What's the latest lens you added to your collection?

Alun Thomas · Joined: 20 Aug 2018 Posts: 628 Location: New Zealand

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The large lens is a Sekor Nikkorex 135/2.8, make by Sekor for Nikon and sold as a lower cost lens line. I have been looking for the 35/2.8 of the same range, but could not find one for a good price, if at all. I did find what I believe to be the same lens optically, sold by Mamiya for one of their early prismat cameras, the one with the Exakta bayonet mounting.

Alun Thomas · Joined: 20 Aug 2018 Posts: 628 Location: New Zealand

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This lens appears to be an early Sigma made lens, going from the serial number. Unfortunately it has a mild haze and some interior marks, however it was cheap and bought only for the interest value.

Alun Thomas · Joined: 20 Aug 2018 Posts: 628 Location: New Zealand

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These are two lenses I believe to be the same optically and from the same manufacturer - Kalimar Auto-T 25/2.8 and Soligor 25/2.8
I think the lenses are an Itoh design, based on the colours used for the focus scale on Auto-T lenses. Also, based on observation, Soligor lenses with a serial code having a leading '3' in this period I have noticed also appear to be Itoh products, or at least have the very distinctive yellow/green colouring on the focus scale which seems to have been a design they used extensively on their products, at least early on. For instance, both the Soligor 85/1.5 and 85/1.8 have the distinctive Itoh design, and also have the '3' serial. Later on, Soligor required manufacturers to supply lenses with a common look, which was the 'chrome eared' look notable during that period for Soligor, however the '3' serail is still in evidence for this lens. This serial system appears between the early serial system with letters i.e. 'H6' coded serials, and then later serial system which featured a manufacturer number followed by the year of manufacture. The numeral '3' was used for Sun Optical products in the later serial system.

Alun Thomas · Joined: 20 Aug 2018 Posts: 628 Location: New Zealand

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This 'Imperial' branded lens appears to be a Kawanon manufactured lens, going by the green 'INF' on the focus scale, which was a design they used on many of their lenses in that period. There is one on ebay currently badged as Cambron, although the price is high. It is a rarely sold lens, but my copy was nothing special optically.

Alun Thomas · Joined: 20 Aug 2018 Posts: 628 Location: New Zealand

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This lens is unusual, at first glance it appears to made for Aetna by Sun Optical, but a comparison next to an Upsilon 24/2.8 shows it to be almost identical and more likely to have been made by Sigma. Upsilon was a Sigma house brand, all lenses of that brand I have seen are Sigma lenses.
The Sun YS-24 and YS-28, when checked, also appear to be Sigma made, and Aetna also sold a similar 28/2.8 with Sun Opt. marked on it that was made by Sigma, I bid on one recently but another person wanted it more.

Alun Thomas · Joined: 20 Aug 2018 Posts: 628 Location: New Zealand

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This lens has an unusual serial number. Soligor sold lenses from Kyoei with 'K.No.' serial prefix. There were also lenses made for Miranda cameras marked Soligor Miranda, having a 'No.K.' serial, these appear to have been manufactured by Kowa. But those lenses look nothing like this one.

Alun Thomas · Joined: 20 Aug 2018 Posts: 628 Location: New Zealand

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I recently bought a second copy of the Sun Sola 90/4 which looked to be in very good condition, to discover there are at least two different mechanical variants. The left hand lens has a double helicoid, whilst the shinier right hand one does not. Unfortunately the aperture control for the shiny one is siezed so will need some work done.

Alun Thomas · Joined: 20 Aug 2018 Posts: 628 Location: New Zealand

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This lens is the Fujita 80/3.5 from their Fujita-66 camera, also sold in Europe under the Haco brand.

Alun Thomas · Joined: 20 Aug 2018 Posts: 628 Location: New Zealand

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This Aetna Telagon is a rebadged A.Schacht Travegon lens. The Telagon name was normally used by Tewe on lenses that cost far more.

kiddo · Joined: 29 Jun 2018 Posts: 1120

Beautiful rarities collection you have - would like to see some shots with the sun Sola ,as , sometime there are mentions of the Leica look ,but there aren't to many pics to see it

Alun Thomas · Joined: 20 Aug 2018 Posts: 628 Location: New Zealand

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This lens is very similar to one made by Itoh / Higon, with some minor differences in markings on the focus scale.

