FAQ

We don't record:

• lenses designed for formats other than medium format (up to 6x7), 35mm full frame or APS-C,
• lenses with external automatic diaphragm, including but not limited to: lenses with Alpa or Exakta mount, Tokyo Kogaku Auto-Topcor lenses, Miranda dual mount lenses with Pressure Automatic Diaphragm,
• vintage lenses with aperture controlled from the camera body only, including but not limited to: Deckel (DKL) and Topcon UV mount lenses,
• lenses with Altix, Bronica Classic, Canon J (+ Nippon-Kogaku focusing mount), Miranda, Olympus OM AF, Pentacon Six, Petri, Practica B, Voigtlander Prominent, Yashica AF, Yashica Pentamatic mounts,
• lenses of little-known brands, including but not limited to: Acall/Kyoei, Access, Accura, Albinar, Asanuma, Beroflex, Berolina, Bower, Cambron, Carena, Centon, Chinon, Computar, Cosmicar, Danubia, DeJur, Elicar, Focal, Formula 5, Hanimex, JC Penny, Kaligar, Kalimar, Kawanon, Kenlock, Lensbaby, Lomography, Makina, Old Delft, Opteka, Optomax, Osawa, Ozeck, Pallas, Paragon, Pentor, Petri, Phoenix, Photax, Porst, Prinz, Pro Optic, Promaster, Promura, Quantaray, Revuenon, Rokinon, Sakar, Samigon, Sears, Sirius, Starblitz, Sun, Sunagor, Tefnon, Telesar, Tou/Five Star, Unitor, Universar, Upsilon, Varexon, Vitacon, Walimex, Weltblick, Wollensak,
• Ricoh lenses, since most if not all of them were not designed and produced by the company itself, but by the following manufacturers:
  • Rikenon M42-mount lenses - by Cosina, Mamiya, Tokina and Tomioka;
  • XR Rikenon lenses - by Asahi, Cosina and Sigma;
  • Rikenon P lenses - by Cosina, Sigma and Tokina;
• Sigma YS / XQ lenses,
• lenses made by the following German manufacturers: A. Schacht München/Ulm, Enna München, Isco (Optische Werke) Göttingen, Meyer-Optik Görlitz, Pentacon Dresden, Rodenstock München, Steinheil München,
• Soviet/Russian lenses, including but not limited to: Granit, Helios, Industar, Jupiter, Kaleinar, Mir, Peleng, Rubinar, Russar, Tair, Telear, Telemar, Vega, Volna, Yantar, Zenitar, Zodiak,
• Chinese lenses,
• third party manual focus zoom lenses,
• autofocus lenses designed for manual focus cameras,
• lenses developed for military applications (for example, ELCAN lenses made by Ernst Leitz Canada for U.S. Navy),
• CCTV, projection, cine, stereo, enlargement, microscope lenses,
• attachment lenses,
• telecompressors,
• prototype lenses.

On our website, lens specifications are unified and filled out strictly on the basis of data contained in booklets or instruction manuals published by lens manufacturers. We do not use unverified information (i.e. private information not based on manufacturer documents). Because similar independent websites never state their sources, we are not interested in any information from them, and we never sync with them.

Sorry, but we do not collect this kind of data. We do understand that sometimes serial numbers are important and useful (especially in the case of Nikon and Leica lenses), because they can help to distinguish one variant of the lens from another, roughly determine the year of production etc. Anyway, currently we do not have any plans to record sets of serial numbers in our database.

No, we don't sell anything. Nevertheless, there can be links on the pages of our website to online stores or private sellers of photographic equipment, which we consider reliable and whose services we often use when we want to purchase photographic equipment.

Sometimes users of our website have been questioning us in the comments about original or current market prices of certain lenses. Typically, these questions are due to the fact that such users plan to sell lenses on marketplaces (for example, eBay).

Please be informed that our website specializes solely in providing information about lenses. We do not sell them or track their prices: it's just not interesting to us. We also do not provide users with the opportunity to place advertisements. Therefore, we cannot help you determine the original or current market price of a particular lens.