Hi, I'm A bit confused on the identification of these two lens variants.

As I understand there is an older version which is reportedly better than the newer version in focusing.
Can you tell the difference by the part number?
Is it correct in assuming that Delta HD-8M's are the older and better lenses and the newer 2nd generation lenses have Delta HD-8 Rev B printed on them?

Hi, I'm A bit confused on the identification of these two lens variants.

As I understand there is an older version which is reportedly better than the newer version in focusing.
Can you tell the difference by the part number?
Is it correct in assuming that Delta HD-8M's are the older and better lenses and the newer 2nd generation lenses have Delta HD-8 Rev B printed on them?
Nope, that is not a correct assumption. The HD-8M's that you are talking about seem to have a different lens coating on them than the HD-8's and HD-8 Rev B's. I think the "M" stands for "Multilayer" coating or something like that. But they are still a mix of plastic and glass lenses I have had two Sony 1272's and each one came with HD-8M's. I changed out the HD-8M's for HD-8 Rev B's and actually thought the HD-8 Rev B's were better, but that is only a single data point.

There IS an older, all glass and metal version of the HD-8's that is thought by some to be a better lens, but they are rare.

There IS an older, all glass and metal version of the HD-8's that is thought by some to be a better lens, but they are rare.

I have compared the HD-8 rev. B's to the earlier all-metal HD-8's, and I found that the original HD-8's were less sharp than the rev. B's. If you want the best picture with no hassle, try to look for the Sony HACC PT-65 lenses (as found on Sony 12XX ES machines). In a direct comparison, these were sharper than the HD-8 rev. B's and are a direct swap for them. If you want the best picture, go for the HD-144/145 with the proper adapter plates.

My sentiments exactly. I ran a 1271 for a few years with PT-65's. I upgraded(sorta) to a 1272 with HD-8's.... One of the first things I noticed was the low hour 1272, with slightly sharper 07MSP tubes didn't focus as well.. I changed to the PT-65's and said "WOW! What a difference!".. it was that obvious. I am now running an old set of PT-43's from a 1270(Different color coatings matched to each tube). They focus as well as the PT-65's and actually seem to help color quality(although some here will argue against that). In short- the HD-8 lenses in any form are the worst choice.

Thanks very much people! This is good news.
I have won a brand new set of PT-65's and will swap them out from the HD-8M's.

Cheers!