Data sheet: ENNA München Ennalyt 24 mm f/4 (ENNA Sockel2)

Pekka Buttler, 10/2026

Specifications

The table below summarizes the lens’ key specifications (measurements based on pictured version of the lens):

Brand:	ENNA München	Lens name	Ennalyt 1:4/24mm
Focal length(s)1	24 mm	Angle-of-view2	≈84 °
Maximum Aperture	f/4	In Production (this version)	1964–1967
Lens mount (this lens)	Enna Sockel (V2)	Mounts available through sockels	Exakta, M42 (also Alpa and Miranda)3
Length (optical package) Length (with M42 Sockel)4	62,1 mm 53,1 mm	Diameter (optical package only) Diameter (with M42 Sockel)5	58,2 mm 64,7 mm
Filter ring diameter	52 mm	Weight (optical package only) Weight (with M42 Sockel)	143 grams 344 grams
Lens element count	7	Lens group count	7
Aperture blades (S/R/C)6	7 S	Focus throw	355 ° 7
Minimum focusing distance (measured)	16 cm	Maximum magnification (measured)	1:2,8
Has manual aperture ring	YES (on Sockel)	Has Manual focus ring	YES (on Sockel)
Aperture mechanism type	Automatic	Aperture click stops	4•5.6•8•11•16

Further notes:

• The ENNA München Ennalyt 24 mm f/4 lens was the widest lens of the Sockel2 system.
• Some early samples of the lens were also sold carrying the type designation ‘Lithagon’ (instead of ‘Ennalyt’) on the lens’ name ring.
• ENNA München had managed to be among the first companies to launch a 24 mm focal length SLR lens in 1960. Even so, when this lens was introduced ≈4 years later, the wide angle offered by this lens was still impressive⁸.

About ENNA Sockel lenses

• Unless you’re familiar with Enna Sockel lenses: Enna Sockel lenses are an early, advanced type of intermediate mount lenses, that are exceptional in that the lens is made up of two parts: The Optical package including the objective and diaphragm mechanism; and the Mechanical package including mount, Semi-automatic aperture control, and focusing helicoid. Read more in the JAPB article on the Enna Sockel.

• One characteristic of the ENNA Sockel is that all lenses use the same focusing helicoid. While this is advantageous for the wide-angle lenses that gain extreme close-focusing abilities, longer lenses (like the 135 and 240 mm teles) do pay the price in terms of weak close-focusing abilities.

Versions and variations

Enna had first introduced its 24 mm f/4 lens in 1960. After that, this revolutionary wide-angle-design was produced in fixed-mount versions both for the Exakta and M42 mounts as well as for Enna’s own intermediate lens mount – both for its first and second (this lens) variants.

In terms of Enna 24 mm f/4 lenses designed for the Sockel v2 mount, there are two cosmetic variants: one (early) that was sold under the ‘Lithagon’ name (that Enna had traditionally used for its retrofocus designs) and a later variant that adopted the ‘Ennalyt’ name (as Enna was phasing out the ‘Lithagon’ name)

History of ENNA München

ENNA München (also: Enna Werk München) is one of the 1950s and 60s most prominent and innovative German optics companies.

You can read more details in the ENNA München company profile.

Adapting the ENNA München Ennalyt 24 mm f/4

Adapting ENNA Sockel lenses

If you have an ENNA Sockel lens without a Sockel (meaning only an Optical package), then the only sensible way for you to adapt that lens is to procure an Enna Sockel of the same generation as your lens that offers a lens mount that you can work with (M42 and Exakta are likely the safest bets).

From then on:

Adapting M42 lenses

If you want to natively mount your M42 lens you need to find a functioning M42 mount film camera. Luckily that should be relatively easy as M42 bodies were produced in their millions and most of them lack features that are especially likely to have deteriorated to the point of making the entire camera inoperable.

Adapting M42 lenses to a mirrorless, full-frame digital camera is a breeze thanks to the lens having full manual controls (aperture ring, focus ring). You simply need a dumb adapter from M42 to your mirrorless system (but choose an M42 adapter with an internal flange, see more in the JAPB article on the M42 mount).

Due to the medium flange focal distance used by the M42 mount (45,46 mm), whether you can adapt this lens to dSLR/SLR mounts depends on which dSLR mount: Canon EF, Four Thirds, Minolta/Sony A and Pentax K can mount m42 lenses using a simple adapter ring. Nikon F on the other hand is not as problem-free, and – to retain anything near infinity focus – the adapter will necessitate corrective optics. In all cases, your camera will work only in stop-down metering.

Adapting Exakta lenses

If you want to use this lens in its native environment, you will need an Exakta-mount film camera body. Exakta bodies were manufactured in large numbers, and many of them are still in good shape. That said, you should take care to procure a workable sample.

Thanks to being a fully manual lens (manual aperture, manual focus), the lens can be adapted to all mirrorless cameras using a suitable adapter. Moreover, the Exakta lenses are so uncomplicated that a simple ‘dumb adapter’ will do the job perfectly. Furthermore, due to the popularity of the Exakta mount, special adapters (helicoid adapters, tilt/shift adapters) are readily available. Alternatively, one can choose to daisy-chain adapters (e.g. Exakta->Canon EF; Canon EF –> mirrorless) which also opens up a wide range of speed boosters .

Adapting Exakta lenses to dSLRs can also be an option, depending on which dSLR.
• Canon EF has the shortest flange focal distance among full-frame dSLR’s and Canon’s wide range of dSLRs are able to mount Exakta lenses perfectly using a simple adapter ring.
• Nikon F, Pentax K and Minolta / Sony A dSLRs need an adapter that uses corrective optics for Exakta lenses (the difference in flange focal distances is not enough to enable reaching infinity focus without corrective optics).

Footnotes

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1. Focal length is (unless stated otherwise) given in absolute terms, and not in Full-frame equivalent. For an understanding of whether the lens is wide/tele, see ‘Angle-of-view’. ↩︎
2. Picture angle is given in degrees (based on manufacturers’ specs) and concerns the diagonal picture angle. Rule of thumb:
   > 90 ° ==> Ultra-wide-angle
   70–90 ° ==> Wide-angle
   50–70 ° ==> Moderate wide-angle
   40–50 ° ==> ‘Standard’ or ‘normal’ lens
   20–40 ° ==> Short tele lens
   10-20 ° ==> Tele lens
   5-10 ° ==> Long tele lens
   < 5 ° ==> Ultra-tele lens ↩︎
3. Sources point to Enna having made second generation Sockel’s also for the Alpa and Miranda systems, but these are so rare as to be practically non-existent. ↩︎
4. Length is given from the mount flange to the front of lens at infinity. ↩︎
5. Diameter excludes protrusions such as rabbit ears or stop-down levers. ↩︎
6. S=straight; R=rounded; C=(almost)circular at all apertures. ↩︎
7. Focus throw is a feature of the Sockel, not the lens. As Enna manufactured a range of Sockels and also kept doing minor tweaks, this value need not be accurate for every Sockel. ↩︎
8. Nikon and Pentax would launch their first 24 mm lenses only in 1967 ↩︎