Vintage 3rd party lenses for Nikon RF

[keytarjunkie]

David, you might enjoy this article about Zunow I found from what appears to be some US army publication in 1954.

 

[Retro-Grouch]

"...a little over $200." Read it and weep! All I need is a time machine and a fist full of hundred dollar bills.

 

[David Murphy]

Thanks for posting that fascinating historical article. Stars and Stripes by the way is a daily newspaper published primarily the benefit of US servicemen and it is still in operation today.

This is the first time I've heard of the engineer Hamano, who was clearly a highly skilled and innovative optical designer. Lens design is a computationally driven process even for fairly simple lenses, which this one is not. Hamano was probably working without the aid of digital computers, now routinely employed in lens design, making this feat even more impressive.

BTW, regarding another post above from Retro-Grouch, $200 inflation adjusted from 1955 is about $2000 today. These lenses were very valuable in 1955 as they are now, but perhaps we must also pay something of a collectors premium today for the rarest of them!

 

[keytarjunkie]

It's been a while with no update, but I found a new one: Zunow 5cm f/1.3. I had heard of this lens before but had not seen one in S-mount.

Taken from the Nikon Kenkyukai page, always finding new things on their pages that I missed!

 

[Retro-Grouch]

Now I've got GAS for something that's barely easier to find than a unicorn.

 

[David Murphy]

Very interesting about the Zunow 5cm F1.3

One of these was up for sale on eBay not too long ago (at an exceedingly high price), but I'm pretty sure it was in Leica thread mount. In Nikon RF mount it must be impossibly rare to find today.

If one looks through various photo magazines from the 1950's, some of the New York camera dealers list, generically, various fast prime "no-name" lenses for popular camera lens mounts of that era, including the main rangefinder mounts. It leads me to wonder if some of these lenses, like the Zunow super speed models, were almost built to order from generic designs depending on how requests for small lots of them arrived from overseas dealers.

 

[KoNickon]

I missed this thread when it first started -- just read through it now. Fascinating stuff, guys; keep it coming. By the way, the Head Bartender has an article on Zunow in his classic camera pages: https://www.cameraquest.com/zunow.htm

 

[jonmanjiro]

It's been a while with no update, but I found a new one: Zunow 5cm f/1.3. I had heard of this lens before but had not seen one in S-mount.

Taken from the Nikon Kenkyukai page, always finding new things on their pages that I missed!

Wow, interesting lens. I didn't know the 50/1.3 existed. Also, what a blast from the past reading that Nikon Kenkyukai page. I visited that camera fair at Takashimaya Department Store in Shinjuku, Tokyo in August 2010. I remember Kaeru-san showing me that black paint S2! Though judging from Kaeru-san's shirt it wasn't the same day the Nikon Kenkyukai guys visited (edit: I missed the Nikon Kenkukai guys by a day - I was there on August 29th and they were there on August 28th). IIRC that was the first time I met John Sypal (aka tokyocamerastyle) too. I haven't met up with Kaeru-san or John for quite a while. Gosh I miss those days of catching up with friends and browsing the photo galleries and camera shops in Shinjuku with no thought whatsoever of potentially catching an infectious disease.


Mr. Tokyo Camera Style in action at a camera show in Shinjuku today! by Jon, on Flickr

I missed this thread when it first started -- just read through it now. Fascinating stuff, guys; keep it coming. By the way, the Head Bartender has an article on Zunow in his classic camera pages: https://www.cameraquest.com/zunow.htm

Great webpage but there's no mention of the 50/1.3! Must indeed be rare...

 

[keytarjunkie]

Wow, interesting lens. I didn't know the 50/1.3 existed. Also, what a blast from the past reading that Nikon Kenkyukai page. I visited that camera fair at Takashimaya Department Store in Shinjuku, Tokyo in August 2010. I remember Kaeru-san showing me that black paint S2! Though judging from Kaeru-san's shirt it wasn't the same day the Nikon Kenkyukai guys visited (edit: I missed the Nikon Kenkukai guys by a day - I was there on August 29th and they were there on August 28th). IIRC that was the first time I met John Sypal (aka tokyocamerastyle) too. I haven't met up with Kaeru-san or John for quite a while. Gosh I miss those days of catching up with friends and browsing the photo galleries and camera shops in Shinjuku with no thought whatsoever of potentially catching an infectious disease.

