Wollensak Velostigmat 127mm f/4.5 Series II

Wollensak Velostigmat 127mm f/4.5 Series II LTM

The Wollensak Velostigmat 127mm f/4.5 Series II LTM is an American-made Leica screw-mount telephoto lens associated with E. Leitz New York. It was produced during the wartime and immediate postwar period, when German Leica lens supply to the United States was disrupted and Leitz New York arranged for Wollensak in Rochester, New York to supply Leica screw-mount lenses [1]. The 127mm f/4.5 was one of the three Wollensak camera lenses sold for Leica screw mount, alongside the 50mm f/3.5 and 90mm f/4.5 Velostigmat lenses [1].

The lens uses a 4-element, 3-group Tessar-type optical construction, consistent with the Wollensak Velostigmat Series II family [2]. It was mounted for Leica screw-mount use by or for E. Leitz New York and is documented in auction records with E. Leitz NEW-YORK Made in U.S.A. engraving [3]. Collector references identify the Leica catalogue code as LELCP and note that the same 127mm f/4.5 lens family appears under Anastigmat, Velostigmat, and later Raptar names [4].

For LeicaLensList, this entry should be kept separate from ordinary Wollensak 127mm f/4.5 large-format, press-camera, enlarging, and shutter-mounted Series II lenses. The LTM version is collector-relevant because it belongs to the small E. Leitz New York Wollensak lens group and was intended for Leica screw-mount rangefinder use. Published data conflicts on accessories and weight, with some references indicating A36-type accessory use while others list Series V retaining-ring filter use, and reported weights vary between sources. These values should therefore be verified from a known LELCP example before entering exact variant metadata [4][5].

History

Development and Launch

The Wollensak 127mm f/4.5 Series II LTM appeared around 1944, making it the earliest of the E. Leitz New York Wollensak Leica screw-mount camera lenses [4]. Leica Society International explains that Leitz New York commissioned Wollensak lenses when wartime shipments of Leica cameras and lenses from Germany were interrupted [1]. The 127mm focal length was a practical substitute for the longer Leica telephoto role, roughly comparable in use to Leica’s 13.5cm class lenses.

Production Evolution

Collector references give production dates of 1944 to 1951, with coating appearing from around 1945 and the name changing from Velostigmat to Raptar around 1950 [4]. Leitz Auction records a Wollensak Velostigmat 4.5/127mm example from about 1948, serial number 464009, engraved E. Leitz NEW-YORK Made in U.S.A. and supplied with both caps and original maker’s box [3]. OstLicht also documents a matching Leitz New York Wollensak lens set from about 1947 including 50mm, 90mm, and 127mm Velostigmat lenses [6].

Special Editions/Variants

The main documented variants are Leica Anastigmat, Velostigmat Series II, and Raptar Series II engravings. Leica Forum references note examples such as Leica Anastigmat 127mm f/4.5 no. 439060, Wollensak Velostigmat 127mm Focus Ser. II f/4.5 no. 458565, and Wollensak 127mm f/4.5 Series II Raptar no. 512815 [4]. These should be treated as naming and production-period variants within the same E. Leitz New York 127mm LTM lens family unless clear optical or mechanical differences are verified.

Collector Notes

Collectors should verify that the lens is a true E. Leitz New York Leica screw-mount lens rather than a generic Wollensak 127mm Series II lens adapted later. Important checks include the LTM / L39 mount, rangefinder-coupled focusing mount, E. Leitz NEW-YORK Made in U.S.A. engraving, LELCP identity, serial number, front-ring name variant, caps, original box, and whether the lens head and focusing mount appear matched. The lens head can be unscrewed from the focusing mount, so mixed parts are possible. Condition checks should include haze, cleaning marks, coating status, aperture operation, focus calibration, thread condition, and signs of non-original adaptation [3][4].

Special editions

• LELCP, Leica Anastigmat 127mm f/4.5, early E. Leitz New York naming variant, LTM.
• LELCP, Wollensak Velostigmat 127mm f/4.5 Series II, E. Leitz New York, LTM.
• LELCP, Wollensak Raptar 127mm f/4.5 Series II, late engraving variant, LTM.
• 65685, E. Leitz New York numerical catalogue code, reported for the 127mm f/4.5 Wollensak lens.

Sources

• [1] Leica Society International. Rare and uncommon 50mm Leitz lenses. https://leicasocietyinternational.org/blog/ihvqyfju3oqzia2htxn0c5whpu4vx3
• [2] Western Pennsylvania Historical Society. The Wollensak Velostigmat Series II. https://www.wphsociety.org/post/the-wollensak-velostigmat-series-ii
• [3] Leitz Auction. Wollensak Velostigmat 4,5/127mm. https://www.leitz-auction.com/en/Wollensak-Velostigmat-4-5-127mm/AI-17-11120
• [4] Leica Forum. Wollensak Velostigmat 127mm. https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/347184-wollensak-velostigmat-127mm/
• [5] KEH. Wollensak 127mm f/4.5 Velostigmat Series II Lens for M39 Leica Screw Mount. https://www.keh.com/shop/127-f4-5-wollensak-velostigmat-focus-ser-ii-33-5-lens-1.html
• [6] OstLicht Auction. Leitz New York Wollensak Lens Set. https://www.ostlicht-auction.com/auction/lot/lot-123---leitz-new-york-wollensak-lens-set/