Rikenon Macro Bellows Richo Set Heritage

Overview

The reviews here center on the Ricoh Rikenon P Macro 105mm f/2.8 — a manual-focus 1:1 macro whose lineage is openly documented in the Pentax Forums entry: it was 'made by Kiron and better known in its Vivitar and Kiron/Lester A Dine incarnations.' In other words, this is the Ricoh-badged version of the well-regarded Kiron (Kino Precision) 105mm f/2.8 macro that also circulated as the Vivitar Series 1 105mm and, in the medical/dental world, as the Lester A. Dine 105mm (frequently sold with a ring flash for clinical close-up work). The Ricoh copy carries the 'Ricoh pin' on its mount, and reviewers note the pin 'does not jam on Pentax mounts.' No established folk nickname is evidenced in the reviews — the closest is a reviewer simply calling it 'a monster' and its optics 'astral,' which is affectionate hyperbole rather than a recognized community term. The cult affection is real and grounded: every reviewer recommended it (100%), scoring it a clean 10 across sharpness, aberrations, bokeh, handling, and value. People love that a single lens works convincingly as a life-size macro, a short telephoto, and a portrait lens, wrapped in heavy all-metal build.

Verdict: Grounded in the reviews, this Kiron-built Ricoh Rikenon 105mm f/2.8 macro is a do-everything close-up and short-telephoto prime for the photographer who wants one heavy, all-metal lens to shoot life-size macro, tight portraits, and detail work with equal conviction. Reviewers uniformly rate it a 10 for sharpness, color, and bokeh and find no faults — making it a standout value for anyone who prizes precise manual-focus rendering over autofocus convenience. It rewards patience and technique; if you enjoy deliberate, tactile shooting, it delivers optics its owners call 'astral.'

Optical Character

Bokeh

Consistently praised and rated top marks; excellent background separation, though the specific blur shape (swirl, bubble) is not characterized.

Color

Strong, clean color rendering cited as a leading strength, though warm/cool or saturation bias is unspecified.

Sharpness wide open

A standout, rated 10/10 with optics called 'astral'; center-vs-corner and wide-open-vs-stopped-down uniformity are undetailed.

Community Insights

What people love

Optical quality described as 'astral' and buyers 'blown away' — a clean sweep of 10/10 scores across sharpness, aberrations, bokeh, handling, and value, with 100% of reviewers recommending it.
True 1:1 (life-size) macro capability, making it a genuine close-up tool rather than a pseudo-macro zoom.
Remarkable versatility: reviewers use the same lens as a macro, a short telephoto, and a portrait lens.
Excellent, praised color rendering and pleasing bokeh working together with the sharpness.
Serious all-metal build — 'the build is really great,' with a built-in sliding metal hood and substantial 656g heft that inspires confidence.
On Ricoh-mount copies, the Ricoh pin reportedly does not jam on Pentax mounts, easing cross-use.

What people dislike

Reviewers list no cons — one explicitly writes 'Cons: None.' No negative traits are evidenced in the reviews.
Implied only by the spec sheet rather than complaints: at 656g it is a heavy lens to carry, and being fully manual-focus it demands deliberate technique — but no reviewer voices this as a dislike.

Pro Tips

For 1:1 work, focus by moving the whole camera toward or away from the subject rather than only turning the ring — at life-size magnification the focus plane is razor-thin.
Depth of field collapses dramatically up close, so stop down for macro subjects to hold detail — but avoid the smallest apertures near f32 where diffraction softens the otherwise biting resolution.
For portraits and short-tele use, open up toward f/2.8 to exploit the praised bokeh and subject separation; the lens is reported to render beautifully in that role.
Steady the camera for close-ups — the 656g mass helps damp shake, but at high magnification even small movements shift the focus plane.
Lean on the built-in sliding metal hood in bright, contrasty light to protect contrast, since exposure and framing are fully manual on this lens.

Sources (1)

Web-grounded synthesissecondary

The reviews here center on the Ricoh Rikenon P Macro 105mm f/2.8 — a manual-focus 1:1 macro whose lineage is openly documented in the Pentax Forums entry: it was 'made by Kiron and better known in its Vivitar and Kiron/Lester A Dine incarnations.' In other words, this is the Ricoh-badged version of the well-regarded Kiron (Kino Precision) 105mm f/2.8 macro that also circulated as the Vivitar Series 1 105mm and, in the medical/dental world, as the Lester A. Dine 105mm (frequently sold with a ring flash for clinical close-up work). The Ricoh copy carries the 'Ricoh pin' on its mount, and reviewers note the pin 'does not jam on Pentax mounts.' No established folk nickname is evidenced in the reviews — the closest is a reviewer simply calling it 'a monster' and its optics 'astral,' which is affectionate hyperbole rather than a recognized community term. The cult affection is real and grounded: every reviewer recommended it (100%), scoring it a clean 10 across sharpness, aberrations, bokeh, handling, and value. People love that a single lens works convincingly as a life-size macro, a short telephoto, and a portrait lens, wrapped in heavy all-metal build.

https://www.pentaxforums.com/userreviews/ricoh-rikenon-p-105mm-f28-macro-lens.htmlhttp://dirtcheapvintagelens.blogspot.com/2018/06/ricoh-xr-rikanon-70-150-mm-f4-macro.html