Products

Teikoku Kogaku of Tokyo introduced the Zunow 5cm f/1.1 in 1953, the first ultra-fast standard lens from a Japanese maker and briefly the fastest photographic lens in series production anywhere. The original version uses nine elements in five groups on a Sonnar-derived plan, its bulbous front giving collectors the nickname ping-pong ball; a revised eight-element type with a flat rear followed in 1955. It was offered in Leica screw, Contax and Nikon rangefinder mounts. Company finances kept output tiny, and survivors are among the most sought-after Japanese lenses.