Stephen
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Post by Stephen on May 8, 2013 6:37:03 GMT -5
The Cosina items referenced were the 28mm and 135mm lenses, both have made by Cosina for Alpa SA on them, they are M42 bodies, with auto iris, and a special M42 to Alpa adaptor, made in Switzerland, that matches exactly the Cosina, unless you know, they look like part of the lens. I have both the 28mm and the 135mm marked Cosina lenses.
They are a different finish to the Asahi period adaptors. The Cosina were made in the late 1970's/early 80's to keep costs down, as the European lenses had got so expensive. The lens had multi-coated elements and were claimed to be tested to "Alpa standards". They are excellent Japanese lenses, but not as good as Kern or Schneider in sharpness. Later on Chinon made camera bodies etc., using the name Alpa.
Stephen.
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Post by paulhofseth on May 10, 2013 8:12:13 GMT -5
Interesting. I vaguely remember that the later japanese optics did not have a manufacturer name, just a few variations of "made for Alpa", m42 and adapter, but a rather strong resemblance to the ones listed in the contemporary Chinon catalogue.
I am not anywhere near to my stored lenses at the moment, nor to the Pignons and Heitz catalogues. I will take a look a few days hence to see whether they have the manufacturer name on them.
p.
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Post by paulhofseth on Jun 3, 2013 12:26:44 GMT -5
I have take snaps of some of the Chinon Alpa lenses as well as of the Chinon lens listing used at the time. No sign, however, of how to include pictures here, so I am posting them on Manual Focus lenses.
p.
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Post by genazzano on Jun 5, 2013 13:00:15 GMT -5
My compliments on that wonderful Alpa.
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Post by alpaguy on Sept 3, 2013 19:40:08 GMT -5
Hooray! I have finally found someone who knows something about ALPA cameras! I have been looking for some history experts to help me with my (2) Alpas. I was given these by a family member and because Alpas are not a mainstream, there is not a lot of history readily available. I have found little information on the Serial Numbering, so any help there would be a bonus. These are truly beautyful, and from what I understand the 4b is extremely rare.(only 78 ever made). Any posts on information helpful would be a blessing. . Attachment Deleted
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Stephen
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Still collecting.......
Posts: 2,718
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Post by Stephen on Sept 4, 2013 4:02:02 GMT -5
An Alpa user, not really an expert on them, however I thought the Alpa 4 was prismless (vertical view), but the 4B must be different. (Correction, I can see the vertical viewfinder in your shot).
There is quite a bit online about Alpa cameras, it needs a bit of searching, and sometimes translating.
Serial numbers in general do not seem to have been fully recorded, although Pignon's records must have contained them, but I understand. from the new owners of the Alpa large format, a huge amount of paperwork was lost or destroyed after the bankruptcy.
I have seen lists of Kern lenses, and Angénieux will still have full records, as they are still in business. Stephen.
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Stephen
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Still collecting.......
Posts: 2,718
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Post by Stephen on Sept 4, 2013 4:16:30 GMT -5
I think the Alpa 4 series was originally made for use in laboratories, on microscopes etc, where the right angle top view was more useful. Many Alpa cameras remained in such specialist uses, and they also made UK General Post Office Phones versions, designed only to photograph Strowger Telephone Exchange meter banks.
The other 45degree prism viewfinder was also a carry over from laboratory uses, it allows use on a microscope as well as conventional horizontal views, as you don't have to be directly above the microscope optics, but behind them.
Alpas main market for conventional photography was the United States, and specialist users in Europe, generally Government buyers as the cost was always very high. Alpa would customise each camera to order as well, negative size, format, or film type, like infra red versions. About the only item they rarely modified was the shutter itself, it was a sound design.
Stephen.
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Post by paulhofseth on Sept 5, 2013 2:52:05 GMT -5
Just like in the market for pencil, brush and sculptors art, the market for the rarer works of mechanical and optical art depends on accurate identification.
The leading classical rarity is of course products by Ernst Leitz GMBH and successors, partly because of quality and robustness, partly due to collector familiarity. As the user market shrinks the collector market takes over and quality plus rarity gains importance.
Early metallic marvels from Alpa, Asahi, Canon, Chiyoda,, CNOPM, Ducati....Linhof, Minox,.Nikon.....Paillard, Rectaflex, Retina, Rollei, Voigtländer, Zeiss and others, will need the same rigorous documentation of provenaance as does Picasso or Munch prints as the market for still reasonably affordable objects develops.
Alpa serial numbers are listed in the Lothar Thewes book "Alpa, 50 jahre anders als andere" (50years different from others). He got his data from the Pignons archives.
The lists there of body numbers and lens production numbers is comprehensive, but a very small number of inaccuracies intrude. Probably caused by factors such as later rebuilds at the factory as well as importer modifications. The US importer, Heitz, for instance could deliver different colours on demand, and also stocked Kinoptik lenses which could be delivered in Alpa mount. The numbers for such additions are naturally not covered by Thewes.
An additional confusing factor is that the entire stock of spare parts from the Pignons factory in Ballaigues was sold off when it closed. Made "by hand" in Switzereland,t the average Alpa had a reputation for quality, was very expensive and much rarer than the average Leicarso to create new, even rarer ones would have been quite tempting.
Many variations exist in fewer copies than 100. The spares sell-off led to a brief flowering of "fakes". Not fakes in the FED-Leica sense of camouflaged imitations , but entire bodies assembled from genuine parts. This did not seem to hit the older "small bayonet", or the "Alnea" generation, but some of the 11si\11z generation. did reach the market, mostly by the body coverings providing the extra rarity.
As for the Switar optics, most of Kern Aaraus data was destroyed when it was taken over by the new Wid Heerbrugg, but some has been rescued by the Aarau city museum. The publications of mr. Patrice Herve Pont of Saga Photo in France used to record french optical history, with for insance lists of Angenieux numbers. His latest overview of Kilfitt history is published by club-niepce-lumiere.org . There are books on Kinoptik lenses and extensive lists of Schneider procuction numbers. Except for putting Al adapters on M42 mounts, to make fakes of Alpa lenses would either be easy to spot or if accurate, cost far more than they could possibly fetch in the market.
p.
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Stephen
Lifetime Member
Still collecting.......
Posts: 2,718
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Post by Stephen on Sept 5, 2013 4:16:06 GMT -5
Thanks for the book references for Alpa, it was Capaul & Weber themselves, in a letter, who mentioned no archive material from Pignons, which to my mind sounded unlikely, and Kern's is so split up and different now the loss is more probable. I know of the Schneider lists and Angenieux are usually very helpful, at a price!! Leica have far better archives than most makers, and are genuinely interested in tracing real rare variants themselves.
Stephen.
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