Circa 1959 - 1966
back row: 20cm f/4 Q, 13.5cm f/4 Q, 13.5cm f/3.5 Q, 10.5cm f/4 T, 2.1cm f/4 O
front row: 10.5cm f/2.5 P, 3.5cm f/2.8 S, 5.5cm f/3.5 micro, 5.8cm f/1.4 S, 2.8cm f/3.5 H, 5cm f/2 S
These are the lenses that made the F mount a huge success! Unfortunately several of these lenses are rare and expensive. In addition, a few of these lenses require extra care because the back of the aperture rings projected further than modern lenses, or they require mirror-lock-up, or they require using preset apertures.
Starting around 1962, new lenses that were introduced were in millimeters instead of centimeters, but cm marked lenses continued to be produced until about 1967.
There are many variations in these early lenses, some that bear mentioning are the very rare tick-marked lenses, lenses with 9-bladed apertures, lenses that are only marked in feet or only in meters, and many others. Photosynthesis and Uli Koch's book are good references.
The letters represent the number of lens elements:
T - like tri - 3
Q - like quad - 4
P - like penta - 5
H - like hexa - 6
S - like septa - 7
O - like octa - 8
N - like nona - 9
Only a few of these designs made the transition to being marked in mm: the 28mm f/3.5, 55mm f/3.5 macro (with major mechanical changes), and 200mm f/4 stuck around for a while, the 105mm f/2.5 and 135mm f/3.5 were replaced by new versions fairly quickly, only a couple hundred 85-250mm f/4-4.5 and 200-600mm f/9.5-10.5 were made before being replaced with new constant aperture designs.
As always this is a strictly worse version of Photosynthesis.
2.1cm f/4 O (circa '59-'67)
A rare lens requiring mirror lock-up and an external finder. Approximately 6000 made. Around first 300 have a different rear collar. The next 1700 or so have PAT PEND markings. Replaced by the 20mm f/3.5 UD.
2.8cm f/3.5 H (circa '60-'67)
Around 56000 made. Approximately the first 7000 are marked PAT PEND. About the last 3000 have scalloped aperture rings. This design is also available marked in mm and a K version (with closer focus and more aperture blades).
3.5cm f/2.8 S (circa '59-'62)
A rare lens, approximately 7400 made. All are marked PAT PEND. It is believed 600 or so were tick-marked, but the serial numbers were not contiguous. Around the first 4000 have 9 bladed apertures, later ones have 6. Replaced by the 35mm f/2.8 S.
5cm f/2 S (circa '59-'63)
Approximately 64,000 made. A weird design, a seventh element was added to get the retrofocus needed because of the mirror. Around the first 5500 are tick-marked. About the first 15000 have 9 aperture blades, later have 6. All but about the last 20000 are marked PAT PEND. Replaced by the 50mm f/2 H.
5.5cm f/3.5 micro (circa '61-'63)
The rare preset version of this lens. The earlier samples have recessed filter threads, the later have raised filter threads. Approximately 2300 made, fairly equally split between the two versions. All are marked PAT PEND. The lens design is also available marked in mm, multicoated, and even in K and AI versions.
5.8cm f/1.4 S (circa '59-'62)
Approximately 35000 made. All are marked PAT PEND. Replaced by the 50mm f/1.4 S.
10.5cm f/4 T (circa '60-'61)
A rare preset lens with a simple triplet design. Approximately 5900 made. Suprisingly the early ones are marked in both feet and meters, the later ones are only in feer or meters.
10.5cm f/2.5 P (circa '59-mid 60s)
Approximately 33000 made. Around the first 1000 are tick-marked. About the first 4500 have 9-bladed apertures, later ones have 6. About the first 11000 are marked PAT PEND. Also available marked in mm (with the silver front, the black fronted ones are a newer design).
13.5cm f/3.5 Q (circa '59-mid 60s)
Approximately 32000 made. Around the first 1000 are tick-marked. About the first 4000 have 9-bladed apertures, later ones have 6. Approximately the first 15000 are marked PAT PEND. Also available marked in mm (the 6-bladed, f/22 version with the longer aperture ring: the 7-bladed, f/32 version with scalloped ring are a newer design).
13.5cm f/4 Q (circa '59-'69)
Rare bellows lens. Approximately 3400 made. The short mount has a female bayonet mount to be used with a reversing BR1 tube, as well as a M39 screwmount. Also available marked in mm, in both short and long mount.
20cm f/4 Q (circa '61-mid 60s)
Approximately 49000 made. About the first 500 do not have a hood button, and about the first 5000 have PAT PEND markings. Apparently there are a couple late versions with a tapered identity ring. Also available marked in mm, with 7 aperture blades and closer focusing.
50cm f/5 reflex (circa '61-'66)
A rare, fast reflex lens. Approximately 2500 made. About the first 700 have a conical identity ring, the later ones have flat identity rings. Also available (very rarely) marked in mm. Replaced by the 500mm f/8 reflex.
8.5-25cm f/4-4.5 (circa '59-late 60s)
A rare early zoom. Approximately 6200 made. Roughly the first 1300 have separate zoom and focusing rings, the rest are one-touch zooms. All the two touch zooms have PAT PEND markings, only about 500 of the one-touch zooms do. Also available marked in mm (rarely).
20-60cm f/9.5-10.5 (circa '61-late 60s)
A rare early zoom, very slow. Approximately 1300 made. Around the first 300 are marked PAT PEND. Also available (very rarely) marked in mm. Replaced by the 200-600mm f/9.5.
1000mm f/6.3 Reflex (circa '59-65)
Very rare, very big, very expensive. Around 60 made. For some reason it was always marked in mm. Replaced by the 1000mm f/11 Reflex.
There are also some rare rangefinder telephoto lenses that could be adapted to the F mount:
18cm f/2.5 (circa '55-'64)
An example. Around 710 made.
25cm f/4 (circa '53-'63)
An example. More info. Around 1600 made.
35cm f/4.5 (circa '59-'64)
An example. Simple triplet design. Around 620 made.
50cm f/5 T (circa '52-'61)
Simple triplet design. Around 450 made.
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