Unique Nikon Lens Set – <E.P> Marked

November 4, 2025November 5, 2025Chris and Carol Leave a comment

I have a Nikon Nikkor-H Auto f/3.5 28mm lens set with unique <E.P> markings. The lens was manufactured between 1971 and June 1973. The <E.P> markings indicate that it was sold in a US military exchange store or could it have been sold in a duty-free shop. What I don’t know is where it was sold. Most likely in Japan, but it could be at any exchange store in Asia since there were many military installations in the Philippines, Guam, South Vietnam, or Thailand. The other possibility is that it was sold at a duty-free shop in Japan or Hong Kong, since by the early 1970s, such shops were common and available to foreign tourists.

The lens is clearly marked with the <E.P> symbol, as is the box. The serial numbers match. The kanji on the box translates to ‘Duty-Free for Export Goods Sales Outlets’, which I have never seen before. During my time in Japan (1977-1980), I never remember seeing a sticker like this on anything I purchased while shopping at the Navy Exchange shops in Yokohama or Yokosuka. Everything sold in an exchange was always ‘duty and tax-free’, so why put a sticker on the product?

The translation.
Please
Nippon Kogaku Kogyo Co., Ltd.
Our trademarks, Nikon and Nikkor, are registered with U.S. Customs. Under U.S. law, Nikon products cannot be cleared through customs by anyone other than our sole distributor, even if they are sent by mail or as separate cargo to the U.S. Therefore, if you are bringing a Nikon product to the U.S., please be sure to carry it with you. The Nikon products that can be carried are one still camera, two interchangeable lenses, one binoculars, and one other optical device.

My first thought was that this was a lens sold at a civilian duty-free shop frequented by tourists, not necessarily by military personnel or their family members. But the <E.P> mark was mainly used on items sold exclusively at military shops, not duty-free shops. The pink card was included in the lens set and may hold the answer, since it mentions only the US.

I enjoy using and collecting early wide-angle lenses. This one is in like-new condition.

Complete as it may have looked when sold in the early 1970s.

So, have I confused you or myself? The sticker on the box still troubles me a bit, but the pink card clearly indicates it was meant for export to the United States, suggesting it was sold at an exchange.

I can’t wait to use it on my Fujifilm X-T2. The results soon.

<E.P> marked camera gear isn’t necessarily worth more in the marketplace. As a collector, I enjoy collecting gear with the marks whenever I can. In some cases, they are extremely rare, so that’s an added bonus.

My Canon F-1 from August 1971. <E.P> marks on these early F-1s are hyper rare. This is the only one I’ve seen in decades of collecting.

Thanks for stopping by, Chris

Follow me on Instagram https://instagram.com/ccphotographyai

Facebook CC Photography of Amelia

Flickr Chasing Classic Cameras with Chris

Comments are always welcome; I’ve learned a great deal from reader feedback. As always, thanks for stopping by. While there, visit my camera shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com (CC Design Studios, hosted on Etsy). – Chris Whelan

Please respect that all content, including photos and text, is this blog’s property and its owner, Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Yashica Sailor Boy, Yashica Chris, Chasing Classic Cameras with Chris. Copyright © 2015-2025 Chasing Classic Cameras with Chris (Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic), Chris Whelan. All rights reserved.

Lens Test – Vivitar 28mm f/2 Auto Wide-Angle Lens for Canon FD Mount

January 24, 2025January 24, 2025Chris and Carol Leave a comment

It’s a relatively rare lens (now) from the late 1970s to early 1980s. Kino Precision likely made the lens under the Kiron brand for Vivitar (started as Ponder & Best in the US). The serial number, SN 22810099, indicates the manufacturer (first two numbers), the year made (8=1978), the week (10=March 6-12), and the consecutive number for that week (099).

The lens is mounted via a K&F Concept FD-FX adapter. It is an older lens with the classic chrome breech lock ring used on Canon cameras starting in the early 1970s.

When I test classic film camera lenses, I almost always use my Fujifilm X-T2 as my platform. The effective focal length with a 1.5x crop sensor mirrorless camera is about 42mm (1.5 x 28).

