General[]
Radioactive Lenses
There are a significant number of lenses produced from the 1940s through the 1970s that are measurably radioactive. Main source of radioactivity is the use of thorium oxide (up to 30% by weight) as a component of the glass used in the lens elements. Thorium oxide has a crystalline structural similar to calcium fluoride (fluorite). Like fluorite, its optical properties of high refractivity and low dispersion allows lens designers to minimize chromatic aberration and use lenses of lower curvature, which are less expensive to produce. Despite statements to the contrary, lenses containing lanthanum are not appreciably radioactive - lanthanum is only 1/10,000th as radioactive as thorium. Radioactivity in lanthanum containing lenses is due to the intentional inclusion of thorium in the optical glass mix. The presence of thorium can sometimes, depending on the mixture of other elements in the lens, cause moderate to severe browning of the lens elements. Other common misconceptions hold that it is the coatings of these lenses which are radioactive and brown over time, and that the browning occurs in the balsam between cemented elements. It is the glass itself that contains the radioactive ThO2, and the browning therein is caused by the radiation-induced formation of color centers in the glass matrix.
Radiation Levels[]
Typical radiation levels can approach 10 mR/hr (100 μSv/h) as measured at the lens element's surface, decreasing substantially with distance; at a distance of 3 ft. (.9 m.) the radiation level is difficult to detect over typical background levels. For reference, a typical chest x-ray consists of about about 10 mR, a round-trip cross country airline flight exposes a passenger to 5 mR, and a full set of dental x-rays exposes the patient to 10 mR to 40mR. A study carried out by the Physics department of Sweden's Royal Institute of Technology estimates that total exposure to a professional photographer using a typical thoriated lens would amount to only 0.2% yearly allowable exposure to the eye and 0.17% to the whole body under the conservative standards of the Swedish Radiation Protection Authority.
Most smaller lenses with thorium elements pose a negligible risk to human health. However, thoriated glass eyepieces are significantly more dangerous. They can give a very large alpha and beta particle dose to the cornea of the eye, potentially causing cataracts and other problems. Normally these particles are stopped by skin, but the surface of the eye can be quickly damaged by them, and at close range, the dose can be very high. Additionaly, some Skylight 1A filters of the era were tested positive for radiation, such as from Pentax, Hoya and Kenko.
Kodak Lenses[]
By far the most prolific known producer of radioactive lenses was Eastman Kodak. From the 1940s through the 1960s, substantial numbers of amateur cameras were produced and sold with thoriated (containing thorium oxide) lenses, including some of the Pony, Signet, and high end Instamatic (e.g. 800 and 814, but not 100 or 124) cameras. In addition, many professional level Ektar lenses from this era contain thorium. Perhaps the most famous radioactive lenses of all were the Kodak Aero-Ektars.
Curiously, in his notable book, A History Of The Photographic Lens, Rudolf Kingslake (head of the Eastman Kodak lens design department 1937-1968), makes only a single passing comment on the possible use of thorium in Kodak lenses.
Lenses with elements made of radioisotope-containing glass[]
Some lenses of the 1960s, such as early Minolta Rokkor lenses, have elements to made of glass formulas which include small traces of radioactive rare-earth elements. Sometimes this incidental radioactivity causes a significant browning of these lens elements. Some users of such lenses reported in camera blogs that they reduced the browning by exposing these lenses to the ultraviolet rays of the sun. The procedure requires several days of sunny weather to have a positive effect.
The effective diminishment of radiation-induced browning by exposure to sunlight has also been reported for some lenses with thorium glass elements, for example for the Nikkor 35mm f/1.4 lens and the Asahi Super Takumar 50mm f/1.4 lens. Exposure to UV light from artificial sources, including fluorescent bulbs and UV-emitting LEDs is an even more efficient method for reducing the appearance of browning.
Tested lenses[]
This section contains a list of lenses that the contributors of this page have personally tested with their own Geiger counter [i.e. gentle plea NOT to add lenses based on second-hand accounts, no matter how reliable these may be]
Lenses Tested Radioactive (by contributors to this page)[]
Some other lenses not listed here may be radioactive: "The absence of the proof is not the proof of the absence"
Please include the serial number of the lens if known, device used, and radiation levels for front and rear. Each row should be for each lens sample.
