Sankyo Kohki Komura 105mm f/2

[steevithak]

I recently picked up a Sankyo Kohki Komura 105mm f/2 lens at an estate sale. It's an M42 mount preset with 12 blade aperture. Here's a link to a flickr set that has photos of the lens itself, and photos taken with the lens on Canon 40D and with a Vivitar 220/SL film camera.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/steevithak/sets/72157630257985344/

I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the lens. It's a little soft wide open but actually quite sharp once you stop down. And it seems to provide good contrast and bright colors. It suffers a little from glare (which can be seen in the film shots, taken on a bright day). It probably just needs a good lens hood to solve that. I noticed there wasn't a page for this lens at Camera-Wiki, so I started one. Not much on it yet but maybe somebody else knows more about the lens than I do:

http://camera-wiki.org/wiki/Komura_105mm_f/2.0


-Steve

[Smoli4]

very nice set! i liked it alot. thanks for sharing. and thank for the info about the lens.

[luisalegria]

That would be Sankyo Kohki Komura.

Komura was a rather quirky independent lens maker.

They had a rather extraordinary product line - this old catalog of theirs is a great resource.

http://www.cameraeccentric.com/html/info/komura_1.html

Not only were they the last holdouts selling M39 screw mount lenses, they also introduced no less than four interchangeable mount systems.

[patrickh]

Luis

You never cease to amaze

patrickh

[Lloydy]

You have some lovely images taken with this lens, it's a focal length I'm looking for and this has gone on my list.

[steevithak]

[diddy]

[luisalegria]

The Uni-Auto (not the same as the Komuranon mount) and the M39 sort-of Visoflex screw mount used for the 200-300-400-500 tele series.

[iangreenhalgh1]

Luis, what is the IQ of Komura lenses like? I see the odd one or two on ebay from time to time and always been curious.

[luisalegria]

I can only answer for a few of them, as I don't have a lot of Komura lenses. As with most brands, they are a mixed bag.

The 135/3.5 and 135/2.8 presets are excellent. These are 5-element telephotos and they are easily as sharp as the Super-Takumars I have. But they have much smoother bokeh and an attractive warm rendering, which is typical of most Komuras, even the disappointing ones.

The 400mm and 200mm Visoflex-type teles are quite decent and well made examples of their type, particularly the 400mm

The 300/5 has been a real disappointment. I actually picked up two of these thinking that the first was a lemon, but no, they were both less than adequate.

The 75-150 and 90-250 Uni-Auto zooms are very nice indeed for their time, but of course not competitive with the more modern lenses such as the Tamron 103a.

The 200/4.5 Leica-mount (I used it on bellows) is good enough I guess, but pretty second rate wide open. Its more of a curiosity.

[iangreenhalgh1]

Cheers Luis.

[diddy]

@Luis: Thanks for providing this info!

[Thorjimbo90]

I just created my account on this forum, because this is the closest I have found on research to my favorite lens. It is a Sankyo Kohki Komura made in Japan 105mm, f2, however instead of 12 blades mine has 16 and te filter mount is 62mm. Any information would be usful.

Thanks.

[woodrim]

[Thorjimbo90]

I don't have any ready made samples of what this lens can do, but here is the lens itself.





I appreciate any new information.[/img]

[luisalegria]

There are several versions of most of the Komura lenses.
I don't know if the variations are just cosmetic.

There is very little public information posted in English on Komura. Most of what we know is based on the physical evidence. Sort of like archeologists trying to find the history of an ancient society on the basis of artifacts.
There may be more information published in Japan. I hope someday someone with the proper skills finds this material.

The style of this one tells me its probably from the last of the preset range, probably late 1960's-very early 1970's.
The mount may be the Unidapter interchangable type. If you can unscrew it, you may see an M44 screw on the lens body.

[Thorjimbo90]

It fits the Pentax Spotomatic F so it has the M42 screw mount. Sorry if that wasnt posted with the first round of specs.

[luisalegria]

What I mean is that you may be able to unscrew the M42 mount itself.
Many of the Komura presets were made with an interchangeable mount system unique to Komura, the Unidapter, that worked just like a T-mount but with a different thread and register.

[Thorjimbo90]

Unless it requires disassembling the lens it won't be interchangable. The mount thread is one solid piece of metal.

[luisalegria]

Yes, that whole chrome section on the camera end of the lens may unscrew, just like a T-mount.

I am not saying that it definitely is a Unidapter, but it may be. Some were, some were plain fixed mounts.

[Thorjimbo90]

If it is a unidaptor i only have the M42 mount for it

[luisalegria]

Yes, of course. It is just a point of interest.
The Unidapters are nearly impossible to find loose, the only value to having a unidapter-type lens is that if you get another Komura unidapter lens in a mount you can't use you can swap it with the useful M42 unidapter.

[Thorjimbo90]

Thanks for the info! I am going to look into unidaptors more and see if this is one.

[Nesster]

that is gorgeous!

Here's an ad from 1965 --- I have the 135/2.3 which is also a loverly lens

Komura lenses 1965 by Nesster, on Flickr

A Komura 105/2 sold for $78.50 in '67, when a Super Takumar 105/2.8 went for $129.50, a Nikkor 105/2.5 was $175 at Wall St Camera.

[Nesster]

I think mine is an unidaptor lens - see the knurled ring thing, there are some tighening screws

Sankyo Kohki Komura 135mm f/2.3 by Nesster, on Flickr