Just when Fred has the Takumar 50/1.4s sorted out-- You know how I and others have written that the various 55/1.2K lenses from Chinon, Cosina, Porst, Vivitar, and Revue are all the same? Well, they're not. I discovered this yesterday, when saving some photos of two Revuenons and a Porst from http://www.arsenal-photo.com
On the Cosinon, Revuenon MC, Vivitar, and Porst Color Reflex MC Auto, the aperture can be stopped down to f/16. BUT On the Porst Color Reflex MC Auto Pre-Series, the aperture can be stopped down to f/22. I have no idea what Pre-Series means, but in my photos the Pre-Series appears to have a bluer, more beautiful multicoating, even though the lens itself looks like an older design. Like most of these 55/1.2Ks, the Rikenon stops down to f/16. However, Popular Photography reported that the Rikenon's diaphragm has 9 blades. The Porst Color Reflex MC Auto clearly has 8 blades. The only other 55/1.2K that I know has 9 blades was the Vivitar Series 1 prototype (f/16). Summing up, we find that the 55/1.2Ks fall into three camps: 1. f/16, 8 blades (Cosinon, Porst Color Reflex MC Auto, Revuenon MC) 2. f/16, 9 blades (Rikenon, Vivitar Series 1 prototype) 3. f/22, unknown number of blades (Porst Color Reflex MC Auto Pre-Series) To which of these groups do the Chinon 55/1.2K and the Vivitar production 55/1.2K belong? I don't know; but the Vivitar came out in 1976, predating the others by many years. Paul Franklin Stregevsky - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