| Lens | Focal length | Aperture | Serial | ☢ Radioactivity | Notes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Argus Cintagon | 50 mm | f/2.8 | |||||||
| Agfa Color Solinar | 50 mm | f/2.8 | S51644 | ~70 cpm (front) | |||||
| Agfa Solinar | 50 mm | f/2.8 | S01812 | 385 cpm/2.4 µSv/h (front), ~100 cpm/0.7 µSv/h (rear) | Agfa Karat 36, front element group | ||||
| Bell & Howell Director Series (Model 1208?) XL Super 8 | 9-22.5 mm | f/1.2 | movie camera zoom lens | ||||||
| Canon FL | 50 mm | f/1.4 | 15324 | up to 770 cpm (rear lens) | very early version billead.com (archive) | ||||
| Canon FL I | 50 mm | f/1.8 | 58233 | up to 450 cpm/26 µSv/h (rear lens), up to 7 cpm/0.4 µSv/h (behind camera or at the lens barrel) | early version with graphic hyperfocal distance scale) billead.com (archive) | ||||
| Canon FL | 58 mm | f/1.2 | 25516, 44528 which one? | up to 180 cpm/10 µSv/h (back lens), up to 30 cpm/1.7 µSv/h (behind camera or at the lens barrel) | billead.com (archive) YouTube | ||||
| Canon FD | 17 mm | f/4 | |||||||
| Canon FD | 35 mm | f/2.0 | versions from the early 1970's - concave front element | ||||||
| Canon FD L | 50 mm | f/1.2 | Early versions | ||||||
| Canon FD S.S.C. Aspherical | 55 mm | f/1.2 | 46,532 cpm (front element) | S.S.C non-Aspherical is not radioactive YouTube | |||||
| Canon FL | 50 mm | f/1.4 | 18974 | 700 cpm (front element), 25,000 cpm (rear element) with Johnson HP-265 (α, β, γ) probe; 175 cpm (front element), 1200 cpm (rear element) with Johnson GP-1001 (γ only) probe; 1.35 µSv/h (front element), 9.4 µSv/h (rear element) with Better Geiger S-1 scintillator dose rate meter | |||||
| Canon (SUPER-CANOMATIC LENS) R | 50 mm | f/1.8 | 78xxx | YouTube | |||||
| Canon (SUPER-CANOMATIC LENS) R | 58 mm | f/1.12 | 10050 | 0.32 µSv/h (front), 1.02 µSv/h (rear) | |||||
| Canon TV Zoom J6X13 | 13-76 mm | f/1.9 | |||||||
| Carl Zeiss Jena Pancolar | 55 mm | f/1.4 | 2.36 μSv/h | MF Lenses forum | |||||
| Carl Zeiss Jena Pancolar | 50 mm | f/1.8 | "Zebra" 1964-67, up to serial number 8552600 | ||||||
| Carl Zeiss Sonnar | 180 mm | f/4.8 | 0.65-0.7 µSv/h (rear element) | for Linhof Super Technika IV 6x9 | |||||
| Carl Zeiss Jena Biometar | 80 mm | f/2.8 | "Zebra" Only P6 mount version | ||||||
| Carl Zeiss Jena Flektogon | 20 mm | f/4 | 6770596 | Exakta mount. | |||||
| Carl Zeiss Jena Flektogon | 50 mm | f/4 | 2.5-3.0 µSv/h | "Zebra" Only P6 mount version YouTube YouTube | |||||
| Carl Zeiss Jena Flektogon | 50 mm | f/4 | 23.6 µSv/h | "Pre-Zebra" Only P6 mount version YouTube | |||||
| Carl Zeiss Jena Prakticar | 50 mm | f/1.4 | first version with engravings around the outer side of barrel | ||||||
| Carl Zeiss Tessar | 80 mm | f/2.8 | |||||||
| Enna München Lithagon | 35 mm | f/3.5 | 4021100 | zebra version, 0.34 µSv/h (through rear plastic cap), 0.44 µSv/h (rear lens wihtout cap), 0.85-1 µSv/h (rear element taken out and measured separately) | M42, tested by me with GQ GMC-300E. See also DCC.de for a non-quantitative mention | ||||
| Focal | 35 mm | f/2.8 | Kmart store brand | ||||||
| Fujica Fujinon EBC | 19 mm | f/3.5 | Arkku at mflenses.com | ||||||
| Fujica Fujinon EBC | 35 mm | f/1.9 | Arkku at mflenses.com | ||||||
| Fujica Fujinon (non-EBC) | 35 mm | f/3.5 | 0.30 µSv/h - rear element | ||||||
| Fujica Fujinon | 50 mm | f/1.4 | 35,137 cpm (rear element) | non-EBC early style = non-uniformly segmented focusing ring | |||||
| Fujica Fujinon EBC | 50 mm | f/1.4 | EBC early style = non-uniformly segmented focusing ring YouTube (unspecified EBC or not) | ||||||
| Fujica Fujinon (non-EBC) | 55 mm | f/2.2 | front element | only some versions with flat printed text and 2 screws holding the apperture scale ring | |||||
| Fujica Funinon EBC | 100 mm | f/2.8 | Arkku at mflenses.com YouTube | ||||||
| Fujica Fujinon EBC | 400 mm | f/4.5 | Arkku at mflenses.com | ||||||
| Fujica Fujinon EBC | 600 mm | f/5.6 | Arkku at mflenses.com | ||||||
| GAF Anscomatic | 38 mm | f/2.8 | GAF Anscomatic 726 camera | ||||||
| Heinz Kilfitt | 40 mm | f/2.8 | Makro-Kilar all variants | ||||||
| Heinz Kilfitt | 90 mm | f/2.8 | Makro Kilar all variants | ||||||
| Kodak Ektar | 101 mm | f/4.5 | Miniature Crown Graphic camera. lens mfg. 1946 | ||||||
| Kodak Ektar | 38 mm | f/2.8 | Kodak Instamatic 814 & 714 camera lens. mfg. 1968-1970 | ||||||
| Kodak pocket Instamatic 500 | 25mm | f/5.6 | 1.10 µSv/h (β+γ) 0.3 µSv/h (γ) (Terra-P MKS-05) | Kodak pocket Instamatic 500 lens. mfg. 1972-1976 | |||||
