• stingOM
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  • Registered: 2006-12-31
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Topic: Anyone own a Ricoh/Rikenon 50mm f2 lens?

Hi,
I read a review of manual lenses recently in a UK magazine called What Digital Camera (August Edition) and it rated this lens as the best in the group of lenses compared. I decided to search the web and got some comments that this is one of best 50mm lens ever made. I was surprised. I looked up my own database and found some info rating this lens 4.8 beating Leica R 50mm f2 and f1.2 rated at 4.5. To give you an idea of the rating scale, the Contax Planar 50mm and 85mm f1.4 is rated at 5.0. I don't have the source of the info. I just copied the lens test data into notepad. Sorry.

Also see this review:
http://www.markcassino.com/b2evolution/ … 1&pb=1

"Ricoh XR Rikenon 50mm f2 (K Compatible): This is rumored to be one of the sharpest lenses ever made for 35mm cameras. I bought an old, clunky, all metal version of this lens for $10 on eBay. I have yet to test it out."

by markcassino.com

I wonder can anyone back this up?

Thanks,
Simon

Last edited by stingOM (2007-08-10 20:21:06)

  • From: Herefordshire, UK
  • Registered: 2006-10-13
  • Posts: 1,526

Re: Anyone own a Ricoh/Rikenon 50mm f2 lens?

Dunno, but somebody needs to buy them all up cheap while they can, then start selling them back out at

Canon EOS30D, 17-40L/4.0, EF 50/1.8, but who gives a damn about that? The interesting stuff is...
Tamron SPs: 90/f2.5, 35-80/f2.8-3.8, 35-210/f3.5-4.2, 60-300/f3.8-5.4 and a whole heap of other stuff not "quite" as good
Lens-tagged pics here and a Flickr manual lens group for Canonistas
  • UliBaer
  • Focus: Way Over There
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  • From: Braunschweig, Germany
  • Registered: 2007-04-25
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Re: Anyone own a Ricoh/Rikenon 50mm f2 lens?

I have a Rikenon P 1:1.4 50mm which i got dirt cheap from the bay. I had to remove the infamous Ricoh-pin for use on the K100D.
It has a nearly unnoticeable (and unmentioned by the seller mad) dent in the filter ring but it's enough to prohibit the use of a filter. So i never really used it cause i like to use an orange filter for B/W shooting. Also i have enough other very good normals. But i remember that the test shots i took with it were amazingly sharp - even wide open. It has 8 aperture blades and therefore a very pleasant bokeh.
Hmm... maybe i should give it a try again? neutral

Bodies: Pentax Spotmatic F, 2xKM, KX, K2, K2DMD, MX, K100D, Chinon CM-4, Yashica Electro 35 GT
M42: Chinon 35/2.8, 2xCZJ 50/2.8, Tomioka 55/1.4, SMC 55/1.8, Soligor 200/3.5
K: Chinon 28/35/2.8 50/1.4/1.7 28-85/4, SMC 28-50/3.5-4.5 28/3.5 35/A2.8/FA2.0 50/1.4/M1.4/A1.7/A1.4 3x55/1.8 135/2.5/3.5, Tak 135/2.5
Tokina 28/A2.8 20-35/3.5-4.5AF 28-70/2.6-2.8AF 90/2.5 macro(+1:1 TC) 200/3.5 500/8
  • stingOM
  • Focus: Past Infinity
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  • Registered: 2006-12-31
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Re: Anyone own a Ricoh/Rikenon 50mm f2 lens?

I found the source of the Ricoh lens test info:

http://www.cs.wustl.edu/~loui/lenses

Scroll down to the very end, you will find the test scores there!

or try here:

http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/8917/lensrat1.html
Swedish Lens Tests

Last edited by stingOM (2007-08-11 02:25:06)

  • Zyk
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  • Registered: 2006-11-20
  • Posts: 15

Re: Anyone own a Ricoh/Rikenon 50mm f2 lens?

