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Kaligar - japan lenses
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PostPosted: Thu Nov 19, 2009 11:12 pm    Post subject: Kaligar - japan lenses Reply with quote

Anybody knows about kaligar 3,5/35 and 3,5/100 lenses. Made in Japan.

Both in nikon F mount ( t mount ? ).

Kaligar ? Humm..

I will post images of the lenses later.

Rino.


PostPosted: Fri Nov 20, 2009 2:28 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Kaligar was a distributors brand, I still don't know who it was.

It was first used to sell the Fujita 66 medium format SLR and sometimes also its lenses in the 1950's. Sometimes this was also the Kalimar brand.

The interesting thing is that I have not identified the maker of any of the 35mm SLR lenses later sold under the Kaligar brand.


PostPosted: Fri Nov 20, 2009 6:03 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

luisalegria wrote: Kaligar was a distributors brand, I still don't know who it was.

I suppose, it was Soligor brand (Soligor66). Any other info about these lenses are appreciated.
If you see the 44mm Mount at 150mm/f4 Soligor and 52mm/f3.5 Kaligar, they use the same material.
150mm/f4 Soligor has rear element, which doesn't move in the whole focusing range.
Regards


PostPosted: Fri Nov 20, 2009 6:34 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Soligor was also a distributors brand, used by Allied Impex Co. of New York. Soligor was later (late 1970's) incorporated in Germany under that name after Allied Impex went broke.

The Soligor-brand lenses for the Fujita/Kalimar 66 were made by Fujita, they are the same as the Kaligar and Fujita-brand lenses for this system.

But the later lenses sold as Kaligar and Kalimar are unknown makes. These brands were used for over 30 years, so its probable that many different manufacturers lenses were sold as Kaligar or Kalimar.


PostPosted: Fri Nov 20, 2009 6:53 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks for the valuable info !


PostPosted: Fri Nov 20, 2009 10:39 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Here the images

The 1 and 2 : 3,5/100






3,5/35



I hope that can help.

Rino.


PostPosted: Fri Nov 20, 2009 6:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hola Rino,

Not easy to say what that is.

Based on the style clues - O-C ring, square box around the focus mark, style of letters, "m ft" marking, I am going to guess Kawanon (Kawakami Seiki Seisakusho Ltd.).

I base this on known Kawanon primes I have seen, Soligor 8/600 and Astranar 6.3/400 Kawanon 5.6/350, etc.


PostPosted: Fri Nov 20, 2009 8:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hola Luis.

Thanks.

Yes. Very difficult. More deepness, more confused.

Saludos.

Rino.


PostPosted: Sun Apr 01, 2012 8:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Two weeks ago at some thrift store I obtained Kaligar f=200mm, f:3.5 for M42 with the automathic diafragm. Any idea what brand lens it is ?


PostPosted: Sun Apr 01, 2012 8:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

We'd need pictures to help....


PostPosted: Mon Apr 02, 2012 6:02 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Here is an excerpt from M. Wilkinson and C. Glanfield a lens collector's vade mecum

Hope it helps....


Kalimar Inc, Japan.
We thank R.Gilcreast, USA, for additional information here.
Some of the 35mm SLR lenses at least were from P. Piesker, of Berlin as shown by a f3.5/135mm lens for
Exakta.
M39x26 lenses
f3.5 40, 100, 135mm.
f2.0 85mm.
f2.8 100mm.
f5.5 180, 240mm.
Front accessory lenses These were made in wide angle and long focus, and sold with adaptors to mount on
the customer's camera. Performance can be useful if they are properly matched to the taking lens.
Monocular A close-focus device, for use as a 7x40 monocular, sold with a camera adaptor. It
focused to 2.1m.
For rollfilm cameras
Kalimar f8.0 on 1966 Kaliflex.
Kaligar f8.0 60mm on Kalimar 44 for 4x4 (1960).
35mm use
In 1955 the following Kalimars were from an unknown German source, the USA agent being Arel Inc., St.
Louis, Missouri, USA.
f2.0, 85mm; f3.5, 100mm; f2.8, 100mm; f3.5, 135mm; f5.5, 180mm; f5.5, 250mm; f3.5, 40mm.
These were all for SLR cameras. These just might be the Piesker series.
Lenses for Kalimar 6x6 Reflex.
The reflex body was by Fujita Optical Industries, exports being as the Kalimar Reflex (1956-1969). But these
may be compared with the Fujita lenses listed under Fujita.
Kaligar f3.5 52mm This had a preset iris, and was one of the very earliest retrofocus lenses for
medium format, and a definite milestone if not a landmark. It is said to be quite sharp but not be fully
rectilinear and was a unique wide lens at its time. (Modern Photo. Sept. 1957 p111). It was noted at
NoFT30,81x
Kaligar f3.5 80mm Preset, this is described in the Modern note. Kaligar f2.8
80mm Preset, This was a later lens.It was noted at Nos FT 83,56x and FT 87,02x.
Kaligar f4.0 150mm This was a 5-glass telephoto type, and was also a launch item. It was noted
at NoFT 18,73x.
Kalimar for 35mm SLR's.
Kalimar f2.8 28mm 7g (1972)
Kalimar f2.8 35mm 6 glass (1972)
Terionon f3.5 45mm on Kalimar A camera, in 1955.
Taikor f2.8 45mm on Kalimar B3 camera- this was a different type of product.
Kalimar f1.7 50mm
Kalimar f2.0 55mm (on Kalimar SR200).
Kalimar f3.5 135mm
Kalimar f2.8 135mm 5 glass (1972)
Kalimar f3.5 200mm 5 glass (1972)
Kalimar f2.0 240mm
Kalimar f5.6 300mm
Kalimar f5.0 300mm 5 glass (1972)
Kalimar f8.0 500mm with matched 2x extender.
Zooms: also 9 zooms from 28-70mm to 80-200mm.
Zoom f3.8 70-215mm Noted at Chicago Show in c.1971.
Kalimar f8.0 500mm T-mount mirror.
A later group seems to be:
Kalimar f2.8 25mm Auto
Kalimar f2.8 35mm Auto.
Kalimar f2.8 135mm Auto.
Kalimar f3.5 200mm Auto
Kalimar f5.5 300mm Auto.
Kalimar f6.3 400mm Auto
also listed were 500 and 1000mm MTO mirrors, and these were presumably from Russia.


