30mm ƒ/10 fixed focus lens remounted from Kodak 35mm compact camera

Kodachromeguy · Sep 14, 2021

Hi Everyone,

Have any of you seen or tried these 30mm ƒ/10 fixed focus lenses from Chinese eBay vendors?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/194205573946

I think they must have removed the lens unit from the Kodak KB32 camera and remounted the lens in 39mm, Leica M, and several other mounts. Some of them are mis-labeled 32mm, but I think they must all be sourced from these old Kodak 30mm cameras:

https://www.amazon.com/Kodak-848-1475-KB32-35mm-Camera/dp/B000089GK0

Plastic aspherical lens elements - may be half decent. For full 35mm, you may need to crop a bit off the edges.

Donald Qualls · Sep 14, 2021

I wonder if they can put it on a Nikon F mount? Or is the flange to film too long?

ciniframe · Sep 14, 2021

Loreo Asia has a fixed focus ‘Body cap’ style 35mm f5.6 to f64 (pinhole?) in several mounts including Nikon F for $27. These are all reflex camera mounts. They also have a PC version of same with limited shift, about 6mm, for $37 in the same choice of mounts. I believe these are plastic triplets with a rotating disc for apertures (so no setting half stops) and a blank part of the aperture disc that acts as a lens cap. They say at f5.6 the lens is soft focus, not surprised, probably set to a hyperfocal distance for f16 or there about.
Edit; This Loreo lens sounds like a much better value than what the OP found at ebay.

AgX · Sep 14, 2021

What I like most at this offer is that I even get a focus for free.

dynachrome · Sep 16, 2021

I have the Loreo. It's an f/11with the movement. It's not a replacement for my 35/2.8 PC Nikkor but it's an interesting accessory.

Huss · Sep 16, 2021

Kodachromeguy said:
Hi Everyone,

Have any of you seen or tried these 30mm ƒ/10 fixed focus lenses from Chinese eBay vendors?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/194205573946

I think they must have removed the lens unit from the Kodak KB32 camera and remounted the lens in 39mm, Leica M, and several other mounts. Some of them are mis-labeled 32mm, but I think they must all be sourced from these old Kodak 30mm cameras:

https://www.amazon.com/Kodak-848-1475-KB32-35mm-Camera/dp/B000089GK0

Plastic aspherical lens elements - may be half decent. For full 35mm, you may need to crop a bit off the edges.

The lenses are salvaged from single use 35mm cameras, like the Fuji QuickSnap, and whatever the Kodak equivalent is. In the ad some of the images show 'Fuji lens".

I use the Wtulens version where they combine two of these lenses to make a 17mm lens. I figured go big or go home...

It's sharp in the middle, then gets all smeary on the outside it. I love it for that. If I wanted a normal 'high quality' lens, I have plenty of those already!

Leica MdA w Fuji C200:

AgX · Sep 17, 2021

I am confused...
This is a 35mm format camera thread. And a 30mm lens in a body cap might work still on a Leica, but not a 17mm lens. This would need sinking the lens into the body cap. And what about coverage?

Can someone make me wiser?

Huss · Sep 17, 2021

AgX said:
I am confused...
This is a 35mm format camera thread. And a 30mm lens in a body cap might work still on a Leica, but not a 17mm lens. This would need sinking the lens into the body cap. And what about coverage?

Can someone make me wiser?

Correct, the 17mm lens is sunk into the body cap. It covers the 35mm frame.

AgX · Sep 17, 2021

Thank you.

Donald Qualls · Sep 17, 2021

Hmm. I wonder do they make that in Contax RF mount? I've got a Kiev 4 that might like to be really wide from time to time...

Huss · Sep 17, 2021

Donald Qualls said:
Hmm. I wonder do they make that in Contax RF mount? I've got a Kiev 4 that might like to be really wide from time to time...

The one I use comes in LTM mount, which makes it very flexible. But not for Contax RF.

Kodachromeguy · Mar 13, 2022

Update: on film, the 30mm ƒ/10 ltm lens with a Kodak label is OK. Mine is uneven left to right. But it makes interesting B&W shots of the type of grubby stuff that I photograph. Best focus may be about 2 - 3m from the camera. It works best to crop a couple of mm from the edges of each frame. Oops item: finger in some frames. When using the 30mm hack lens, I will need to hold my Leica IIIC without wrapping my hand around the front.

Mounted on a digital Fuji X-E1 camera: rather poor.

Donald Qualls · Mar 13, 2022

Huss said:
The one I use comes in LTM mount, which makes it very flexible. But not for Contax RF.

Thinking about it, if the glass were available bare, I could probably make something like that from it with a 3D printed Contax/Kiev body cap, as they've done with the LTM body cap. Hmm. Might have to check if the usual suspects have any < 20 mm meniscus lenses...

AnselMortensen · Mar 13, 2022

WOW! .....nice work, Andrew...
That 3rd one is a knockout!

30mm ƒ/10 fixed focus lens remounted from Kodak 35mm compact camera

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