Angénieux Retrofocus 24mm f/3.5 (Type R61)
Angénieux · Alpa · 1957 · Retrofocus (inverted telephoto)
Also known as: Angénieux Retrofocus 24mm f/3.5 · Angenieux Retrofocus Type R61 · P. Angénieux Retrofocus 24mm R61 · Angenieux 24mm f3.5 Alpa
Variants & identification
| Variant | Mount | Years | Serial ranges | Production |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Angénieux Retrofocus 24mm f/3.5 in Alpa mount | Alpa | 1957–1968 | — | Unpublished |
- Construction and weight are The Lens DB's; production is unpublished.
- The three Retrofocus types share a page structure here and a design principle, not glass: each is its own optical design and its own page, as the rule requires.
How to tell them apart
- Engraved P. ANGÉNIEUX PARIS RETROFOCUS TYPE R61; the type code is the way to tell the three apart in a listing
- Alpa bayonet with the external stop-down coupling; the same optic exists in Exakta, Leica, Rectaflex and M42 fittings
- Angénieux Retrofocus 24mm f/3.5 in Alpa mount: The widest of the three, 1957; black in Alpa fitting (Masterpiece Camera); made until 1968. Eight elements in eight groups, 350 g, focus to 0.4 m, eight blades (The Lens DB).
Specifications
- Formula
- Retrofocus (inverted telephoto)
- Construction
- 8 elements / 8 groups
- Aperture range
- f/3.5
- Min. focus
- 0.4 m
- Weight
- 350 g
- Years manufactured
- 1957–1968
- Country
- France
What reviewers say
No reviews aggregated yet — this family is still in the research queue. Written one? We'd love to index it.
History
A single-lens reflex cannot take a symmetrical wide-angle: the mirror needs room behind the lens that a short focal length does not leave. Pierre Angénieux solved it in 1950 with the Retrofocus Type R1, a 35mm f/2.5 built like a reversed telephoto so that its back focus is longer than its focal length — the design every SLR wide-angle since has used. The 28mm f/3.5 Type R11 followed in 1953 and the 24mm f/3.5 Type R61 in 1957, and all three were made until 1968 in fittings for Alpa, Exakta, Leica, Rectaflex and M42 (MW Classic). This page is the 24mm in Alpa mount.
Angénieux published no production figures for its still lenses, and none has been found for the Alpa-mount version of any of the three; dealers price them as rare. No element count is given in a source this entry could reach. No review has been found of one on an Alpa; the retrofocus lenses are written about in their Exakta and Leica fittings, on other cameras.
This history is AI-written, from the sources listed at the foot of the page. Where the record is silent it says so rather than filling the gap — but no human wrote these sentences.
Example photos
Sample photo wanted — shot with a Angénieux Retrofocus 24mm f/3.5 (Type R61)? We'd love to feature it (with credit).
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