| Kodak Ektanar | 50 mm | f/2.8 | Kodak Signet 80 camera. lens mfg. 1958-1962 (3 examples) | ||||||
| Kodak Ektanar | 90 mm | f/4 | Kodak Signet 80 camera. lens mfg. 1958-1962 | ||||||
| Kodak Ektanar | 44 mm | f/2.8 | Kodak Signet 30, Kodak Signet 50, Kodak Automatic 35/Motormatic 35 cameras. lenses mfg. 1959-1969 | ||||||
| Kodak Ektanon | 50 mm
|
f/3.9 | Kodak Bantam RF camera. lens mfg. 1954-1957 | ||||||
| Kodak Ektanon | 46 mm | f/3.5 | Kodak Signet 40 camera. lens mfg. 1956-1959 | ||||||
| Kodak Anastar | 44 mm | f/3.5 | Kodak Pony IV camera | ||||||
| Kodak Color Printing Ektar | 72mm | f/4.5 | OC186 (L) | ~5.5 µSv/h (β+γ)/
~1000 CPM |
"L-76 SHORT CONJ" | ||||
| Kodak Color Printing Ektar | 96 mm | f/4.5 | lens mfg. 1963 | ||||||
| Kodak Aero-Ektars | various models YouTube | ||||||||
| Kodak Ektanon 4-inch Projection Lens | f/3.5 | ||||||||
| Kodak Ektar | 80 mm | f/2.8 | for Hasselblad 1600F and 1000F, made 1948-1950 | ||||||
| Kodak Ektar | 135 mm | f/3.5 | for Hasselblad 1600F and 1000F, made 1949 | ||||||
| Kodak Instamatic M24/26 Super 8 Camera | YouTube | ||||||||
| Konica Hexanon AR | 50 mm | f/1.4 | smallest aperture 16; green AE marking | ||||||
| Konica Hexanon | 21 mm | f/4 | 7029xxx | primarily thorium and thorium decay products YouTube | |||||
| Konica Hexanon | 57 mm | f/1.2 | YouTube | ||||||
| Kinoptik Paris S16 | 12.5 mm | f/2.5 | up to 150 cpm | C mount. Likely neutron contamination from nuclear power plant install. | |||||
| Leica Summicron | 50 mm | f/2 | Summicron. YouTube | ||||||
| Leitz Wetzlar Summicron | 50 mm | f/2 | M39 | ||||||
| Mamiya/Sekor | 55 mm | f/1.4 | 5-10 µSv/h (direct touch), 1,720 cpm | M42, chrome+black, flat rear element. Measured by specialists on April 25th, 2014, at Poissy, France. | |||||
| Mamiya/Sekor | 58 mm | f/1.7 | 1.19 µSv/h | M42 version. Lenslegend | |||||
| Mamiya/Sekor SX | 55 mm | f/1.8 | 6.8 µSv/h | YouTube | |||||
| Meyer-Optik Görlitz Primotar | 50 mm | f/2.8 | Seems to be only the rear element. Gamma spectroscopy confirms thorium: Flickr | ||||||
| Minolta MC W. Rokkor-SI | 28mm | f/2.5 | 1.7 µSv/h (rear element) | early variants | |||||
| Minolta MC Rokkor-PG | 58 mm | f/1.2 | early variants only; SN 2571225 and later should be non-radioactive | ||||||
| Minolta MC Rokkor | 85 mm | f/1.7 | the earliest variant of the MC line Dominique Guebey Jungle Photographie | ||||||
| Mitakon (Zhongyi) Ver I Speedmaster | 50 mm | f/0.95 | 4 Lanthanum optic elements | ||||||
| Nikkor | 35 mm | f/1.4 | early variant with thorium glass elements | ||||||
| Noritar | 17 mm | f/4 | 11720277 | 2.31 µSv/h (front) 1.14 µSv/h (rear) | sold as Soligor, Ricoh, Miranda and others | ||||
| Olympus Zuiko MC Macro | 20 mm | f/3.5 | s58y Flickr | ||||||
| Olympus Zuiko Auto-S 1:1.2 | 55 mm | f/1.2 | 119xxx | 12.8 µSv/h (rear element) | first version with thorium glass elements | ||||
| Olympus Zuiko Auto-S 1:1.4 | 50 mm | f/1.4 | only early first version "Silvernose" is radioactive; later silvernoses (s/n 409xxx) are
not YouTube | ||||||
| Olympus M-System G.Zuiko Auto-W | 28mm | f/3.5 | early modelYouTube | ||||||
| Olympus Zuiko Pen F | 38 mm | f/1.8 | ~7.5 µSv/h (rear element) | ||||||
| 26 µSv/h | digicamclub.de | ||||||||
| Olympus Zuiko Pen F | 40 mm | f/1.4 | (rear element) | ||||||
| Porst Color Reflex MC Auto | 55 mm | f/1.2 | 37 µSv/h | only a specific version? another copy reported as non-radioactive #000670 digicamclub.de | |||||
| Porst Color Reflex MC Auto | 55 mm | f/1.2 | 000543 | 10 µSv/h | f/22 version-Tomioka serial until 00xxxx. #000543 Instagram | ||||
| Rikenon AUTO | 55 mm | f/1.4 | 22,937 cpm (rear element) | ||||||
| Rodenstock XR-Heligon | 50 mm | f/0.75 | 5 µSv/h (10 cm from front lens) | Note: this lens was listed as non-radioactive. It might be that my sample was activated during usage in the X-Ray machine. | |||||
| Rollei XF 35 Sonnar | 40 mm | f/2.3 | ~1.0–1.20 µSv/h or ~180–210 cpm | The front triplet seems to contain thoriated glass. The same should hold for the Voigtländer VF135 since they are essentially the same camera with the same lens but slightly different body and functional design. | |||||
| Schneider Repro-Claron | 210mm | f/9 | 10268660 | front element 3cps, rear element 126 cps (Bq), ~30 µSv/h. Background < 1cps | 1967 lens, it seems that only the rear element is thoriated | ||||
| Schneider Kreuznach Retina-Xenon C (3962395) | 50 mm | f/2.8 | ~140 cpm, 0.95 µSv/h | Kodak Retina IIc front lens | |||||
