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200mm lens shootout
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PostPosted: Thu Aug 04, 2011 8:44 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Some great info, thanks guys. That squirrel shot is my fave, but that is a very nice set woodrim, cheers.

Which Pentacon looks dodgy? My copy?


PostPosted: Thu Aug 04, 2011 9:23 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Here is my Soligor 3.5/200


Sample shot on tripod with 5D MkII. Raw file cnverted to Jpeg using DPP without any post processing.
Wide open @3.5


crop


PostPosted: Thu Aug 04, 2011 1:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Experienced lens!


PostPosted: Thu Aug 04, 2011 1:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Minolfan wrote:
Experienced lens!

Yes ! Laughing
I bought it like that in march 2009, 16.50€...


PostPosted: Thu Aug 04, 2011 2:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Olivier: I love a lens that looks well used.


PostPosted: Thu Aug 04, 2011 3:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
woodrim wrote:
Olivier: I love a lens that looks well used.

I do too, especially when I find it very, very good after trying it. Very Happy


PostPosted: Thu Aug 04, 2011 4:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I also like lenses that look like that, some of my Russian lenses look like they hav been through a war but still work brilliantly.

I actually have that Soligor lens but it is missing the mount and is very badly fungussed, I started to dismantle it in order to use the helicoid from it to remount a MF lens, it feels very well built.

I'm keeping my eye out both for the 200 Soligor and it's 135 little brother, I like the metal construction and build quality, Olivier showed us how sharp it is, thanks for than mon ami!


PostPosted: Thu Aug 04, 2011 4:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Don't buy the Soligor 200/4.5 preset though, it's not anywhere near as good IMO.


PostPosted: Thu Aug 04, 2011 5:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Another lens that can usually be had for cheap but that is a good performer is the older Vivitar 200mm f/3.5. It's been discussed occasionally here before. I have two: one in Canon FD and one in Nikon mount.

I'll try to find some time later today to get out with the Nikon-flavored one and my DSLR, and come back here with some pics.

BTW, I bought both lenses off eBay and paid $10 for each. The Nikon one was actually New Old Stock (NOS), still in the original box with the styrofoam and all paperwork, and the box even still had a price tag on it: $174.50. Shocked


PostPosted: Thu Aug 04, 2011 7:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
iangreenhalgh1 wrote:
Olivier showed us how sharp it is, thanks for than mon ami!

You're welcome, my friend. Wink


PostPosted: Thu Aug 04, 2011 11:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Ian, I'll contact you about those lenses, I'm interested in most of them. Wink


PostPosted: Fri Aug 05, 2011 12:04 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
No problem David. I just bought a refurbished NEX-3 for 189 inc free shipping so it's high time I rationalised my lens collection and only keep those which I am actually going to use!


PostPosted: Fri Aug 05, 2011 1:48 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
iangreenhalgh1 wrote:
No problem David. I just bought a refurbished NEX-3 for 189 inc free shipping so it's high time I rationalised my lens collection and only keep those which I am actually going to use!


Where did you find the NEX?


PostPosted: Fri Aug 05, 2011 2:10 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
ebay. There are cheaper ones in the US:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Sony-Alpha-NEX-3-14-2-MP-Digital-Camera-Body-Black-/140587393651?pt=Digital_Cameras&hash=item20bba96273


PostPosted: Fri Aug 05, 2011 6:14 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
iangreenhalgh1 wrote:
Which Pentacon looks dodgy? My copy?
There's nothing wrong with yours, but I seem to have a very good copy as it's tack sharp.


PostPosted: Fri Aug 05, 2011 5:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Visualopsins raises a good point about the 200/4 Nikkors. And the early AI ones are good lenses that have rather ho-hum resale values so you can pick one up for cheap. But that's not why I'm writing this.

I finally got out yesterday and took some picks with my $10 NOS Vivitar 200mm f/3.5 and Canon XS. Here they are in no particular order. About half were shot wide open at f/3.5, the others at f/5.6.













PostPosted: Fri Aug 05, 2011 8:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Thanks for those Michael, both look like lovely lenses. I'm envious of your camera collection, the F-1 and the Nikons are very desireable to my eyes!


