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Leotax Leonon-S 50mm f2 LTM Lens


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Hi, newbie here (my name’s Andrew not Alec as my profile would suggest). I recently decided to play another round of Russian Roulette with some of my hard earned on the big auction site and bought a Leotax Leonon-S 50mm f2 LTM for my Canon VL2, it’s in very good condition and it’s definitely a keeper. It seems like a bit of a rare beast, and I wondered whether anyone knows anything about it? as there seems to be precious little info on it. If you look at my public photos you can see some shots I took with it last week, if anybody is interested.
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My familiarity with it is only what I have read long ago...which indicated it to be a "worthy" lens. From your pictures two things seem evident...it handles contrast well, not too soft nor offensively abrupt, and it focuses well on your camera body. I'd definitely say it is a keeper! Congratulations on your acquisition.
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Info on the Leotax camera (Leotax D IV)

A report on the lens--The Leonon 5 cm F2 from the Leotax Camera Company, Limited!)

 

Altogether, a somewhat ironical example of how one Axis partner managed to take advantage of the release of the German patents by the Allied Control Commission

Thanks for the info, that's an interesting read. I wonder if mine is a different or later version though? That version looks very similar to the Topcor 50mm f2 and has a minimum aperture of f22 whereas mine has a different ridged barrel and a minimum aperture of f16. Take a look, I'll post some pics.

 

IMG_20180607_144800.thumb.jpg.cfb0b8ba57e2b8f52b491ed0fa665ddd.jpg

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Many of the Japanese lenses produced after the war were made before the war, including the Nikkor 5cm F1.5, Nikkor 5cm F2, and Simlar (Leotax) 5cm F1.5. Each of the lenses were a unique computation, as the Japanese glass and focal length was different than their German counterparts. The Simlar 5cm F1.5 was a unique 1-3-2-1 configuration, also used in the Canon 85/1.5 produced starting in the early 1950s.
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  • 4 months later...
Thanks for the info, that's an interesting read. I wonder if mine is a different or later version though? That version looks very similar to the Topcor 50mm f2 and has a minimum aperture of f22 whereas mine has a different ridged barrel and a minimum aperture of f16. Take a look, I'll post some pics.

 

[ATTACH=full]1250280[/ATTACH]

Mate, what if I said it was a Yashica Yashikor? Well at least the same as a Yashikor, and I doubt anything to do with Tomioka. I run a website, www.yashicatlr.com, which focuses on the development and history of the TLRs but also covers Yashica's first 35 mm cameras. Everyone knows that the YE was released with a 5 cm f/2.8 Yashikor and the YF with a 5 cm f/1.8 Yashinon at first, renamed as Super-Yashinon later. However, the YF is also found with a pretty rare 5 cm f/2 Yashikor and that is identical in every way, except in name, to your Leonon.

 

I would like to pretend that I am clever and noticed that first but in fact Awano Mikio (or Mikio Awano, I'm not sure) of the Japanese enthusiast's magazine, Camera Collectors' News, noticed it way back in 1985. Camera-wiki.org mentions little about the YE and YF but Awano Mikio's/Mikio Awano's name and/or Camera Collectors' News are referenced in quite a few articles about rare Japanese models.

 

The link to the lens on my website is Yashica YE & YF. There are a couple of pics I have "borrowed" from the net plus pics from Awano Mikio's article.

 

At this stage, I can't begin to guess the maker but this is the little I know. There seems to be two versions of the Leonon, both with same/similar aperture design. The "other" Leonon probably looks somewhat like the Topcors but the aperture is different with the Topcors using straight blades, albeit with 10 blades like the Leonons.

 

I would like to use your photos on the website if I could. If you are agreeable, I would need your name to credit them. My contact details are on the first page of the site Yashica TLR. If you want, I can provide a copy of Awano Mikio's article and translation.

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BTW, I have made a mistake with Mikio Awano's name. I have confirmed that his surname is Awano and the confusion arises because in Japanese, the surname is placed first but when translated, it should off course follow the rules of the language used.
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Mate, what if I said it was a Yashica Yashikor? Well at least the same as a Yashikor, and I doubt anything to do with Tomioka. I run a website, www.yashicatlr.com, which focuses on the development and history of the TLRs but also covers Yashica's first 35 mm cameras. Everyone knows that the YE was released with a 5 cm f/2.8 Yashikor and the YF with a 5 cm f/1.8 Yashinon at first, renamed as Super-Yashinon later. However, the YF is also found with a pretty rare 5 cm f/2 Yashikor and that is identical in every way, except in name, to your Leonon.

 

I would like to pretend that I am clever and noticed that first but in fact Awano Mikio (or Mikio Awano, I'm not sure) of the Japanese enthusiast's magazine, Camera Collectors' News, noticed it way back in 1985. Camera-wiki.org mentions little about the YE and YF but Awano Mikio's/Mikio Awano's name and/or Camera Collectors' News are referenced in quite a few articles about rare Japanese models.

 

The link to the lens on my website is Yashica YE & YF. There are a couple of pics I have "borrowed" from the net plus pics from Awano Mikio's article.

 

At this stage, I can't begin to guess the maker but this is the little I know. There seems to be two versions of the Leonon, both with same/similar aperture design. The "other" Leonon probably looks somewhat like the Topcors but the aperture is different with the Topcors using straight blades, albeit with 10 blades like the Leonons.

 

I would like to use your photos on the website if I could. If you are agreeable, I would need your name to credit them. My contact details are on the first page of the site Yashica TLR. If you want, I can provide a copy of Awano Mikio's article and translation.

Hi Paul, thanks for the info. You're welcome to use the photos, don't worry you don't have to credit them to me. They're just snapshots, not really pictures I value, I just took them for documentary purposes.

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