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Explore the world of vintage lenses through repair notes, real test shots, and detailed archive threads packed with images.

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Riconar 55mm f/2.2
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Posted: Mon Apr 10, 2017 7:00 pm
Post subject: Riconar 55mm f/2.2
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Posted: Mon Apr 10, 2017 7:00 pm
Post subject: Riconar 55mm f/2.2
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Fun fact: This lens acts really strange at close distance. It's like they didn't bother to test the design in a computer before starting production!
But it can be used as a special effect lens. I kind of like it!



f/2.2


f/4 Closing down makes everything look normal.








I took this last picture with a Rollei planar 50mm f/1.8 that I had with me for comparison, big difference Laughing


Last edited by blotafton on Mon Apr 10, 2017 7:25 pm; edited 1 time in total


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Posted: Mon Apr 10, 2017 7:09 pm
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Posted: Mon Apr 10, 2017 7:09 pm
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Wild! A quick photoshop to redden the eyes and that could be "The Hound of the Baskervilles" LOL


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Posted: Mon Apr 10, 2017 7:27 pm
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Posted: Mon Apr 10, 2017 7:27 pm
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Haha, maybe a flash will do the job! Very Happy


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Posted: Mon Apr 10, 2017 8:14 pm
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Posted: Mon Apr 10, 2017 8:14 pm
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Alien bokeh-eyeball dog attacks!! Laugh 1


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Posted: Wed Apr 12, 2017 8:19 am
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Posted: Wed Apr 12, 2017 8:19 am
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devinw wrote:
Alien bokeh-eyeball dog attacks!! Laugh 1


Yes stay clear!

It's so strange to have that effect on something in focus.


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Posted: Wed Apr 12, 2017 8:53 am
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Posted: Wed Apr 12, 2017 8:53 am
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I wonder if that's the same as the Fujinon 55 / 2.2 ? The Fujinon is a bubble bokeh monster.


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Posted: Wed Apr 12, 2017 12:24 pm
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Posted: Wed Apr 12, 2017 12:24 pm
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They are not the same. The Fujinon has a larger rear element for example and have different rendering. The Riconar is also much softer at close focus.





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Posted: Wed Apr 12, 2017 6:31 pm
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Posted: Wed Apr 12, 2017 6:31 pm
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Ah yes, very different. And the Fujinon is a sharp lens, but crazy with highlights at wide apertures. I don't use it much, but I do like it.


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Posted: Fri Mar 22, 2019 10:30 pm
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Posted: Fri Mar 22, 2019 10:30 pm
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I've noticed Riconar is actually not wide open at F2.2 stop. And aperture ring move beyond a bit to fully open. I think this is default. Anyone noticed? Is the lens F2.0 possibly?


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Posted: Fri Mar 22, 2019 11:28 pm
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Posted: Fri Mar 22, 2019 11:28 pm
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Pancolart wrote:
I've noticed Riconar is actually not wide open at F2.2 stop. And aperture ring move beyond a bit to fully open. I think this is default. Anyone noticed? Is the lens F2.0 possibly?


I think you're making the mistake of assuming the little white dot is the f/2.2 mark. Judging from the meter in my camera, the little white dot is an f/2.8 index, the lens being wide open at f/2.2.

YMMV Wink


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Posted: Sat Mar 23, 2019 6:13 am
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Posted: Sat Mar 23, 2019 6:13 am
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Lenses ending with -ar, were usualy cheaper lenses. So when you're looking for special effects, you should take a look there.


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Posted: Sat Mar 23, 2019 6:20 pm
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Posted: Sat Mar 23, 2019 6:20 pm
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Same story here, I think kypfer is correct.


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Posted: Sat Mar 23, 2019 6:45 pm
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Posted: Sat Mar 23, 2019 6:45 pm
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I see, indeed the dot comes before F2.2.


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Posted: Sun Mar 24, 2019 1:10 am
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Posted: Sun Mar 24, 2019 1:10 am
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Well, I've never seen any lens rendering so soft wide open ,all of the 1.4 and 1.7 etc I've tried till now, had much better resolution wide open. Could it be that some of these lenses were bad manufacturer items,so ,they put it in the market for whatever price? I cannot believe a maker could play it's reputation designing such a soft lens after 60's


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Posted: Sun Mar 24, 2019 9:24 am
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Posted: Sun Mar 24, 2019 9:24 am
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So there is a consensus Riconar is soft wide open? Probably simple triplet then.


