MC Sonnar 300mm f/4 (1974 telephoto design)

Carl Zeiss Jena · Pentacon Six · 1975

Also known as: MC Sonnar 300 · MC Sonnar 4/300 · MC Sonnar 300mm f4 · MC Sonnar 300mm f/4 · MC-Sonnar 4/300 · Sonnar MC 4/300 · Sonnar 4/300 MC · Sonnar MC 300mm f4 · Sonnar 300mm f4 MC · Sonnar 300mm f/4 MC · Sonnar 300mm f4 · Sonnar 4/300 · Sonnar 300 Pentacon Six · Carl Zeiss 300mm f4 Sonnar MC · Zeiss Jena 300mm f4 Sonnar · Sonnar "S" MC 300mm · Зоннар 4/300 · Зоннар 300

Variants & identification

Variant	Mount	Years	Serial ranges	Production
MC Sonnar 4/300 (calculation of 11 July 1974)	Pentacon Six (also used on an M42 adapter with electric aperture transfer for 35mm Prakticas)	1975–1990	—	Exactly 13,500 made from 19 August 1975 to shortly after German reunification (Kröger, from Zeiss records supplied by Günther Benedix)

Start date: Kröger's MC Sonnar page has the first lot on 19 August 1975, and his zebra Sonnar page says the successor was in production the year before the zebra ended in August 1976. His Orestegor 4/300 page, explaining why a 1976 automatic-diaphragm redesign reached only the Pentacon 4/200 in 1979, says Zeiss was just then delivering the new lens. pentaconsix.com dates a 'new version', 204 mm and 1550 g, to about 1981, while giving the recalculation as 11 July 1974. This page follows Kröger's factory dates.
The aperture coupling: pentaconsix.com dates the connector for the electric Praktica adapter on the 180 and 300 mm Sonnars to about 1981. Kröger ties the mechanical transfer to the introduction of the MC lenses and cross-knurl barrels, needed for the Praktica LLC (1969) and the EE2 announced in 1976, shows a 1976 Zeiss leaflet that describes it for the new lens, and says the old 1963 lens did not have it. Nothing found shows an MC 300 without the driver, so the page carries one version, not separate 'MC' and 'MC with connector' versions.
Dimensions: 204 mm and 1550 g are pentaconsix.com's published figures. Kamerastore's 207 × 100 mm and 1692 g are a dealer's measurements of one example and may include caps or hood. Kamerastore gives an 85 mm filter. pentaconsix.com gives M86 × 1 for the zebra lens and nothing for the MC, so no filter size is entered.
A German eBay listing title reads 'Carl Zeiss Jena Sonnar "S" MC 300mm F/4 Objektiv Pentacon 6'. That suggests an export lens engraved with the abbreviation 'S' and the maker as 'aus JENA', as pentaconsix.com shows for 1960s US-market Praktisix lenses. No photograph or engraving of such an MC 300 is documented, so it is not listed as a version.
Not this lens: the Prakticar 4/300 for the Praktica B bayonet (1380 Mark in 1989), the Meyer/Pentacon Orestegor 4/300 (a preset-diaphragm lens for the same mount, 516.50 Mark with adapter in 1974, never multicoated), and the 1937 and 1963 Sonnar 4/300s.

How to tell them apart (expand)

Engraved MC Sonnar 4/300 (or Sonnar 4/300 with MC on the ring), all black with a cross-knurled focusing ring. The zebra lens before it has alternating bright and black bands and no MC
A black cross-knurl Sonnar 4/300 can still be the 1963 design: about 500 old-design lenses of August 1976 were rehoused in the new barrel. Check for the aperture-ring driver that couples to the electric M42 adapter, and for a serial in 9.930.966–9.931.465
Pentacon Six breech-lock mount. It fits the Praktisix, Pentacon Six, Exakta 66 and the Kiev-60 and Kiev-88CM, and it was often sold with Zeiss's M42 adapter for 35mm

MC Sonnar 4/300 (calculation of 11 July 1974):

