Kawakami Seiki, Kowanon, Kawanon thread

[cyberjunkie]

I just purchased an old preset lens, mainly because it has some historical interest... at least to the few interested in old third party Japanese lenses and post-war Japanese optical industry in general.
It's a Kawakami Seiki Co. Ltd RoLMax f=135mm 1:3.5
In practice is a lens made by the same optical industry that produced Kowanon's and later (after Kowa complained about the name) Kawanon's.
The same photographic objectives were also sold in the western market under other names, like Astranar, Spiratone, Soligor, etc. Usually the brands belonged to big importers tha sold japanese made optics under their own brand.
This is what I remember, something more can be found checking the right Wiki. Not much information though.
On this site there are just two threads, so I thought that a dedicated thread could be useful.

This is my lens, I don't know if the name RoLMax was used only for the british market, or was used globally

[luisalegria]

Good find!
Kawakami is fairly mysterious in spite of selling a lot of lenses.

[cyberjunkie]

I invite any forum user interested in this topic to post pictures , or provide information, about his obscure Japanese lens maker.
Thanks

Paolo

[itsfozzy]

I'm a bit confused by this contradictory sentence, "In practice is a lens made by the same optical industry that produced Kowanon's and later (after Kowa complained about the name) Kawanon's."

On another note, I once had a Kowanon 180mm f/3.5 that looked very similar to this lens.

[cyberjunkie]

I's simple, lenses branded Kawakami, Kowanon and Kawanon were actually made by the same lens maker.
I thought the sentence was clear enough Now I've made it more straightforward

cheers

Paolo

[itsfozzy]

[Phalbert]

Trying to revive an old thread... does anyone have a comment regarding the performance of that lens ? I have an opportunity here for cheap. Thanks.

[kiddo]

All cheap preset multiblade lens deserve a good home , but don't expect 1980's image out of em

[Alun Thomas]

I have a Kawakami marked 135/3.5, also badged with 'Optrogon', which looks to be an early Kawakami/Kawanon product. I have photographed it with several other variants of the lens which I believe are identical optically:

1. The Soligor/Kyoei 135/3.5, this is the optical scheme the others were copied from. After Kyoei ceased trading, copies were seen from at least two other makers. (This lens is fixed mount)
2. The Kawakami Optrogon, the one we are interested in here, or very similar to what perhaps you are considering. This lens has amber coating very similar to that of the Kyoei made lens.
3. An 'INA' badged Kawakami/Kawanon version, this one maybe somewhat later, it has blueish coatings. Although made by Kawakami/Kawanon, it has physical differences from the Optrogon version. The Optrogon is M42, but has a fixed mount. The INA version is T2 mount, and has a noticeably smaller/shorter focus grip to compensate. As an aside, Kawakami/Kawanon also copied several other earlier Kyoei designs, including the 135/2.8, the 180/3.5, and the 35/3.5 which they sold to many different distributors.
4. A 'Vernon Edonar' badged version, which I believe to have been manufactured by Itoh Kogaku, going from the blue coatings, the Yellow/Green focus scale lettering, and the very distinctive design of the milled metal focus grip.. Although both the Edonar and INA versions have blue coatings, I think the INA version is a Kawanon manufactured version due to the green 'infinity' symbol, known to be a Kawakami/Kawanon used styling. The Edonar version is also T2 mount. Edonar also copied at least one other Kyoei lens, the 180/3.5, as shown in this thread http://forum.mflenses.com/kyoei-aka-vernon-edonar-t30282.html


As can be seen. all four lenses have a very similar aperture arrangement, non blackened. Not quite so noticeable in this pic are the identical reflections from the various elements.




The lenses, left to right: Soligor (Kyoei), Optrogon (Kawakami), INA (Kawakami, by now Kawanon), Vernon Edonar (Itoh Kogaku).

In terms of how the lens performs, in my opinion, it is competent, but not outstanding. None of the four lenses were fantastic, in fact my copy of the Edonar was quite poor. This picture is from the Kawakami lens, and is a corner crop at distance at F8, Sony A7II at 24MP. There is a commendable lack of fringing, but a lessening of resolution is seen. Not seen in the corner crop is also a noticeable mid frame veiling flare caused by the non-blackened aperture blades. All in all, not a lens you'd buy for IQ brilliance, more for historical interest and rarity. Although, at the same time, with a knowledge of its limitations, it could produce useable output, certainly.

The whole pic, for perspective, this time showing the veiling flare.

[Lloydy]

Of the Kawanons I've got, these two are probably the most similar to the 135 that Cyberjunkie posted, and the lenses Alun Thomas showed as well.
Both the INA and the Soligor are definitly lenses of their time, but that doesn't make them bad lenses. I've had good images from both lenses and like the vintage look they deliver. They're well built lenses as well, although they both have some oil on the aperture.