Your Favourite DEFUNCT Lens Maker/Marque? -- 35mm Still Camera (Film) only

[Larry Cloetta]

Contarex for myself, though like original Contax, and Contax/Yashica, that is synonymous with Zeiss, and if we are only talking about lenses and not lens mounts and bodies, Zeiss is still making Planars, Biogons, and Distagons so isn’t really defunct.

For totally defunct, as in dead parrot, shuffled-off-this-mortal-coil-defunct, I would have to second Tomioka and Tokyo Kogaku/(Topcon).

 

[Sarcophilus Harrisii]

Carl Zeiss Jena, notably for their Contax lenses, but many other ones beside those.
Honourable mentions:
ALPA SLR & their Kern lenses;
Voigtländer;
Minolta MC.

 

[Sumarongi]

Contarex for myself, though like original Contax, and Contax/Yashica, that is synonymous with Zeiss, and if we are only talking about lenses and not lens mounts and bodies, Zeiss is still making Planars, Biogons, and Distagons so isn’t really defunct.

For totally defunct, as in dead parrot, shuffled-off-this-mortal-coil-defunct, I would have to second Tomioka and Tokyo Kogaku/(Topcon).

Dear Larry,
I've purposely chosen the wording *Favourite DEFUNCT Lens Maker / Marque* so you're free to add whatever lens-line for 135 film which you deplore that it isn't available new anymore.
Zeiss is a very good example, apparently quite many find it regrettable that they gave up their Contax-RF/Contarex/Contax-SLR (etc.) lens lines.
OTOH, also Minolta still exists somehow, because allegedly the best of the recent Sony lenses are still made according to decades-old Minolta recipes ...

 

[Phil_F_NM]

OTOH, also Minolta still exists somehow, because allegedly the best of the recent Sony lenses are still made according to decades-old Minolta recipes ...

Then by that rationale there are no defunct marques. Virtually all lens formulations are derived from just a few old ones.
Phil Forrest

 

[Sumarongi]

Then by that rationale there are no defunct marques. Virtually all lens formulations are derived from just a few old ones.

Dear Phil,
yes, the very best designs are immortal, so to say. But the *marques* Chiyoda / Minolta, Rokkor, Rokkor-X and so forth went the way of the dodo.

 

[Larry Cloetta]

Dear Larry,
I've purposely chosen the wording *Favourite DEFUNCT Lens Maker / Marque* so you're free to add whatever lens-line for 135 film which you deplore that it isn't available new anymore.
Zeiss is a very good example, apparently quite many find it regrettable that they gave up their Contax-RF/Contarex/Contax-SLR (etc.) lens lines.
OTOH, also Minolta still exists somehow, because allegedly the best of the recent Sony lenses are still made according to decades-old Minolta recipes ...

I wasn't really trying to make it about the semantics of what a "lens line" means, though semantics is where it may end up on its own. And, I am one of the ones who regrets Zeiss getting out of the camera body side of the business, though that decision has worked out better for them than it has for me.

 

[AJS Lamb]

Taylor-Hobson Cooke. Their Panchro lenses, though designed for motion pictures, were very nice still camera lenses as well.

Best,
-Tim

Hi Tim,

About 15 years ago, I was lucky enough to buy a Cooke Speed Panchro series II 40mm (Cooke told me it was made in 1965). I was lucky enough to buy a focus mount from Leica UK and a camera technician in hong Kong put it all together. I used it on my M3. How cool is that? Except...

The truth is, it wasn't that special. I shot slide and negative with it but the results were nothing out of the ordinary. The 40mm Summicron and 40mm Rokkor gave equally nice results. Also, the lens didn't quite cover the 35mm still format and vignetted, especially when closed down. In the end, I sold it and, truthfully, don't miss it.

It reminds me of the story about the poisonous Japanese fish which is regarded as a delicacy. Would it be held in such high regard if weren't for the back story?

Just my two cents.

Cheers

Andrew

 

[ACullen]

It's got to be Contax/Yashica for me and then the Kodak Retina line

 

[PaulDalex]

Contax Yashica (Zeiss)
Minolta AF
Minolta CLE

 

[Fixcinater]

I find the results from my old Meyer-Optik glass (Trioplan 100/2.8 and Primoplan 58/1.9) pretty interesting, but they are somewhat recently back after a good amount of time gone.

Zeiss Contax SLR 50/1.4 is my favorite 50mm for SLRs (8-element Takumar 50/1.4 coming in second) along with the Rokkor 58/1.2 which is my favorite 58mm. 🙂

 

[Bill Clark]

Really liked the Minolta SRT-101, my first SLR camera.

Minolta made fine cameras.

I recently bought a near new Minolta Hi-Matic G for around 40 dollars. I can even still buy the battery for the light meter from B&H.

Fun!

 

[charjohncarter]

Dear John,
thank you for your intriguing comment.
I agree that what we today call Medium Format was of course coining -- except just a few, the famous makers of 35mm photography lenses have a history of making medium format lenses (and/or microscopes, of course).
But actually, you've blindsided me -- I'm not aware of any notable lens maker that still existed when the 35mm still photography arose but wouldn't have offered lenses for the new format.
Could you add some examples, please?


2018 Mai 1st, 1600 CEST edit: Obviously, Zenza Bronica wasn't on my radar; I guess they've never made lenses for 135 film. -- OTOH, were the Medium Format *Zenzanon* lenses actually their very own product, or did they do it like Rollei with their *Rolleinar* lenses (which were in fact Carl Zeiss or Mamiya designs, plus a Rollei front bezel)?

I was thinking of 30s, 40s,50s folder lenses. I'm not very well versed on lensmakers, but in my limited experience the folder lenses are loaded with character. My Agfa triplets have a completely difference Bokeh from the Balda, not to mention the Agfa Soligar. Where they were made I don't know. I have a lens from a First Six Camera that can only be described as bad. Also I have a Ricoh Diacord G and I doubt the lens is made by Ricoh.

Here is an example of 'character' of my First Six Camera (pretty weird):

AristaEDUultra100 AristaPremiumDeveloper by John Carter, on Flickr

 

[narsuitus]

Kiron (left) by Narsuitus, on Flickr

Kiron

 

[vonfilm]

Classic Voigtlander

 

[filmtwit]

Leica - Canada

😎

 

[rajmohan-fotograf]

Classic Voigtlander

Hear, hear!

 

[rajmohan-fotograf]

Zeiss Ikon (especially the lenses for Contarex)

 

[Benjamin Marks]

Hexanon AR - the SLR lenses. Wonderful.

 

[rbiemer]

Argus Cintar and Sandmar lenses are some I miss.
And, Cosina-Voigtlander LTM lenses.

Rob

 

[konicaman]

Konica AR, Hexanons. I am glad my ARs are still working.