Chinese Red Flag 20 and lenses

[zhang xk]

Here is a super rare Chinese lens made in Fujian province in 1977.
It is a 80mm F1.0 lens! If you think it is a copy of something, show me its Japanese, German, or Russian original, and tell me its applicaion. :bang:

It weighs more than 3 kilograms, focus from 5 meters to infinate, and closes dowm from F1.0 to F16. It is very well built and finished as a high end lens. There is a Nikon 85mm F1.0 reproduction lens, but that lens is much smaller and lighter without a focusing ability.
I never saw it before, neither could I find any information about it. Its s/n of 77202 indicates more than 200 lenses made in that year, but I doubt it. Maybe only 1-2 pieces were made? It could have the same application as that of the Nikon one as it has a short focul plane. It is not a normal photographic lens.

A Chinese collector published images of another Fujian made rare lens, a 52mm F1.0 on a Chinese forum. I borrowed an image FYI. He could have picked it up from the same seller at last week's camera fair in Beijing.

 

[rxmd]

Here is a super rare Chinese lens made in Fujian province in 1977.
It is a 80mm F1.0 lens! If you think it is a copy of something, show me its Japanese, German, or Russian original, and tell me its applicaion. :bang:

Well there was an ELCAN (Ernst Leitz Canada) 90/f1.0, for example, but it looks completely different.

These are typically optics with military applications that practically never get marketed to end users. Yours looks like one. Almost all countries with an optics industry had such lenses. The Russians, for example, had a 52/f0.9 military lens, and in 1971 put a few of them in a Contax rangefinder mount for the Kiev-5 as photographic lenses. My hypothesis is that the original 50/f1.2 Noctilux with its tedious manufacturing process also started from such a military lens, rather than a consumer project.

 

[zhang xk]

Well there was an ELCAN (Ernst Leitz Canada) 90/f1.0, for example, but it looks completely different.

These are typically optics with military applications that practically never get marketed to end users. Yours looks like one. Almost all countries with an optics industry had such lenses. The Russians, for example, had a 52/f0.9 military lens, and in 1971 put a few of them in a Contax rangefinder mount for the Kiev-5 as photographic lenses. My hypothesis is that the original 50/f1.2 Noctilux with its tedious manufacturing process also started from such a military lens, rather than a consumer project.

Many thanks for the hint. These must have been kept as a state secret over the years so it is very possible that they were made for military use.

 

[Platinum RF]

wah You have collected lots of "junk"

 

[zhang xk]

wah You have collected lots of "junk"

One man's 'delicacy' is another's 'poison'. I just had a little extra pocket money, so no big loss.

 

[Elmar Lang]

My little contribution, with a Chinese camera that's relatively easy to find: a Shanghai-58 (I hope it's the right name of it).

This piece was given to a prominent member of the Italian Communist Party on the occasion of a diplomatic meeting. I don't think he ever used it though...

 

[Elmar Lang]

And the top plate of the same:

 

[Archlich]

This is a Shanghai 58-II (with combined rangefinder/viewfinder window). Four screws in the cold shoe indicate that it's an earlier production model, which usually is deemed uncommon and comes in a small premium.

 

[zhang xk]

This is a Shanghai 58-II (with combined rangefinder/viewfinder window). Four screws in the cold shoe indicate that it's an earlier production model, which usually is deemed uncommon and comes in a small premium.

This could be the 2nd version with strap lugs that is even less common than the 3rd version with 4 screws. If the s/n is smaller than 5804000, then it is the 1st version with a Leica type taking up spool.

 

[zhang xk]

My little contribution, with a Chinese camera that's relatively easy to find: a Shanghai-58 (I hope it's the right name of it).

This piece was given to a prominent member of the Italian Communist Party on the occasion of a diplomatic meeting. I don't think he ever used it though...

Thanks for sharing. This version of Shanghai 58-II is not that easy to find now, especially in this condition. I have one of these with a s/n of 5807xxx.

 

[Elmar Lang]

Thank you for the interesting comments and info.

