Tominor 1.9 45mm lens

[jared_salyer1]

I am looking for some info on this lens, TOMINOR 1.9 45MM. I asked

once before and did get get a few fact about the camera but not the

lens. I have not found this len on the internet. I want to post a

picture not sure how to. thanks Jared Salyer<div></div>

[peter_evans4]

<p>The name rather suggests Tomioka, an optical company that has produced highly regarded camera lenses under its own name. It started up in 1924, was bought up by Yashica in 1968, and is now Kyocera Optec -- or so I learn from <a href="http://www.kop.co.jp/outline.html">this (Japanese-language) page</a>. NB I don't know if it is Tomioka; that's just my guess.</p>

[dan_fromm1]

Peter, Tomioka's lenses were often engraved "Tominon" and I don't think the terminal "r" on "Tominor" is a deformed "n". But I could be wrong. I looked in the Vade Mecum, no mention of Tominor BUT the VM is weak on obscure Japanese fixed-lens cameras.

[jared_salyer1]

Photo.net to me is what is good about the internet. I read the forums every day and have enjoyed learning from the multitude of questions and answers. Thanks to Peter Evans and Dan Fromm for their

replys to my search for info on this obsure japanese lens. I have a nice collection of cameras and keep a file on the history and facts of all 100 of them. This one I could not find, the TOMINON was mostly a large format lens. You are appreciated, thanks Jared S

[sid_reilly]

Jared, this is from a book called "The Collectors Guide to Japanese Cameras" and there are a few cameras with Tominor lenses shown in this book.

 

Tominor lenses were used on 5 models of rangefinder cameras made by Royal Camera Company from 1955 to 1957. Which explains that "R C" on the front. Their cameras with the Tominor lens and a selenium cell were called the Ogikon-35E, Royal-35M or Royal-35M Deluxe. One that looks closest to the one in your picture, with the Tominor 45mm/f1.9, was the Royal-35M Deluxe. Except that the camera in your picture has a medallion different than is shown in my book, so maybe the camera is called something else like for an export market.

 

The regular Okigon-35E or Royal-35M models used 45mm/f2.8 Tominors.

 

Tominor lenses seemed to be associated only with cameras made by Royal Camera Co. They all seem to be non-interchangable, except one. For a camera called the Royal 35 S, there was an interchangable Tominor 50mm/f2.8 and Royal had planned but did not make other lenses for this 35 S. Don't know what mount these would have been.

 

In the late 1950's a 45mm non-interchangable lens used on a rangefinder camera, and there were a lot of these kinds of cameras then, would have been made of 4 elements in 3 groups. This was a pretty common lens design then.

[sid_reilly]

That second time the Ogikon-35E was mentioned, it was misspelled.

[peter_jonkman]

Sorry for kicking this old topic, but I own a Royal-35LE camera with this lens. It looks much like your camera, but mine is different (as it is a later type). My camera looks exactly like the Ogikon-35E. But I could not find this name variation "Royal-35LE", neither in any book, nor on the internet.

 

I recently found a 1996 Dutch camera magazine which had an article about the Ogikon-35E. I was horrified to find out the value of the camera on the collector market: 900 to 1800 Dutch Guilders (roughly US$ 450 to 900 today). Boy, I hope they are wrong :-)<div></div>