Version 1 "Sockel" Lenses

Enna produced two series of interchangeable "Sockel" mount lenses. The early, first series used a rather awkward semi-automatic diaphragm that had to be cocked to open the diaphragm to its largest opening. The earliest "Sockel" optics were called Sandmar (a name you might recall from the Argus brick camera series).

The Version 1 "Sockel" lenses were available in at least 6 different focal lengths. The ones in my collection are as follows:

28mm f3.5 Ultra-Sandmar (later Ultra-Lithagon)

35mm f2.8 Sandmar (later Lithagon)

35mm f1.9 Super Sandmar (later Super-Lithagon)

50mm f1.9 Sandmar (later Ennalyt) with mount

135mm f3.5 Tele-Sandmar (later Tele-Ennalyt) - (not pictured)

It is interesting to point out that the 35mm f1.9 Enna was the fastest wide angle ever produced by a German manufacturer for the Exakta despite its' early introduction. Today, high speed wide angle lenses are quite common and they can possibly trace their roots to this first Enna. The photo shows 4 of the 6 lenses with the 50mm Sandmar in its Sockel mount and a typical plastic keeper in which these lenses were supplied by Enna.

Version 2 "Sockel" Lenses

Later, Enna introduced a fully automatic "Sockel" mount with a series of 7 different lenses that utilized an updated mount. None of the new mount lenses are interchangeable with the earlier semi-automatic mount system. Each of these lenses take 52mm filters.

The new mounts were available not only for the Exakta, but also for the Praktica/Edixa (M42) as well. This series is highly collectible and in strong demand. The photo on the left shows the automatic mount for the Exakta/Exa in the original Enna packaging.

The lenses manufactured for this updated automatic "sockel" mount were:

24mm f4.0 Auto Ennalyt (not shown)

28mm f3.5 Auto Ennalyt

35mm f2.8 Auto Ennalyt

50mm f1.9 Auto Ennalyt with mount

90mm f2.8 Auto Tele-Ennalyt

135mm f2.8 Auto Tele-Ennalyt

240mm f4.5 Auto Tele-Ennalyt

It is interesting to note that Enna apparently used the lens names "Ennalyt" and "Lithagon" interchangeably among their wide angle lenses. Their Sockel lens catalog lists shows the lenses as Ennalyts yet I have in my collection 3 Version 2 Sockel lenses that are clearly marked Lithagon.

The photo on the left shows them displayed with their Enna plastic dome cases.

24mm f4.0 Auto Lithagon

28mm f3.5 Auto Lithagon

35mm f2.8 Auto Lithagon

A notable lens in the Enna Exakta lens repertoire is the high speed 85mm f1.5.

I have been fortunate in being able to acquire three different versions. The two chrome versions, the 85 Ennaston and the 85 Lithagon appear to be the same lenses with different names. Both are quite heavy. The black 85mm Ennalyt was slightly lighter in weight but had a larger filter size.

They are quite uncommon if not rare, and are excellent optics for portraiture.

The 85 Ennaston is displayed first with its proper lens hood.

85mm f1.5 Ennaston

The 85 Ennalyt and 85 Lithagon are displayed next .

85mm f1.5 Lithagon

85mm f1.5 Ennalyt

In addition to the 2 non-automatic high speed lenses displayed above, Enna also produced a series of longer telephoto lenses in focal lengths 200mm to 600mm as well as an 85 to 250mm Zoom.

The 400mm f4.5 Tele-Ennalyt is displayed with its proper hood and lens caps. It has f-stops from f4.5 to 32 and focuses as close as 5 meters. It has a rotating tripod mount and a built-in slot for filters.

400mm f4.5 Tele-Ennalyt

85-250mm f4.0 Tele-Zoom

Another rare lens in the early Enna lens lineup was the 200mm f4.5 Tele-Sandmar. Seldom encountered, the 200 Sandmar featured a built-in tripod mount and took what appears to be 70mm filters.

An impressive looking lens, it is displayed on the right with its fitted Enna leather case.

200mm f4.5 Tele-Sandmar

I was recently fortunate enough to obtain original brochures detailing the entire Enna Lens lineup.

Written in German text, the silver brochure details the earlier lenses while the tan/orange one details the later lenses.