Wollensak Velostigmat 50mm f/3.5

Wollensak Velostigmat 50mm f/3.5 LTM

The Wollensak Velostigmat 50mm f/3.5 LTM is a rare American-made Leica screw-mount standard lens associated with E. Leitz New York. It was produced during the wartime and postwar period when normal Leica lens supply from Germany to the United States was disrupted, leading Leitz New York to source a small group of Leica screw-mount lenses from Wollensak in Rochester, New York [1]. The 50mm f/3.5 Velostigmat was the standard-lens member of this group, alongside the 90mm f/4.5 and 127mm f/4.5 Wollensak camera lenses.

The lens uses a 4-element, 3-group Tessar-type optical design and is often described as an American alternative to the Leitz Elmar 5cm f/3.5[2]. Lens DB lists the Leitz New York Wollensak Velostigmat 50mm f/3.5 under code LELEL, with 50mm focal length, f/3.5 maximum aperture, 4 elements, 3 groups, Leica screw mount, collapsible construction, and 1.07 m minimum focusing distance. Accessory compatibility is A36-type, with Flashback Camera specifically noting the Wollensak Velostigmat 50mm f/3.5 as one of the A36 lenses usable with the Leitz New York SOOGZ filter adapter [3].

For LeicaLensList, this entry should be kept separate from ordinary Wollensak enlarging lenses, Wollensak cine lenses, Wollensak Velostigmat lenses in non-Leica mounts, and the Leitz Elmar 5cm f/3.5. Its collector relevance comes from the E. Leitz New York supply context, Leica screw-mount compatibility, uncommon American origin, and limited surviving documentation. Because production figures are not clearly published, identification should rely on engraving, mount, focusing construction, and confirmed Leitz New York provenance rather than assumptions based only on the Wollensak name.

History

Development and Launch

The Velostigmat 50mm f/3.5 LTM appeared as part of the E. Leitz New York wartime and postwar workaround for interrupted German Leica lens supply. Leica Society International records that Leitz New York had Wollensak produce a small group of Leica screw-mount lenses, including the 50mm f/3.5 Velostigmat camera lens. Lens DB places the Leitz New York Wollensak Velostigmat 50mm f/3.5 entry in 1947, making it a postwar Leica screw-mount standard lens within the New York supply context.

Production Evolution

Reliable production data for the 50mm f/3.5 Velostigmat LTM is limited. Leica Society International states that production figures are not known, but describes the lens as a prized collectible today. Leitz Auction records examples as rare standard lenses for the postwar New York Leica Standard, including metric examples and lenses supplied with caps, keepers, or maker boxes [4]. Some documented examples are described as factory coated, which is plausible for the late wartime and postwar period, but coating status should be checked on individual copies [5].

Special Editions/Variants

The main documented LeicaLensList-relevant variant is the LELEL Wollensak Velostigmat 50mm f/3.5 in Leica screw mount for E. Leitz New York. Known differences appear mainly in coating status, metric or feet scale, accessory completeness, and condition rather than clearly documented optical revisions. No separate Raptar-marked 50mm f/3.5 LTM variant is confirmed from the sources used here, unlike the better-documented 90mm and 127mm Wollensak LTM lenses.

Collector Notes

Collectors should verify that the lens is a true Leica screw-mount E. Leitz New York Wollensak lens, not a Wollensak enlarging lens, cine lens, or non-Leica camera lens. Important checks include the LTM / L39 mount, collapsible focusing mount, E. Leitz New York or related engraving, Wollensak Velostigmat 50mm f/3.5 front marking, LELEL identity, A36 front fitting, rangefinder coupling, focus scale, coating status, internal haze, cleaning marks, aperture function, and whether the lens has been assembled from mixed parts. Original caps, keeper, hood, box, and New York Leica Standard provenance can materially affect collector value.

Special editions

• LELEL, Wollensak Velostigmat 50mm f/3.5, E. Leitz New York, Leica screw mount / LTM.
• Metric-scale examples are documented by auction records, but no separate factory special-edition code is confirmed.
• Factory-coated examples are reported in collector listings, but coating should be verified on each copy.