Photography, Music, Fractal Art

P. Angenieux St. Heand AX Type 65 85-90mm projection lens (modified)

Lenses made by the French company Angenieux are very much in demand by collectors, with prices to match. Many do have singular bokeh characteristics. Projection lenses by Angenieux are also very prized, which is why I found it so curious that there are series of Angenieux projection lenses that are still quite affordable. I do not know the story exactly, but I have found three types of Angenieux projection lenses that seem to be relatively unknown: Type 65, Type 75 and Type 86.

All three seem to be lenses made for 35mm projection, and come in various focal lengths. In fact all three of these types have the focal length adjustable over a small range, achieved by turning the back element group, which changes the distance between the front and rear element groups via a screw thread. I have seen focal lengths running from 85mm to 175mm or so. The different between the types lies in the lens diameter, which increases from around 52mm in the 65, to around 67mm in the 75 and around 77mm in the Type 86. This makes these lenses quite bright. My Type 65 turns out to be effectively f1.4.

This particular example has has the rear element group replaced by that from another, unknown, lens, and swirls like crazy. I have another Type 65 that is original and considerably better behaved.