HELP! Help me identify this equipment

matan · Mar 30, 2016

I am looking to buy this equipment from a guy in my country for around 30-40 usd, i am not interested in the camera but the lenses. The camera MUST be a zenit ET ( https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5d/Zenith_by_RustedStrings.jpg ), but i can't find it anywhere online, the kowa slr that looks like this. The lenses are also weird, they seem to be conversion lenses and i can't find anything on them. The guy says that those are a wide angle and a telephoto lens, but he isn't a photographer and says those came from his father. The closest thing i could find is this system:

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If that is the case, the lenses are of great quality and really usable. I am looking to use them on a dslr shooting supre35 (apsc) video.

Can anybody help me? Should i get it?

Old-N-Feeble · Mar 30, 2016

I definitely would not bother with it. Not trying to be blunt but the truth is it's inexpensive stuff and you may have trouble breaking even on your investment.

Paul Howell · Mar 30, 2016

the Camera looks to a Zenit, but labeled Kowa, and your right does not look like a Kowa leaf lens camera, did not know that Kowa allowed its name to be used for 3rd party cameras, the lens are labled made in Japan, but do not look like lens for 35mm, maybe TV lens.

matan · Mar 30, 2016

the lenses are weird, they don't have a focus or an aperture ring, and they have two threads, one wider and one narrower. I think those are somthing like those ebay fisheye attachments for your 18-55?
i am curious for their quality

Prof_Pixel · Mar 30, 2016

I think they are supplementary lenses that screw into the front of the regular lens.

Generally they gave only a slight wide angle or telephoto effect. Quality was usually only 'so-so'.

matan · Mar 30, 2016

Prof_Pixel said:
I think they are supplementary lenses that screw into the front of the regular lens.

exactly, but can anyone help with some documentation or experiences, or just names so i can google them?

Paul Howell · Mar 30, 2016

Kowa still makes specialty equipment for security, medical, TVs and other and other applications. I have a Kowa 66 and a couple 35mms, lens are very good.

Paul Howell · Mar 30, 2016

these are way to deep for supplemental lens, I have the Kowa tele and wide for the ST, look nothing like these.

matan · Mar 30, 2016

Paul Howell said:
the are way to deep for supplemental lens, I have the Kowa tele and wide for the ST, look nothing like these.

the helios 44-2 is quite a deep lens : https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/5e/cd/a4/5ecda406879883285c22a4bc070c406e.jpg

Paul Howell · Mar 30, 2016

The rear elements are so deep that they would not fit the front of any Kowa 35mm fixed lens camera, could be wrong, but don't come close to my Kowa wide and tele converter.

cramej · Mar 30, 2016

They definitely are not the Dog Schmidt lenses you link to.

My best guess it that they look a lot like supplementary lenses but could also be projection lenses or cine supplemental lenses. Unless I had a very specific use in mind for them, I wouldn't pay $40.

BMbikerider · Mar 30, 2016

The camera appears to be one of a family marketed by Kowa around the 1963/4 period. Other cameras were the Kowa E and Kowa SET. They came with a fixed 50mm F2 50mm lens and a Sekoisha (Spelling may be wrong) 1sec to 1/500 leaf shutter and 'B'. The metering was most definitely not TTL, but a selenium cell with a scale on top of the body. The mirror was instant return. The shutter when fired gave so much vibration and shock from the mirror it would almost register on the Richter scale! There were 2 accessory lenses. One was an 85mm and the other I think was 35mm. The focal length was changed on the 50mm prime lens when they were screwed onto the front. If I recall the f2 apperture became an F4. The focussing was done via the focussing ring on the prime lens. They were heavy and cumbersome but appeared to be well made, but not in the same class as a Nikon, even the early Prakticas were more thought of! The prime lens was sharp and had good contrast but with the 85mm converter there was quite bad vignetting at all apertures.

How do I know all this- well it was my 1st SLR! The actual model was a Kowa E. I owned it for around 18 months then sold it on and bought a Pentax V.

(The apparently deep rear element of the accessory lenses fitted the prime lens OK, because the front element was quite well recessed into the mount. It was almost as good as having a built in lens hood until you screwed the accessory lenses on.)

Fixcinater · Mar 30, 2016

That sure looks like the Helios 44-2 (the one on the camera), which is a copy of the Biotar 58mm f/2.0. Very good to excellent lens if you like that sort of look that it gives.

