Kinoptik lens sor Leica R ?

[eric_hurtado]

The Apochromat 100 f/2 from Kinoptik (a french optic company , www.kinoptik.com) is

available for the Leica R. Before this lens was mounted on the Alpa's.It's quite expensive

(3350 ?),but it seems to be an "haute-couture" lens, also available for film cameras.

Someone around has test it?

 

Eric.H

[al_kaplan1]

A friend of mine had some Kinoptics, including the 100/2, on her Alpa 30 or so years ago. Lovely images! Great build quality. Superb finish.

[ronald_moravec1]

I remember tests in Camera 35 many years ago. It was for an Alpa and the tests were superb.

[derek_stanton2]

This site has some stuff on the 75mm:

 

http://khmhk.cool.ne.jp/whatnew.html

 

I had a bit of info on the 100, but can't find it at the moment...I'll keep looking, though.

[helenbach]

I notice that Kinoptik list a version for the Alpa with pre-selected diaphragm. Does that mean that the other version has a fully automatic diaphragm or, more likely if it is a cine lens, only a manual diaphragm? Who needs a fresh-fangled auto diaphragm anyway? The broken stop-down lever on the R6 won't matter any more.

 

Here are some snaps:

http://khmhk.cool.ne.jp/Sakurei/apochromatkinoptik.html

 

(Mind wanders completely off the subject of photography...) If it's just a cine lens in an R mount you might like to think about buying other cine lenses (long-ish, so the image circle will be OK for 35 mm stills) and getting them adapted to R mount. Plenty of scope for serious haute couture there. Hey, you could put a 20,000 dollar Zeiss 55-105 mm T2.2 Variable Prime on your R8 with the digital back. Eat that you grey-lensed Canon smudgers.

[al_kaplan1]

I believe the Alpa Kinoptics have an auto diaphragm.

[peter_mcdonough3]

Hi,

The lens is in an automatic mount for Alpa cameras and manuel or pre-set for other mounts. I've seen the results from this lens and it is indeed superlative. Its one defect is a tendency to flare easily. A friend who has one must use the lens hood at all times.

Peter

[derek_stanton2]

Thanks, Helen. That's the link i was looking for.

[helenbach]

Though I wrote my previous post tongue-in-cheek I do wonder about the use of other movie lenses if you want third-party long-ish lenses for your Leicaflex/R and you are happy with a manual diaphragm (which is what the Kinoptik 100 mm has in a 'Leicaflex' mount). The Kinoptik 75/2 (actually T2.5) is available for about 800 dollars or less. Other lenses such as the Zeiss Ultra Prime 100 mm (f/1.7, T1.9 vs the T2.4 of the Kinoptik f/2). Then there's the Cooke Speed Panchros... The image circle would have to be checked of course.

 

Best, Helen

[al_kaplan1]

Helen, I've used several lenses over the years that essentially were movie lenses. The 125/2.3 and 150/2.3 Astro Pan Tachars were great lenses and would cover 6x6 medium format. I also had a 100mm f/2 Angeniux in a jury rigged focussing mount for Pentacon-Six. It vignetted slightly on 6x6 and was soft at f/2 but made great dreamy color photos of women. Gorgeous bokeh, although we didn't know the word yet. Eventually it got seperation and the coating started flaking off.

 

And now you have to bring up T-stops? I bet half the people here under thirty don't really understand what f-stop means! Well, here goes:

 

Back in ancient times, shortly after the death of King Arthur, the motion picture guys aproached Merlin the magician with a big problem. They used to have turrets with 3 or 4 lenses of different focal lengths on those primitive cine cameras, but because of varying designs they all didn't transmit the same amount of light. When you turned the turret to change lenses your next shot might be a bit over or under exposed compared to what you just shot. The cinematographers begged Merlin to invent zoom lenses but he was a businessman as well as a wizard. He decided to measure the actual transmission of various lenses, and engrave the numbers that a theoretical perfect lens with 100% transmission would be, using the f-stop scale. Now everybody's lenses would instantly be obsolete and the more well-to-do guys could purchase all new lenses. The lower classes could remortgage their hovels to get their old optics callibrated and engraved with the brand new magic T-stops. Once everybody was T-stopped he started a company called Zoomar and started selling zoom lenses. Now of course the electronics wizards market so-called digital stuff that is obsolete before the post office gets your warranty registration card back to the importer. Merlin would be proud.

[ivar_bredesen]

I own a 100 mm Kinoptik 2.0 (Macro version) which I use on a Leica R with adapter. I have had some problems getting exact exposure with the normal T-mount adapters, but now I have bought a Leica original T-mount adapter (originally made for the Televid scopes) and we will find out if it works. This adapter is a more elaborate construction than the regular ones. The Kinoptik lens has an almost mythical reputation, but I have not yet been able to test it enough to verify this performance. Initial results seems to indicate it is a good lens, but Leicas own Macro-Elmarit 100 is better. This can hardly come as a surprise. The Kinoptik was designed in the 60s and has not been changed since, and one cannot expect it to match designs 40 years younger. I will be able to form a stronger opinion later after more testing. Kinoptik was out of business for a few months after going bankrupt, but through an employee buyout the company was resurrected. They are now taking orders, but the 100/2 with Alpa mount is the only one with an automatic diaphragm. Lenses are very very expensive, even more so than Leica. The 75/2 is another popular lens, but this lens is not designed for 24x36 rather it is meant for 35mm cine. Kinoptik informed me that it will wignette somewhat on infinity if used on a 24x36 camera, but at closer distances it will be better.