It’s a heavy lens—288 grams (10.2 oz.) for its size—with lots of glass and brass. I couldn’t find the lens details, so I don’t know how many elements and groups it has. My guess is it has coated optics, as the later lenses have ‘MC’ on the front filter ring. It accepts 55mm filters.

My copy is infested with fungus and shows some haze deep inside. Here are some samples. It’s a shame, really, as the lens has the potential to be a good one. The fast f/2 aperture was not standard or common in a 28mm lens.

Under a bright LED, the internal haze and cloudiness are apparent. The image lacks sharpness.

Again, the fungus, haze, and general cloudiness take their toll.

Outside in dim sunlight, the color balance, as is the clarity, is off a bit.

The lack of detail is especially noticeable along the edges where the fungus filaments are the most evident.

Is it horrible? No, not really. Under the right conditions, it could make for some interesting mood shots. Can it be corrected? Yes, the internal elements and groups would need a deep cleaning.

Thanks for stopping by, Chris

Follow me on Instagram https://instagram.com/ccphotographyai

Facebook CC Photography of Amelia

Flickr Chasing Classic Cameras with Chris

Comments are always welcomed, as I’ve learned quite a bit from reader feedback. As always, thanks for stopping by, and while you’re at it, feel free to visit my camera shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com (CC Design Studios hosted by Etsy). – Chris Whelan

Canon AE-1 Olympic Set

January 23, 2025January 23, 2025Chris and Carol Leave a comment

From the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympics.

Classic Canon AE-1 35mm SLR film camera.

Shown with a sharp Canon New FD 50mm f/1.8 lens.

My set will include everything pictured (minus the display stand).

This is the last AE-1 in my extensive Canon camera collection.

This beautiful set is now available in my Etsy camera shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com. It’s been professionally serviced and returned to factory specifications, including a new battery. Just add the film!

Follow me on Instagram https://instagram.com/ccphotographyai

Facebook CC Photography of Amelia

Flickr Chasing Classic Cameras with Chris

Yashica Pentamatic Lenses

January 9, 2025January 9, 2025Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Yashica Pentamatic ’35’

We recently acquired this lens for our Yashica Pentamatic collection. Why is it important? It’s a great find because it’s the first time we’ve encountered a lens with a lower serial number than one pictured in an advertisement (in this case, the first-ever ad for the Pentamatic, June 1960). We know it is total nerd stuff, but that’s what makes collecting fun.

The lens was made for Yashica by Tomioka Optical, which at the time made about 90% of all their lenses (TLR, SLR, RF, and Cine).

The lens serial number decodes 59 = 1959, 10 = OCT, and 0092, the 92nd lens made since production started.

In the second image, the other lens was made in December and was the 1,630th made. Tomioka was busy producing these lenses long before Yashica released the Pentamatic in March 1960. The first Pentamatic bodies were made in January.

The third image shows an early Yashica Tominon Super Yashinon-R f/2.8 3.5cm wide-angle lens SN 350246. The date code was dropped in favor of a simpler code: 35 = 35 mm, and 0246 is the sequence number since the start of production.

The ad shows a lens with a higher production number than the lens we own. 92 indicates it was made in the first batch of 100 lenses.

The October lens is on the left and the December lens is on the right. No November lenses were made.

From an early batch of wide-angle lenses from Tomioka Optical. This one is number 246.

A fast lens from Tomioka. The f/1.2 55mm lens which was made much later in the M42 screw mount.

