Chinon and Tomioka?

LucisPictor · Expire: 2013-12-03

I firmly would like to remind everybody here to

a) stay close to the topic and
b) refrain from impolite language.

Thank you!

iangreenhalgh1 · Expire: 2014-01-07

Fujinonuser · Joined: 06 Jan 2011 Posts: 128 Location: Germany

Let's take to the record that Tomioka -- at least with the 1.2 / 55mm lens -- manufactured a lens that was sold as a Cosinon.

Many of the tubes with leatherette grip and double silver ring seem to have been manufactured by Chinon who have never been attributed as having operated a glass foundry. Other light-weight tubes with very thin letters seem to have been manufactured by Cosina. Strangeley enough they look similar to the Yashinon tubes. All full metal tubes with knurled grip seem to have been made by Cosina. The tubes with the window in the aperture ring seem to have been made by Cosina.

As to the Porst and Revuenon 1.4 / 55mm multicoated lenses I repeat that they have left the factory as sharp as the older Tomioka lenses. It has been noted and shown in a sample pic here that some of these lenses have a green front element whereas most have a purple or rather magenta front coating. This reminds me of the Porst Ozunon lenses for the Fujica FX bayonet. They also have a green front element.

The color tansmission of the older Tomioka lenses is different from the newer multicoated Tomioka lenses. I will insert here two histograms for comparision that had been posted to the internet. I'm not the copyright holder nor have I made these histograms, but you may easily comfirm these histograms if you own both lenses (the copyright holder is kindly asked to contact me and ask to withdraw these pictures or post a link to the original URL that unfortunately I have lost).

Older Tomioka Rikenon lens (there are differences between Chinon Tomioka and some Rikenon Tomioka as we know):

Multicoated Yashinon Porst lens:

Fujinonuser · Joined: 06 Jan 2011 Posts: 128 Location: Germany

As to the glass used, we must definitely distinguish between 55mm and 50mm lenses. The 1.4 / 50mm lens is a completely different design with different glass and different coatings.

The Chinon (and Agfa) multicoated 1.4 / 50mm PK lens is a very sharp lens, although the copies that I have tried have a radioactive lens element that tends to yellow with age. I have not compared it to a Cosinon 1.4 / 50mm (if there is such a lens), but I would venture to guess that the Chinon is Cosina-made. The Chinon serial number characteristically starts with the letter "C".

Please mind that only the very early Cosinon lenses, that were designed by Cosina themselves, have a bad reputation. Since 1973 or so, their capacity to produce excellent lenses has improved dramatically. At a time, they manufactured many lenses sold as Tokina, Soligor, Vivitar and others. They now have a high-priced section of digital lenses under the licenced Voigtländer brand.

Fujinonuser · Joined: 06 Jan 2011 Posts: 128 Location: Germany

As to the question who manufactured (some !) of the Rikenon 1.4 / 55mm lenses in Tomioka design, we are open to guess work as we do not have printed sources like in all other Tomioka cases.

I would guess that the Rikenon 1.4 / 55mm M42 lenses with flat rear element have optical glass furnished by Tomioka. I may be wrong but I had the personal impression that these Rikenon lenses had a greater black share in their colors, that is to say, their colors did not look as bright as those taken with a Tomioka lens in the same light setting, but that may also result from a different coating.

It is well known that Tokina produced some lenses with different focal-lengths for Ricoh (as also for Mamiya) and therefore it is quite possible that those 1.4 / 55mm Rikenon lenses were manufactured by Tokina on the Tomioka Planar design. They may also have furnished the full-metal tubes with knurled grip.

The later Ricoh MC PK lenses are said to have been manufactured by Asahi (Pentax) according to a Mflenses member who is an expert on Rikenon lenses. I cannot comment on that information. In my opinion the Rikenon coating is different from the SMC Pentax coating. The Rikenon lens is more contrasty than the 2.0 / 55mm SMC Takumar (that I owned) with its mild coloring. Ricoh originated as a Japanese governmental research organization and has its headquarters and production facilities within the Tokyo area as have Tokina and Asahi Pentax. Tokina glass was furnished by Hoya.

I have compared the Rikenon 1.7 / 55mm to the EBC Fujinon 1.6 / 50mm for FX bayonet. Both feature about the same length and compact design. The rear element of the EBC Fujinon is wider than the Rikenon and the Fujinon shows a better gradation, better definition in the lights and colors, than the Rikenon that has greater overall contrast.

Excalibur · Expire: 2014-04-21

***The later Ricoh MC PK lenses are said to have been manufactured by Asahi (Pentax)***

So would my Rikenon XR 28mm f2.8 be made by Pentax Question

Fujinonuser · Joined: 06 Jan 2011 Posts: 128 Location: Germany

Fujinonuser · Joined: 06 Jan 2011 Posts: 128 Location: Germany

Although the Tomioka Planar design of the 1.4 / 55mm lens was employed by different lens manufacturers besides Tomioka themselves with different coatings to a high standard of perfection, the Tomioka-made lenses stand out because of the purity and luminosity of the glass used and surface finish applied. It is an established fact that Tomioka manufactured some of the Zeiss Contax as well as Yashinon lenses that share peculiar qualities (sharpness, luminosity). Some of the early Zeiss Planar lens tubes and glass surface finishings look very similar to some of the Chinon or Porst multicoated standard lenses.

iangreenhalgh1 · Expire: 2014-01-07

I don't quite understand, are you saying that Tomioka lenses are of a higher standard than other third-party makers? The three or four Tomioka made lenses I have owned were rather less than great, so does that mean Tomioka didn't always make great glass, or does it mean they were actually made by someone else?

Fujinonuser · Joined: 06 Jan 2011 Posts: 128 Location: Germany