Vintage Friedrich Munchen Axinon f4.5 9cm Enlarging Lens.

Nicky · Oct 27, 2012

Yes, I still print my Rolleiflex (RF 111 A) negatives the old-fashioned way (and still enjoy the process). Meanwhile, I recently purchased an old Friedrich Munchen Axinon f4.5 9cm enlarging lens (SN 420876).

After some research, I discovered that Christof Friedrich registered the Axinon name in 1938; so clearly my lens was manufactured after that date. Meanwhile, does anyone have access to a serial number list which will tell me what year my lens was made? Frankly, I believe it performs as well as my Rodenstock Rodagon enlarging lens...

AgX · Oct 27, 2012

Welcome to Apug,

The Axinon is a tessar-type, so, at least in theory, it should be outperformed by the more advanced Rodagon.

Why would you like to know the year of manufacture?
I guess 50's/60's. The company seems still to exist, thus aside of some informed Apug member or a lens catalogue you still might try to inform there.
BTW, I did not even know that company...

Nicky · Oct 27, 2012

Yes, you might be right about having four lens cells. Meanwhile, I just read another two posts on other forums where it was suggested that the lens performs extremely well; so my eyes can't be that bad! I enjoy using old, well made equipment (like my 1938 Rolleiflex), so establishing when this Axinon enlarging lens was made would have been interesting for me...

AgX · Oct 27, 2012

Make a decent test-chart photograph and print it both with the Axinon and the Rodagon at different enlargements, different apertures including each time prints of the corners of the negative. I would be surprised if the Rodagon would not come out as the better performing lens.

Of course one could ask what practical use such test would have to ones daily darkroom work. Sure for some topics the outcome would not matter.

ic-racer · Oct 27, 2012

Nicky said:
Yes, I still print my Rolleiflex (RF 111 A) negatives the old-fashioned way

What is the old-fashioned way?

Nicky · Oct 28, 2012

ic-racer said:
What is the old-fashioned way?

I may have a Glenn Miller record playing in the darkroom while printing (he, he, he)...

16:9 · Sep 21, 2022

Nicky said:
Yes, I still print my Rolleiflex (RF 111 A) negatives the old-fashioned way (and still enjoy the process). Meanwhile, I recently purchased an old Friedrich Munchen Axinon f4.5 9cm enlarging lens (SN 420876).

After some research, I discovered that Christof Friedrich registered the Axinon name in 1938; so clearly my lens was manufactured after that date. Meanwhile, does anyone have access to a serial number list which will tell me what year my lens was made? Frankly, I believe it performs as well as my Rodenstock Rodagon enlarging lens...

Because ten years is barely a gap between posts at all, really . . . information about this maker is rather thin on the ground. Serials are all six-digit. Based on appearance, 2xx,xxx models seem to originate in the 1940s; 3xx,000 in the 1950-60s, and 4xx,000 samples anywhere from the 1970s-90s. More help would be appreciated to build a picture of this company's history and to compile a better serial list.

According to Thiele, the company was taken over by Theodor Brendel in 1965 - who claimed patents for the best lenses of AGFA's golden era.

AgX · Sep 22, 2022

Nicky said:
After some research, I discovered that Christof Friedrich registered the Axinon name in 1938; so clearly my lens was manufactured after that date.

Not necessarily. One may use a brand and get it registered much later. It is not like with a patent where the idea gets burned by publishing it before applying for a patent.
But, nonetheless I likely would have made same conclusion as you.

Vintage Friedrich Munchen Axinon f4.5 9cm Enlarging Lens.

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