Canon LTM Regno Nikkor f=5cm, 1:2 - Canon Hansa mount?

[ariva]

hello Everyone, I just joined the forum.. 🙂

My name is ariva and my interest is all things Nikon-History, cameras and lenses. And recently Canon stuff also, especially early RFs.

After digging around for a while, found this site and its valuable mine of information...Great Place!

now the query..

I recently acquired an old Nikkor "f=5cm, 1:2" labelled as "Regno Nikkor" and has the 'tab' for mounting onto early Canon Hansa Rangefinder camera.(Dedicated bayonet mount)

From readings, I do know that Nikon had made 5cm/f2 lens for early Hansa Canon. But did they convert Regno Nikkor lens also? when was it done? could it be after the war ?
Was the lens a customised/special conversion? I believe, the Regno Nikkor 5cm f/2 was made for the early Canon X-ray camera.

The lens fits perfectly on my Canon NS rangefinder!

There are so many questions, and I do not have detail knowledge on this subject. Hope someone here can help me.

Although the lens is in quite poor condition ie. rear element has separation and glass dirty; but there seems to be no major damage to lens.

Any information on its orgin and history will be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

 

[brobbins]

I am aware of some Regno 5cm f/2 lenses being used on Canon S cameras. I am not aware of such lenses being used on Hansa cameras. As you probably know, the Regno lens is a different, simpler, formulation than the Sonnar style Nikkor 5cm f/2 lens.

 

[ariva]

Thanks for the detail.
I cannot find much info on the web on Regno Nikkors, especially the 5cm. I gather that they were made for early Canon X-ray cameras during WWII..were the X-ray camera mount same as Hansa canons?..

 

[brobbins]

The Canon X-ray cameras had a different mount. If your lens was originally made for an X-ray camera the mount would have had to be replaced for the lens to be used on an S or an NS camera. Peter Dechert's Canon Rangefinder book has some discussion of these lenses.

 

[ariva]

thanks...
hmm..need to get that book.

 

[CanonRFinder]

Besides Peter Dechert’s book, there is a chapter in Bob Rotoloni's Nikon RF book page 212 on a similar lens. There are two other books that deal with early Nikon/Canon lenses and these are both in Japanese but Miyazaki's book has an English section. Hayato's book has some great pics of early combinations but a very handy chart in the back with serial # of camera/lens combinations that Hayato has recorded during his research period. My own book deals with Canon and there involvement with grinding and producing lenses from 1939...sorry free plug 😀. Peter