Unusual Rokunar Lens

[neeksgeek]

So I picked up an oddball T-mount lens in a junk shop. It’s a Rokunar 25mm f/3.5, with a preset aperture. I’ve found exactly nothing about it online, except for a single eBay listing for a cosmetically identical lens, branded Camron, with the same specs. Anybody seen one of these? I’ve shot with it a little and it seems decent, covers the 35mm frame with minimal falloff at f/8, a little soft in the corners.

Attached a couple pics, plus one of the Camron. I find the consecutive serial numbers fascinating.

My next stop is my local university library, which boasts a collection of Popular Photography magazines going back to the 1950s. I may find it listed in ads or articles there. Thought I’d ask here first. I’m just curious as to its provenance.

 

[Dan Fromm]

visit mflenses.com

 

[titrisol]

So I picked up an oddball T-mount lens in a junk shop. It’s a Rokunar 25mm f/3.5, with a preset aperture. I’ve found exactly nothing about it online, except for a single eBay listing for a cosmetically identical lens, branded Camron, with the same specs. Anybody seen one of these? I’ve shot with it a little and it seems decent, covers the 35mm frame with minimal falloff at f/8, a little soft in the corners.

Attached a couple pics, plus one of the Camron. I find the consecutive serial numbers fascinating.

My next stop is my local university library, which boasts a collection of Popular Photography magazines going back to the 1950s. I may find it listed in ads or articles there. Thought I’d ask here first. I’m just curious as to its provenance.

I just got one of these with a bunch of M42 lenses
Did you find any more info?

 

[Nicholas Lindan]

These were sold in the 1960's under a multitude of names - Lentar, Cambron, Spiratone, Rokunar, et al. - and advertised in the back pages of photography magazines. Optical performance ranged from execrable to acceptable.

Once very common on the used market they have mostly gone to landfills.

OTOH, Nikkor, Takumar, Rokkor, Cannon lenses get kept.

Ironically it is the the old T-Mount lenses that will not go obsolete as they can be adapted to any camera (or no camera), while the worth of a Nikkor will fade with the demise of the last Nikon bodies.

 

[xkaes]

Wide-angle T-mount lens?

Given that it is a pre-set lens, it's pretty early, but you need to determine if it is a 42mm T-mount (42mmx0.75mm) or a a 42mm Praktica/Pentax-mount (42mmx1.0mm) lens. If I were to guess, I'd suspect the latter.

In any event, some Spiratone, Cambron, etc. lenses were excellent -- made by Tomioka, Tamron, Tokina, Sigma, Sun, etc. Others? Pretty mediocre. Don't throw out the baby with the bathwater.

I have a Spiratone Minitel 500mm f8 -- for example -- that was made by Tomioka, and is the same lens as the Yashica DX 500mm f8. Simply the best of the best.

 

[titrisol]

Wide-angle T-mount lens?

Given that it is a pre-set lens, it's pretty early, but you need to determine if it is a 42mm T-mount (42mmx0.75mm) or a a 42mm Praktica/Pentax-mount (42mmx1.0mm) lens. If I were to guess, I'd suspect the latter.

In any event, some Spiratone, Cambron, etc. lenses were excellent -- made by Tomioka, Tamron, Tokina, Sigma, Sun, etc. Others? Pretty mediocre. Don't throw out the baby with the bathwater.

I have a Spiratone Minitel 500mm f8 -- for example -- that was made by Tomioka, and is the same lens as the Yashica DX 500mm f8. Simply the best of the best.

Thanks, it is 42x0.75 Tmount, came with an M42-adapter in the lens.
Optically it is average, I opened it, seems to be a 6 element in 5 groups.
The blades (11) in the diaphragm are a mess, only half are moving so I'm guessing this is a paperweight

 

[xkaes]

-- or a museum piece, considering it is #6 of the 25mm batch.

I know of a 23mm "Soligor" lens, and one or two 25mm. It would probably be easy to figure out the lens maker -- it was likely sold under other labels.