PostPosted: Mon Apr 02, 2012 7:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

My very first camera was a Kalimar SR200; a Russian made manual everything camera. It was all that I could afford. The light meter, seen above the lens, was worthless, and the lens was a Helios 44-2. I knew not what I was getting into, but was forced to learn photography in order to get a decent picture. From this experience I came to believe that Kalimar was a Russian name, but perhaps not. In any case, they were a marketing company selling product made by others. I don't know that Kaligar has anything to do with Kalimar. I also have an AF 60-300mm Macro zoom with the Kalimar name and made in Japan. The AF is clunky an unreliable and while the lens is just okay, it does have some moments of brilliance.

This image ca. 1971. Please try not to laugh.


PostPosted: Mon Apr 02, 2012 8:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

That's a Zenit, can't remember whether E or B, B I think, I had one as my first camera too, camera was agricultural and often tore film perforations, meter was useless like yours but lens was really good, I kept the lens and threw the camera when it jammed and got a Praktica Nova.


PostPosted: Mon Apr 02, 2012 10:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

woodrim wrote:

This image ca. 1971. Please try not to laugh.

I first thought it's B&W version of your avatar Razz


PostPosted: Mon Apr 02, 2012 11:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Zenit E. Cool


PostPosted: Mon Apr 02, 2012 11:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I don't have the hair like that any more, but still got the dodgy moustache.


PostPosted: Tue Apr 03, 2012 12:23 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Farside wrote:
I don't have the hair like that any more, but still got the dodgy moustache.


Me too, and goatee as well, but all gray. Thinking again, I believe it was 1972. It also shows that I started with my left eye and still use it.

The comments indicate the camera was a Zenit, so I was right in mt memory of it being Russian. And I agree that it was crude, but it did the job, and even more importantly, it forced me to learn the relationships necessary for exposures. And when I actually remembered to stop down the lens, I got good exposures. I was well prepared when I upgraded to a Minolta SRT-102 the next year and was amazed at how advanced it was. I gave the camera to my brother to learn on and he followed down the Minolta path as well.


PostPosted: Tue Apr 03, 2012 1:13 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Zenit E:

http://cameras.alfredklomp.com/zenite/



They were rebadged into many names in many countries. In the UK they were mostly still Zenits but also seen with Hanimex and Prinzflex and possibly others I forget.

Funnily enough, after a Zenit, then Praktica Nova IIb then a Praktica MTL5B I went the Minolta route too and bought a 7000AF.


PostPosted: Tue Apr 03, 2012 11:05 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

If the Kalimar was using the Helios pre-set lens it was a branded Zenit E and if it had auto diaphragm it was a Zenit EM.

edit: Just read "Helios 44-2", so definitely an "E".


PostPosted: Wed Dec 16, 2020 2:17 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

See Fujita, camera-wiki.org to update origins and brand name links to this thread, fyi

I got a bone. That's what I call stuff I get when I buy a box full or set which isn't part of my targeted interest, it ends up lying around in a box here.

Kaligar 200 f3.5 "CF" and "NR" versions with no switch, if it didn't have a bevel on the distance scale for the apertures, it would be pure Spartan looking and plain.

CF is not close focus, 3.5m min focus and NR is not Noise Reduction because if there are coatings? I fail to see any, because I don't care... In BL mount