If you average out all the lenses sold with all 35mm slide projectors, the most average – the most commonly fitted and seen – would be the plastic-barrel 85mm f2.8. Zeiss, Rollei, Wilhelm Will, Isco, Schneider, Rodenstock, Cabin et al – their entry-level bog-basic triplets were always the best sellers, most often selected by customers, given the choice between this and the deluxe option that tended to be a bit longer, a bit faster, and lot more expensive.
There aren’t quite as many as there appear to be, given how much rebranding went on, but let’s have a closer look at how a few of the most frequently seen 85/2.8 lenses compare:
Rollei Heidosmat 85/2.8
Reflecta Agomar 90/2.8 (AKA Agfa Agomar, Wetzlar Agomar)
Will.Wetzlar Maginon 85/2.8 (AKA Gnome Maginon et al)
Rodenstock Stellar 85/2.8 (metal barrel version)
Rodenstock Splendar 85/2.8 (metal barrel version)
Meyer Optik Diaplan 85/2.8 (late all plastic version)
Isco Projar 85/2.3 (AKA Gnome Projar 85/2.3)
Zeiss Talon 85/2.8 (AKA Zett Talon 85/2.8)
. . . to be continued.