Thanks for stopping by, Chris

Follow me on Instagram https://instagram.com/ccphotographyai

Facebook CC Photography of Amelia

Flickr Chasing Classic Cameras with Chris

Classic Canon Chrome

September 12, 2023September 13, 2023Chris and Carol 2 Comments

Chasing Classic Cameras with Chris –
An original version (l) Canon FD 50mm f/1.8 chrome nose lens from November 1971. I love these early Canon chrome nose gems as they look so classic mounted on the first Canon F-1.
The FD 50mm f/1.8 is a sharp alternative to the f/1.4 and often at a much better price.
I have this one in my camera shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com
Thanks, Chris

Canon FD 50mm f/1.8 Chrome Nose lens – 1971

When Canon released its first true professional 35mm SLR in the Spring of 1971, this was likely the lens that would have been with it. Of course, the f/1.4 was an excellent choice, especially for photographers who needed that extra speed for low-light situations. This lens’ date code is L1106 which indicates it was made in November 1971 and was the last version (l) lenses made. The chrome nose models were replaced by 1973 giving way to a slightly lighter and less expensive model. It has 6 elements in 4 groups, uses 55mm filters, and weighs a hefty 332 grams.

Follow me on Instagram at @ccphotographyai

Comments are always welcomed as I’ve learned quite a bit from reader feedback. As always, thanks for stopping by, and while you’re at it, feel free to visit my camera shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com (CC Design Studios hosted by Etsy). – Chris Whelan

More of Leica Bits – revisited

August 18, 2023August 18, 2023Chris and Carol Leave a comment

SUNday Spotlight – Chasing Classic Cameras – Leica Bits!

Follow me on Instagram at @ccphotographyai

Paul’s awesome Yashica site!

February 11, 2022Chris and Carol 2 Comments

My good friend Paul Sokk from Australia has an absolutely awesome Yashica site that covers pretty much everything Yashica has made since day one (1953). Check out this recently updated section about Yashica’s 35mm SLR cameras. http://www.yashicatlr.com/Pentamatic.html#pentaj

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to tell Paul hello! – Chris

Attention collectors!

January 23, 2022Chris and Carol Leave a comment

I have decided to put my rare Meyer Gorlitz Primoplav Red V 58mm f/1.9 lens set up for sale in my online shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com if you’re interested in purchasing this famous and desirable “Bokeh King” lens.

The beauty of this lens is the desirable bokeh that it can deliver and yet stay sharp on the subject even wide open. Fotodiox makes adapters for the Exakta / Topcon mount to fit almost any popular modern DSLR or mirrorless digital camera.

I’ve included everything you see with this gorgeous lens. Only one previous owner and I purchased it from his estate as part of a large buy. AS always, thanks for stopping by and pop on over to my Etsy Shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com to see more and learn more about this historic lens. – Chris

New items in my Camera Shop for September

September 13, 2021September 13, 2021Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Hello and thanks for stopping by! I’ve added some really unique and rare items in my online Camera Shop which is hosted by Etsy at http://www.ccstudio2380.com

Lots more to see at http://www.ccstudio2380.com

Comments are always welcomed as I’ve learned quite a bit from reader feedback. As always, thanks for stopping by and while you’re at it, feel free to visit my camera shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com (CC Design Studios hosted by Etsy). – Chris Whelan

Please respect that all content, including photos and text, are the property of this blog and its owner, Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Yashica Sailor Boy, Yashica Chris, Chasing Classic Cameras with Chris.

New Arrivals

June 15, 2021June 15, 2021Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Hi all… thanks for stopping by! Just in time for Father’s Day I’m offering a nice 10% discount on almost everything in my shop – CC Design Studios at http://www.ccstudio2380.com

Lots of unique items from our vast collection of photo gear and other collectibles from our travels over the years. Here’s a small sample…

We also have a bunch of gear and cameras that haven’t been listed yet. If there’s a particular item you’ve been searching for lets us know as we just might have it. Contact us here or at ccphotographyai@gmail.com

Chasing Classic Cameras with Chris

Yashica cameras and so much more!

Tag Lenses

Unique Nikon Lens Set – <E.P> Marked

Lens Test – Vivitar 28mm f/2 Auto Wide-Angle Lens for Canon FD Mount

Canon AE-1 Olympic Set

Yashica Pentamatic Lenses

Classic Canon Chrome

More of Leica Bits – revisited

Paul’s awesome Yashica site!

Attention collectors!

New items in my Camera Shop for September

New Arrivals