PostPosted: Sat Aug 06, 2011 12:39 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
They were very desirable to mine too. That's why I bought 'em. What you can't see are the four FTbs, two A-1s, and on the Nikon side another F2 and that one tucked in the back behind the old F is an FE with MD12.

Oh, one thing I forgot to mention and which shows just a little on the shot of the Nikons is you can see some slight evidence of purple fringing CA. That shot was taken wide open and I'll wager that by f/5.6 the CA is gone.

All in all the old Vivitar 200mm f/3.5 offers a lot of bang for the buck. And considering it was priced at $175 in early-70s dollars tells me it wasn't considered a low-quality optic by any means. But these days they can often be had for a song. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I bought both of mine for $10 each. Both off eBay, too.


PostPosted: Sat Aug 06, 2011 1:00 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
cooltouch wrote:
All in all the old Vivitar 200mm f/3.5 offers a lot of bang for the buck. And considering it was priced at $175 in early-70s dollars tells me it wasn't considered a low-quality optic by any means. But these days they can often be had for a song. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I bought both of mine for $10 each. Both off eBay, too.


$175? I wish I could remember what I paid for mine back then (which I still have), but that would have been a big hit to my finances. I think the lens is good - and especially for the money, but not great. However, I have one picture taken with that lens on slide film that stood out from all others. I'm not sure why, and don't know the exposure details, but it was very sharp by any standards. Today, I find the lens very good with an extension for close-ups.


PostPosted: Sat Aug 06, 2011 1:41 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
I've got my eye on a Canon FD 2.8/200, will need converting of course but I'm game for hacking it after I managed to convert the FL 2.5/35 to EF for EOS successfully (after a few tribulations however!) just hope I can get it for a decent price. If not, I'll just grab a Soligor 3.5/200, definitely looks good enough for my needs.


PostPosted: Sat Aug 06, 2011 2:50 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
I bought a Canon New FD 200/2.8 new in 1985 or so. It was the latest internal focusing model. I found the lens to be very sharp, even wide open, but I also found it very prone to CA when shooting at objects that had sharply defined edges in bright sun. Lots of green and magenta fringing.

I was pretty disappointed, so I was very careful as to how I used the lens. Nowadays, getting rid of fringing CA is no big deal, but back then it was. So I would say that if you can pick up the Canon for a good price, go for it. Because, despite its shortcomings, it is a very nice lens.


PostPosted: Sat Aug 06, 2011 2:53 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
For folks who can use the Canon FD mount -- NEX, NX, u4/3, etc., another very good lens that often gets ignored is Canon's 200mm f/4. It is small and compact, yet very sharp and well corrected against CA. I have a New FD model that I use with my Canon FD outfit. Because it's a Canon FD and "just" an f/4, they usually go for pretty cheap.


PostPosted: Sat Aug 06, 2011 9:40 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Thankyou Michael, you're my 'go to' guy for all things FD.

I am going to collect FL and FD lenses now as I just bought a NEX-3.

Got a bargain - a brand new NEX-3 in red with the 16mm lens for 189ukp.

Now I'm (im)patiently waiting for the adapters for C mount and M42 to arrive from HK.

The FD 4/200 looks very nice, I'm watching a couple on ebay. Is there any difference in IQ between the 4/200 and the 4/200 S.S.C. ? I see both on ebay quite often.

I'm really looking forward to trying my FD 1.4/50 S.S.C. on my NEX, I've ordered an FD-NEX adapter too.


PostPosted: Sat Aug 06, 2011 3:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
The main differences between an FD 200/4 -- New FD vs. SSC are the SSC will likely be larger and heavier, and -- I don't know if all New FDs 200s are like this or if just the later New FD 200s are -- but mine has internal focusing, and the SSC will not. I would suspect that, either way you go, it's gonna be a nice lens.


PostPosted: Sun Aug 07, 2011 6:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I am new here but the Pentacon lenses seem to get good write ups in most places..

I'd just like to mention I'm sure there's a Hungarian Place that will change an FD Lens to EF mount if you send it to them and 95% of the time it's reversible....

I can't remember the site name.no doubt i'll remember later and post up...

I have no idea of the quality though or how well it works...
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