Sonnar2
Well-known
Thanks Peter. So there were focussing mounts and adaptors to use the 2/100 with the MB2.
The challange is, there are four rare items in total; I've managed to find the first of them...
The challange is, there are four rare items in total; I've managed to find the first of them...
CanonRFinder
Well-known
HI
Just found what I was looking for. It is an official Canon Technical Information A4 size book of 31 pages issued in Feb 1963 and deals with close up accessories for the Canonflex up to the RM model. There is some precise serial numbers of the 85mm f/1.9, 100mm f/2, 100mm f/3.5 and 135mm f/3.5 LTM lenses where the lens head can be removed.
The 85mm f/1.9 lens head can be removed from the barrel up to serial #70932.
The highest 85mm lens I have on record which is close to that number is #70913 and I own #70900 and it came with the R-A adapter.
The 100m f/2 the is no serial numbers.
As the lens was released in Jan 1959 then I presume that all lens heads are removable. I only own one 100mm f/2 lens in my collection and that is a late T3 and when I purchased that of eBay it came with its R-A adapter.
On the 100mm f/3.5 lens the serial number goes up to #78311 and then from lenses with serial numbers over #80001.
This lens #78311 indicates that this is the last lens issued in the black and chrome livery before Canon introduced the 100mm f/3.5 in the all black colour which started at lens #80001. My lens #77225 came with its R-B adapter with case marked "Canon R-B". All lenses sold as a lens head/adapter unit were sold with NO lens barrel.
The 135mm f/3.5 lens head can be removed from the barrel up to lens #65300 and then after lens #80001.
Again, this is the same situation as the 100mm f/3.5 lens when there was a change from the all chrome lens to the black and chrome lens. In other words, black and chrome lenses with serial numbers between these two numbers, the lens head cannot or should not unscrew from the barrel..
This Canon Technical Information book is all type written and has a serial #200001 (1963). It is full of technical information on the Canon Auto-Ups series 450 and 900, Bellows R unit, Extension tubes A,B,& C plus tube sizes between 25mm and 200mm along with Lens Mount Converters A and B.
The LTM lens heads can be used in the Bellows R if you use a Lens Mount Convertor A. The R-A & R-B adapters are for use on the Canonflex cameras.
I have no idea where I got this book but it needs MORE reading on my part.
Thanks Harry for the pic of your 135mm f/3.5 lens with adapter, nice to have one in original box.
Enjoy Peter K
Just found what I was looking for. It is an official Canon Technical Information A4 size book of 31 pages issued in Feb 1963 and deals with close up accessories for the Canonflex up to the RM model. There is some precise serial numbers of the 85mm f/1.9, 100mm f/2, 100mm f/3.5 and 135mm f/3.5 LTM lenses where the lens head can be removed.
The 85mm f/1.9 lens head can be removed from the barrel up to serial #70932.
The highest 85mm lens I have on record which is close to that number is #70913 and I own #70900 and it came with the R-A adapter.
The 100m f/2 the is no serial numbers.
As the lens was released in Jan 1959 then I presume that all lens heads are removable. I only own one 100mm f/2 lens in my collection and that is a late T3 and when I purchased that of eBay it came with its R-A adapter.
On the 100mm f/3.5 lens the serial number goes up to #78311 and then from lenses with serial numbers over #80001.
This lens #78311 indicates that this is the last lens issued in the black and chrome livery before Canon introduced the 100mm f/3.5 in the all black colour which started at lens #80001. My lens #77225 came with its R-B adapter with case marked "Canon R-B". All lenses sold as a lens head/adapter unit were sold with NO lens barrel.
The 135mm f/3.5 lens head can be removed from the barrel up to lens #65300 and then after lens #80001.
Again, this is the same situation as the 100mm f/3.5 lens when there was a change from the all chrome lens to the black and chrome lens. In other words, black and chrome lenses with serial numbers between these two numbers, the lens head cannot or should not unscrew from the barrel..
This Canon Technical Information book is all type written and has a serial #200001 (1963). It is full of technical information on the Canon Auto-Ups series 450 and 900, Bellows R unit, Extension tubes A,B,& C plus tube sizes between 25mm and 200mm along with Lens Mount Converters A and B.
