The Zenzanon Lens Saga, Part 3, Wide-Angle and Telephoto Zenzanons
Made by top line lens makers, they equaled or exceeded the Nikkors.
By Jason Schneider
Zenzanon lenses for focal plane shutter S- and EC-series Broncas were designed with one main objective in mind—to deliver a level of optical performance at least equal to the corresponding Nikkor lenses that helped place Bronica squarely (pun intended) in the top tier of 6x6 cm system SLRs, second only to Hasseblad. Indeed, the importance of Nikkor lenses to Bronica’s marketing efforts can hardly be over-stated. Here’s a gushing quote from the Bronica S manual published in 1961: “Nikkor lenses are standard for the Bronica S. Today no finer optics are available. And Nikkor lenses are the most compatible lenses for the superb performance of the Bronica S. Nikkor lenses have proved to be the finest in (the) 35mm photography field in which optical quality means almost everything. Available focal length(s) range from 50mm wide angle to 1000mm super telephoto. The 50, 75, and 135mm lenses are equipped with instant return automatic diaphragms and are designated as Auto-Nikkors.”
Eight years later in 1969 (and possibly earlier) there were already 4 Zenzanon lenses available for Bronicas, all listed in the Bronica S2A catalog—the 80mm f/2.4 Zenzanon MC and 100mm f/2.8 Zenzanon covered in Part 2 of The Zenzanon Lens Saga, the 150mm f/3.5 Zenzanon widely attributed to Norita Kogaku K.K., makers of the fascinating Norita 66 SLR, and the ponderous 300mm f/4.5 Zenzanon which weighs in at an impressive 4.2 pounds, has its own built in focusing helical, and mounts on the Bronica’s wide outer bayonet. By the time the TTL-metering Bronica EC-TL was brought forth in 1975 there were two parallel lines of Nikkor and Zenzaon lenses available. The list includes 10 Nikkors ranging from a 40mm f/4 to a gargantuan refractive 1200mm f/11, and 8 Zenzanons ranging from a 40mm f/4 ultra-wide angle to the previously mentioned 300mm f/4.5. If you think all these Zenzanons are just creditable copies of the Nikkors, guess again. Most were reformulated designs,and several outperformed the originals. In short, Bronica understood that their reputation was built on optical excellence, and they rose to the challenge, enlisting the aid of premier optical manufacturers including (but not limited to) Tokyo Optical Cop, Norita, and Zeiss.
It's also worth noting that the focal plane shutter Bronica had another significant edge over its archrival, the Hasselblad—much closer focusing with the majority of lenses thanks in part to a common, interchangeable, long throw focusing helical that could be used with lens heads ranging from 40mm to 200mm. By 1957 Hasselblad was committed to the V-series 500C and its successors, all of which have a Compur leaf shutter in each lens, which provides flash sync at all timed speeds, but limits optical flexibility. Bottom line: the Hasselblad’s 80mm f/2.8 Planar focuses down to 3 feet; the 75mm f/2.8 Zenzanon or Nikkor gets down to 20 inches for frame-filling headshots! Bronica lenses were also faster than comparable Hasselblad lenses—the 150mm f/3.5 Zenzanon vs. the 150mm f/4 Sonnar, for example, or the 200mm f/3.5 Zenzanon, for which Hasselblad had no equivalent.
Here’s a rundown on the wide-angle and telephoto Zenzanons including concise performance evaluations gleaned from creditable user reviews.
40mm f/4 Zenzanon MC: Rare in Bronica S- and EC-series mount, this magnificent multicoated 9-element, 7-group ultra-wide provides a90°angle of view, roughly equivalent to a 21mm lens on the 35mm full frame format, and focuses down to a little over 10 inches. Widely acclaimed for its superb definition,low distortion, and moderate light falloffeven off axis at wide apertures,many users say it’s superior to the excellent 40mm f/4 Nikkor, a 10-element. 8- group design. Some have conjectured that the widest Zenzanon is just a rebadged 40mm f/4 Noritar originally made for the Norita66, but that’s unlikely because the latter is a 9-element, 8-group design. Anyway, the 40mm f/4 Zenzanon MC a great lens and priced at $750-$950 if you can find one. Reconfigured versions of the 40mm f/4 Zenzanon for ETR- and SQ-series Bronicas are much more common and offered at far lower prices.
Rare in Bronica S- and EC-series mount, the 40mm f/4 Zenzanon MC is a magnificent ultra-wide-angle that's well with looking (and paying) for.
