element post-war wide-angle. It does not, by itself, justify a universal claim about contrast, colour, bokeh or distortion. Coating condition, internal haze, element centring and rangefinder calibration can dominate the result of a lens from this period.

Digital use

Live-view magnification is useful for separating optical behaviour from rangefinder calibration error. A hood can help limit oblique light, but no specific flare resistance should be promised from the VL marking alone. The lens has no collapsing tube, so it avoids the internal-clearance issue associated with retractable LTM standards.

History

Development and Launch

Steinheil introduced the 35mm Orthostigmat during the reconstruction of the German photographic industry after the Second World War. Auction documentation places original coupled M39 examples around 1949 and 1950, while another documented example dates from 1953. This supports a late-1940s to early-1950s period rather than a single precise launch year.

A specialist history links the 35mm design to Steinheil's Casca II interchangeable-lens rangefinder, introduced around 1949, and states that the lens was also sold in Leica L39 form. Separately, auction catalogues describe the LTM version as an original coupled M39 lens. The exact engineering and sales relationship between the Casca-system and LTM barrels is not fully explained in accessible factory material, so it is safer to record the connection without calling every LTM example a later conversion.

Production Evolution

The earliest documented LTM form has a chrome finish, VL marking and, on some examples, a Made in Germany US-Zone engraving. Examples from about 1950 retain the coupled M39 construction. By 1953, a Tower-engraved version with a feet scale is documented. These records show changes in market engraving and distance scale while preserving the same focal length, aperture and coupled screw-mount identity.

No reliable evidence has been found for a revised optical formula within this short sequence. Likewise, the available records do not establish production totals or a complete serial chronology. Those fields should remain open rather than being inferred from the small number of photographed examples.

Special Editions/Variants

Tower engraving is the clearest documented export-market variant. US-Zone marked lenses and later examples without that wording also occur. These are barrel and market distinctions within the profile, not proof of separate optical generations. A finder supplied with an individual lens is an accessory configuration rather than a different lens model.

Collector Notes

The Orthostigmat name, 35mm f/4.5 specification, VL marking, twin focusing tabs and rangefinder cam are the principal identification points. The lens should not be confused with later Steinheil Culmigon or Cintagon 35mm lenses, nor with Orthostigmats made for larger formats. A shared family name does not establish a shared optical formula.

Before use, check that both focusing tabs remain secure, the rangefinder cam travels correctly and the diaphragm is clean. The 40.5mm accessory fitting should be verified on the actual lens before forcing a filter or hood, and a separate 35mm finder is normally required on classic screw-mount bodies.