Lens Review: Bausch & Lomb 32mm f4.5 Tessar Series Ic Leica M conversion

I stumbled across this lens mid 2025, I'd never seen such a wide early Tessar before and a quick inspection revealed a short flange distance, instant internal thought 'Leica M conversion potential, buy it!'. With the lens acquired it went straight off for conversion and what a great job the Master did. Fitted to an Industar helicoid that has been dechromed and blued, it looks like an original LTM lens.

Whilst the lens was away I started my research. Google offered nothing, always interesting, so I searched for past Bausch & Lomb catalogues and found it first offered on page 32 of the 1920 brochure as a cine lens 'for wide angle effects'.

Images scanned from the collection of Larry S. Pierce.

Further into the catalogue is the price list where it shows the 32mm Ic listed with the coverage and product code word (SKU) 'Hangle' or in this case 'Hanglefocus', very pleasing to say. The coverage is reordered as roughly 25.5x19mm but this lens covers a bit more than the 35mm frame (36x24mm). I can only assume that the centre of the image circle was intended to be used. The price of $45 in 1920 adjusted for today is equivalent to $730.

Specification
Year of Manufacture	released in 1920
Country of Origin	USA
Focal Length	32mm
Maximum Aperture	f4.5
Minimum Aperture	f22
Number of Aperture Blades	16
Aperture Blade Shape	Curved
Optical Construction	Tessar, 4 elements in 3 Groups
Special Elements (ED, Aspherical, etc.)	None
Coatings	None
Minimum Focus Distance	RF coupled to .7m uncoupled to .5m
Focus Mechanism	Manual
Filter Thread Size	26mm
Dimensions (Length × Widest Ø)	28.5x50mm
Weight	124g
Weather Sealing	No
Hood	None that I've found
Original MSRP	See the original advert above
Current Market Price (based on past sales & condition)	No recorded sales, none available.
Availability (Mythical/Rare/Uncommon/Common)	Mythical!

Sample Images

All of these images are low jpegs, taken on an M11 and uploaded straight from camera. Click to expand and see labels

Optical Performance

Sharpness

Wide Open – Centre	Very sharp, even wide open
Wide Open – Edges / Corners	Sharpness remains good across the frame falling off ever so slightly at the edges
Stopped Down Performance	slightly better
Sweet Spot Aperture	At f8 it's evenly sharp across the whole frame
Close Focus Sharpness	At .5m it's very good

Rendering

Contrast	Low to moderate, especially in backlit scenes
Microcontrast	Consistently muted, especially in midtones. Fine textures (fur, leaves, brickwork) show clear detail with slightly softened edges
Colour Rendition	Slight warm bias, especially in skin tones, foliage, and highlights. Greens and reds are pleasing and natural
Saturation	Very low, filmic

Bokeh

Background Smoothness	Consistently soft and non-distracting, even in busy environments like foliage.
Foreground Bokeh	Slightly more textured than background but still pleasing, adds depth without becoming nervous
Bokeh Ball Shape	Slightly oval
Cat’s Eye Effect	Clearly visible in several images (especially highlights and flare scenes) becomes more pronounced toward the frame edges
Onion Rings / Outlining	None
Focus Transition	Very smooth and gradual

Aberrations & Corrections

Distortion	Very minimal. Architectural lines remain largely straight, even in wide scenes
Vignetting (Wide Open)	Mild, noticeable in portraits and brighter scenes
Vignetting (Stopped Down)	Reduces quickly when stopped down
Lateral CA	Very well controlled, minimal colour fringing on high-contrast edges
Longitudinal CA	Slight in some high-contrast transitions, but generally well suppressed. No strong magenta/green fringing

Flare & Ghosting

Shooting Into Light	Mixed but characterful, strong flare in direct sun (large rings, veiling haze) and softer glow in indirect backlight
Contrast Loss	Noticeable in strong light, produces a dreamy, atmospheric look rather than harsh washout
Ghosting Artifacts	Large, soft-edged flare artifacts Circular/elliptical forms
Hood Effectiveness	I didn't have one to test, but using my hand to shade the lens helped a lot when putting the sun near the edge of the frame

Summary & Comparison to Similar Lenses

This lens has a distinctive rendering defined by a lovely smooth bokeh and subtle subject separation. Colour rendition is pleasing with a subtle warmth that enhances foliage, skin tones, and highlights. Flare is handled well with a gentle haze and occasional artifacts that can be quite atmospheric. Distortion is minimal and chromatic aberration is well controlled, keeping images clean. Sharpness is good, clear detail with slightly softened edges. Overall contrast and microcontrast remain relatively low, giving images a softer, more cinematic feel.

In terms of rendering, this lens shares some similarities with uncoated Tessar designs (primarily produced by Carl Zeiss before the mid-1940s), such as the Carl Zeiss Tessar 2.8cm f/8 for Contax rangefinder and early uncoated Rolleiflex 75mm f/3.5 Zeiss Tessars, as well as most pre-“T” coated Tessars. These lenses are known for their lower contrast, warmer colour rendering, and low flare resistance. However, while classic Tessars often exhibit higher contrast and much better central sharpness, this lens leans more toward softer contrast and gentler microcontrast, trading some bite for smoother tonal transitions. The result is a rendering that feels unique, using an antique lens like this is genuinely a very special experience and I will be using it until it finds it's new home!