Optical diagram of the 40mm f/4 Zenzanon MC shows its brilliant and innovative 9-element, 7-group design.
50mm f/2.8 Zenzanon MC: This multicoated beauty employs an 8-element, 7-group optical design similar to the one used in its chief competitor, the 50mm f/2.8 Nikkor O.C. Both these lenses are excellent performers that deliver crisp imaging with moderate distortion but tend to flare in backlit situations. Users with hands on experience say the Zenzanon is a tad sharper than the Nikkor but the Zenzanon has a bit more barrel distortion. Both lenses cover a wide 77°angle of view and focus down to a close 13 inches. The 50mm f/2.8 Zenzanon MC is somewhat scarce, but not rare and sells for $400-$500 on the used market, about the same as the 50mm f/2.8 Nikkor O.C. Take your pick.
50mm f/2.8 Zenzanon MC used an 8-element, 7-group design similar to the 50mm f/2.8 Nikkor O.C, and it performed just as well, maybe a tad better overall.
150mm f/3.5 Zenzanon MC: A multicoated classic this 5-element 4-group moderate telephoto is a far better lens than its closest Nikkor equivalent, the old 4-element, 3-group 135mm f/3.5 Nikkor which is often panned as a lens originally designed for 35mm Nikons that was pressed into service because it (barely) covered the 6 x 6 cm format. Some photo historians attribute the 150mm f/3.5 Zenzanon MC to Norita, which may be correct since its founder Norita Toshio and lens designer Maruyama Shuji, were both former employees of Tokyo Optical Co, (Topcon). Whatever its provenance, it’s an outstanding lensthat delivers crisp central definition and detail even wide open, improves in the corners on stopping down to f/5.6, and provides beautiful vintage rendition and smooth bokeh. Its minimum focusing distance of 2 meters is too long for tightly framed head shots, but it’s still great portrait lens. It’s readily available and modestly priced at $175-$250 on the used market. Note: the 150mm f/3.5 Zenzanon is an earlier, larger version of this lens without MC or Multi Coating.
150mm f/3.5 Zenzanon MC is a superb medium tele for S- and EC-series Bronicas. Experts say it was made by Norita and penned by an ex-Topcon designer.
200mm f/3.5 Zenzanon: Constructed of 5 elements in 5 groups this classic telephoto delivers very high image quality even at its widest apertures, improves on stopping down to f/5.6-8, maintains its sharpness even at its smallest aperture of f/22, and provides smooth vintage rendition throughout. Like its slightly slower counterpart, the 5-element, 5-group 200mm f/4 Nikkor (which stops down to f/32) it focuses down to a longish 10.8 feet (6 feet with matching close-up lens) and weighs in at about 1 pound, making it a good choice for handheld shooting. Fairly uncommon in S- and EC-series mount, it’s typically quite affordable at $150-$200.
The 200mm f/3.5 Zenzanon is a great lens. Like the 300mm Zenzanon below its focusing helical is built in and it mounts on the Bronica's outer bayonet, Note dedicated close-up lens that provides focusing to 6 feet. It's quite hefty and not easy to find but it's definitely worth the effort.
300mm f/4.5 Zenzanon: This 6-element, 5-group, 4.2-pound behemoth mounts on the large outer bayonet of S- and EC-series Bronicas, has a built-in lens hood and tripod platform, takes big 82mm screw-in filters, and focuses down to a reasonably close (for its long focal length) of 13.1 feet. One of the earliest Zenzanon lenses, it was produced into the ‘80s and is acclaimed for its outstanding sharpness and clarity and beautiful bokeh. It’s not the most convenient lens for handheld shooting but it’s great for sports and travel photography and really comes into its own atop a tripod. If you think it’s too heavy and that its minimum focusing distance is too long, just bear in mind that the closest Nikkor equivalent is the 400mm f/4.5 Nikkor that weighs in at a ponderous 7.3 pounds and only gets down to 16.4 feet. The 300mm f/4.5 Zenzanon is occasionally available in clean working condition for $200-$300 at online auction sites and from camera specialty dealers.
The big, beautiful 300mm f/4,5 Zenzanon is an outstanding long tele that enjoyed a long production run, but it's ponderous and works best atop a tripod.
As a side note Bronica proudly used the Nikkor lenses in Bronica mount (180mm to 1200mm) as advertising candy to promote the great Bronica Nikkor lens alliance. Real world Bronica S lenses in the larger external mount with their own focusing helicals are all quite rare, all huge heavy and ponderous, so rare they are all collectible and hard to find.
