Ludwig

Ludwig or Ernst Ludwig was a German optical company. It was based at Lausa, a small town near Dresden that merged with the neighbour town of Weixdorf in 1938. Some prewar lenses were thus marked Ludwig Lausa Dresden. Ludwig made entry level lenses, often with three elements. After the war, they were offered as a low price alternative to the Carl Zeiss Jena or Meyer lenses. In 1972 it was absorbed in VEB Kamerafabrik Freital, and in 1980 it fell under VEB Pentacon.

Trademarks used for Ludwig lenses:

• Auxanar (simple triplet, enlarger lens)
• Cosmar (five element triplet with cemented first and third groups)
• Enoldar
• Kosmar (four element triplet with cemented front group)
• Meritar (simple triplet or a Tessar type)
• Peronar
• Victar (simple triplet)
• Vidar

Cameras equipped with a Ludwig lens:

• Altix - Meritar 2.9/50 mm
• Beirette - Meritar 2.9/45 mm
• Beirette SL 200 - Meritar 2.8/45 mm
• Beirette SL 300 - Meritar 2.9/45 mm
• Beltica - Meritar 2.9/50 mm
• Certo KN 35 - Kosmar 2.8/45 and Meritar 2.8/45 alternatively
• Exa - Meritar 2.9/50 mm (bayonet mount)
• Minifex
• Precisa - Meritar 3.5/75 mm
• Reflekta II - Meritar 3.5/75 mm
• Super Dollina II
• Weltaflex - Meritar 3.5/75 mm

See their Exakta lenses, 42mm screw lenses and Praktiflex lenses.

Sources

• Fincke H.E.: Das Objektiv deiner Kamera; Fotokinoverlag Halle, Halle, 1959.
• Naumann H.: Das Auge meiner Kamera; Verlag von Wilhelm Knapp, Halle (Saale), 1951.
• Puskov V.V.: Poradnik fotograficzny; PWT, Warsaw, 1956.

Links

• Company history at dresdner-kameras.de
• The Ludwig Exakta lenses at Captain Jack's site