Vintage 3rd party lenses for Nikon RF

OK got it, thanks. I have a small collection of Accura, Kilfitt, and Novaflex reflex viewers for Leica thread mount, and their flange to focal length distance is, as far as I can tell, compatible with early Leica reflex housings (clearly by design). I suppose this means they could focus with early LTM Telyt long lenses, but I've not actually tried it. So along those lines, I was thinking the Mirax could accept and provide infinitiy focus with Nikon long lenses designed for their reflex housing. And yes I can understand that that Mirax would also make a good platform for macro photography using standard back focus Nikon (and probably Contax) mount lenses.
 
Anyone have a sense of how many Nikon mount RF 1.2/5 cm Fujinon were made?
These web pages state that under 50 Nikon S mount units were made but do not mention the Contax mount version:
 
OK, well this is not exactly a vintage 3rd party lens for Nikon rangefinder, but it certainly enables one - and for Contax rangefinders as well as Nikons! This is a rather uncommon (rare even?) Kilfitt reflex viewer for Nikon RF and Contax that I found on eBay recently. Here it is in use with my Contax IIa and Kilfitt 400mm F5.6 telephoto. I was aware such a reflex viewer existed in Nikon/Contax RF mount as I've seen one listed in old Kilfitt catalogs, but I've never actually seen one for sale or in use anywhere before this one inconspicuously appeared on eBay for sale one day recently.

I just took a few color shots of the Moon with this. I'll post results when they get back from Dwayne's if they turn out well. I posted some nice shots of the Moon using the same lens with a similar Kilfitt LTM viewer a few years back and a Tower rangefinder as the body.

IMG_6836.JPGIMG_6837.JPGIMG_6838.JPGIMG_6839.JPGIMG_6840.JPG
 
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I've saved a few images from a recent auction of a Soligor 35mm f/2.8 in Contax Mount (C engraved on lens mount, but surely the Nikon version exists).

gbdwiLl.jpg


u3LQZt0.jpg


This is the only version of the Soligor 35mm I've seen. I know the Tanar 35mm came in the same barrel, but I don't know how many revisions the Tanar barrel went through. I don't know if the Komura ever came in this barrel, but there are at least two or more versions of it. David Murphy shared some info about his Komura 35mm on the forum a few years ago, and here's another style of the Komura with a silver aperture ring, this version had no engraving for Contax or Nikon:

o6YIPKx.jpg


(I've saved these images for education/research only. I hope it's okay to share them.)
Interestingly the Soligor 35mm F2.8 ('C' version) I own now will not mount on my Nikon SP, although it mounts effortlessly on my Contax IIa and Bessa R2C (as it should of course). I generally find that Nikon RF wides mount and focus fine on Contax bodies, but I'm not sure how this works the other way around as my Nikon RF experience is more limited.
 
Sankyo Kohki Komura- 105mm f2.8 for Nikon RF
sample pictures
Fujicolor 100
 

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We should not forget the various short-mount lenses made to fit the Contax. All of them work fine on a Nikon RF camera since the mount distances are the same. The Kilfitt is easy to work with and the spring-loaded mirror pops up allowing quick reaction shooting. However, the mirror is not instant return. The Novoflex housing in Contax mount is beautifully made, but requires a special "bridge" to link to the camera shutter release. I had a bridge made but it never worked well, so I eventually sold it, but kept the 300mm Noflexar lens for its rapid focusing. The post-war, Zeiss-Ikon Panflex will handle any Zeiss or Nikkor lens in short mount. You just have to remember that all these focus beyond infinity so have to be brought out slightly to gain infinity. I find the the Panflex much easier to use than the Nikon's reflex housing. Please remember that any lens longer then about 250mm will vignette regardless of which housing or make of lens is used. Pictured are the Novoflex 300mm—early version, The 150mm Kilar on the Kilfitt housing and a 500mm FernObjekiv on a Post-war Panflex. The 150mm Kilar is compact and takes 52mm fllters. Nice. The Kilar housing and the Novoflex housing (first version) have L39 mount fronts.
 

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We should not forget the various short-mount lenses made to fit the Contax. All of them work fine on a Nikon RF camera since the mount distances are the same. The Kilfitt is easy to work with and the spring-loaded mirror pops up allowing quick reaction shooting. However, the mirror is not instant return. The Novoflex housing in Contax mount is beautifully made, but requires a special "bridge" to link to the camera shutter release. I had a bridge made but it never worked well, so I eventually sold it, but kept the 300mm Noflexar lens for its rapid focusing. The post-war, Zeiss-Ikon Panflex will handle any Zeiss or Nikkor lens in short mount. You just have to remember that all these focus beyond infinity so have to be brought out slightly to gain infinity. I find the the Panflex much easier to use than the Nikon's reflex housing. Please remember that any lens longer then about 250mm will vignette regardless of which housing or make of lens is used. Pictured are the Novoflex 300mm—early version, The 150mm Kilar on the Kilfitt housing and a 500mm FernObjekiv on a Post-war Panflex. The 150mm Kilar is compact and takes 52mm fllters. Nice. The Kilar housing and the Novoflex housing (first version) have L39 mount fronts.
Thank you for your inputs.
I have noticed using Nikon 300mm f4.5 or 500mm f5 + Nikon reflex housing on Nikon RF causes a lot of vignetting due to construction of reflex housing and where the light source is pointed when used with a hood.

Do Panflex/Novoflex housing perform better in this sense?


(vignetted corners cropped in the sample images)
 
I have tested all sorts of combinations: Nikon, Kilfitt, Novoflex, Zeiss. If the lens is longer than 250mm, some vignetting will occur. The longer the focal length, the worse the problem. However, these same lenses do not vignette when mounted on a Nikon F. I believe the problem is the small throat of the camera mount itself rather than any problem with the reflex housings.
 
I have tested all sorts of combinations: Nikon, Kilfitt, Novoflex, Zeiss. If the lens is longer than 250mm, some vignetting will occur. The longer the focal length, the worse the problem. However, these same lenses do not vignette when mounted on a Nikon F. I believe the problem is the small throat of the camera mount itself rather than any problem with the reflex housings.
Thank you for your insights. Using reflex housing is operationally cumbersome (but fun!) but shooting with Nikon F (SLR) seem to solve all problems
 
Thank you for your inputs.
I have noticed using Nikon 300mm f4.5 or 500mm f5 + Nikon reflex housing on Nikon RF causes a lot of vignetting due to construction of reflex housing and where the light source is pointed when used with a hood.

Do Panflex/Novoflex housing perform better in this sense?


(vignetted corners cropped in the sample images)
I have a Novoflex reflex housing too in LTM, and it is nicely made and it seems not as common today on the used market as those from Kilfitt. I've also run into the need for the "bridge" assembly to which you refer. These are sold occasionally on eBay, but I think there are different versions of them, some for Barnacks and some for Leica M mount bodies (perhaps), but I've not yet sorted out the compatibility and version issues. That's something that's not so easy to do these days with the lack of reliable information regarding these fairly obscure fittings.
 
Here are my copies and sammle pictures of
Sankyo Kohki

W.Komura 35mm f2.8, Early Zebra helicoid (s/n 284xxx)
Komura 80mm f1.8
Komura 105mm f2.8

on Nikon S2

IMG_7765.jpeg
35mm f2.8
DH000101_Original.jpeg
80mm f1.8
DH000022_Original.jpeg
105mm f2.8
DH000107_Original.jpeg
 
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