The LTM lens heads can be used in the Bellows R if you use a Lens Mount Convertor A. The R-A & R-B adapters are for use on the Canonflex cameras.
I have no idea where I got this book but it needs MORE reading on my part.
Thanks Harry for the pic of your 135mm f/3.5 lens with adapter, nice to have one in original box.
Enjoy Peter K
jlw
Rangefinder camera pedant
With a little guidance from Harry I have confirmed that the regular RF-coupled 100/2 lens (at least the one I have) does have a removable head.
I had owned this lens for years and had never guessed that the head might come out -- despite having owned a first-series 90/2 Summicron which had a removable head that worked on exactly the same principle.
The 100/2's head is retained in the focusing mount by a fine-pitch thread. Thanks to the fineness of pitch, the head fits quite securely into the mount without requiring a massive amount of tightening torque -- it's unlikely to come unscrewed by itself, which is probably why I had never noticed that it's removable.
Yet, once you've overcome the initial resistance, it unscrews quite easily. The only slightly fiddly aspect of the operation is that the thread is so fine that there's a risk of cross-threading it on reinstallation.
Even though I don't have any of the focusing adapters, or a Mirror Box 2, I discovered one additional use for this capability: It makes it much easier to clean dust off the rear element, which otherwise is difficult because it sits so deep in the rear tube! I had always thought my 100/2 was pretty clean until I removed the head... then I was SHOCKED to see how much dust was on it!
Am attaching some quickie piccies for those interested in seeing how it goes together.
Incidentally, all those rumors you might have heard about this lens' supposedly fantastic performance... well, my opinion is that they're absolutely true. I'm not necessarily saying it's hugely better than the legendary 105/2.5 Nikkor, but it's at least as good, and it's a half-stop faster. Almost makes me wish I had one of those adapters so I could wangle it onto an SLR occasionally... it yields great results on my R-D 1, but having to use an accessory viewfinder for it is a nuisance!
I had owned this lens for years and had never guessed that the head might come out -- despite having owned a first-series 90/2 Summicron which had a removable head that worked on exactly the same principle.
The 100/2's head is retained in the focusing mount by a fine-pitch thread. Thanks to the fineness of pitch, the head fits quite securely into the mount without requiring a massive amount of tightening torque -- it's unlikely to come unscrewed by itself, which is probably why I had never noticed that it's removable.
Yet, once you've overcome the initial resistance, it unscrews quite easily. The only slightly fiddly aspect of the operation is that the thread is so fine that there's a risk of cross-threading it on reinstallation.
Even though I don't have any of the focusing adapters, or a Mirror Box 2, I discovered one additional use for this capability: It makes it much easier to clean dust off the rear element, which otherwise is difficult because it sits so deep in the rear tube! I had always thought my 100/2 was pretty clean until I removed the head... then I was SHOCKED to see how much dust was on it!
Am attaching some quickie piccies for those interested in seeing how it goes together.
Incidentally, all those rumors you might have heard about this lens' supposedly fantastic performance... well, my opinion is that they're absolutely true. I'm not necessarily saying it's hugely better than the legendary 105/2.5 Nikkor, but it's at least as good, and it's a half-stop faster. Almost makes me wish I had one of those adapters so I could wangle it onto an SLR occasionally... it yields great results on my R-D 1, but having to use an accessory viewfinder for it is a nuisance!
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jlw
Rangefinder camera pedant
Here's one more pic so you can see the business end of the threads on the lens head.
And since someone had asked me in a PM if the 100/2 wasn't a bit of a monster, well, no, it really isn't. It's longish (probably because of the removable head, I now know) but not all that fat. Here's a "family portrait" comparing it with the 85/1.5 (sorry about the paint wear) and the lens that seems to be everyone's Canon sweetheart at the moment, the 50/1.2.
And since someone had asked me in a PM if the 100/2 wasn't a bit of a monster, well, no, it really isn't. It's longish (probably because of the removable head, I now know) but not all that fat. Here's a "family portrait" comparing it with the 85/1.5 (sorry about the paint wear) and the lens that seems to be everyone's Canon sweetheart at the moment, the 50/1.2.