| Schneider Kreuznach Retina-Curtagon C | 28 mm | f/4 | ~200 cpm, 1.30 µSv/h (rear element) | ||||||
| Schneider Xenotar | 80 mm | f/2.8 | 2 µSv/h (front element surface), 0.4 µSv/h (at 10 cm), negligible (at 20 cm) | Rolleiflex 2.8C 1954 | |||||
| Schneider Xenotar | 135 mm | f/3.5 | |||||||
| Sigma | 18 mm | f/3.5 | Σ-7205000204 | 2.95 uSV/h (front), 3.69 uSv/hr (rear) | also sold as Spiratone | ||||
| Sigma | 18 mm | f/3.2 | τ-74010303 | 2.68 uSv/h (front), 5.25 uSV/hr (rear) | also sold as Spiratone | ||||
| SMC Pentax | 50 mm | f/1.4 | 1034094 | original "K line" YouTube | |||||
| SMC Pentax-Q 06 Telephoto Zoom | 15-45 mm | f/2.8 | max was 0.357 uSv/h on the front, with an ambient between 0.15 and 0.25 | Measured with a GQ GMC 600+ | |||||
| SMC Takumar | 20 mm | f/4.5 | s58y Flickr | ||||||
| SMC Takumar | 35 mm | f/2.0 | Asahi Optical Co. | ||||||
| Super Takumar | 35 mm | f/2.0 | Asahi Optical Co. | ||||||
| Steinheil Auto-Quinon 1:1.9 f=55mm | 50 mm | f/1.9 | 1984xxx | ~4.2 µSv/h front element | |||||
| Super Multi Coated Takumar | 50 mm | f/1.4 | Asahi Optical Co. both knurled and rubber focus ring grip versions YouTube | ||||||
| 5588066 | Rear element: ~8.2 µSv/h
Front element: ~1.1 µSv/h Ambient: ~0.10 µSv/h |
Measured with a GC GMC-500+ | |||||||
| Super Takumar (7-element) | 50 mm | f/1.4 | ~30 µSv/h (rear element) | All 7-element variants contain Thorium – thoriated glass!, no 8-element variants contain thorium. Tested with both a personal counter as well as at a medical lab. | |||||
| Super Takumar (8-element) | 50 mm | f/1.4 | 1357066 | Rear element: ~0.34 µSv/h
Front element: ~0.15 µSv/h Ambient: ~0.10 µSv/h |
Measured with a GC GMC-500+ | ||||
| ~0.57 µSv/h (rear element), ~0.23 µSv/h (behind Spotmatic SP camera), ~0.14 µSv/h behind (Pentax K-1 camera) | Some copies have tested (moderately) radioactive, others have tested not radioactive. Comparison between a hot/a cold one YouTube. See below for more information about the Super Takumar. | ||||||||
| 1398520 | ~250–270 cpm, ~1.63–1.71 µSv/h | min/max average measured over ~3h | |||||||
| 1554826 | YouTube | ||||||||
| 1557034 | YouTube | ||||||||
| Macro Takumar | 50 mm | f/4.0 | 790115 | ~58 µSv/h (rear element) | early 1:1 version. digicamclub.de | ||||
| Asahi Super-Macro-Takumar | 50 mm | f/4 | 335xxxx | tested positive, but the lowest of my positive results so far | |||||
| SMC Macro Takumar | 50 mm | f/4.0 | MFLenses YouTube | ||||||
| Super-Takumar | 55 mm | f/1.8 | 231xxx | 1.83-1.88 µSv/h (rear element), 0.3 µSv/h (front element) | Asahi Optical Co. After approx. SN 1.5 million YouTube | ||||
| 1717437 | 470 cpm, 4.35 µSv/h (rear element), background level (front element) | measured with GM Counting System 975011-1 | |||||||
| 3199041 | 81.7cpm, 12.82 µSv/h (rear element) | YouTube numbers according to the video (conversion cpm to µSv/h nonsensical) | |||||||
| Super-Takumar | 55 mm | f/2.0 | 3221829 | ~800 cpm, 7.41 µSv/h | Asahi Optical Co. - This lens is the same design as the f/1.8 but has a ring to limit max aperture. YouTube | ||||
| 4667078 | Rear element: ~3 µSv/h
Front element: ~0.31 µSv/h Ambient: ~0.10 µSv/h |
Measured with a GC GMC-500+ | |||||||
| Super-Multi-Coated Takumar | 55mm | f/1.8 | 8-10 µSv/h (rear element) | Asahi Opt. Co. | |||||
| SMC Takumar | 55 mm | f/1.8 | Asahi Optical Co. YouTube YouTube not all | ||||||
| SMC Takumar | 55 mm | f/2.0 | Asahi Optical Co. not all | ||||||
| Super-Multi-Coated Takumar | 85 mm | f/1.8 | 5888634 | front element only, not measurable at the back | |||||
| SMC Takumar | 85 mm | f/1.8 | Asahi Optical Co. MFlenses | ||||||
| Super Takumar 6x7 | 105 mm | f/2.4 | 691xxxx | Asahi Optical Co. I tested 3 such lenses using the same Gamma-Scout Geiger counter. Gamma-Scout reads it (691xxxx) much higher than any of my other lenses. Slightly yellow. | |||||
| Tele-Takumar | 300 mm | f/6.3 | 2953276 | ~0.38 µSv/h (front barrel), ~0.5 µSv/h (rear barrel), ~1.5 µSv/h (through the metal lens housing) | Asahi Optical Co. Tested with Pudibei NR-750. | ||||
| Soligor | 35 mm | f/2.8 | 17000xxx | YouTube | |||||
| Steinheil Auto-Quinon | 55 mm | f/1.9 | KE mount | ||||||
| Tamron adaptmatic | 24 mm | f/3.5 | 4.37 µSv/hr (front), 0.071 µSv/h (rear) | ||||||
| Taylor Hobson Rank Sopelem | 8-26 mm | f/1.6 | greater than 250 cpm, 1.5 mSv/h Danger | C mt. Zoom. (the unit is obviously wrong, theres no chance a vintage lens puts out milisieverts, it should be 1.5 µSv/h) | |||||
