Tanaka Kogaku Tanar 50mm f/1.8

Tanaka Kogaku Tanar 50mm f/1.8

Among the standard lenses Tanaka Kogaku built for its Tanack rangefinders, the Tanar 5cm f/1.8 stands out for its scarcity rather than its production numbers. It was reportedly created specifically for the Tanack VP, the company's last camera project before it failed in late 1959 [1][2]. The VP was never formally released, and only a handful of cameras and lenses reached the market around 1960, which makes surviving examples uncommon and of particular interest to collectors of Japanese Leica copies [2].

Optically the lens is described as a Sonnar-type design with six elements arranged in three groups [2]. The diaphragm uses ten blades and the aperture scale runs from f/1.8 to f/22, while the distance scale is engraved in both metres and feet [2]. The lens carries Exposure Value readings on the tip, a feature shared with other late Tanar lenses intended for the Tanack V3 [2]. Like the rest of the Tanar line it uses a straight helical so the front of the barrel does not rotate during focusing [2]. The lens is fitted in Leica screw mount (39mm screw, LTM) to suit the Tanack bodies and other LTM cameras [1][2]. The front bezel is engraved with the maker, model, focal length, and serial number in the form Tanaka Kogaku Japan TANAR 1:1.8 f=5cm No.xxxxx [2].

Two distinct versions have been recorded. The first version has an all-black focus ring with fine milling, and only two examples are known, found on their own rather than paired with a camera body; one of these is mounted on a Tanack V3 [2]. The second version has a knurled focus ring with chrome stripes, and two examples have been observed fitted to Tanack VP bodies [2].

Optical qualities

Rendering Independent rendering data for this lens is very limited, reflecting how few examples exist. What can be said from the design is grounded in its Sonnar-type, six-element, three-group layout, a configuration historically associated with good central contrast at wide apertures and a smooth out-of-focus character in fast standard lenses of the era [2]. Specific, repeatable observations about sharpness, bokeh, flare, distortion, or digital performance are not documented by reliable sources, so no firm performance claims can be made here.

History

Development and Launch Tanaka Kogaku, meaning Tanaka Optical, was a Japanese camera and lens maker that began work on a Leica copy, the Tanack 35, in 1952 and released it in 1953 [1]. Through the mid-1950s the company refined the line into the Tanack IIIS and the more successful Tanack IV-S, and it produced a series of Tanar lenses in Leica screw mount to equip these cameras [1]. The fast f/1.8 standard lens belongs to the very end of this story: it is said to have been made for the Tanack VP, the company's final project, with examples appearing only around 1960 after Tanaka's collapse in December 1959 [1][2].

Production Evolution The Tanar standard lenses were mostly sold as a set on a Tanack body, and the line evolved through several speeds, from f/3.5 down to faster f/2, f/1.9, f/1.8, and f/1.5 optics [1][2]. The f/1.8 itself is documented in two barrel variations distinguished by the focus ring: an early all-black, finely milled ring, and a later knurled ring with chrome stripes seen on Tanack VP cameras [2]. Recorded serial numbers for the second version include 82325 and 82426 [2].

Special editions No major factory special editions, military, or export variants of the f/1.8 are widely documented beyond the two barrel versions noted above [2].

Collector Notes Because so few examples are known, provenance and originality matter more than usual. The front bezel engraving format and the Exposure Value markings on the tip are useful authenticity checks, as is the ten-blade diaphragm with an aperture scale from f/1.8 to f/22 [2]. Buyers should be aware that some early-version lenses have surfaced without a matching camera body, while the chrome-striped second version has been observed on Tanack VP bodies [2]. As with any rare Japanese LTM lens of this period, condition of the coatings and helical, and confirmation that the lens has not been rebuilt from parts, are worth verifying before purchase. The wider Tanar accessory range included finders, hoods, filters, caps, and cases that may accompany a lens [2].

Sources

• [1] Camerapedia. Tanaka. https://camerapedia.fandom.com/wiki/Tanaka
• [2] Camerapedia. Tanar lenses. https://camerapedia.fandom.com/wiki/Tanar_lenses