The Mysteries of the Japanese Exaktar/Pancolar 2/50

Mos6502 · Joined: 20 Jun 2011 Posts: 961 Location: Austin

So this is a bit of a mystery... sometime around 1968 a Japanese made normal lens for the Exakta began to be marketed under the Exaktar name. Who made it? Why was it made? When did they stop? I don't have much of an idea. It seems to be overlooked by most, and I can't find much info about it. Stranger still, these Exaktars occasionally show up with a Pancolar name ring screwed on over the Exaktar one, an example of which is in this ebay auction: http://www.ebay.com/itm/50mm-f2-Automatic-Exaktar-Fake-Pancolar-for-Exakta-Bayonet-/261119065537?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3ccbe8bdc1&nma=true&si=U7ZJ1OZTcut%2BJ10ndHb9Xy7DGCg%3D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

Here's just some speculation, but this lens was probably made at the request of an importer. By the late 1960s the Japanese were quite done making straight copies of other's designs. So it's very strange that it would so closely resemble the Pancolar - unless somebody asked for it to. Why was it made? I would guess to provide a low cost alternative to the Pancolars and Xenons for a fast normal for the Exakta.

Who made it? That's an interesting question, but I have no idea. My hunch is that Mamiya made it. The Exaktar 2/50 and Mamiya 2/50 both have the same type of diaphragm blades (a different design from the true Pancolar) and the blades point clockwise - whereas Yashica/Tomioka generally had the blades point counter clockwise. Another trivial link is that the early Mamiyas actually used the exakta bayonet mount, although this probably means nothing as otherwise the systems were incompatible and Mamiya had discontinued use of the mount years earlier by this point.

The Exaktar name was also used on various lenses by a number of manufacturers and distributors during this period which makes things even more confusing. Ihagee West was applying it to Japanese lenses (which have nothing in common with this particular lens), the Exakta Camera Co. (an importer) was also applying it to a number of lenses including these 2/50 lenses. But others were selling them too apparently.

These lenses are not rare, but less common than Pancolars. As the Exakta system fell from favor and with the introduction of the RTL 1000, prices on traditional Exakta equipment were slashed repeatedly in the early 1970s. It's likely that whatever price advantage the Exaktar had at first, it lost it within a year or two.

Seymour's Exakta catalogs from the period also refer to Pancolars as "genuine Jena" lenses, which is interesting. In fact their newsletter even explicitly warned customers about non-Jena Pancolars: http://www.ihagee.org/USA/exaktanews970.pdf
Interesting that there is apparently a "Schnieder 1.9" lens out there too! Has anybody ever seen one?

Pancolart · Expire: 2013-11-18

This is very interesting. Topic also touches Jena Tessar fakes we talked about.

Anyway my guess for the above is: COSINA Cosinon 1.8/50mm M42: http://www.flickr.com/photos/vanilevsky/4483245709/

Cosinon by Vanilevsky, on Flickr

mo · Expire: 2016-07-30

Did you manage to grab a screen shot of that lens in the link? as the bidding has finished....I missed seeing it the first time around.Thanks for the Exakta news link.

Attila · Expire: 2025-11-18

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ManualFocus-G · Expire: 2014-11-24

Fascinating stuff! There hasn't been a huge amount of Exakta discussion on this forum in the past (I think, although I don't delve into the film sections too much) so I had not idea about this Smile

I thought I'd seen some older 135mms branded Exaktar in the past as well. The blatant copying of the Pancolar though is brilliant!

iangreenhalgh1 · Expire: 2014-01-07

There were loads of Exaktar branded lenses from Japan, but never before have I seen a Japanese lens that tried to look like a German lens to this extent, the really have copied the external appearance, even down to the distinctive dof chevron markings. The Exaktars I remember seeing were late 70s early 80s and I figured they were to be sold with the Exakta branded Japanese SLRs I've also seen. I thought this was just a case of one of the German retail houses selling Exakta/Exaktar branded goods after the end of pukka Exakt production in the GDR, akin to TOE in England selling 'Carl Zeiss Jena' lenses made by Sigma and Cosina after the fall of the GDR in 1991.

On the Mamiya link, I don't know if Mamiya made any 50mm lenses in Exakta/Topcon mount as the lens on their Exakta/Topcon mount SLR was made by Canon (OM 1.9/50).

peterqd · Expire: 2014-01-04

When I saw this in the other thread I wondered if maybe these Japanese Exaktas were marketed in USA only. I've never heard of one in Europe. I know Exakta cameras were quite popular in USA, and maybe the genuine lenses were difficult to get hold of due to import bans from Eastern Europe.

Mos6502 · Joined: 20 Jun 2011 Posts: 961 Location: Austin

Pancolart · Expire: 2013-11-18