| Tokina | 21 mm | f/3.8 | 17100658 | 3.69 µSv/h (front), 0.44 µSv/h (rear) | sold as Soligor, Vivitar and others | ||||
| Topcon RE GN Topcor | 50 mm | f/1.4 | YouTube | ||||||
| Topcon UV Topcor | 50 mm | f/2 | 0.283 μSv/h | ||||||
| Yashica UV filter 30mm (for tlr as Yashicamat 124 G) | 30mm diameter | 0.36/0.48 μSv/h (ambient around 0.18/0.26) | Yashica filter measured with GQ GMC 600+ | ||||||
| Yashinon-DX | 28 mm | f/2.8 | 0.210 μSv/h | Yashica | |||||
| Yashinon-DS | 50 mm | f/1.4 | 0.680 μSv/h | Yashica | |||||
| Yashinon-DS | 50 mm | f/1.7 | 0.762 μSv/h | Yashica | |||||
| Yashinon-DX | 50 mm | f/1.4 | 1.359 μSv/h (Not all) | Yashica | |||||
| Yashinon-DX | 50 mm | f/1.8 | Yashica. YouTube | ||||||
| Yashinon-DS-M | 50 mm | f/1.4 | 0.572 μSv/h | Yashica | |||||
| Yashinon-DS-M | 50 mm | f/1.7 | 0.798 μSv/h | Yashica. YouTube Not all, earlier version serial 20034462, 0 measured radiation. | |||||
| Yashinon-DS-M | 55 mm | f/1.2 | 1.056 μSv/h | Yashica | |||||
| Yashinon-ML | 50 mm | f/1.7 | Yashica. YouTube Likely, only the older design with 'YASHICA LENS ML 50mm 1:1.7 YASHICA MADE IN JAPAN' writings is radioactive. This version is most probably a rebrand of DS-M 50mm f/1.7. | ||||||
| Yashinon | 55 mm | f/1.2 | 0.981 μSv/h | Tomioka. Also branded as Cosinon, Chinon, Tominon, Tomioka or Revuenon. | |||||
| Vivitar Auto Wide-Angle | 35 mm | f/1.9 | 28411420 | 4.6 μSv/h | |||||
| Vivitar Series 1 | 28 mm | f/1.9 | |||||||
| Voigtlander Nokton Prominent | 50 mm | ||||||||
| Voigtlander Apo-Lanthar | 150 mm | 16 μSv/h | Voigtländer Large Format Lenses from 1949-1972 | ||||||
| Voigtlander Apo-Lanthar | 210 mm | 27 μSv/h | Voigtländer Large Format Lenses from 1949-1972 | ||||||
| Voigtlander Apo-Lanthar | 30 mm | 35 μSv/h | Voigtländer Large Format Lenses from 1949-1972 | ||||||
| Voigtlander Skoparex | 35 mm | f/3.4 | DKL mount | ||||||
| Voigtlander Ultragon | 115 mm | f/5.5 | 1.5 μSv/h | Voigtländer Large Format Lenses from 1949-1972 | |||||
| Voigtlander Zoomar | 36-82 mm | f/2.8 | 5033439 | 3.1 μSv/h | |||||
| Wollensak Raptar | 28-75 mm | f/2.3 | YouTube |
Super Takumar
Some copies have tested (moderately) radioactive, others have tested not radioactive. Comparison between a hot/a cold one YouTube. There are several confirmed cases of both kinds, overall suggesting that the "hot" lenses are only weakly to moderately radioactive. In particular: mounting them on digital cameras (Sony Alpha 7RII, Pentax K-1) blocks most of the radiation or entirely, while old film cameras (Pentax Spotmatic SP) usually block a significant amount. The non-radioactive lenses have smaller serial numbers than the radioactive ones - the cut-off must be somewhere between s.n. 1338400 (not radioactive) and s.n. 1377428 (radioactive; ~0.57 µSv/h, rear element; ~0.23 µSv/h behind Spotmatic SP; ~0.14 µSv/h behind Pentax K-1).
Although some of the hot 8-element Super-Takumars that may have significantly higher levels of radiation compared to other radioactive ones (e.g. serial 1398520: ~250–270 CPM or ~163–1.71 µSv/h; min/max average measured over ~3h), the radiation is way below the readings of the 7-element version and the later 55/1.8s which are definitely radioactive (test of five 8-element examples (with serial numbers ranging from 106xxxx to 158xxxx) and six 7-element examples with a Gamma-Scout, which detects Alpha, Beta, and Gamma radiation.).
The versions slightly differ cosmetically, mainly in the fonts used for the focus & aperture numbers (the non-radioactive ones appear to have thinner characters and somewhat 'older looking' fonts). However, there are multiple revisions of the Super-Takumar lenses that cannot be clearly identified due to (presumably) re-use of parts of previous batches. A comprehensive overview of all (most) known different revisions can be found at: Takumar Field Guide. Another source describes an identification by the exact naming order on the name ring (German).
[I quite like Theoria Apophasis - cool guy. But: no good here, sorry. Please list only lenses that you have tested PERSONALLY with a Geiger counter. This is to keep the page reliable, free from conspiracies & myths that abound on the Internet]
Nikkor Lenses tested radioactive (Theoria Apophasis YouTube) and radioactivity measure: There are many comments at the video and different messurements, that could NOT verify any radioactivity! The geiger counter could have some miss calibration.
