A new 24mm street lens for M39 mount

Nodda Duma

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Chroma Camera will soon be releasing a very compact 24mm f/11 street lens for M39 mount (which can then be mounted to many mirrorless cameras with an adapter). Optical prescription by yours truly, and the lens assembly designed by Steve, myself, and Max — that’s the same team that designed the ChromaGraphica double dry plate holders.

This lens originated in a suggestion I made to Steve about putting optics on his 24x24mm square frame Cube Camera in place of the pinhole. I also wanted to see how much I could push the price point down on an American/British designed and assembled piece of photographic hardware (we compromised by sourcing parts in China, otherwise it would be 3x-4x the cost). It’s a simple two-lens aplanat, glass, fully AR-coated, with no distortion and nice performance for such a simple design. Steve liked the prototypes so much that he wanted to offer a standalone lens for folks to try.

This is a fixed focus lens with focus set at hyperfocal distance at factory. This provides DoF from ~1.0m to infinity. I actually designed it at f/8, but we’re releasing the fixed f/11 version to avoid adding the cost of a focus mechanism.

There was a recent article on Kosmo Foto. 35mmc.org should have a review coming out soon.

Chroma Cameras reveals new lens for Leica screw-mount cameras

Large-format camera producer Chroma Cameras has announced it is producing its first lens – for 35mm Leica screw-mount cameras. The new lens follows a 35mm Cube pinhole camera which has joined Chrom…
kosmofoto.com

Hoping to release in September if we get all the parts in on schedule.
 
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TheYoungPretender

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Many thanks to everyone involved for bringing this and many other, great analogue products to the market these last few years!
The design of this lens body is different from what you'd expect from a 35mm lens and I like it a lot. Super cool design and at a very affordable price!
 

mtnbkr

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This looks interesting and the focal length make it useful on my M43 camera as well.

What does the price point look like?
Nevermind on the price, I found it. Hoping it lands while the Pound is still weak.

Chris
 
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AgX

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What M43 camera? It won'd be useful on a M42 body. Maybe you refer to a Micro Four-Thirds format camera.
 

Dali

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Kosmo Foto article makes reference to M39 mount version. So, is the M version you are talking about means a brand new mount or is it M39 + M adapter?
 
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Nodda Duma

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Dali said:
Kosmo Foto article makes reference to M39 mount version. So, is the M version you are talking about means a brand new mount or is it M39 + M adapter?
Click to expand...

Yes, sorry M39 mount. That’s what I get for typing before morning coffee. Edited above.
 

mtnbkr

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AgX said:
What M43 camera? It won'd be useful on a M42 body. Maybe you refer to a Micro Four-Thirds format camera.
Click to expand...

Micro Four-Thirds via an adapter. M43 is common shorthand for Micro Four-Thirds (also MFT). I have an LTM lens adapter and use the lenses I buy for my Canon VT on the M43 camera as well (my Voitlander 15mm/4.5 Heliar is currently mounted).

Chris
 

cramej

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This is almost exactly what I was looking for a few weeks ago! I ended up with a Vivitar 24mm lens and Nikon F to LTM adapter. This sounds like a nice alternative... or addition.... to that.
 

xkaes

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In my spare time, I'm been thinking about grabbing one of the cheap 35mm disposable panorama cameras -- Konica made one with a 17mm lens -- and adapting it to a small reloadable 35mm. No need for focusing so building an adapter would be a piece of cake. I'm sure it's already been done.
 

Dali

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I might be interested as I already have a M39-M adapter and a 25mm finder.
 

flavio81

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I'm so happy for you dear Nodda Duma.

Price looks very nice, dimensions too.

I just wish it was available on Contax RF/Kiev RF mount; the only choices for 25 or 24mm or wider on those mounts are insanely expensive museum-pieces from Zeiss (biogon, topogon) and Nikon, a rather expensive Voigtlander SC Skopar 25/4, and an also very expensive and extremely rare Russar MR-2 (20/5.6).

Contax mount is a simple bayonet mount where the rangefinder coupling is through rotation, not through a cam. But this doesn't matter since your lens is fixed focus.

It would be compatible with Nikon rangefinders too.

All in all the following cameras would be compatible:

Nikon S, S2, S3, SP
Contax I, II, III, IIa, IIIa
Kiev 2, 3, 4, 4A, 4AM, 5
Voigtlander Bessa R2C, R2S
 

xkaes

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flavio81 said:
It would be compatible with Nikon rangefinders too.
Click to expand...

More than that, it would also be compatible with ANY 35mm SLR that has mirror lock-up -- from many of the Minolta SRT cameras to the XK/XM/X-1, to the early Seagull DF cameras, Panda, Peafowl, Pearl River, etc. Just about every 35mm SLR mount has a Leica/L39 adapter.

 
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Nodda Duma

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Thank you!

I intend this to be the first of many, and I’m taking notes for future projects. For this beginning, we wanted to keep the design simple while the team cuts its teeth on designing consumer lenses. The M39 is a simple start.

I recently took over the engineering department at LaCroix Precision Optics, so you can probably guess I’m like a kid in a candy store. Due to the move, I can’t make dry plates until I build facilities to support that work. Until then I gotta keep myself busy doing *something* for the photography community.
 
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ic-racer

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Nodda Duma said:
I recently took over the engineering department at LaCroix Precision Optics,
Click to expand...

That, combined with the Chroma Cameras, if there were a solid state shutter, that would be the makings of a new-inexpensive high-end camera.
 

AgX

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ic-racer said:
That, combined with the Chroma Cameras, if there were a solid state shutter, that would be the makings of a new-inexpensive high-end camera.
Click to expand...

For the depicted shutter see patent "US 6,483,094."
 
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Nodda Duma

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cramej said:
First dibs for photrio members?
Click to expand...

I’ll announce it here when they’re available.

First production run is for 500 units (as far as our pennies could stretch to buy materials.. we didn’t see the need to Kickstarter). So you should be able to get your hands on a copy.
 

Stevelmx5

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Thanks a lot for everyone's interest, and suggestions. Working with Jason and Max is always an enjoyable process for me, and I've learned a lot about optical engineering!

With regards to the suggestion of a solid state shutter, I've already spent some time building an LCD-based shutter system, which I've integrated into both a front-mounted unit for larger formats, and inside an Instax Wide camera. Whilst they both function as planned, their limitations (2 stop light blocking when 'open', and a cool blue cast) have led me to develop my own dual-curtain focal plane shutter system instead. I've been working on that for the last 18 months with another engineer, and am close to a fully working design, which offers electronically-controlled shutter speeds up to 1/1000th, and is battery-powered for portability.

As the same time, I've also been testing an off-the-shelf miniature electromagnetic shutter, which I'm going to be integrating into a new 35mm camera system, along with our new 24mm f11 lens, allowing me to offer a complete camera system.
 
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Nodda Duma

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Here’s an article by Hamish at 35mmc. Steve sent him a prototype so you can see some more pics.

Most of the parts are here now for assembly, including optics. Just waiting on a couple of parts.

Chroma Cameras Double Lens 24mm f/11 Prototype Sneak-Peek Preview and Interview

So there we have it. The Chroma Double Lens, the first new lens coming from Chroma Cameras. A company I really think worth keeping an eye on!
www.35mmc.com
 
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mtnbkr

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Just curious, why are they being assembled in the US and then shipped back to the UK for sale? It seems inefficient for those of us in the US market.

Chris
 
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