All-black barrel with the cross-knurled ('Kreuzrändel') focusing ring, MC on the name ring (pentaconsix.com says Zeiss marked MC in red at first and usually in white from about 1980)
A driver on the aperture ring, which passes the set aperture to a potentiometer in the M42 adapter with aperture electrics (Kröger, with photographs of both parts). Kröger says only the 1974 lens had it, and the old 1963 lens rehoused in the same black cross-knurl barrel did not
Shorter and lighter than the zebra lens: pentaconsix.com gives 204 mm and 1550 g against 224 mm and 2070 g. Kamerastore measured a sold example at 207 × 100 mm and 1692 g, with 7 blades and 4 m closest focus
pentaconsix.com and Zach Horton describe a sliding auto/manual switch on the late 180 and 300 mm Sonnars in place of the earlier stop-down lever. Horton puts these late versions in the late 1970s or early 1980s, pentaconsix.com gives no date, and no source says whether every MC 300 has it

MC Sonnar 4/300 (calculation of 11 July 1974): Kröger: trial lens V466 of 11 July 1974 went into production in that form, with a first lot of 200 lenses on 19 August 1975 and 500 more in January 1976. For about a year Jena built it alongside the 1963 zebra design, and only the new lens was made from the December 1976 lot. Later calculations of 17 August 1976 (for 56 × 56 mm) and of 14 July 1977 and 30 October 1978 (for 35mm) changed only diameters, radii and spacings; Zeiss kept to the 1974 calculation in production. Kröger quotes a Zeiss test report that found the new lens more even into the corners of 6×6 but lower in contrast in the centre, over the area a 35mm frame uses, than the zebra lens, and gave its real aperture as 1:4.25. He puts its transmission at 94 per cent. The DDR retail price list of 1989 gives 849 Mark for the Praktisix-mount (MC) lens.

Serial-range notes

Eight-digit serials in the 9- and 10-million range (1975 to mid-1980): Zeiss reached 10,982,372 by mid-1980 (pentaconsix.com). Kröger gives serial blocks only for the old 1963 lens built alongside the first MC lots (9.38 and 9.93 million in 1975 and 1976), not for the MC lots themselves, so early MC lenses are likely, but not documented, to fall in this range.
Four- and five-digit serials (mid-1980 to 1990): Zeiss then restarted its serial numbers, so most lenses made from about mid-1980 to 1991 have four or five digits (pentaconsix.com). Example: MC Sonnar 4/300 no. 3313 in a Pentacon Six TL outfit offered at Leitz Photographica Auction.
9.930.966–9.931.465 (August 1976): Not this lens. Kröger: 500 zebra Sonnars of the 1963 design built in the black cross-knurl barrel of the MC lens. The 1,500 old-design lenses of October 1975 (9.383.746–9.384.745 and 9.930.466–9.930.965) belong to it too. Kröger counts at least 500 of these 2,000 in the black barrel. They lack the aperture driver, and they belong on the sonnar-300mm-f4 page.

Specifications

Formula: True telephoto: thin elements, with a rear group of negative power. Sold as a Sonnar, but Kröger says from the cross-section that it was no longer a Sonnar type, lacking the thick central elements of the 1937 and 1963 lenses
Aperture range: f/4
Diaphragm blades: 7
Min. focus: 4 m
Dimensions: 100 × 204 mm
Weight: 1550 g
Years manufactured: 1975–1990
Country: East Germany (Jena)
Coating: Multicoated (MC). Kröger: the series lens took trial lens V466 unchanged except for an added 'T3' layer in the multicoating
Original price: 849 Mark (DDR retail price list, 1989, Praktisix ASB MC version)

What reviewers say

Zach Horton (blog) — Puts the 300 Sonnar in his second tier: he loves it and finds it comparable to the 180, but too big and heavy to be practical handheld. He prefers the late versions with the auto/manual switch, but does not say which 300 he used.
mflenses.com (blog) — A one-line verdict on the MC lens: a cult East German lens for the Pentacon Six, a bit heavy, and of good quality. Its fact sheet gives the zebra lens's figures (2070 g, 86 mm filter), not the MC lens's. single source, unconfirmed