Nikkor AiS 15/3,5 : 187Nikkor AF 16/2,8 D : 185Nikkor AFS 17-35/2,8 ED : 214 (rear)Nikkor AiS 20/2,8 : 194Nikkor-O 2,1cm f/4 : 199Nikkor AF 24-120/3,5-5,6 D : 214Nikkor Ai 25-50/4 : 23 (this should not count as radioactive!)Nikkor AF 28/1,4 D : 225 (front) 215 (rear) Nikkor Ai 28/2 : 211Nikkor 28/2,8 (Nikon 28Ti) : 221 Nikkor AiS 28/2,8 : 178 Nikkor F 28/3,5 : 178 Nikkor PC 28/3,5 : 190 Nikkor F 35/2 : 229Nikkor AiS 35/1,4 : 198 (front) 210 (rear)Nikkor F 43-86/3,5 : 192 Nikkor F GN 45/2,8 : 178Nikkor Ai 50/2 : 178Nikkor AiS 50/1,8 : 178Nikkor F 50/1,4 S : 178Nikkor F 50/1,4 SC : 192 (front) 200 (rear)Nikkor AF 50/1,4 : 191 (rear) 178 (front)Nikkor F Micro 55/3,5 : 178Nikkor Ai MIcro 55/3,5 : 191Nikkor AiS Micro 55/2,8 : 178Nikkor Ultra-Micro 55/2 : 212 (front) 204 (rear)Nikkor AiS NOCT 58/1,2 : 211 (front) 183 (rear)Nikkor AF Micro 60/2,8 : 199Nikkor AF 85/1,8 : 178Nikkor AiS 85/1,4 : 221Nikkor AiS 105/1,8 : 211Nikkor Ai 105/4 micro: 197
Lenses Tested non-Radioactive (by contributors to this page)[]
Vintage lenses that could have been radioactive, but turned out not to be. A bit of good news!
| Lens | Focal length | Aperture | Serials | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albinar ADG MC Macro Zoom | 80-200mm | f/3.9 | 83965938 | Tested with Pudibei NR-750. |
| Aires H Coral | 45mm | f/1.9 | 605711 | Tested with Pudibei NR-750. |
| Argus Cintar | 50mm | f/3.5 | Tested with Pudibei NR-750. | |
| Asahi SMC Pentax | 85mm | f/1.8 | 52285527 | |
| Asahi SMC Pentax-FA Limited | 43mm | f/1.9 | 0006247 | Relatively early Made in Japan version with presumably original "leaded" glass design. Later batches should not be radioactive either. |
| Asahi SMC Pentax-K | 135mm | f/2.5 | 5379584 | |
| Asahi Pentax-M SMC Shift | 28mm | f/3.5 | 5144203 | |
| Asahi SMC Pentax-M | 35mm | f/2.8 | 6381843 | |
| Asahi SMC Pentax-K | 50mm | f/1.2 | 1451004 | |
| Asahi SMC Pentax-M | 50mm | f/1.4 | YouTube | |
| Asahi SMC Pentax-M | 50mm | f/1.7 | 2596025, 2650094 | |
| Asahi SMC Pentax-M | 50mm | f/2 | 4286229 | YouTube |
| Asahi SMC Pentax-M | 85mm | f/2.0 | 7708192 | |
| Asahi SMC Pentax-M | 135mm | f/3.5 | 6429171 | |
| Asahi Super Multi-Coated Takumar | 28mm | f/3.5 | 6138088 | |
| Asahi Super Multi-Coated Takumar | 35mm | f/3.5 | 7190055 | |
| Asahi Super Takumar (8 Element) | 50mm | f/1.4 | 765818 | Early version. Red dot instead of diamond for focusing point scale. |
| Asahi Super Takumar | 55mm | f/1.8 | 802344 | Early version. Examples before approximately 1.5 million are not radioactive. |
| Asahi Super Takumar | 55mm | f/2 | Early version. YouTube | |
| Asahi SMC Takumar | 55mm | f/2.0 | 8049617, 8119078 | Late version. |
| Asahi Auto Takumar "Zebra" | 55mm | f/1.8 | 169372 | |
| Asahi Auto Takumar | 55mm | f/2.2 | 641779 | |
| Asahi Auto Takumar | 85mm | f/1.8 | 412250 | aperture ring at the front, spring-operated auto aperture |
| Asahi Super-Multi-Coated Takumar | 105mm | f/2.4 | 8259881 | 6x7 format |
| Asahi Super Takumar | 105mm | f/2.8 | 2353009 | |
| Asahi Super-Multi-Coated Takumar | 135mm | f/2.5 | 4968162 | 5 Element version |
| Asahi Super-Multi-Coated Takumar | 135mm | f/2.5 | 6407586 | 6 Element version |
| Asahi Super Takumar | 135mm | f/3.5 | 3088850 | |
| Asahi Super Multi Coated Takumar | 135mm | f/3.5 | 4568738 | |
| Asahi Super-Multi-Coated MACRO-TAKUMAR | 135mm | 8468869 | 6x7 format | |
| Asahi Super-Multi-Coated Takumar | 200mm | f/4.0 | 7161552 | |
| Asahi Super-Multi-Coated Takumar | 300mm | f/4.0 | 6923607 | |
| Auto Revuetar | 55mm | f/2.8 | 64882 | |
| Canon FD S.C. | 28mm | f/2.8 | 233953 | chrome mount ring |
| Canon FL | 35mm | f/2.5 | 78xxx | |
| Canon FL | 55mm | f/1.2 | YouTube | |
| Canon FL | 50mm | f/1.4 | 168xxx | |
| Canon | 35mm | f/2 | 24684 | Leica Screw Mount (LTM/L39) |
| Canon | 50mm | f/1.2 | 13214 | Leica Screw Mount (LTM/L39) |
| Canon | 50mm | f/1.4 | 29792 | Leica Screw Mount (LTM/L39) |
| Canon | 50mm | f/1.8 | 256884 | Leica Screw Mount, late model, chrome-and-black |
