Angénieux Retrofocus 28mm f/3.5 (Type R11)
Angénieux · Alpa · 1953 · Retrofocus (inverted telephoto)
Also known as: Angénieux Retrofocus 28mm f/3.5 · Angenieux Retrofocus Type R11 · P. Angénieux Retrofocus 28mm R11 · Angenieux 28mm f3.5 Alpa
Variants & identification
| Variant | Mount | Years | Serial ranges | Production |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Angénieux Retrofocus 28mm f/3.5 in Alpa mount | Alpa | 1953–1968 | — | Unpublished |
- Construction, weight and filter are The Lens DB's; production is unpublished.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 R11; 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 28mm f/3.5 in Alpa mount: The 28mm retrofocus of 1953, in Alpa fitting among others; made until 1968 (MW Classic). Masterpiece Camera lists a silver Alpa example. Six elements in six groups, 330 g, 67 mm filter, focus to 0.5 m; The Lens DB dates the Alpa version 1956. Pignons' catalogue: 'mount of special diameter without possibility of using sunshade and Alpa filters.'
Specifications
- Formula
- Retrofocus (inverted telephoto)
- Construction
- 6 elements / 6 groups
- Aperture range
- f/3.5
- Min. focus
- 0.5 m
- Weight
- 330 g
- Years manufactured
- 1953–1968
- 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 28mm 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 28mm f/3.5 (Type R11)? We'd love to feature it (with credit).
Live listings
Asking price, USD: a median of $1,000 across 3 fixed-price listings on 2026-09-06 (middle half $420–$1,000). First day tracked.
Asking prices from the listings scanned, not sales; junk-flagged rows and auction lots excluded; other currencies are not converted.
- ALPA Angenieux 28mm f3.5 Wide-Angle Lens. Type R11. Alpa 10d, Alpa 11el, Alpa 9d
- Angenieux Retrofocus 3.5/28mm lens for Alpa
- ANGENIEUX Retrofocus Type R11 28mm F3.5 Lens (L) Manual Focus from Japan E0724
- Alpa 28mm f3.5 P. Angenieux Retrofocus Car Excellent Condition Excellent + Box
- Alpa 28mm f3.5 P. Angenieux Retrofocus Car Excellent Condition Excellent + Box
- ANGENIEUX Retrofocus Type R11 28mm F3.5 Lens (L) Manual Focus from Japan E0724
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