Voigtländer Zoomar 36-82mm

The only Voigtländer lens that was manufactured in Exakta mount to my knowledge, was the Voigtländer 36-82mm f2.8 Zoomar lens. Most frequently seen in Voigtländer Bessamatic mount, less commonly in M42 mount, and to an even lesser degree in Zeiss Icarex bayonet mount, the Zoomar is uncommon in Exakta mount.

A rather complex and heavy design, having 14 elements, the Zoomar focuses down to 1.3 meters.

The Exakta version featured a semi-automatic diaphragm that had to be manually cocked to the open position. It was then activated through the use of a cable that attached to the lens at one end and the the Exakta shutter release button on the other end.

The photo on the left shows the Zoomar mounted on an Exakta VX with the rare stopdown cable release.

This special release is much more difficult to find than the lens and most of these lenses encountered in Exakta mount are found without this important cable that provides for auto lens operation. Without it, the lens can only be used manually!!!