Meyer-Optik Görlitz Trioplan · 100mm f/2.8 M42

{"overview":"The Meyer-Optik Görlitz Trioplan 100mm f\/2.8 is a short telephoto lens built around the classic three-element Cooke triplet formula, supplied here in M42 screw mount for use on mid-century SLRs. Produced by the East German optical works at Görlitz, it was intended as a portrait and medium-tele lens and has become known today for the distinctive 'soap bubble' bokeh its simple optical design produces on specular highlights.","market_narrative":"At recent UK auction, hammer prices for the M42 Trioplan 100mm f\/2.8 have been modest, with a 2023 sale at £62 and a February 2026 result of £81, giving a two-sale median of around £71. With only a pair of saleroom records to reference, this is a thin dataset, and what a clean M42 Trioplan is worth in 2026 can swing with cosmetic condition and glass clarity; the reissued modern Trioplans and the earlier pre-war variants sit in very different markets and should not be conflated with these screw-mount results.","buying_guide":"Because the Trioplan uses only three elements in two groups, any fungus, haze or cleaning marks on the front or rear surfaces shows up quickly in images, so inspect the glass with a torch from both sides. Check the 15-blade preset aperture for oil migration and confirm both the preset ring and the working aperture ring turn cleanly, and test the long focus throw for stiffness or sticky helicoid grease, which is common on examples that have sat unused for decades. Confirm the M42 thread is undamaged and that the lens is the screw-mount version rather than an Exakta or later rehoused copy, as mount type materially affects price.","specs":"The listed configuration is a 100mm f\/2.8 short telephoto in M42 screw mount; no further specification data was supplied for this page.","faq":[{"q":"How much does a Meyer-Optik Görlitz Trioplan 100mm f\/2.8 M42 sell for at UK auction?","a":"Recorded hammer prices sit between £62 and £81, based on two UK saleroom results from 2023 and 2026."},{"q":"What is a Trioplan 100mm f\/2.8 in M42 mount worth today?","a":"On the current evidence the value of a usable M42 Trioplan 100mm is broadly in the £60 to £80 range at auction, with cleaner copies pushing toward the upper end."},{"q":"Why is the Trioplan 100mm collectable?","a":"The three-element triplet design renders out-of-focus highlights as sharply defined circles, the 'soap bubble bokeh' effect that drives most of the current buyer interest in the lens."},{"q":"Is the M42 version the same price as the reissued modern Trioplan?","a":"No — the sales figures here relate only to the vintage East German M42 screw-mount lens, and the modern reissued Trioplan trades in a separate and much higher price bracket."}],"confidence":35,"reasoning":"Only two unverified auction records and no SPECS or variant data were provided, so pricing commentary is directional rather than statistically robust."}