Help me pick out a 35mm F mount lens for my Ricoh Singlex

[fjrabon]

So, I have an original Ricoh Singlex, that's in pretty good condition. It's essentially exactly like the old Mamiya made for Nikon Nikkorex F: F mount, Copal square shutter. No light meter, manual focus through the aid of an in viewfinder magnification prism. Shutter speed dial. ASA rotary on the back.

I have the 55mm f/1.4 it comes with, which is a pretty great little lens, imho. I think it was made by Mamiya, for all intents and purposes, as Ricoh seems to have just bought the line. Same factory, same workers, everything.

Not my actual camera, but it looks exactly like this:

Am I right in thinking that any f-mount lens with an aperture ring on it will work with this camera? I guess I could try out my 80-200 D F mount, but I'm sort of scared on messing something up without knowing for sure that this is okay. I wouldn't want to damage the places where the lens communicates with my more modern Nikons by putting it on there if it really shouldn't be.

Anyway, I really want something in the 24-35mm range for this camera. I am shooting Kodak TMax 400 B&W with it. I like the 55mm it comes with, but would also like a wider FOV for it.

 

[Derrel]

You might like the older, 35mm f/2 O.C. Nikkor. It's got a nice bit of roundness to its OOF background areas...it's not a bitingly sharp, clinical, modern lens, so it doesn't deliver that hashy, nervous bokeh like say the Siggy 35/1.4 does. I mean, if you're looking for something that makes nice pictures, as opposed to a test chart,star test performer, I think the 35/2 O.C. might be a good choice. And it will look, and be, approximately era-appropriate. It is coated, I think the era is 1965- to 68 or so. It is pre-Ai in its native state, but you might very easily encounter one that has be AI-modified, either officially, by Nikon, or by a repairman, or DIY-modded.

I don't have hardly anything from that era digitized or on-line...most are prints, a few nudes, a few party shots, most of it is still B&W sitting in negative file notebooks, but this one frame was shot with a 35/2 O.C. at f/4.R59-15A-Dana Tri X1986.JPG photo - Derrel photos at pbase.com

 

[fjrabon]

You might like the older, 35mm f/2 O.C. Nikkor. It's got a nice bit of roundness to its OOF background areas...it's not a bitingly sharp, clinical, modern lens, so it doesn't deliver that hashy, nervous bokeh like say the Siggy 35/1.4 does. I mean, if you're looking for something that makes nice pictures, as opposed to a test chart,star test performer, I think the 35/2 O.C. might be a good choice. And it will look, and be, approximately era-appropriate. It is coated, I think the era is 1965- to 68 or so. It is pre-Ai in its native state, but you might very easily encounter one that has be AI-modified, either officially, by Nikon, or by a repairman, or DIY-modded.

I don't have hardly anything from that era digitized or on-line...most are prints, a few nudes, a few party shots, most of it is still B&W sitting in negative file notebooks, but this one frame was shot with a 35/2 O.C. at f/4.R59-15A-Dana Tri X1986.JPG photo - Derrel photos at pbase.com

Awesome! Any idea if I can use af d lenses with an aperture ring on this?

 

[Derrel]

I guess if it uses the standard Nikon aperture actuation system in the camera that AF-D lenses would work. Earlier I looked on WIkipedia...I know zero about Nikkorexes...but if the lens on the camera now uses the mechanical aperture tab, located at roughly 2 o'clock...I'd say yeah, I think you could use an AF-D lens on this thing. Nikon camera models SLR 1959-1965

Nikon F AI d AI AIS Lenses
Well, non-AI lenses work on that camera...and AF-D lenses use the SAME exact diaphragm mechanism...so...I actually think AF-D lenses (including your 80-200) ought to bayonet right on and shoot...