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Posted: Sun Mar 24, 2019 11:10 am
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Posted: Sun Mar 24, 2019 11:10 am
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Hey it is getting "very good" reviews over at Pentaxforums: https://www.pentaxforums.com/userreviews/riconar-55mm-1-2-2.html and a lensbaby costs a lot more.


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Posted: Sun Mar 24, 2019 11:34 am
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Posted: Sun Mar 24, 2019 11:34 am
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Fantastic, looks like an impressionist's tool Smile.


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Posted: Sun Mar 24, 2019 1:56 pm
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Posted: Sun Mar 24, 2019 1:56 pm
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Probably worth 1$ what a guy paid for it, the review that mention artistic work doable with this lens,is probably the most positive review around. Such an artistic work we could do using a soft filter front of any lens . There is a member complaining about buying a scratched lens the other day (gott?) ,Well by its shots,a scratched good lens did better that this brand new lens,so he definitely needs to use a soft filter to get the same image like this lens is capable of.


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Posted: Sun Mar 24, 2019 9:11 pm
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Posted: Sun Mar 24, 2019 9:11 pm
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Both were and are cheapo lenses.

Not more than these

For me, I guess


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Posted: Sat Mar 30, 2019 12:17 pm
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Posted: Sat Mar 30, 2019 12:17 pm
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caspert79 wrote:
Lenses ending with -ar, were usualy cheaper lenses. So when you're looking for special effects, you should take a look there.

[quote="Pancolart"]So there is a consensus Riconar is soft wide open? Probably simple triplet then.

Lloydy wrote:
Ah yes, very different. And the Fujinon is a sharp lens, but crazy with highlights at wide apertures.


The Riconar 55mm 2.2 and the XR Rikenon 55mm 2.2 are the same lenses (MFD 0.8m) with different names and have frontlens focusing. So it will probably be simple triplets indeed. Reflections in the lenses seems to confirm that.
The Fujinon 55mm 2.2 is built 4/4. And it has a focusing with the whole optical block (MFD 0.6m). So really different lenses.

Not everyone is negative about the lens. From 'Best of Lenses' Gallery:
BKSPicture wrote:
Review, more and hires images can be found on my blog: http://www.blog.bkspicture.com/review_Ricoh_Riconar_55mm_f2.2.html


Last edited by Minolfan on Thu Apr 04, 2019 10:16 pm; edited 1 time in total


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Posted: Thu Apr 04, 2019 9:36 pm
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Posted: Thu Apr 04, 2019 9:36 pm
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I got one as a side catch. Very soft at cf distance indeed:
Softy McSoft by The lens profile, on Flickr

It performs better at some distance. Mine is a XR Rikenon but except for that it looks identical to the Riconar.


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Posted: Fri Apr 05, 2019 3:11 am
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Posted: Fri Apr 05, 2019 3:11 am
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Pancolart wrote:
So there is a consensus Riconar is soft wide open? Probably simple triplet then.


I took apart my copy for cleaning and found it has four elements. There's one at the front, then a two element assembly and then another single at the rear. Only the first element sits ahead of the iris.



#1


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Posted: Fri Apr 05, 2019 8:24 am
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Posted: Fri Apr 05, 2019 8:24 am
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55 wrote:
Pancolart wrote:
So there is a consensus Riconar is soft wide open? Probably simple triplet then.


I took apart my copy for cleaning and found it has four elements. There's one at the front, then a two element assembly and then another single at the rear. Only the first element sits ahead of the iris.


Thanks for clarifying this Smile It's always nice to have "hard facts"!


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Posted: Fri Apr 05, 2019 8:44 am
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Posted: Fri Apr 05, 2019 8:44 am
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55 wrote:
Pancolart wrote:
So there is a consensus Riconar is soft wide open? Probably simple triplet then.


I took apart my copy for cleaning and found it has four elements. There's one at the front, then a two element assembly and then another single at the rear. Only the first element sits ahead of the iris.



#1


Great, this was puzzling me. The Ricoh CR-5 user manual also says 4 (page 16 of manual (15 of pdf). http://www.cameramanuals.org/ricoh_pdf/ricoh_cr-5.pdf

The two center elements are so close they seem like a single reflection so people think it's a triplet.


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Posted: Fri Apr 05, 2019 4:49 pm
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Posted: Fri Apr 05, 2019 4:49 pm
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Thanks for sharing the inside look Like 1 Like 1
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