According to Canon
Camera Museum: “The trial production of this lens started in 1941. Canon Inc. started as
"Seiki Kogaku (Precision mechanics and optics)". This was the first
interchangeable lens for Seiki Kogaku and it was advertised in the May
1947 issue of the monthly magazine "Kouga". The focus control system is
not coupled to the rangefinder and focus is decided by guess. The
original standard bayonet mount was changed to the S mount, before it
was marketed as the first interchangeable lens for Seiki Kogaku. This
series of lenses were named "Serenar" by a Canon employee in an in-house
naming contest. The word "Serenar" was coined from "Serene", the name
of the sea on the moon (the Sea of Serenity) and an adjective meaning of
"tranquil".
| Marketed | March 1948 October 2012 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Original Price | 23,320 yen (~ $ 80 US ) $199 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lens Construction (group) | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lens Construction (element) | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. of Diaphragm Blades | -- | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minimum Aperture | 16 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Closest Focusing Distance (m) | 1.52 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Maximum Magnifcation (x) | -- | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Filter Diameter (mm) | 40 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Maximum Diameter x Length (mm) | -- | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight (g) | 580 (!!!) |
Looks cool with X-Pro 1!
@ f 4, the image is soft with heavy purple fringing.
@ f 8, a bit better
@ f 8 and Photoshop ("quick and dirty")
If the lens is stopped down and with a little help of modern tools like Lightroom, Photoshop, etc you can get some pretty decent results but nowhere close to modern lenses.
Bottom line: very solid, heavy, well made collectible item.
Thanks,
vkphoto
Hi there - just came across your blog as was curious about using these old Canon lenses on the Fuji X system - what kind of adapter did you use to attach the Serenar to your X-Pro 1?
ReplyDeletehave just had a closer look at your first photo and it seems clear that it's a M39 mount - thanks! :)
DeleteHi Jett, yes, it "no name" M39-FX adapter
ReplyDeleteThanks! Have been experimenting with different lenses for my X-Pro for a new project, (cheap Chinese CCTV lenses etc.), and a buddy just loaned me a Serenar 100mm f4 so though I'd give that a try as well.
Deletethank again :)