Hi, I have one. I can say that it is quite sharp lens. There is a picture from Rikenon 50mm 1:20 on Pentax KX, film Fuji Reala 100 scanned using Konica Minolta Dimage Scan Dual IV (it is a 3200 dpi scanner but i

Last edited by Zyk (2007-08-11 04:50:12)

Rangefinders: Canonet QL 17 GIII; Yashica GSN 35; Zorki 4K, Zorki 6, FED 2, FED 3b [with Jupiter-3, Jupiter-8, Jupiter-9,Industar 50, Industar 61 L/D].
SLR: Pentax KX with Makinon 2.8 28 mm; Rikenon 2.0 50 mm; Industar 61 L/Z 2.8 50 mm; Jupiter-9 2.0 85 mm, RPS Eitar 2.8 135 mm.
  • From: Ohio, USA
  • Registered: 2007-04-03
  • Posts: 66

Re: Anyone own a Ricoh/Rikenon 50mm f2 lens?

I have an earlier M42 mount version of that lens . . . never used it, never gave it much thought really, seemed like a pretty basic kit lens. It's a puny bit of glass next to the Rikenon 1.4/55mm. I will try it out when I get a chance.

I also have the Rikenon 2.8/28mm that Cassino mentions and think it's pretty good lens, especially for one that was extremely cheap.

  • FTL
  • Focus: Infinity
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  • From: Hong Kong
  • Registered: 2006-05-15
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Re: Anyone own a Ricoh/Rikenon 50mm f2 lens?

Used to own one, can only testify that its no better or worst than its price would reflect; a good lens, but not superlative. Certainly not the sharpest lens around either. This myth seem to had be originated from Japan when years ago a ( locally ) famed commercial photographer was cited in a magazine interview saying this is the lens he choose to had on his SLR for many work and praise it for its image quality. But I guess this is overstated & exaggerated in subsequent spreading of words.

  • stingOM
  • Focus: Past Infinity
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  • From: Ireland
  • Registered: 2006-12-31
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Re: Anyone own a Ricoh/Rikenon 50mm f2 lens?

Hi FTL,

There is no exaggeration. Please see this link:
http://forum.manualfocus.org/viewtopic.php?id=7400

The resolution at MTF50 speaks for itself. But I will need to test this lens out myself to know for sure!

Regards,
Simon

  • From: Hessen; Kent ('95-'96)
  • Registered: 2006-11-11
  • Posts: 3,612

Re: Anyone own a Ricoh/Rikenon 50mm f2 lens?

Hi!

I've got a Rikenon 1.7/50 and it is a pretty nice lens. I can second this judgement:
"Ricoh Rikenon 50mm f1.7 (K Compatible):  [...] the optical performance is very good but not on par with the Pentax [M] 1.7."

Generally, I think that Rikenon lenses are some of the most underrated lenses you can find.

Last edited by LucisPictor (2007-08-15 12:18:42)

Mostly in my bag ATM: Leica M8, Sony NEX-7 and several lenses...
Things ON SALE!

LucisPictor's Website

  • Registered: 2007-03-14
  • Posts: 425

Re: Anyone own a Ricoh/Rikenon 50mm f2 lens?

There is a lot of 50mm f/2 lenses around and most of them are good performers. Why this one should be a bad one? As Rikenon lenses are not part of the famous ones, bargains can be expected but it doesn't add to the lens quality, it is just a market point of view.

Regarding the tests and their results, it is always the same question: are they consistent with reality? I don't know what the criteria were and how it was driver but when I see that this lens gets a better rating than a Summicron, it makes me smile ...

"I believe in the imagination. What I cannot see is infinitely more important than what I can see." Duane Michals
"There is no point in having sharp images when you've fuzzy ideas." Jean-Luc Godard
  • doubs43
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  • Registered: 2006-12-09
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Re: Anyone own a Ricoh/Rikenon 50mm f2 lens?

I'm taking two Ricoh Singlex II bodies with me on a trip. The lenses I'm taking are 20mm, 28mm, 35mm, 50mm, 105mm, 135mm & 200mm. With the exception of the 20mm which is a Mir, all of the other lenses are Takumars and every one of them take 49mm accessories. The Rikenon 50mm f/1.7 lens is excellent but requires 52mm accessories so I replaced it with a 50mm f/1.8 Super-Takumar. The Rikenon 28mm f/2.8 lens takes 62mm accessories so it's been replaced by a 28mm f/3.5 Super-Multi-Coated Takumar. The 20mm Mir has it's own filters that fit in the rear of the lens and if I had a 20mm that took 49mm accessories, I'd be taking it instead.

Walker