Kyoei

Kyoei

Kyoei, formally seen on lenses as Kyoei Optical Co., Ltd., was a Japanese optical manufacturer active during the mid twentieth century. The company is best known among collectors for producing manual focus interchangeable lenses under the Acall, W.Acall, and Super-Acall names. Kyoei lenses appeared in several mounts, including Leica screw mount, M39, LTM, Exakta, M42, and other camera systems.

In the Leica-compatible rangefinder context, Kyoei is relevant because of a small group of M39 Leica screw mount lenses made for 35mm rangefinder cameras. These include the W.Acall 35mm f/3.5, Acall 80mm f/3.5, Acall 105mm f/2.8, Acall 105mm f/3.5, and Super-Acall 135mm f/3.5. Some references also mention a longer Acall 250mm f/4, but this lens should be treated carefully because not every long Kyoei lens was rangefinder-coupled.

Kyoei should be understood as a specialist third-party lens maker rather than a major camera manufacturer. The company’s history is less documented than brands such as Canon, Nikon, Minolta, or Komura, but its confirmed Leica screw mount lenses make it a valid historical make for a Leica-compatible lens database.

History

Founding / Early Years

The exact founding year of Kyoei Optical Co., Ltd. has not been reliably verified. Available lens records and collector sources place the company in the post-war Japanese optical industry, especially during the 1950s and 1960s. Because of the limited documentation, the safest value for the founding year is Unknown rather than an estimated date.

Kyoei was part of the wave of smaller Japanese optical manufacturers that supplied third-party lenses during the rapid growth of 35mm photography after the Second World War. These makers often produced lenses for several camera mounts instead of building complete camera systems. Kyoei’s lenses were commonly branded Acall, while wide-angle versions used the W.Acall name and some telephoto versions used Super-Acall.

Leica Screw Mount Production

Kyoei’s most important products for Leica-compatible collectors are its lenses in Leica screw mount, also known as LTM, L39, or M39. These lenses were made for Leica cameras and Leica-copy rangefinders, including Japanese and other M39 rangefinder systems.

The best-known Kyoei rangefinder lenses include the W.Acall 35mm f/3.5 and Super-Acall 135mm f/3.5. Dealer and auction records also document Kyoei lenses in M39 Leica screw mount, confirming that the company’s Acall lens family belongs within the Leica-compatible rangefinder ecosystem.

Kyoei lenses should be identified carefully because M39 threading was used by different camera systems. A lens being threaded M39 does not automatically mean it is suitable for Leica rangefinder use. For this make, confirmed Leica screw mount examples should be checked for proper flange distance and rangefinder coupling.

Acall, W.Acall, and Super-Acall Naming

The Acall name appears to have been Kyoei’s main trade name. The prefix W in W.Acall likely indicated wide-angle lenses, while Super-Acall was used on some telephoto lenses. On some examples, the Kyoei company name is visible on the lens barrel, while in other cases the Acall branding is more prominent.

This makes naming important for database accuracy. The make should be Kyoei, while Acall, W.Acall, or Super-Acall should be treated as lens series or model names.

SLR and Multi-Mount Production

Kyoei also produced lenses for SLR systems, including M42 screw mount and Exakta mount. Some Kyoei lens designs are visually or mechanically related to lenses sold under other Japanese brands, including Petri, Kuribayashi, and Orikkor contexts. This suggests that Kyoei may have worked as both a branded lens maker and an OEM-style supplier.

As the camera market shifted toward SLR systems in the 1960s, smaller independent lens makers increasingly moved away from rangefinder lenses. Kyoei’s later history is not well documented, and the company appears to have disappeared or been absorbed into the broader Japanese third-party lens industry.

Product Lines

Leica Screw Mount Rangefinder Lenses

Kyoei’s most important product line for this database is its group of Leica screw mount, LTM, and M39 rangefinder lenses. Known or documented examples include the W.Acall 35mm f/3.5, W.Acall 35mm f/2.8, Acall 80mm f/3.5, Acall 105mm f/2.8, Acall 105mm f/3.5, and Super-Acall 135mm f/3.5.

W.Acall Wide-Angle Lenses

The W.Acall name was used for Kyoei wide-angle lenses. The most relevant example is the W.Acall 35mm f/3.5 in Leica screw mount. This lens is one of the clearest Kyoei lenses for the rangefinder market and is frequently referenced in collector discussions of unusual Japanese LTM lenses.

