Kinoptik Aprochromat 28/2 / Kinoptic Aprochromat Focale 28/2

[cellotone]

When I purchasing the lens on eBay it was titled "Kinoptik Foyer 28mm f2 Lens," but now I read the name on the lens front is "Kinoptic Paris Aprochromat 1/2 F=28mm," without the "Foyer." Are they different?

The lens seems covering the APS-C quite well, picture attached was taken with Sony A7R APS-C setting. Straight out from camera, no processing. I will taken some with M4/3 camera when I got one.

Here is a link about the Kinoptik Aprochromat Focale 28mm f2, according to it, the lens was used for 35mm movie camera.

http://lens-club.ru/lenses/item/c_9925.html

[spleenone]

Nice coverage! Good stuff!

[paulhofseth]

I doubt that yours is from ww2 times. The US importer of Kinoptik, Karl Heitz had the 28mm listed towards the end of the 1900ds. Solid prices, but the medium focal lenght ones cost far less than the 100mm and upwards.

The factory datasheet summing up all Kinoptiks lenses around 1990 or so lists the 28mm as having an image circle of 30mm and a real focal length of 29,9mm. It also lists details like entrance- and exit pupil-distance + distance from rear glass to focal plane (The German Digicamclub netsite has the full list plus a dedicated Kinoptic thread. Mostly in German, but browsers have translation features and writing in English has not so far been censored. ).


p.

[cellotone]

@ splenone, thank you!

@paulhofseth, very informative!

My mistake, the lens was named "Kinoptik Focale 28mm f2 Lens," at first was selling for the lens without iris diaphragm and focus ring. Later the seller re-housed it. When I received it, the aperture ring moves smoothly, but the focus ring is stuck, can't move, in cameflex mount. I inserted it into a M52 to M42 25-55mm Adjustable Focusing Helicoid Adapter works well, focuses to infinity and very close (inch) distances. I believe the price was very good!

Here are pictures taken this morning with Sony A7R on APS-C:

[dickb]

Lists of Kinoptik lenses were discussed on this forum also:

http://forum.mflenses.com/kinoptik-lens-lists-t68892.html

[paulhofseth]

Yes, my lists, but the German website has additional pictures.

p.

[dickb]

You mean this thread?

https://www.digicamclub.de/showthread.php?t=23684

Interesting photos of and with Kinoptik 100mm lenses.


The post I referred also has a 1980 Kinoptik price list Klaus linked to:

https://www.pacificrimcamera.com/rl/00031/00031.pdf

[cellotone]

[paulhofseth]

And a picture of the 100mm apo that took the pictures:

http://forum.mflenses.com/i-want-it-just-for-that-serial-number-t45639.html

p.

[screwunscrew]

French Focale means focal length, nothing design inherent.

[cellotone]

[cellotone]

[paulhofseth]

The short answer is I do not know.

The longer fact-based answer, is that the master of French camera history, Patrice Hervé Pont wrote about Kinoptic in Cyclope, December 1994 that they kept their 6element Gauss constructions throughout the period.

In his text (on page 39) he also notes that the optics are ... multicoated ... Some glass types and coatings were not available when the firm started in 1932, so I assume that they gradually improved their products in all rerspects. That is certainly the case for the aperture blades which he notes were changed to a black type at the end of the 1960es.

Kinoptic was started by two experts who left the firm Optis (which at the time was led by Pierre Angenieux) and proceeded to make civilian and millitary lenses and other devices. In 1981 it combined with SFIM, in 1992 fused with the combined BethiotSOM and OPL, SOPELEM in turn transformed into SAGEM fused with SNECMA in 2004-5 subsequently rechristened as SAFRAN . They have made deals with Thales in the field of infrared optics etc.

The tale of French semi millitary fusions and fissions is even more difficult to follow than the various label changes for Leica with Leitz being eaten by Wild, digesting American Optical etc. It would seem that Alcatel and Nexans may have taken on some bits and pieces just like Leitz + Kern surveying instruments and their experts now reside with a Swedish firm and Leitz microscope creators now live within another commercial wrapping than the Leica cameras.

Throughout the first corporate changes Kinoptic continued to produce tailor made optics. These numbers illustrate the volumes : The Alpa-Extensan mount 100mm was made with 245copies in total for its 4 year production run while 320 of the non-auto Alpa mount 150\2,8 was made over a period of 20 years from 1960 to 1981. Even though 35mm photography lenses from Kinoptic are quite rare, they did turn out a large number of optical precision instruments of various kinds. For 1994, mr Pont lists 67 employees 60% millitary and 40% civilian work (high temperature endoscopy, astronomy, radiology, cinema etc) . Recently some pieces of the conglomerate made optics for the Meteosat and I presume that French satelittes still carry French optics although with globalization bits and pieces may be sourced from anywhere.

p.

[kds315*]

[paulhofseth]

How embarrassing to forget the spelling.

Especially since I have the 300mm Cine Special in front of me with a very visible logo on its mammoth-sized lid. (Just took a pause from indoor tasks earlier today, brought my long Kinoptik out of storage & used it outdoors).

p.

[kds315*]

[cellotone]

@ paulhofseth thank you for the information, informativeness! Thank you!