Vintage Angenieux primes

[Daniel Kuberek]

I own an Angenieux 18.5 R2 lens, but I'm keen to learn more about these prime lenses. 

From what I know, there's other series out there (S, M etc..) but do these lenses match with each other? What movies were they used on? (Apart from the 14.5 used in Stanley Kubrick's movies).

What are the most recommended Angenieux lenses when building a set with the 18.5?

[Simon Wyss]

Colour temperature matching wasn’t a subject when Angénieux designed lenses. At the time the R 2 was computed still about half of the production was black and white. If you have the 18,5 mm in ARRI mount, you’d perhaps want to add an S 41, 25 mm, and an S 5, quite rare. Do you have a Kodak Reflex Special?

[James Coleman Rogers]

The old Angenieux S2 and S3 cine primes were produced in very small numbers, and prices are sky high. Vast majority are now owned by wealthy Chinese collectors who have mostly adapted them for use in photography, usually Leica M. The longer the focal length, the higher the price.

The wider focal lengths (28, 32, 40) you're going to pay between $4000 and $10,000 per lens depending on focal length and condition.

For the middle and longer focal lengths (40, 50, 75, and 100) expect to pay ~ $10,000 or more (the 40 and 50mm), and for the 75 and 100mm you're looking at anywhere from like $25,000 to $60,000. No, not kidding.

And that's assuming you can even find them in the first place. Then from there, since they'll likely have been converted to Leica M mount, you'll need to have them rehoused at a cost of roughly $6,000+ per lens, and that's assuming you can convince TLS or ZeroOptik to take on a custom job since theres no way they'll have rehoused any of these before (except for the 18.5mm).

Then there's the 24mm R series which is similar to the 18.5mm...that one is reasonably affordable but seems to be somewhat rarer than the 18.5mm. Around $2,000 to $4,000.

Only way you might want to do this is if you're a rental house looking to take a risk on an unknown and willing to fork out money for a unique offering.

Edited January 9, 2022 by James Coleman Rogers