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CanonRFinder
Well-known
HI Jim, The early serial #10128 proves that ALL 100mm f/2 lens heads can be removed. Peter
jlw
Rangefinder camera pedant
CanonRFinder said:
Cool! I didn't get much of anything done at work today, but at least I can now feel I made a small contribution to the sum of Canon knowledge.
So now riddle me this, Batman: What's the difference between the "series 450" and "series 900" Auto-Ups which you mention in your post above? The pair of Auto-Up Vs I have for my 50/1.2 don't have any type of series designation, just a serial number (on the back of the prism unit) and the usual engravings on the ID ring.
I know, I know, I should wait for the book to come out... but I'm curious. (At least within the confines of RFF, PK's Canon book has to be a more hotly-anticipated tome than "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows"!)
Sonnar2
Well-known
According to Jim's pictures, I took my 85/1.8 with the 85/1.5 in comparison.
The second picture shows that the complete lens head of the very short 85/1.8 - too short to use with MB2 or Canonflex - also could be unscrewed. This setup allows a factoy workflow of producing optical units and mountings separatly. Contrarily, unscrewing the 85/1.5 just removes the first optical element.
-Frank-
The second picture shows that the complete lens head of the very short 85/1.8 - too short to use with MB2 or Canonflex - also could be unscrewed. This setup allows a factoy workflow of producing optical units and mountings separatly. Contrarily, unscrewing the 85/1.5 just removes the first optical element.
-Frank-
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CanonRFinder
Well-known
So now riddle me this, Batman: What's the difference between the "series 450" and "series 900" Auto-Ups which you mention in your post above? The pair of Auto-Up Vs I have for my 50/1.2 don't have any type of series designation, just a serial number (on the back of the prism unit) and the usual engravings on the ID ring.
These were the last of the Auto-Ups that Canon produced and were for the following lenses
I know, I know, I should wait for the book to come out... but I'm curious. (At least within the confines of RFF, PK's Canon book has to be a more hotly-anticipated tome than "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows"!)
None of this info will be in the upcoming book as it deals with just the lenses and the next book on the accessories. BUT I'm no J.K.ROWLINGS but if this book make some $$$$ then the next one will NOT take as long as this one has.
Cheers Peter.
These were the last of the Auto-Ups that Canon produced and were for the following lenses
- 50mm f/1.2
- 50mm f/1.4
- 50mm f/1.8
I know, I know, I should wait for the book to come out... but I'm curious. (At least within the confines of RFF, PK's Canon book has to be a more hotly-anticipated tome than "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows"!)
None of this info will be in the upcoming book as it deals with just the lenses and the next book on the accessories. BUT I'm no J.K.ROWLINGS but if this book make some $$$$ then the next one will NOT take as long as this one has.
Cheers Peter.
Sonnar2
Well-known
jlw
Rangefinder camera pedant
CanonRFinder said:
Thanks for that info. So, do the "900" and "450" attachments have their correcting prisms set up to match the front windows on the 7-series cameras? The V-I and V-II correcting prisms don't line up properly in front of the RF and VF windows on a 7-series, since they're designed for the older cameras -- so I'm inferring that this is why Canon had to do another model.
Sonnar2
Well-known
Funny thing, I've found a Canon M-lens 2.5/135mm (very similar to the FL 2.5/135 but one inch shorter barrel) in German ebay...
Peter K. has a # 10182 pictured on his website, mine is 10045. So I suggest the M-series wasn't a particular big one...
I've watched the MB2's on the market for a while and none has seen much use.
To find a 2/100 at a reasonable price is a hard task (maybe I'm a bit thrifty because of the "too-similar" factor with my 1.8/85) -- but to find a MB focussing unit for this lens seems to be next to impossible because of rarity...
cheers Frank
Peter K. has a # 10182 pictured on his website, mine is 10045. So I suggest the M-series wasn't a particular big one...
I've watched the MB2's on the market for a while and none has seen much use.
To find a 2/100 at a reasonable price is a hard task (maybe I'm a bit thrifty because of the "too-similar" factor with my 1.8/85) -- but to find a MB focussing unit for this lens seems to be next to impossible because of rarity...
cheers Frank
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Sonnar2
Well-known
update at my website including pictures:
http://www.taunusreiter.de/cameras/Canon_MB2.html
have fun... Frank
http://www.taunusreiter.de/cameras/Canon_MB2.html
have fun... Frank