My camera's serial no. is 5806892 and yes, it has the strap lugs.

All the best,

Enzo (Elmar Lang)

 

[zhang xk]

Well there was an ELCAN (Ernst Leitz Canada) 90/f1.0, for example, but it looks completely different.

These are typically optics with military applications that practically never get marketed to end users. Yours looks like one. Almost all countries with an optics industry had such lenses. The Russians, for example, had a 52/f0.9 military lens, and in 1971 put a few of them in a Contax rangefinder mount for the Kiev-5 as photographic lenses. My hypothesis is that the original 50/f1.2 Noctilux with its tedious manufacturing process also started from such a military lens, rather than a consumer project.

A little search on the web, I found this Christie's auction note for a Elcan f/1 90mm :

"Lot Notes
Condition: 2(ii)
Cosmetic: Good condition, minimal marks to camera body.
Lenses: Clean and clear, minor handling marks.

Correspondence with Jim Lager states that the Elcan 90mm. f/1 lens was made for the United States navy for an ASW (anti-submarine warfare) campaign against the Soviet Union during the Cold War. Lager suggests that Leitz Canada would have made 10 to 20 examples. Two examples are shown in his book. "

I don't know if ASW is engraved on the lens, but on the front ring of the Chinese 80 F/1, there is DSW-80( Defending-submarine warfare?)
Still, the Chinese lens is much heavy,and with an internal focusing.
An ELcan with a Leica M military camera was sold recently for a very high price. I have to sell my house for one!:bang:

 

[optiluks]

Besides browsing through this thread, I've been following with great interest a thread about Chinese cameras at another camera forum. The writer even references this rangefinder thread as a source of information on Chinese cameras. Interesting how things go around in circles.

 

[zhang xk]

I found this image for a Chinese "ultra micro" lens from a famous Chinese camera site-中华相机网. Thanks!

It says the lens has a resolution of 300lp/mm. I have this lens and I have made a focusing mount for it. I will post images shot with this lens.

 

[zhang xk]

Besides browsing through this thread, I've been following with great interest a thread about Chinese cameras at another camera forum. The writer even references this rangefinder thread as a source of information on Chinese cameras. Interesting how things go around in circles.

Thanks for the link. There are some very interesting discussions in that thread.

That famous Chinese camera site (中华相机网)has some problems at the moment. I will provide a link later.

 

[zhang xk]

I found this image for a Chinese "ultra micro" lens from a famous Chinese camera site-中华相机网. Thanks!

It says the lens has a resolution of 300lp/mm. I have this lens and I have made a focusing mount for it. I will post images shot with this lens.

A collector has posted images of some very rare Chinese lenses. Some I have never heard of before. Here is the link at that famoust camera site.

http://www.camgle.com/forum/thread-302585-1-1.html

 

[zhang xk]

I found this image for a Chinese "ultra micro" lens from a famous Chinese camera site-中华相机网. Thanks!

It says the lens has a resolution of 300lp/mm. I have this lens and I have made a focusing mount for it. I will post images shot with this lens.

Now a quick shot with this lens at F8. The 300 lp/mm is for full open at F2, so at F8 it will resolve less details.

The 100% crop image is without PS.

With a proper adaptor, this lens could be focused to infinate.

 

[zhang xk]

Nanjing Movie Equipment Factory made a 35mm movie camera and its accessary lenses in 1960's. I can't find more information about this camera and lenses. It was made earlier than the S-35II made by Gansu Optical Instrument Factory in early 1970's.

 

[zhang xk]

A rarely seen 35mm Movie camera zoom lens made by Changchun Nr.2 Optical Instrument Factory. It is a 10X zoom 25-250 F3.2 lens. The factory also made a 25-250 F3.2 lens for anamorphic shooting. I don't own this lens. It is only an image I saw on the internet. So I am not sure which lens it is.

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

Zhang,

I have a Seagull DF-1 35mm SLR with the 50mm f2 lens. Do you know if Seagull ever made any other lenses for this camera? I've never seen any others for sale anywhere.