| Carl Zeiss Distagon | 60mm | f/3.5 | 5735453 | C-Version, black, for Hasselblad |
| Carl Zeiss Planar | 80 mm | f/2.8 | 1242942 | Rolleiflex 2.8D, taking lens: rear element measured at 0.12-0.18 uSv/h. This is in the normal natural radioactive range > no radiactive material in the objective used. |
| Carl Zeiss Planar T* | 80m | f/2.8 | 5783145 | C-Version, black, for Hasselblad |
| Carl Zeiss Sonnar | 85mm | f/2.8 | 555345 | Made in West Germany. Rollei QBM |
| Carl Zeiss Sonnar T* | 150mm | f/4 | 5799964 | C-Version, black, for Hasselblad |
| Carl Zeiss Tessar | 50 mm | f/2.8 | 7153381 | aus JENA, Exakta mount |
| Fujinon EBC | 50mm | f/1.4 | 537963 | Late version with diamond-texture and rubber focus ring. Warning: Other samples may be highly radioactive! |
| Fujinon | 55mm | f/1.8 | 562120 | Silver aperture ring, non-EBC variant |
| Fujinon EBC | 55mm | f/1.8 | Rainbow aperture markings, rubber focusing grip | |
| Helios 44 | 58mm | f/2.0 | 8013900 | Zebra |
| Helios 44-2 | 58mm | f/2.0 | 7513556 | |
| Helios 44-3 | 58mm | f/2.0 | 9302146 | |
| Helios 44M | 58mm | f/2.0 | 8077187 | |
| Helios 44M-4 | 58mm | f/2.0 | 8990138 | |
| Helios 44M-6 | 58mm | f/2.0 | 92621308 | |
| Hoya HMC Wide-Auto | 24mm | f/2.8 | 211453 | also RMC Tokina etc. |
| Industar | 28mm | f/2.8 | ||
| Industar | 52mm | f/2.8 | Industar 61, Leica screw mount, non-L/D (Л/Д) version | |
| Kodak Anastar | 51mm | f/4.5 | Pony 135, Pony 828, Pony 135 Model B | |
| Kodak Anastigmat | 130mm | f/6.3 | Tested with Pudibei NR-750. On a Kodak No. 1 Diomatic Vigilant Six-20 folding camera. | |
| Konica Hexanon | 135mm | f/3.5 | 7322086 | |
| Mamiya Sekor | 55mm | f/4.5 | 74382, 74610 | C330 TLR |
| Mamiya Sekor | 65mm | f/3.5 | 5790310 | C330 TLR |
| Mamiya Sekor | 80mm | f/2.8 | 672606, 672341 | C330 TLR, brown/yellowish coating |
| Mamiya Sekor Super | 180mm | f/4.5 | 84462, 85060 | C330 TLR |
| Meyer-Optik Gorlitz Domiplan | 50 mm | f/2.8 | 3510745 | Exakta mount |
| Meyer-Optik Gorlitz Primotar | 135 mm | f/3.5 | 3396019 | Exakta mount. |
| Meyer-Optik Gorlitz Trioplan | 50 mm | f/2.9 | 2253971 | Exakta mount |
| Minolta MD Rokkor-X | 50mm | f/1.4 | ||
| Minolta Auto Rokkor PF | 58mm | f/1.4 | 1217168 | Early version, chrome nose. 'Kit' lens for the Minolta SR-7, first version. |
| Mitakon Zhongyi II 'Speedmaster' | 50mm | f/0.95 | 001525 | |
| Nikon W-Nikkor | 3.5cm | f/2.5 | 270769 | Late version, black paint in chrome-nose W-Nikkor 3.5cm f/1.8 housing |
| Nikon Nikkor-S 5cm | 5cm | f/1.4 | 387258 | Both "C" and non-C versions |
| Nikon Nikkor-P | 8.5cm | f/2 | 401567 | Chrome "C" Version |
| Nikon Nikkor-P | 10.5cm | f/2.5 | 918851 | Black Paint |
| Nikon Nikkor-Q | 13.5cm | f/3.5 | 268169 | Black Paint |
| Olympus OM-System Zuiko Auto-S | 50mm | f/1.4 | 1,15x,xxx | Late version. YouTube |
| Pentacon | 135mm | f/2.8 | 8477438 | Meyer Orestor Preset aperture non-MC version |
| Pentax-110 Zoom | 20-40mm | f/2.8 | 1019740 | Tested with Pudibei NR-750. Says "Asahi Opt. Co. Japan" on lens. |
| Pentax-110 | 24mm | f/2.8 | 2023699 | Tested with Pudibei NR-750. Says "Asahi Opt. Co. Japan" on lens. |
| Petri CC Auto | 55mm | f/1.8 | 691631 | |
| Ricoh Color Rikenon | 40mm | f/2.8 | Rikoh 500GX. Could be slightly radioactive, but too low to be measured at my sample. | |
| Ricoh Rikenon | 43mm | f/1.7 | 59889 | Tested with Pudibei NR-750. |
| Ricoh Rikenon | 400mm | f/6.3 | 10443 | |
| Rodenstock Retina-Eurygon | 35mm | f/4 | 4203237 | DKL mount |
| Rodenstock Heligon | 50mm | f/2 | 2052276 | Kodak Retina II |
| Rodenstock Retina-Heligon | 50mm | f/1.9 | 4471524, 4752831 | DKL mount. Could be slightly radioactive, but too low to be measured. |
| Rodenstock XR-Heligon | 50mm | f/0.75 | 9723511 | Another sample was measured to be radioactive (see above). |
| Rodenstock Retina-Rotelar | 85mm | f/4 | 4477941 | DKL mount. Could be slightly radioactive, but too low to be measured. |
| Rodenstock Retina-Rotelar | 135mm | f/4 | 4204704 | DKL mount. Could be slightly radioactive, but too low to be measured. |
