Rikenon Question

[dynachrome]

I just received a 50mm f/1.4 XR Rikenon. Somewhere I have the Sears version, both in K mount. The serial number is on the back of the aperture ring. Did Cosina make this lens?.

 

[Dan Fromm]

Ask on mflenses.com.

 

[Paul Howell]

Isn't Rikenon made by Ricoh?

 

[Donald Qualls]

Rikenon was Ricoh's brand. Even in the 1970s, contract manufacturing was fairly common (look at the number of Ricoh's camera bodies sold under other brands, or vice versa).

 

[Nitroplait]

Ricoh made the Rikenon lens and also made cameras for Sears. Ricoh at the time was a bit like Cosina.

 

[Deleted member 88956]

It is an excellent lens, no matter who made it though.

 

[Donald Qualls]

I have a Vivitar branded camera (220SL, IIRC) that I'm pretty sure was a Ricoh under the skin, too. If not, it was a similar M42 SLR with Copal Square shutter and through-lens CdS meter.

 

[Pentode]

It is an excellent lens, no matter who made it though.

If it's anywhere near as good as it's slower sibling, the Auto Rikenon EE 50mm f/1.7 (made by Ricoh, I believe), you are not likely to be disappointed. That lens is a real winner.

People tend to get very hung up on the big Japanese brands of that era (Nikon, Canon, Minolta, Pentax & Olympus.... did I mention Nikon?) but the truth is that just about all of the optics coming out of Japan were extremely good and the less popular brands (Ricoh, Konica, Mamiya/Sekor, etc... as well as the optical contractors who put other names on their products (Tokina, Cosina, Sun, Komine, etc...) were very capable of making standout lenses.
All of these companies built different products to different price points so not every Japanese lens from that era is amazing but every one of those companies was capable of making incredible optics and they all made examples that proved it. The Rikenon lenses are a perfect case in point.

 

[Paul Howell]

I agree, Rioch made some really good M42 and K bodies and sharp glass. Their lens lineup was not extensive but what they did make were very good bargains. The Ricoh 401 M42 body had spot metering, and lever on the viewfinder turned into into a poor man's version of wait level finder.

 

[Oren Grad]

I have a Vivitar branded camera (220SL, IIRC) that I'm pretty sure was a Ricoh under the skin, too.

It was made by Cosina.

 

[Deleted member 88956]

I agree, Rioch made some really good M42 and K bodies and sharp glass. Their lens lineup was not extensive but what they did make were very good bargains. The Ricoh 401 M42 body had spot metering, and lever on the viewfinder turned into into a poor man's version of wait level finder.

Love that 401 TLS, had to get silver and black just for the coffee to taste better

 

[RalphLambrecht]

I agree, Rioch made some really good M42 and K bodies and sharp glass. Their lens lineup was not extensive but what they did make were very good bargains. The Ricoh 401 M42 body had spot metering, and lever on the viewfinder turned into into a poor man's version of wait level finder.

I owned and used that camera for over 30 years before Iwent Nikon too.