Chinese Red Flag 20 and lenses

[zhang xk]

This is another lens not mentioned before. It is a Seagull mount (Minolta?) 500mm F5! mirror lens. Probably only a few hundred lenses were made. It focuses down to 15 meters. Optical quality of this lens and the other US$ 1,800 1000mm F10 mirror lens mentioned in St Denny's book is considerably lower than that of the MF 1000mm F8 mirror lens mentioned earlier.

....

As I raved about this MF 1000mm F8 mirror lens, someone may wish to know how good it really is?
I just took a quick shot this morning and compared it with the Canon 18-55 zoom lens that is also a sharp lens at 55mm at a poster sign about 1000 meters away.

Both images are 100% crops of the original files without PS sharping. This lens could make very good images if the file is re-sized and PSed. 🙂

On a canon 300D, it equals a 1600mm lens on a full 35mm frame. As a Medium format lens, it equals the MTO mirror lens in sharpness. I am very happy with its quality.

Now I add a re-sized image of the full frame with a little PS FYI. This is still a medium size JPG file of the Canon 300D.

 

[zhang xk]

Hua Guang 210/5.6 LF lens

Hua Guang 210/5.6 LF lens

This lens is kind of unique among many Chinese LF lenses. It is a 5 element in 3 groups formular. Many other Chinese LF lenses are either 3 element 3 groups Cooke or 4E/3G Tessar type lenses.

It has a angle of field of 56 degrees and covers 13X18 cm format. And it has a resolution of >250 LP/mm wide open! How could this be possible? :bang:

This lens is made of solid brass, and is much better finished than other LF lenses.

 

[zhang xk]

A strange TLR

A strange TLR

This modefied Chinese TLR is said to be used for measuring the hight of some tall objectives(trees or buildings). It is a clever idea of using cameras. 😀

 

[zhang xk]

Great Wall DF-1, 2X teleconverter

Great Wall DF-1, 2X teleconverter

Great Wall DF 120 cameas has a Tesser type 90/3.5 normal lens so that it should produce some better results than most early TLRs with a Cooke type lens. No other lens was made for this inerchangeable lens cameas with a M39 mount.

But there is a rare 2x teleconveter made for this camera and it has helical threads so that som M39 enlarging lenses could also be used. The quality of this teleconverter is very decent.

The DF-1 in the image is better made and finished than a DF-2. It should be the lowest cost 120 SLR. Although it has a limited shutter speed range, it is a much reliable camera than a Kiev 88.

 

[ErnestoJL]

Zhang:
I´m really glad that you posted those beautifull pictures or Chinese cameras, most of them absolutely unknown in my country.
Be sure all this gave me a lot of surprises and information about rare cameras "we have heard of" but never seen before.
Thak you again, and please post as much as you want!!!!

Best regards
Yours, truly

Ernesto

 

[zhang xk]

XIHU and HUAYING rangefinder cameras

XIHU and HUAYING rangefinder cameras

Thanks Ernesto. I am pleased that so many forum members found these items interesting.

Here is a XIHU (west lake) brand fixed lens rangefinder camera. It was made in small numbers by a camera research institute in Hangzhou. This is a cute little camera about the same size as an Olympus Trip 35. Its 40/2.8 lens is quite sharp.

The Huaying is an attempt to modernize a simple camera by adding a build-in light meter, and it is remarkble that it has a 5E/4G lens with lanthanum glass elements.

 

[clarence]

My goodness. I never knew the chinese camera makers were so intrepid.

Keep them coming.

Clarence

 

[zhang xk]

Chinese movie camera lenses

Chinese movie camera lenses

Here is an example of a Chinese cine camera lens mounted on a Leningrad. It is a 20mm F2 35mm movie camera lens of very high quaity. It has an Arri standard mount. It covers a 24X24mm frame. China began to make movie lenses since late 1950's.

Many factories made movie prime lenses ranging from 18mm F1.8,20mm F1.2,35MM F1.15,.... to 2000mm F10 and zoom lenses up to 25-750mm F 1:3.5 for 35mm cine cameras.

Movie lens has less concern for cost so that they sell 10-20 times of the price for a similar phographic lens, and they are much better corrected.

China also made 16mm cine and HD video camera lenes.

I have a zoom video lens 15-90mm F2.4 that looked like a copy of the high quality Zeiss Vario-Tevidon 18-90mm F2 HD video lens.

These lenses are almost unknown outside China.

 

[zhang xk]

More LF lenses

More LF lenses

China made many brands LF lenses of various focul lengths as well as high quality aerial survey lenses and process and industrial lenses.

