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I'm hoping someone can help me with info about this old lens. It was made by Cosmicar (Pentax) in Japan for Television - beyond that - I don't know much about it.
I bought the lens with a "c mount" from a retired fellow who had intended to use it on his Bolex but never got around to it... I wasn't sure if I could make it work on a DSLR but I like hacking stuff. On closer examination I found that there wasn't any hacking to do. I just unscrewed the "c-mount" and replaced it with a T2 K-mount. Bingo! Great focus about 5ft to infinity.
Bright 2.8 and incredible 15 blade aperture with scary bokeh. No clunky hexagonal bokeh like the kit lenses produce... instead beautiful rounded bokeh like I get when I can't find my glasses at night.
I've got some nice current lenses but this one is becoming a favourite. It looks a lot like the old screw-mount Pentax lenses, similar metal build and yellowish lens coating, but I haven't found a lens with such an aperture in the 135mm Pentax lenses. It's fun to watch the depth of field change as you adjust the "pre-set" aperture ring.
I've searched online but have found no mention of this specific lens (beyond the fact that the Cosmicar lenses were made by Pentax and that most of them were for T.V.) I'd be very interested to know more about the age of the lens and the rarity. I know that television cameras were tens of thousands of dollars back in the 60s and 70s... so I'm guessing that the lenses to go on these cameras were also pretty specialized.
So... chroniclers of ancient Pentax lore... what can you tell me about this lens?
Cheers!
- SF1
26 May 2009---- major update at the end of the thread ---- date of lens found (1970) --- no evidence it was marketed for general 35mm retail photography --- Cosmicar definitely Asahi's TV/CCTV department at that time
Last edited by SF1; 05-26-2009 at 05:10 PM.
Reason: correction: 15 blade aperture not 16 - numbered image attached correction: major update end of thread