Tanaka Kogaku

Tanaka Kogaku is the ultimate "deep cut" in the vintage Japanese camera world. While Canon and Nikon grew up to become global titans, Tanaka flared brightly for about six years and then vanished into thin air. For the Leica M-mount collector, finding a piece of Tanack gear is like finding a lost artifact.

These aren't just cheap knock-offs. The Tanar lenses are legitimate, heavy-duty optics that were often better built than the cameras they were copying. They are famous for two things: incredible rarity (because the company went bust in 1959) and a build quality that feels like it was designed to survive a tank battle.

History

The story of Tanaka is the classic tragedy of the 1950s Japanese camera boom.

The Brief "Tanack" Era (1953 to 1959)

Based in Kawasaki, Tanaka Kogaku arrived a bit late to the party. Their flagship camera, the Tanack IV-S, was a Leica copy, but it had one massive feature that Leitz didn't figure out for another 20 years: a swing-open rear door for loading film. No more trimming leaders or praying to the film gods while blind-loading a bottom loader.

• The Optics: Unlike some brands that just slapped their name on generic glass, Tanaka made their own lenses. They were ambitious, pushing out super-fast f/1.5 primes to fight Nikon.
• The End: Sadly, they bet on rangefinders just as the world was pivoting to SLRs (specifically the Nikon F). By 1959, Tanaka Kogaku was gone, leaving behind a small number of "Tanack" cameras and lenses that are now prized by historians [[1]].

Product Lines (LTM Native)

Tanar lenses are known for being startlingly heavy. When you pick one up, it feels dense—solid brass, thick chrome, and over-engineered mechanics.

The Fast 50s (The Sonnar Clones)

• Tanar 50mm f/1.5: This is the "Unicorn."
  • The Vibe: It’s a classic Sonnar copy (think Jupiter-3 but better built). Wide open, it gives you that dreamy, glowing, "painterly" look that modern lenses can't replicate. Stop it down to f/4, and it’s razor sharp.
  • The Heft: It feels surprisingly dense compared to the aluminum Canon lenses of the same era. It’s a small, chrome brick [[3]].
• Tanar 50mm f/1.8 / f/1.9 / f/2.0: The working-class heroes.
  • The Secret Weapon: Here is the nerdy detail collectors love: these lenses often have 10 to 12 aperture blades. While Canon and Nikon were moving to 6 blades (creating hexagonal bokeh), Tanaka kept the high blade count. This means your out-of-focus highlights stay perfectly round at f/4 or f/5.6 [[2]].

The W-Tanar (Wide Angle)

• W-Tanar 35mm f/2.8: A solid retrofocus design.
  • The Look: It’s often found in a "zebra" finish (black and chrome rings). It’s not clinically sharp like a modern Voigtländer, but it has a lovely, lower-contrast vintage rendering that is fantastic for black and white street photography.
• W-Tanar 35mm f/3.5: A tiny little pancake lens. Not a groundbreaking performer, but it makes the camera disappear in a jacket pocket.

The Tele-Tanar

• Tele-Tanar 85mm f/2: A rare beast. It was their answer to the legendary Nikkor 8.5cm. It’s heavy, rare, and offers a beautiful portrait rendering that melts backgrounds away.

Technical Specifications

Feature	Specification Details
Native Mount	LTM (Leica Thread Mount)
Focus Coupling	Coupled. (Standard rangefinder coupling).
Build Materials	Heavy Brass (Early models) or Black Paint accents (Late models).
Aperture Blades	The secret sauce: often 10+ blades for circular bokeh.
Filter Thread	40.5mm is common, but always measure before buying caps.
Markings	Look for "Tanaka Kogaku" on the beauty ring.
Coatings	Single Coated (Watch out for flare—use a hood!).

Why Photographers Choose Tanaka Kogaku

• The "What is that?" Factor: Pulling out a Tanar lens is an instant conversation starter. Most people have seen a Canon LTM or a Nikkor, but almost nobody has seen a Tanar. It marks you as a true connoisseur of the obscure.
• The Bokeh Advantage: That high blade count on the standard 50mm lenses is a legitimate advantage. If you hate the "stop-sign" bokeh shapes of other 1950s lenses, the Tanar is your cure.
• The Tactile Feel: There is something satisfying about the dampening and weight of these lenses. They feel like industrial machinery, not consumer electronics.

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Sources

• [1] Camerapedia (Tanar Lenses History): https://camerapedia.fandom.com/wiki/Tanar_lenses
• [2] CameraQuest (Tanack IV-S Profile): https://cameraquest.com/tanack4s.htm
• [3] 35mmc (Japanese LTM Lens Overview): https://www.35mmc.com
• [4] Mike Eckman (Tanack IV-S Review): https://mikeeckman.com/2018/10/tanack-iv-s-1958/