Alun Thomas · Joined: 20 Aug 2018 Posts: 628 Location: New Zealand

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Very identifiable as an Itoh product, right down to the 'R' serial number.

Alun Thomas · Joined: 20 Aug 2018 Posts: 628 Location: New Zealand

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A fairly late period Komura lens, notably without any type of interchangeable mount. I saw a 28/2.5 for sale recently from the same era, but for more than I was willing to pay.

Alun Thomas · Joined: 20 Aug 2018 Posts: 628 Location: New Zealand

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The last Kowa R lens I was looking for, quite hard to find. Although there is one currently for sale, marked Cowa instead of Kowa. Sometimes you wonder if they really want to sell things...

Alun Thomas · Joined: 20 Aug 2018 Posts: 628 Location: New Zealand

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An unusual TX mount lens, normally they were sold as Vivitar lenses, however perhaps Tokina sold them under their own brand name in other locations.

Alun Thomas · Joined: 20 Aug 2018 Posts: 628 Location: New Zealand

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A fairly rare Nicca SLR lens, haven't seen it mentioned anywhere, although there is information regarding the 135/3.5 to which this lens bears a family resemblance.

benadamx · Joined: 25 Feb 2019 Posts: 329

Alun Thomas · Joined: 20 Aug 2018 Posts: 628 Location: New Zealand

aidaho · Joined: 29 Apr 2018 Posts: 456 Location: Ukraine

kiddo · Joined: 29 Jun 2018 Posts: 1120

I assume the Sola have been designed for portraits basically , and center resolution WO wouldn't be too bad. If you can shoot some MFD with more background blur, please

Alun Thomas · Joined: 20 Aug 2018 Posts: 628 Location: New Zealand

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Here are a few samples. It's autumn here, not much in the way of bright colour in my back garden right now, and it's an overgrown mess. The lens is not bitingly sharp and has a slight glow wide open. It should be quite suitable for portraiture. I think the background blur is pleasant, but tastes always vary in regard to that.

Alun Thomas · Joined: 20 Aug 2018 Posts: 628 Location: New Zealand

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I just received one last package before my country suspended most services. One of the lenses in was the right hand Soligor/Komura 35/3.5, a distinctly different version mechanically and optically, with a much larger front element, to that on the left. Judging from the serial numbers, the one with the larger front element was the earlier version.

Alun Thomas · Joined: 20 Aug 2018 Posts: 628 Location: New Zealand

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Two Komura 135/3.5 lenses, a fairly early version of them. The Komura badged example was given to me for the price of postage by forum member MIR (thanks again). Of the two, the Kinegon appears to be the newer version, based on the higher serial number and the fact that it has some blackening applied to the aperture blades while the Komura example has shiny blades. I had always assumed that Komura starting selling under its own name once it decided not to supply to rebadgers, but perhaps that isn't the case. The few examples around of Komura badged 135/2.8 lenses, the same model as the Soligor Elitar 135/2.8 also challenge that assumption, as that was a fairly early lens for Komura.

Alun Thomas · Joined: 20 Aug 2018 Posts: 628 Location: New Zealand

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A Vemar 200/4.8 lens, a family member to the Aetna 135/4 posted above in the thread, I believe was made by Itoh Kogaku, based on seeing very similar lenses on ebay with that badge. This lens continues a trend I've found with similarly designed moderately 'fast' long lenses with big front elements, which all seem to suffer from quite bad fringing at the corner of the image. The Kowa 200/4 and Topcon UV 200/4 are the other two with a similar design I have tried.

Alun Thomas · Joined: 20 Aug 2018 Posts: 628 Location: New Zealand

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An interesting and completely useless blast from the past, this Cambron Versaplex set can be a spacer, 2x teleconverter or 35/5.6 lens depending on whether and which module you install into the holder.

The view underneath showing the slotted housing, and the corresponding pin on the teleconverter module. To insert you line the pin and slot up, push it in slightly and twist.

To use the teleconverter you remove the front name ring which in this instance is M42 threaded and the thread becomes the mount for the lens attached.

To use the lens the name ring is reattached and the lens module installed. The lens is not focussable, not is there an aperture. The images were decent over most of the image, but the corners were quite blurry.