| Rodenstock-Rotelar | 135mm | f/4 | 3712416 | DKL mount. Could be slightly radioactive, but too low to be measured. |
| Rollei HFT-Planar | 50mm | f/1.8 | 1078508 | Made by Rollei Singapore. Early/metal version. |
| Rollei SL-Angulon | 35mm | f/2.8 | 12 620 084 | Schneider-Kreuznach |
| Rollei SL-Xenon | 50mm | f/1.8 | 11 870 983, 12 081 833, 12 186 091 | Schneider-Kreuznach |
| MC Rubinar makro | 500mm | f/5.6 | 080007 | Russian telephoto mirror lens |
| Sankyo Kohki Komura | 85mm | f/1.4 | 3563280 | Tested non-radioactive despite minor yellowing of the glass |
| Schneider-Kreuznach Edixa-Curtagon | 35mm | f/2.8 | 8900488 | |
| Schneider-Kreuznach Edixa-Xenar | 50mm | f/2.8 | 8188922 | |
| Schneider Kreuznach Retina-Xenar | 50mm | f/3.5 | 2216414 | Kodak Retina Ia |
| Schneider Kreuznach Retina-Xenar C | 50mm | f/2.8 | 4832242 | Kodak Retina Ib |
| Schneider Kreuznach Retina-Xenon | 50mm | f/2.0 | 1982005 | Kodak Retina II |
| Schneider Kreuznach Retina-Xenar | 50mm | f/2.8 | 9596917 | DKL mount |
| Schneider Kreuznach Retina-Xenon C | 50mm | f/2.0 | 5347221 | Kodak Retina IIIC. f/2.8 version is radioactive (see above). |
| Schneider Kreuznach Tele-Xenar | 135 mm | f/3.5 | 5678264 | Exakta mount. |
| Super Takumar | 50 mm | f/1.4 | 1338400 | 8-element. Many other serial numbers are radioactive. |
| Sears (Auto Sears) | 55 mm | f/1.4 | 253170 | M42 mount. See also: https://www.pentaxforums.com/userreviews/sears-55mm-f1-4.html Tested non-radioactive despite minor yellowing. |
| Super Takumar 6x7 | 105 mm | f/2.4 | 8259881 | Asahi Optical Co. I tested 3 such lenses using the same Geiger counter. Two of them, with clear yellowing, tested radioactive. The third one (8259881) did not. |
| Syoptic | 50mm | f/1.1 | E-mount version | |
| Tamron-F Zoom | 85-210mm | f/4.5 | 540671 | Tested with Pudibei NR-750. |
| Tokina Wide-Auto | 35mm | f/2.8 | 708205 | also applies to early Vivitar/Soligor auto wide: knurled metal focus ring |
| Topcon UV Topcor | 53mm | f/2 | 54281653 | Tested with Pudibei NR-750. |
| Topcon UV Topcor | 100mm | f/4 | 9734009 | Tested with Pudibei NR-750. |
| Vivitar Auto Tele-Zoom | 85-205mm | f/3.8 | 22115389 | |
| Vivitar Close Focusing Auto Zoom | 75-205mm | f/3.8 | 22616531 | early Kiron made version, two-ring zoom |
| Yashinon-DS-M | 50 mm | f/1.7 | 20034462 | Yashica. Some measured radioactive. |
| Yashinon-DX | 50mm | f/1.4 | YouTube | |
| Yashinon DX | 45mm | f/1.4 | Fixed lens on the Yashica 1C, Lynx 14-E rangefinder camera. | |
| Yashinon-DX | 45mm | f/1.7 | Fixed lens on the Yashica Electro 35 GSN. Made in Hong Kong. | |
| Zeiss Jena Flektogon Auto | 35mm | f/2.4 | 74736 | |
| Zeiss Jena Flektogon | 35mm | f/2.8 | 5993475 | leatherette version |
| Zeiss Jena Flektogon | 35mm | f/2.8 | 9060041 | Zebra version |
| Zeiss Jena Pancolar | 50mm | f/1.8 | 9093379 | Zebra version |
| Zeiss Opton Sonnar | 50mm | f/2 | 887108 | T coating, contax mount |
Geiger Counters used and methodology[]
Modern, affordable dosimeters which provide quick, useful detection of dangerous conditions/levels, and approximation of cumulative radioactive exposure, such as the GQ GMC 300 or 500+ series, or products from Thermo-Fisher, Radex, Souk, and others are available new. Testing to differentiate alpha, beta and gamma, x rays and neutrons generally requires more expensive equipment, and/or calculation methods.
Links/Sources[]
- Radioactive Lenses and Everything About Them
- Is it dangerous? (http://billead.com/canonfl/#radioactivity)
- The Aero Ektars
- Thoriated Camera Lenses
- Health Physics Society
- Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management - Fact Sheet
- Rudolf Kingslake, A History of the Photographic Lens, Academic Press, 1989, Chapter 5, section 4
- Jonathan Wang and Viktor Henningsson, An Analysis of Residual Radiation in Thoriated Camera Lenses, Department of Physics, School of Engineering, Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden, 2013.