Made by top line lens makers, they equaled or exceeded the Nikkors.
By Jason Schneider
Zenzanon lenses for focal plane shutter S- and EC-series Broncas were designed with one main objective in mind—to deliver a level of optical performance at least equal to the corresponding Nikkor lenses that helped place Bronica squarely (pun intended) in the top tier of 6x6 cm system SLRs, second only to Hasseblad. Indeed, the importance of Nikkor lenses to Bronica’s marketing efforts can hardly be over-stated. Here’s a gushing quote from the Bronica S manual published in 1961: “Nikkor lenses are standard for the Bronica S. Today no finer optics are available. And Nikkor lenses are the most compatible lenses for the superb performance of the Bronica S. Nikkor lenses have proved to be the finest in (the) 35mm photography field in which optical quality means almost everything. Available focal length(s) range from 50mm wide angle to 1000mm super telephoto. The 50, 75, and 135mm lenses are equipped with instant return automatic diaphragms and are designated as Auto-Nikkors.”
Eight years later in 1969 (and possibly earlier) there were already 4 Zenzanon lenses available for Bronicas, all listed in the Bronica S2A catalog—the 80mm f/2.4 Zenzanon MC and 100mm f/2.8 Zenzanon covered in Part 2 of The Zenzanon Lens Saga, the 150mm f/3.5 Zenzanon widely attributed to Norita Kogaku K.K., makers of the fascinating Norita 66 SLR, and the ponderous 300mm f/4.5 Zenzanon which weighs in at an impressive 4.2 pounds, has its own built in focusing helical, and mounts on the Bronica’s wide outer bayonet. By the time the TTL-metering Bronica EC-TL was brought forth in 1975 there were two parallel lines of Nikkor and Zenzaon lenses available. The list includes 10 Nikkors ranging from a 40mm f/4 to a gargantuan refractive 1200mm f/11, and 8 Zenzanons ranging from a 40mm f/4 ultra-wide angle to the previously mentioned 300mm f/4.5. If you think all these Zenzanons are just creditable copies of the Nikkors, guess again. Most were reformulated designs,and several outperformed the originals. In short, Bronica understood that their reputation was built on optical excellence, and they rose to the challenge, enlisting the aid of premier optical manufacturers including (but not limited to) Tokyo Optical Cop, Norita, and Zeiss.
It's also worth noting that the focal plane shutter Bronica had another significant edge over its archrival, the Hasselblad—much closer focusing with the majority of lenses thanks in part to a common, interchangeable, long throw focusing helical that could be used with lens heads ranging from 40mm to 200mm. By 1957 Hasselblad was committed to the V-series 500C and its successors, all of which have a Compur leaf shutter in each lens, which provides flash sync at all timed speeds, but limits optical flexibility. Bottom line: the Hasselblad’s 80mm f/2.8 Planar focuses down to 3 feet; the 75mm f/2.8 Zenzanon or Nikkor gets down to 20 inches for frame-filling headshots! Bronica lenses were also faster than comparable Hasselblad lenses—the 150mm f/3.5 Zenzanon vs. the 150mm f/4 Sonnar, for example, or the 200mm f/3.5 Zenzanon, for which Hasselblad had no equivalent.
Here’s a rundown on the wide-angle and telephoto Zenzanons including concise performance evaluations gleaned from creditable user reviews.
40mm f/4 Zenzanon MC: Rare in Bronica S- and EC-series mount, this magnificent multicoated 9-element, 7-group ultra-wide provides a90°angle of view, roughly equivalent to a 21mm lens on the 35mm full frame format, and focuses down to a little over 10 inches. Widely acclaimed for its superb definition,low distortion, and moderate light falloffeven off axis at wide apertures,many users say it’s superior to the excellent 40mm f/4 Nikkor, a 10-element. 8- group design. Some have conjectured that the widest Zenzanon is just a rebadged 40mm f/4 Noritar originally made for the Norita66, but that’s unlikely because the latter is a 9-element, 8-group design. Anyway, the 40mm f/4 Zenzanon MC a great lens and priced at $750-$950 if you can find one. Reconfigured versions of the 40mm f/4 Zenzanon for ETR- and SQ-series Bronicas are much more common and offered at far lower prices.
Rare in Bronica S- and EC-series mount, the 40mm f/4 Zenzanon MC is a magnificent ultra-wide-angle that's well with looking (and paying) for.