Thanks Jon. I have learned so much from you over the years and I am glad this brought back nice memories. I have never lived somewhere like Tokyo but I also miss that feeling, I hope we're able to return to it soon...

I missed this thread when it first started -- just read through it now. Fascinating stuff, guys; keep it coming. By the way, the Head Bartender has an article on Zunow in his classic camera pages: https://www.cameraquest.com/zunow.htm

Thanks so much! I have seen this page quite a few times over the years, including when I was gathering information. I considered including the 35mm f/1.5 Stephen mentioned, but I cannot find any other reference to it anywhere, so for now I think it was an error or doesn't exist (for the record, I still haven't seen a photo of the 35mm f/1.7 or 100mm f/2 in S mount either!). Happy to have my mind changed though.

 

[UV76]

Here's Komura 80/1.8

 

[the_hunter]

Here's Komura 80/1.8

WOW, I am impressed, I have wanted one for a few months! Please post some test images when you can.

 

[keytarjunkie]

Thanks UV76. I have seen at least two barrel styles of the Komura 80mm…I think this is the earlier one. Any more information you have is welcome!

I have linked the Komura 80mm f/1.8 to your new thread.

 

[UV76]

the_hunter
please see separate thread for sample images

https://www.rangefinderforum.com/fo...Komura 80mm f1.8 by Sankyo Kohki for Nikon RF

 

[keytarjunkie]

All that hunting paid off again. I found a Komura 105mm f/2.8 in Nikon mount for $12.50. It is so scratched up inside that it might be unusable, but the original hood, UV filter, caps, and nice barrel condition make it well worth the cost. I might try to find a parts lens in Leica mount and transplant the optics. Very excited to finally find one of these! Now if only I could find the rare 105mm f/2.0!

 

[keytarjunkie]

Okay, here are my first two vintage 3rd-party lenses. They both need some love. The Komura is pretty horrible inside, a scratched up element and very oily blades. I suspected such a lens would separate by unscrewing the two halves (because they would be putting the optical assembly into different barrels) and indeed it does separate easily. I was very lucky to get this for so cheap, but it is very rare so I will be careful with the disassembly. The Canon I'll probably send out at some point to get a fresh CLA from someone who knows what they're doing.

 

[the_hunter]

I came here to report my findings on the Canon 28mm CT lens I picked up, but I am guessing that is old news to most people who follow this forum. Regardless if you are interested I have a video review with sample images I put together. Good lens but not all too different from its Nikon counterpart.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMTsLRx7kHc&t=405s&ab_channel=AndrewSmith

 

[the_hunter]

I developed a color roll from the Komura 35mm lens and most of the images came out nicely. But I did get this very odd lens flare. Not sure what to make of it but it looks kind of neat.

 

[keytarjunkie]

Many of us are familiar with Orion's rare Nikon RF -> Leica LTM adapter made in the 50's. But until today I had never heard of this Orion Mirax reflex housing. This is pretty cool! I guess it belongs in this thread.

 

[David Murphy]

Yes this is very interesting and rare. I wonder what lenses it was designed for? The same Nikon rangefinder long lenses that were for Nikon's own reflex housing or with something else? And what is the purpose of the detachable fitting on the front? Is this a spacer of some sort?

 

[Bill Jones]

Yes this is very interesting and rare. I wonder what lenses it was designed for? The same Nikon rangefinder long lenses that were for Nikon's own reflex housing or with something else? And what is the purpose of the detachable fitting on the front? Is this a spacer of some sort?

David,

That let's one mount 50mm internal bayonet lenses on the housing for close-up work.

Bill