Optical formula — True telephoto: thin elements, with a rear group of negative power. Sold as a Sonnar, but Kröger says from the cross-section that it was no longer a Sonnar type, lacking the thick central elements of the 1937 and 1963 lenses

Marco Kröger: V466 data sheet with the cross-section, and the list of 4/300 calculations

History

The MC Sonnar 4/300 is the second 300 mm telephoto Carl Zeiss Jena made for the Praktisix and Pentacon Six. It kept the name of the lens it replaced and little else. The zebra Sonnar 4/300 of 1966 was a medium-format rework of a 1937 calculation, and it weighed about two kilograms. According to Marco Kröger, Jena wanted a lens that would still serve both 6×6 and 35mm but match the compact, light Japanese 300s of the early 1970s. The answer was trial lens V466 of 11 July 1974. It went into production almost unchanged, with an extra layer in its multicoating. Kröger points out that the cross-section is no longer a Sonnar. The thick central elements are gone, and the rear group is negative, which makes it a true telephoto. It is shorter and well over 400 g lighter: pentaconsix.com gives 204 mm and 1550 g against 224 mm and 2070 g.

The lighter lens was not a better one everywhere. Kröger quotes a Zeiss test report that found it more even into the corners of 6×6 than the zebra lens but weaker in central contrast. That central area is all a 35mm camera uses, and on 35mm it was no improvement. The report also measured its real aperture at 1:4.25. Jena built it anyway, because the 35mm market needed it. Pentacon’s Praktica LLC of 1969 and the EE2 announced in 1976 metered through an electric aperture signal. The new lens had a driver on its aperture ring that passed the setting to an M42 adapter, where a potentiometer turned it into that signal. The old lens could not do this. Kröger’s records show the first 200 MC lenses on 19 August 1975 and 500 more in January 1976. Jena went on building the old 1963 lens alongside it: 1,500 in October 1975 and 500 in August 1976. The August batch went into the new black cross-knurl barrel. From the December 1976 lot only the MC lens was made, and exactly 13,500 had been built when production ended shortly after reunification. The DDR retail price list of 1989 gives it at 849 Mark. Kröger notes that this was over 300 Mark more than the preset-diaphragm Pentacon (Orestegor) 4/300 from Görlitz.

The sources disagree on dates. pentaconsix.com dates the lighter “new version” and the electric-adapter connector to about 1981. Kröger’s factory dates put both at the 1975 launch. This page follows Kröger and treats the MC lens as one version. The surface details that changed are the colour of the MC engraving (red at first, white from about 1980, as on other Jena lenses), the lettering of the name ring, and a sliding auto/manual switch that pentaconsix.com and Zach Horton describe on the late 180 and 300 mm Sonnars in place of the stop-down lever; Horton dates these late versions only to the late 1970s or early 1980s. Lenses from after mid-1980 carry the short four- or five-digit serials of Zeiss’s renumbering.

When buying, first check that the lens is the 1974 design and not the 1963 lens in the same black barrel. The driver on the aperture ring is the surest sign, and the old-design lenses of August 1976 are numbered 9.930.966 to 9.931.465. Check the mount too. The lens is a Pentacon Six breech-lock lens, but many have been sold on the Zeiss M42 adapter, and it fits the Kiev-60, Kiev-88CM and Exakta 66 as well as the Praktisix and Pentacon Six. Do not confuse it with the Prakticar 4/300, Jena’s later lens for the Praktica B bayonet, or with the Görlitz Orestegor/Pentacon 4/300 for the same 6×6 mount. Like any lens of this size and weight, it should be checked for a smooth, even helicoid, a diaphragm that springs closed and opens cleanly through the automatic linkage, and haze in its large front element.

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This history is AI-written, from the sources listed at the foot of the page. Where the record is silent it says so rather than filling the gap — but no human wrote these sentences.

Example photos

More sample photos elsewhere

Marco Kröger: zebra and MC Sonnar 4/300 side by side, the aperture driver and the electric M42 adapter

These photographers keep all rights to their work — enjoy it at the source.

Sample photo wanted — shot with a MC Sonnar 300mm f/4 (1974 telephoto design)? We'd love to feature it (with credit).