I would not have much faith in those other parts (including the body).

Paul Howell · Mar 31, 2016

BMbikerider said:
The camera appears to be one of a family marketed by Kowa around the 1963/4 period. Other cameras were the Kowa E and Kowa SET. They came with a fixed 50mm F2 50mm lens and a Sekoisha (Spelling may be wrong) 1sec to 1/500 leaf shutter and 'B'. The metering was most definitely not TTL, but a selenium cell with a scale on top of the body. The mirror was instant return. The shutter when fired gave so much vibration and shock from the mirror it would almost register on the Richter scale! There were 2 accessory lenses. One was an 85mm and the other I think was 35mm. The focal length was changed on the 50mm prime lens when they were screwed onto the front. If I recall the f2 apperture became an F4. The focussing was done via the focussing ring on the prime lens. They were heavy and cumbersome but appeared to be well made, but not in the same class as a Nikon, even the early Prakticas were more thought of! The prime lens was sharp and had good contrast but with the 85mm converter there was quite bad vignetting at all apertures.

How do I know all this- well it was my 1st SLR! The actual model was a Kowa E. I owned it for around 18 months then sold it on and bought a Pentax V.

(The apparently deep rear element of the accessory lenses fitted the prime lens OK, because the front element was quite well recessed into the mount. It was almost as good as having a built in lens hood until you screwed the accessory lenses on.)

Thanks, it does not look like any of the Kowas I have or seen, because of the angle of the shot of the camera or without a close up of the lens I could see not if it was leaf shutter or not or the make of the lens, just looked like a Zient. My accessory lens are not that deep, the prime lens is very good, the wide and tele accessory lens is ok, but only take the out of about 35 on the wide side and 77 on the tele side.

onre · Mar 31, 2016

The camera body in the picture is not made in early '60s, it is definitely a re-badged Zenit ET which entered production in 1982. No idea about the lenses.

Paul Howell · Mar 31, 2016

As OP took a picture at the shop we don't know, is the camera a leaf shutter? I think Zenit were all focal plane shutters and the shutter speed dial ought to be on top of the camera while Kowa had the shutter ring on the lens.

Paul Howell · Mar 31, 2016

Here is a Kowa E

onre · Mar 31, 2016

And here's a Zenit ET.

The shutter speed dial is on top, on the Kowa pic it is partially hidden by the pentaprism housing. The dial with visible markings on it is for adjusting the uncoupled meter. The only differences here are the strap lugs - but then, some Zenits didn't have them either.

Let's say that I am REALLY surprised if the Kowa camera is something other than just a re-badged Zenit ET.

Paul Howell · Mar 31, 2016

I think your right. Might be a black market sample, as Kowa is still in buisness I would be surprise if Kowa allowed another company to use it's name.

BMbikerider · Mar 31, 2016

I will have to eat humble pie on this. It most definitely isn't a KOWA. The name on the camera we were asked to help identify, now looks to me as if the image has been photoshopped! Or the name has been stuck on afterwards. It is out of proportion to the letters 'ET' and of a different style. The letters missing off the front of the lens could also have easily been photoshopped too. Is/was this an E Bay scam to get someone to buy it?

matan · Mar 31, 2016

i dont care about the body, just the lens attachments. The guy would give me the set for 15 bucks. is there anyone that knows more on the lenses?

Ricardo Miranda · Apr 1, 2016

Well, you might try the Digital forums. They seem to be very keen in adaptations and might know a thing or two about fitting those lenses to your Digithingie.
Oh, and thanks for at least being honest with us.
Many digitographers come here asking the same type of question, but omitting the real use for the lenses they want to buy.

Paul Howell · Apr 1, 2016

These are not lens for a Kowa 35mm this the rear end of a Kowa assessory lens for a Kowa ST. The rear element is not as deep, not threated on the ver rear of the element as the one in the picture and the lens barrel is different. Kowa has made lots of optics over the years, industrial, spotting scopes, security, and medical.

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blockend · Apr 2, 2016

BMbikerider said:
I will have to eat humble pie on this. It most definitely isn't a KOWA. The name on the camera we were asked to help identify, now looks to me as if the image has been photoshopped! Or the name has been stuck on afterwards. It is out of proportion to the letters 'ET' and of a different style. The letters missing off the front of the lens could also have easily been photoshopped too. Is/was this an E Bay scam to get someone to buy it?

That was my first thought.

HELP! Help me identify this equipment

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