Meisei CO. Japan Werden 10cm f/3.5 - Tele-Tanar 10cm f/3.5

Nordentro · Expire: 2015-01-29

Here is my new GEM, the rare Tanack Tele-Tanar 10cm branded as Meisei

Camerapedias article:

"The Tele-Tanar 10cm f/3.5 is mentioned as "available soon" in the same November 1955 article as the 85/2,[76] but the lens was not released in the following months. It is mentioned in the announce of the Tanack SD in the June 1957 issue of Shashin Kōgyō, along with the 35mm f/2.8 and f/3.5 and 13.5cm f/3.5,[77] and it is listed in the Summer 1957 issue of the same magazine, as available for �18,500 in Leica mount only.[78]

The advertisements for Tanack cameras mention the lens from September 1957, and show a picture from December of the same year.[79] The lens is still listed in the July 1959 issue of Shashin Kōgyō,[80] and was perhaps offered until the failure of the Tanaka company in late 1959.

The lens barrel is black and chrome: the aperture ring and base mount are chrome, and the rest of the lens is black. The focus and aperture rings and the barrel base seem to have fine mills, and the lens looks somewhat similar to the 13.5cm f/3.5, except for the colour distribution and size. It seems that the aperture scale goes to f/22. The front bezel has a red C., as on the 13.5cm f/3.5. One of the pictures shows a serial number starting in "10", certainly reminding the focal length again.

The 10cm f/3.5 was probably sold in limited quantities only, and no surviving example has been observed yet."

Source: http://camerapedia.wikia.com/wiki/Tanar_lenses

Well, here is one surviving example Wink

Build is similar to the black/ silver Canon 100mm f/3.5 LTM and the optical design is probably the same too. The Meisei is slightly shorter than the Canon at infinity setting, but have the same length at close focus at just under 3.5 feet. The lens has RF coupling and the aperture stops at f/22 as the Canon also do.

Image quality is very good from wide open with similar rendering as the Canon Wink

And I want to thank Cal on this forum who found the lens in the first place Wink

Some samples without PP (just resize and a slight contrast adjustment, click for bigger)

f/3.5 - wide open

100% from above

f/11

f/5.6

hoanpham · Expire: 2015-01-18

That's is a very nice piece of glass !
Beautiful scenes.
Congrats.

Marek · Posted: Tue Mar 10, 2015 9:55 pm Post subject:

Wow, what a bargain for the last survivor

I actually paid some similar money for Tele-Tessar 25cm Kine-Exakta 1930s but there are at least two other pieces according to my information; also it performs literally zippo Very Happy

Lightshow · Joined: 04 Nov 2011 Posts: 3669 Location: Calgary

Does that ever look like the Canon, congrats on finding a rare one, bonus that it works good too.

Attila · Expire: 2025-11-18

Congrats ! I never heard , never seen before.

calvin83 · Joined: 12 Apr 2009 Posts: 7553 Location: Hong Kong

Looks very good to me as expected.

P.S. I don't notice it is a Tanar until I see the serial number. Embarassed

Nordentro · Expire: 2015-01-29

So then I finaly found out that the Soligor 135mm is probably a Tanack too, with T suffix!
(Komura was a big candidate as the maker for a long time)
You can see how similar they are if you google the Tanack 135mm LTM and the Soligor 135mm LTM!

Any comments about this?

Big thanks to all nice comments, to get this lens have been one of my greatest moments with mf lenses Very Happy