Live listings

Asking price, USD: a median of $370 across 15 fixed-price listings on 2026-11-10 (middle half $350–$500). First day tracked.

Asking prices from the listings scanned, not sales; junk-flagged rows and auction lots excluded; other currencies are not converted.

MC AUS JENA Sonnar 300mm F4 Pentacon Objektiv — €79.00 · eBay
Carl Zeiss Jena MC Sonnar 300mm f/4 MF Tele Lens Pentacon Six - Defect — £95.06 · eBay · likely MC
Carl Zeiss Jena MC Sonnar 300mm f/4 M42 4/300 DDR Teleobjektiv — €150.00 · eBay · likely MC
MC SONNAR 4/300 — CZK 3,900.00 · Foto Ullrich (Foto Bazar Jičín) · likely MC
Carl Zeiss Jena Sonnar MC 4/300 Objektiv Pentacon Six An-Verkauf ff-shop24 — €167.00 · eBay · likely MC
MC CARL ZEISS JENA DDR SONNAR 4/300mm Objektiv Exakta-Bajonett — €175.00 · eBay
M42 Pentacon Six Carl Zeiss Jena MC Sonnar 4/300 4 300mm 1:4 300 mm Objektiv — €249.00 · eBay · likely MC
Carl Zeiss Jena MC Sonnar 4/300 DDR Version Pentacon Six - Guter Zustand — €249.00 · eBay · likely MC
[MINT] Carl Zeiss Jena Sonnar MC 300mm F/4 PENTACON SIX — €250.00 · eBay
Carl Zeiss MC Sonnar 300mm f/4 Lens – Pentacon Six Mount – Serviced – Tested — £221.10 · eBay · likely MC
Carl Zeiss Jena Sonnar MC 4/300mm f/4.0 300mm mount Pentacon SIX No.10798 — $299.00 · eBay
Carl Zeiss Jena Sonnar RED MC 4/300mm f/4 300mm mount Pentacon SIX No.9494 •• — $299.00 · eBay
Carl Zeiss Jena Sonnar MC 4/300mm f/4 300mm for Pentacon SIX No.10274 — $349.00 · eBay
Zeiss Jena Sonnar 4/300mm Red MC For Pentacon Six Mint- — $350.00 · eBay
Lens Zeiss Sonnar 4/300mm Red MC For Pentacon Six EX+++ — $350.00 · eBay
RARE [Top Mint] Red MC Carl Zeiss 300mm f4 Sonnar Jena DDR Pentacon 6 From Japan — $359.49 · eBay
Carl Zeiss Jena DDR Sonnar 300mm f/4 MC Lens Pentacon Six — $369.00 · eBay
[Top MINT] Carl Zeiss Jena DDR 300mm f/4 MC Sonnar for Pentacon Six From JAPAN — $374.99 · eBay
Rare 【MINT++】 Red MC Carl Zeiss 300mm f4 Sonnar Jena DDR Pentacon 6 Exakta JAPAN — $399.99 · eBay
Zeiss Jena MC Sonnar 4/300mm later version for Pentacon SIX — $429.47 · eBay · likely MC

Show 6 more listings

【NEUWERTIG+ mit Haube】 Carl Zeiss Jena Sonnar 300mm f4 MC Objektiv Pentacon... — €400.45 · eBay
Carl Zeiss Jena Mc Sonnar 300mm f/4 for Pentacon SIX TL MINT 0989 — $495.00 · eBay · likely MC
Carl Zeiss Jena MC Sonnar 300mm f/4 for Pentacon SIX TL MINT 1039 — $500.00 · eBay · likely MC
Carl Zeiss Jena MC Sonnar 300mm f/4 for Pentacon SIX TL NEW 1028 — $550.00 · eBay · likely MC
Carl Zeiss Jena MC Sonnar 300mm f/4 for Pentacon SIX TL & M42 MINT 1007 — $595.00 · eBay · likely MC
Carl Zeiss Jena MC Sonnar 300mm f/4 for Pentacon SIX TL NEW 1005 — $595.00 · eBay · likely MC

Listings updated 2026-11-10. Links go to the shop or marketplace that carries the item.