Avenon, Komura, Kobalux LTM Kobalux 21mm Beauty

Avenon, Komura, Kobalux lenses
This is the last version of the lens and a good buy. Current bid price is about right too. However if you have an R4 this lens is too big for the VF - it takes 58mm filters on the front.
 
I picked up a V1 from ebay for about £220 a while back, prices fluctuate somewhat!
I also saw two black paint 50mm 'luxs go for about £400 & £800 on the same day. I then kicked myself...
 
It's not too hard to see why they sell.

Cheaper than Leica, ultra-low distortion, no vignetting, and they work perfectly as a 28mm on an M8. If you read Sean Reid's review, he says the corner performance aces out the CV21 at all apertures. My tests of V3 and the CV21 (on film) were consistent with that.

The Avenons on ebay are not the last version made of the Kobalux 21mm. The very last black version made has a chrome filter ring and begins with serial number 962xx. Those were produced at the latest in 2002. I know because... well, I know. The Avenons' serial numbers are out of sequence due to their commemorative nature.
 
Dante_Stella said:
The Avenons on ebay are not the last version made of the Kobalux 21mm. The very last black version made has a chrome filter ring and begins with serial number 962xx. Those were produced at the latest in 2002. I know because... well, I know.
Click to expand...

Would you happen to own a few samples of this fine lens? By the way, welcome to the forum, Dante. I'm a great admirer of your website.

Cheers,

Abbazz
 
I have a late model silver 21mm. Is it possible to tell by serial number which generation it is? Any difference in formula or just cosmetics?

Bower was selling them off on eBay about a year ago for $350, they had about a dozen.
 
Dante_Stella said:
It's not too hard to see why they sell.

Cheaper than Leica, ultra-low distortion, no vignetting, and they work perfectly as a 28mm on an M8. If you read Sean Reid's review, he says the corner performance aces out the CV21 at all apertures. My tests of V3 and the CV21 (on film) were consistent with that.

The Avenons on ebay are not the last version made of the Kobalux 21mm. The very last black version made has a chrome filter ring and begins with serial number 962xx. Those were produced at the latest in 2002. I know because... well, I know. The Avenons' serial numbers are out of sequence due to their commemorative nature.
Click to expand...

Dante

I have a chrome version of the lens. It's pretty good and very compact or at least "short". Does anyone know if the black version has better optics than the silver one? I know that the mechancs are somewhat different, more aperture blades and closer focus. I think I remembr reading that the black version was of a different formula. What about the last black version? I would pay a pretty penny for that lens if it was somewhat better than the silver.

BTW, saying that the Kobalux is better than the VC 21mm isn't saying that much. Of all the VC lenses, the 21mm isn't all that hot. I think the 1950's 21mm f3.5 Angulon is better. But it's real hard to beat a modern Leica aspheric or Zeiss. If the last black version of the Kobalux came close, that would make it very desireable. Not that I'm complaining about the silver model.

Rex
 
Wow, that is a high price - I bought one of these on Ebay about two years ago for £175. It seems to me that the advent of the M8 has really driven up the price of certain lenses, the f/1 Noctilux latest version being another one of them.

I haven't used this lens very much, 21mm is a rarely used focal length for me, but I'm happy with mine. The f/2.8 is nice 'cause it's mostly indoors that I want to use such a wide lens.
 
By coincidence I snapped one of these (silver 2nd gen) up last night at Lemon Camera in Ginza. I'd read what Dante Stella and Stephen Gandy had to say about this lens and was quite curious. I have had my antennae out for one for the last six months or so but never seen one. One of the salesmen came over to put it in the case as I was looking at a bunch of other screwmont lenses and I practically grabbed it out of his hand.

Haven't had a chance to shoot with it properly yet, but I certainly like the look and feel of it. I'll be using it on an R-D1s, with a CV 28mm finder, and that looks like a very good match. Framelines are almost exactly right.

I suppose I could be induced to part with it for something in the neighborhood of $1,000 American, though, now that I have seen the eBay auction results. Small, unmarked bills please.😀
 
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