Komura Lens Commercial 210/f6.3 Copal #1

[Richard Jepsen]

I have an opportunity to buy this lens for use on either a 5x7 or a 4x5. What i s the construction of the lens elements and is this a decent lens?

[Charlie Stracl]

It is 4 element design, I believe a Tessar. I've got one and it's a fine lines. Not the most modern design in LF lenses, but that isn't really a requirement for this type lens.

I had a Fujinon 210/5.6 already when I bought the Komura, but got it since it's much smaller for field work, and takes the same filter size as 2 other LF lenses I have. There's where you can get a big savings in weight & cost, if you carefully plan your lenses. Not easy to do, though.

The Komura is also the Osaka, Bogen, and Prinz lens (also D. O. Industries, if I'm not mistaken), under different private labels.

What's the asking price? I think I paid around $200 for mine. New they are around $500 from Bromwell Marketing, but I think that's too much for a lens of this design.

[Ted Harris]

I'm not sure that Komura and Osaka et. al ARE the same. D. O. Industries for one was the importer of Fujinon lenses in teh 1980's soem of them branded D.O. Industries. Komura was in the large format lens business for many years, well into the 1980's. They also made a wide variety of lenses. Thus, the mens in questionmay or may not be a 4 element lens. I can't speak specificallyto the lens you re considering but I can talk some about their 150 mm lenses. I know they made an f2.8 (I have seen it) and an f3.5 (I own one). Both of these are modern lenses that are multicoated.

I have tested the f3.5 multicoated lens side-by-side with a 150 mm Apo Symmar. Wide open the 3.5 gave a useable to acceptable image and stopped down to f22 it was sharp. The differences between it and the Symmar were in contrast rather than sharpness with the Symmar being marginally more contrasty.

It's likely a decent lens and if the price is right buy it. One more thing .. check the coverage carefully, make srue it has sufficient coverage to give you decent movement on yoru 5x7.

Ted

[Kerry L. Thalmann]

As Ted mentions, Komura lenses were not made by Yamasaki (the maker of the Congo , Osaka, Chromar, etc. lenses). Komura was an independent company that produced lenses of their own design. Their 75mm f6.3 and 90mm f6.3 wide angles were uni que designs, totally different from anything Yamasaki has ever produced.

WRT to the D.O. Industries lenses, they were also not made by Yamasaki. They we re produced in house, by D.O. In addition to being the former U.S. distributor of Fujinon large format lenses, D.O. Industries has a long history of manufactur ing lenses for a variety of applications (mostly projection and industrial appli cations). There have been a couple name changes over the years. Originally, th e company was called Elgeet Optical, then D.O. Industries, and finally (and curr ently) Navitar, Inc. They are still in business producing lenses for audio visu al, scientific and industrial applications. The large format lenses they sold u nder the D.O. Industries name were simple tessar types derived from a line of en larging lenses they built of similar construction.

Kerry

[Ted Harris]

As an addendum to Kerry's post. I believe they are still in the lens business. For years they made MF lenses as well as LF. You would see them on Bronica's for one thing. They also amke/made a very good quality 2x telextender for the Hassleblad. I believe their f2.8 and f3.5 normal lens designsa re rather unique as well.

Ted

[David A. Goldfarb]

I have the Komura 300/5.0 for the old Bronica S2 and S2A, and it's a surprisingly good lens for its vintage.

I believe they make very high-end lenses for professional video these days.

[Jeffrey Goggin]

WRT to D.O. Industries, I owned their 210/f6.3 lens (my first LF lens, in fact) and found it to be a decent performer, especially for what it cost me. It was mounted in a Copal Press No. 1 shutter, was light and and reasonably compact, and as I recall, single-coated.

[Bob Krantz]

I also own a Komura 210, and have used it for 4x5 for years with happy results. I have tried it recently for 8x10, and it seems to cover out to the corners, so it should be just fine for 5x7.