Acall Short Telephoto Lenses

The Acall name appears on short telephoto lenses including 80mm and 105mm versions. The Acall 105mm f/3.5 is especially relevant because it appears in Leica Thread Mount examples and fits the same collector niche as other uncommon Japanese LTM telephoto lenses from the 1950s and 1960s.

Super-Acall Telephoto Lenses

The Super-Acall 135mm f/3.5 is one of the best-documented Kyoei lenses in Leica screw mount. It appears in black and chrome finishes and is often described as a solid, well-built Japanese telephoto lens for M39 rangefinder cameras. Some examples are engraved Kyoei Optical Co., Ltd.

SLR and Exakta Lenses

Kyoei also made lenses for SLR mounts such as M42 and Exakta. These lenses are outside the main Leica-compatible rangefinder scope unless they were originally produced in Leica screw mount or later converted in a historically significant way.

Long Telephoto and Specialty Lenses

Kyoei is also associated with longer lenses, including a reported Acall 250mm f/4. Long Kyoei lenses should be treated carefully because some may not be rangefinder-coupled and may have been intended for reflex housing or SLR use rather than normal Leica rangefinder focusing.

Technical Characteristics

Feature Description
Company Type Japanese third-party photographic lens manufacturer.
Formal Name Kyoei Optical Co., Ltd.
Known Trade Names Acall, W.Acall, Super-Acall.
Historic Base Japan.
Main Products Manual focus lenses for Leica screw mount, M39, Exakta, M42, and other camera systems.
Leica-Compatible Relevance Confirmed Leica screw mount and M39 rangefinder lenses under the Acall, W.Acall, and Super-Acall names.
Important Leica-Compatible Lenses W.Acall 35mm f/3.5, Acall 105mm f/3.5, Super-Acall 135mm f/3.5.
Relevant Mounts Leica screw mount, LTM, L39, M39 on confirmed rangefinder examples.
Other Mounts M42, Exakta, and other SLR or camera-specific mounts.
Rangefinder Coupling Present on confirmed Leica screw mount rangefinder examples.
Optical Character Early Japanese third-party rendering, moderate contrast, vintage sharpness, and practical telephoto performance.
Collector Caution M39 threading alone is not enough to confirm Leica compatibility. Confirm flange distance and rangefinder coupling per lens.
Related Brands / Context Petri, Kuribayashi, Orikkor, Komura, Sun Optical, and other post-war Japanese third-party lens makers.

Market Reception

Kyoei is a niche make, but it has clear value for collectors of unusual Japanese Leica screw mount lenses. The company is much less documented than larger Japanese optical manufacturers, which makes its lenses more difficult to research and identify. This obscurity is part of its collector appeal.

The W.Acall 35mm f/3.5 and Super-Acall 135mm f/3.5 are the most recognizable Kyoei lenses in the Leica-compatible rangefinder world. They are not usually treated as premium lenses in the same category as Leica, Canon, Nikon, or early Voigtländer optics, but they are historically interesting because they show how smaller Japanese manufacturers served the Leica screw mount market during the post-war period.

Kyoei lenses are typically valued for rarity, mechanical curiosity, and their place in the broader Japanese third-party lens market. Good examples can be useful shooting lenses, especially on Leica screw mount cameras or Leica M bodies with an adapter, but condition and rangefinder calibration matter. Because documentation is limited, each Kyoei lens should be recorded carefully with mount photos, engravings, serial number, scale type, and rangefinder-coupling details where possible.

Sources

Lenses (3)

Filters 3 results
Make Model Price Focal Length Aperture Release year Diameter (mm) Length (mm) Weight (g) Min focus distance Elements Groups Filter diameter (mm) MountModel number(s)Actions
KyoeiSuper-Acall 105mm f/3.5—1053.5———————40.5LTM / M39Super-Acall 105mm f/3.5, , Kyoei 105mm f/3.5 Super-Acall, Acall 105mm f/3.5
KyoeiW.Acall 35mm f/3.5—353.5———————41.3LTM / M39W.Acall 35mm f/3.5, Kyoei W.Acall 35mm f/3.5, Acall 35mm f/3.5, W-Acall 35mm f/3.5
KyoeiAcall 80mm f/3.5—803.5————————LTM / M39Acall 80mm f/3.5, Kyoei Acall 80mm f/3.5 LTM, Kyoei Optical Acall 80mm f/3.5