Welcome to my listing for an Auto Chinon f1.7/55mm prime lens in M42 mount, serial number 238447.

Overview: An early copy of this faster than average standard lens produced by Chinon Industries in Nagano, Japan. The exact manufacturer is uncertain as, Chinon, Cosina and Tomioka all had factories in the same prefecture, close together and there seemed to be a lot of collaboration between the three. In fact, the bokeh of this lens feels very much like that of the Cosinon 1.7/50 that I own. With 6 elements in 5 groups, the optical construction of these lenses produce images with a painterly soft rendering and bubbly specular highlights which I feel, is unique in its rendition.

Overall Condition: Very good with only slight marks from use, mostly around the aperture setting ring and the leather band around the focus grip has shrunk a little giving a gap. Supplied with generic front & rear caps.

Please study the photographs as these form part of this description and depict the external condition accurately.

Optical Condition: Good, bright and clear with no haze or fungus but there is a few very faint cleaning marks on the front optic which you can just see when looking into a bright light from the rear. I can see no trace of this in the images produced. I can also see a few internal dust specks.

Mechanical Operation: The aperture blades look clean and and smooth in operation in both auto and manual modes. Focus control is also smooth and consistent throughout the range.

Real World Use: Fairly sharp when used wide open, when stopped down it is very sharp across the frame and more clinical in the images it produces. At f1.7 it delivers a lovely soft painterly bokeh with highlights forming bubbles and that is how I use this lens and love the feeling you get with very good contrast and a pleasing colour rendition. All in all, a rewarding lens to shoot with producing images with a classic vintage feel.

Sample Images: All the images below are shot wide open at f1.7 on a Canon 5D Mk3 and Sony NEX-5R.

Thank you for looking. Any questions? Please ask.