Arco Shashin Kogyo K.K. Anastigmat Tele-Snowva 135mm f/3.8 LTM

Arco Anastigmat Tele-Snowva 135mm f/3.8 LTM

The Arco Anastigmat Tele-Snowva 135mm f/3.8 is a rare Japanese telephoto lens made in Leica screw mount for 35mm rangefinder cameras. It belongs to Arco’s small group of aftermarket lenses produced under the Colinar, Tele-Colinar and Snowva names. Camerapedia lists “Colinar, Tele-Colinar or Tele-Snowva 13.5cm f/3.8” as Leica screw-mount Arco lenses .

This lens should be kept separate from the later Arco Tele-Colinar 13.5cm f/3.5 lenses for Exakta and 42mm screw mount. It should also be separated from unrelated Japanese 135mm LTM lenses by Canon, Nikon, Tanaka, Sun, Komura and Kyoei. This entry covers the Leica L39 / LTM / M39 rangefinder version of the Arco 13.5cm f/3.8 family.

Optical qualities

Rendering

Reliable formal testing of the Tele-Snowva version is very limited. The related Arco Tele-Colinar 13.5cm f/3.8 has been described by users as a vintage Japanese LTM telephoto with good practical rendering, but these reports should not automatically be treated as measured Tele-Snowva performance .

Sharpness

No reliable bench test was found for the Tele-Snowva version. User reports for the closely related Tele-Colinar f/3.8 are generally positive, including reports of strong sharpness from wide open, but these are sample-level observations and should be used cautiously .

Contrast and coating

Arco f/3.8 telephoto examples are documented with “C” coated markings in Tele-Colinar form, while the exact coating status of each Tele-Snowva copy should be checked from the front engraving and optical reflections. Manuellfokus describes a Tele-Colinar C example as single-coated, while Fotohandel Delfshaven does not explicitly state the coating status of its Tele-Snowva example.

Bokeh and transitions

Digital use

The lens can be used on Leica M bodies with a standard L39-to-M adapter and on mirrorless cameras with suitable adapters. As with other vintage 135mm rangefinder lenses, rangefinder calibration, adapter accuracy and close-focus accuracy should be checked carefully on the exact camera body.

History

Development and Launch

Arco was founded in 1946 as Asaka Seiko and changed its name to Arco Shashin Kogyo K.K. in 1949. Camerapedia states that the company began producing aftermarket lenses in Leica screw mount, Exakta mount and 42mm screw mount under the Colinar and Snowva brands. Manuellfokus states that the Arco Colinar 135mm was launched in 1952 and that the lenses were branded as Colinar, Tele-Colinar and Tele-Snowva.

Production Evolution

The Arco 13.5cm f/3.8 Leica screw-mount telephoto family appears under several names, including Colinar, Tele-Colinar and Tele-Snowva. Camerapedia lists these names together for the 13.5cm f/3.8 Leica screw-mount lens. Manuellfokus reports that the 135mm Arco lenses were produced until 1957 and existed in chrome-plated brass and aluminum versions, with chrome versions being heavier. The exact release date and production span of the Tele-Snowva-branded version alone are not fully documented.

Special Editions/Variants

No commemorative factory special edition is documented. Collector-relevant variants are mainly name, barrel and mount variants: Colinar 13.5cm f/3.8, Tele-Colinar 13.5cm f/3.8, Tele-Snowva 13.5cm f/3.8, chrome brass barrels, aluminum barrels and non-Leica versions. The Leica L39 / LTM / M39 version is the rangefinder version covered in this entry.

Collector Notes

Collectors should verify the exact front engraving, especially whether the lens says Colinar, Tele-Colinar or Tele-Snowva. Important checks include Leica L39 mount, rangefinder coupling, infinity focus, aperture operation, aperture blade count, serial number, coating marks, haze, cleaning marks, fungus, stiff focusing and whether the lens includes an original Arco cap, wooden box or case. Since the lens is obscure and seller titles may mix 135mm and 13.5cm naming, physical engraving should be used as the primary identification point .