Glass Bodies a variant-level encyclopedia of vintage lenses and cameras by iwillpat

Kinoptik Apochromat 100mm f/2 (Alpa)

Kinoptik · Alpa · 1957 · Gauss type, 6 elements in 4 groups

Also known as: Kinoptik Apochromat 100mm f/2 Alpa · Kinoptik Apo 100mm f2 · Kinoptik Paris Apochromat 1:2 f=100mm · Kinoptik 100/2 Alpa

Variants & identification

Variant Mount Years Serial ranges Production
Apochromat 100mm f/2 Type 1 (1957), preset Alpa 1957 — Part of the 748 (Masterpiece Camera's dealer note for the lens as a whole); unconfirmed
Apochromat 100mm f/2 Type 2 (1961) Alpa 1961 — Part of the 748; unconfirmed
  1. The 748 figure is a dealer's and covers both types; Kinoptik's records are not public. The Lens DB's 1957 and 1961 dates replace the dealer's 1960–80 range for the start of each barrel.
  2. Kinoptik's cine lenses — the Tegea, the Foyer, the 100mm f/2 in Cameflex and Arri mounts — flood any search for the name; the exclusion list is long for that reason.
How to tell them apart (expand)
  • KINOPTIK PARIS APOCHROMAT on a heavy black barrel; the Alpa version alone carries the automatic-diaphragm arm
  • f/2 at 100mm in 1960 — the fastest medium telephoto in the Alpa range by a stop and a half

Specifications

Formula
Gauss type, 6 elements in 4 groups
Construction
6 elements / 4 groups
Aperture range
f/2–f/22
Min. focus
0.7 m
Weight
590 g
Years manufactured
1957–1980
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

Kinoptik of Paris made lenses for the cinema, and its Apochromat 100mm f/2 — six elements in four groups, corrected for three colours — was a cine and still lens before Pignons had it fitted to the Alpa. It came in two Alpa barrels: a Type 1 of 1957 with a preset diaphragm, 590 grams and a 62 mm filter, focusing to 70 centimetres, and a Type 2 of 1961 at 750 grams and 67 mm with the automatic coupling that the Canon, Leica, Minolta and Nikon versions never had. Pignons’ catalogue sold it for theatres, circuses and night clubs. Masterpiece Camera’s dealer note gives 748 made and asks $6,500 for one; the figure is carried as a dealer’s, unconfirmed. Casual Photophile names Kinoptik with Kern, Schneider and Zeiss as the makers Pignons chose by scrutiny. No review of the Alpa-mount lens on an Alpa has been found.

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 Kinoptik Apochromat 100mm f/2 (Alpa)? We'd love to feature it (with credit).

Live listings

Asking price, USD: a median of $4,700 across 6 fixed-price listings on 2026-09-11 (middle half $4,500–$5,100). Tracked since 2026-09-06, 2 days: unchanged from $4,700.

By day
DateMedianMiddle halfListings
2026-09-11$4,700$4,500–$5,1006
2026-09-06$4,700$4,500–$5,1006

Asking prices from the listings scanned, not sales; junk-flagged rows and auction lots excluded; other currencies are not converted.

eBay links are affiliate links. If you buy through one, Glass Bodies earns a small commission from eBay at no cost to you. It does not change which listings appear, their prices or their order — those come from the search and the sort described above.

Listings updated 2026-09-11. Links go to the shop or marketplace that carries the item.

Related: Kinoptik Apochromat 150mm f/2.8 (Alpa)

Sources (6)

Every page here is assembled from public sources, and the gaps are real ones. If you own this lens, know a serial number I'm missing, or can see where I have it wrong, tell me — corrections, serials and sample photos are all worth having.