Optical diagram of the 40mm f/4 Zenzanon MC shows its brilliant and innovative 9-element, 7-group design.
50mm f/2.8 Zenzanon MC: This multicoated beauty employs an 8-element, 7-group optical design similar to the one used in its chief competitor, the 50mm f/2.8 Nikkor O.C. Both these lenses are excellent performers that deliver crisp imaging with moderate distortion but tend to flare in backlit situations. Users with hands on experience say the Zenzanon is a tad sharper than the Nikkor but the Zenzanon has a bit more barrel distortion. Both lenses cover a wide 77°angle of view and focus down to a close 13 inches. The 50mm f/2.8 Zenzanon MC is somewhat scarce, but not rare and sells for $400-$500 on the used market, about the same as the 50mm f/2.8 Nikkor O.C. Take your pick.
50mm f/2.8 Zenzanon MC used an 8-element, 7-group design similar to the 50mm f/2.8 Nikkor O.C, and it performed just as well, maybe a tad better overall.
150mm f/3.5 Zenzanon MC: A multicoated classic this 5-element 4-group moderate telephoto is a far better lens than its closest Nikkor equivalent, the old 4-element, 3-group 135mm f/3.5 Nikkor which is often panned as a lens originally designed for 35mm Nikons that was pressed into service because it (barely) covered the 6 x 6 cm format. Some photo historians attribute the 150mm f/3.5 Zenzanon MC to Norita, which may be correct since its founder Norita Toshio and lens designer Maruyama Shuji, were both former employees of Tokyo Optical Co, (Topcon). Whatever its provenance, it’s an outstanding lensthat delivers crisp central definition and detail even wide open, improves in the corners on stopping down to f/5.6, and provides beautiful vintage rendition and smooth bokeh. Its minimum focusing distance of 2 meters is too long for tightly framed head shots, but it’s still great portrait lens. It’s readily available and modestly priced at $175-$250 on the used market. Note: the 150mm f/3.5 Zenzanon is an earlier, larger version of this lens without MC or Multi Coating.
150mm f/3.5 Zenzanon MC is a superb medium tele for S- and EC-series Bronicas. Experts say it was made by Norita and penned by an ex-Topcon designer.
200mm f/3.5 Zenzanon: Constructed of 5 elements in 5 groups this classic telephoto delivers very high image quality even at its widest apertures, improves on stopping down to f/5.6-8, maintains its sharpness even at its smallest aperture of f/22, and provides smooth vintage rendition throughout. Like its slightly slower counterpart, the 5-element, 5-group 200mm f/4 Nikkor (which stops down to f/32) it focuses down to a longish 10.8 feet (6 feet with matching close-up lens) and weighs in at about 1 pound, making it a good choice for handheld shooting. Fairly uncommon in S- and EC-series mount, it’s typically quite affordable at $150-$200.
The 200mm f/3.5 Zenzanon is a great lens. Like the 300mm Zenzanon below its focusing helical is built in and it mounts on the Bronica's outer bayonet, Note dedicated close-up lens that provides focusing to 6 feet. It's quite hefty and not easy to find but it's definitely worth the effort.
300mm f/4.5 Zenzanon: This 6-element, 5-group, 4.2-pound behemoth mounts on the large outer bayonet of S- and EC-series Bronicas, has a built-in lens hood and tripod platform, takes big 82mm screw-in filters, and focuses down to a reasonably close (for its long focal length) of 13.1 feet. One of the earliest Zenzanon lenses, it was produced into the ‘80s and is acclaimed for its outstanding sharpness and clarity and beautiful bokeh. It’s not the most convenient lens for handheld shooting but it’s great for sports and travel photography and really comes into its own atop a tripod. If you think it’s too heavy and that its minimum focusing distance is too long, just bear in mind that the closest Nikkor equivalent is the 400mm f/4.5 Nikkor that weighs in at a ponderous 7.3 pounds and only gets down to 16.4 feet. The 300mm f/4.5 Zenzanon is occasionally available in clean working condition for $200-$300 at online auction sites and from camera specialty dealers.
The big, beautiful 300mm f/4,5 Zenzanon is an outstanding long tele that enjoyed a long production run, but it's ponderous and works best atop a tripod.
As a side note Bronica proudly used the Nikkor lenses in Bronica mount (180mm to 1200mm) as advertising candy to promote the great Bronica Nikkor lens alliance. Real world Bronica S lenses in the larger external mount with their own focusing helicals are all quite rare, all huge heavy and ponderous, so rare they are all collectible and hard to find.