Here are some examples from my collection. There are also some LF lenses with build-in shutters.

 

[nzeeman]

hey zhang. since u r from china - maybe u can sell to us chinese cameras and lens and make some pprofit and we get some new cameras. 😀
that would be fun.

 

[zhang xk]

Some rare collectables

Some rare collectables

hey zhang. since u r from china - maybe u can sell to us chinese cameras and lens and make some pprofit and we get some new cameras. 😀
that would be fun.

That is a good idea. I saw some Seagull TLRs in Budapest some years ago. I guess these could be found in those former communist countries occasionally.

Here are some of the impossible to find rare Chinese cameas:

The well known "Five Goats", the nr.2 rarest TLR "Feng Guang", and the collector's dream Leica copy, the Dalai( only one camera is known to exist, and 12 cameras were made in Tianjin in 1955?).

Some fake rare Chinese cameras have appeared on the market in recent years. I wonder what would be the market price for this only real Dalai?

 

[Hamster]

FYI there is a 50mm lens for the RedFlag 20 at one of the camera markets in Shanghai.

 

[zhang xk]

Zhujiang 120 folders(60-I,60-II)

Zhujiang 120 folders(60-I,60-II)

I found these images of the elusive Zhujiang(pearl river) 120 folders from a Chinese camera site. 海鸥相机owns these cameras. These were made in Guangzhou since 1960 in small numbers.

These cameras are quite rare. I only saw a few of these in worn conditions. They look similar to the July 1st camera made in Tianjin.

 

[zhang xk]

The 1000mm F10 mirror lens

The 1000mm F10 mirror lens

This lens was mentioned in St denny's book. Although it was sold for RMB 7,000 in mid 1980's. It was only a fraction of the price of the MF 1000mm F8 mirror lens in Hassylblad mount. There is even a 3000mm F13.5 mirror lens made for the same military applications. But I have never seen an image of that super rare and interesting lens. :bang:

This TW-III model 1000mm F10 weighs 3.7 KG!

Size: 128X380mm

Focus from 25 meters.

This lens is made by Beijing Camera Factory according to the owner.

 

[zhang xk]

LF lenses with shutters

LF lenses with shutters

Some factories also made LF lenses with imported Copal shutters, and later with home made shutters. These lenses were made in Shanghai and Beijing.

 

[zhang xk]

A Seagull 59-I? Not really. :bang: Only the lens hood is a Seagull item that suits well to the not so pretty I-50. It can also be used on those collapsible I-10, I-22, and I-50s. 😀

 

[zhang xk]

A high speed camera

A high speed camera

This camera is said for weapons testing ( trace of missiles and gun shells?). The owner did not disclose its specifications.

 

[zhang xk]

A 50mm F1.3 movie lens

A 50mm F1.3 movie lens

FYI there is a 50mm lens for the RedFlag 20 at one of the camera markets in Shanghai.

Thanks. I don't have a M mount camera yet. 🙁

I have some weird Chinese 50mm lenses.
There is a rare Haiou-71 50/1.4 for Seagull DFAB, and a Great Wall 35DSJ 50 50mm F1.3 35mm movie lens. The 50/1.3 lens can be mounted a LTM rangefinder camera and focus to infinate. It is a 7E/6G lens of very high quality. These lenses are good for a RD-1 type digital rangefinder camera.

Changchun Nr.2 Optical Instrument Factory also made a 35mm cine lens, a JSD35-50 50mm F1.15 lens. This is a 8E/7G lens. Their 35mm cine 20mm F1.2 lens is a 12E/11G optic.

 

[lushd]

Zhang - you have done it again! Can I especially thank you for the Zorki 6/Seagull? There's an object I thought I would never see. Also the Five Goats. Keep them coming, if you can.

 

[zhang xk]

Zhang - you have done it again! Can I especially thank you for the Zorki 6/Seagull? There's an object I thought I would never see. Also the Five Goats. Keep them coming, if you can.

Hi Donald,

Thanks. You see Chinese people could be creative if not for the stupid and repressive officials. 😀

Here is a Huqiu 35-1 and Huqiu 35-1EE. I especially like the 35-1EE. It has a bright and contrasty view finder, a hand grip, a focusing lever, a build-in light meter,and a sharp 45/2.8 lens that could give the Nikon 50/1.8 lens a run. Both cameras are less common than a Phenix 205. The 35-1 EE was made in even smaller numbers. They are also smaller and lighter than a Seagull 205.

Cheers.