Angénieux 24mm f3.5 Type R61. Alpa mount. Automatic diaphragm version. Chrome finish. Made in 1959.
A lever at the bottom of the lens barrel switches between automatic and manual diaphragm operation. This version was supplied in both Alpa and Exakta mounts. The distinctive dial-type aperture control and unique styling are unmistakably French. A black-finished version was also available, although it is rarely seen today.
Retrofocus design with 8 elements in 8 groups. At or near wide open, the center is sharp and well defined, while the edges are somewhat softer, giving images plenty of character. The minimum focusing distance is approximately 40cm. It takes Alpa Size D filters. Incidentally, the later version of the Kinoptik 100mm uses the same filter size. The beautiful matte bead-blasted chrome barrel weighs 345g on our scale.
Among Angénieux Retrofocus wide-angle lenses, the 35mm R1 and 28mm R11 are seen relatively often, but this 24mm R61 is much less common. Only 1,180 examples were produced between 1958 and 1972. Its predecessor, the R51 with a zebra-finished barrel, is even rarer.
Both the R51 and R61 are excellent performers with their own distinctive rendering.
The lens shows very little sign of use and has a clean exterior. There is a small area of lifting and peeling in the chrome plating near the end of the serial number at the front of the barrel.
A full overhaul was carried out by the previous owner, and all functions operate smoothly. These automatic-diaphragm Angénieux lenses often have rather rough helicoids and loose-feeling aperture dials, but thanks to careful servicing, all controls on this example operate very smoothly.
There are a few very light cleaning marks on the front element, as well as minor coating deterioration that is only visible under a strong LED light. Neither should have any noticeable effect on actual images. Overall, the glass is in very clean condition.
Original front and rear caps and a Type D skylight filter are included. The filter shows some deterioration to the glass. Caps and filters for the Angénieux 24mm are quite difficult to find, making this a particularly nice set.
