Auto Federal 300mm 4.5

Macca · Joined: 20 Mar 2012 Posts: 248 Location: Glasgow, Scotland.

Bought this from ebay yesterday, the only long lens I have is a Kalimar 60-300mm AF which isn`t too sharp at the long end but very useful at 200mm and under. I paid 25 quid on a slight impulse.

It`s Japanese made around 1.6 kilos and 6 bladed, from trawling through old threads here it may be a Chinon based design,any thoughts? or have I just bought a nice doorstop!

Edit, I did find some "Greens federal" 200mm lens on ebay which may have belonged to a chain of English camera stores way back, not sure if this is related. Can`t find any other mention of Federal lenses on the internet. (The styling and writing on the 200mm lens is very different though)

ManualFocus-G · Expire: 2014-11-24

Does the serial number have an E at the end? If so, it's a Sankor. If not, it looks a bit like the old Vivitars and I suppose could be a Tokina.

Macca · Joined: 20 Mar 2012 Posts: 248 Location: Glasgow, Scotland.

No 30102...
Front pic wont upload at present.

buerokratiehasser · Joined: 12 Jun 2011 Posts: 470

Looks suspiciously similar to my UNIVERSAR 300/4.5. Is that a red triangle near the aperture ring?
However, mine is grey and has a collapsible hood.

Macca · Joined: 20 Mar 2012 Posts: 248 Location: Glasgow, Scotland.

It is a red triangle I think. These pics are from the current owner, I will post some shots when I get it. Got some friendly ducks in a nearby river which pose for the odd shot but haven`t got anything long enough or sharp enough to do them justice yet!

What is the UNIVERSAR like?

luisalegria · Expire: 2018-01-18

I may have seen this in a YS interchangable mount.

Macca · Joined: 20 Mar 2012 Posts: 248 Location: Glasgow, Scotland.

The vendor says its M42 and like new, he does also say its returnable if I`m not happy for the postage, so nothing ventured....would it be easy to mistake a ys mount for an M42?

luisalegria · Expire: 2018-01-18

YS mounts were like T-mounts, just with linkages for automatic aperture.
You would get a YS mount for your camera and screw it on the lens.
You could get a YS mount for M42. Or you could even use a T-mount for M42, it would just be lacking the auto pin.

The YS mount thread was M42x.75 like T-thread.
This DOES look like M42, which is M42x1. Some people do get confused with M42, YS and T mounts.

That said, the mount part of this lens does not look as though it is a YS mount. Its most likely just a plain M42.

The reason I mentioned YS is that there were just a few makers that were in the YS mount consortium - Sigma, Sun and Sankor, that I know of.

buerokratiehasser · Joined: 12 Jun 2011 Posts: 470

Dug it out - not so sure now. The general "pipe" design with a large focusing girdle is similar.

�67 front

The triangle is more orange and more like an arrow head. DOF scale style is similar but not quite. Of course, labeling, use of little squares in the focus grip etc., orange meter distances on the ring, are all outward appearances only

The A/M switch is not ring but switch.

MFD is a little less than 5 metres. Focus girdle has hub of about an inch from that to infinity.

It says LENS MADE IN JAPAN in about 2.5mm font, opposite to DOF.

Serial is "No.710008" on the front ring.

native M42 lens as far as I can see.

Tripod mount ring which I now think to be belonging to the lens.

Image quality is "about ISO 250" at F8/F9 (crop body). IIRC prone to green/purple "color bokeh".

Aperture is 8 bladed, a bit lower than the focusing girdle as far as I can see. Hrmm, probably there are only so few ways one can design a simple non-compressed tele lens.

Macca · Joined: 20 Mar 2012 Posts: 248 Location: Glasgow, Scotland.

It arrived yesterday morning so I only had time for a few quick shots before heading to work. Absolutley pissng down here today so no more shots. First impressions...its heavy, probably bulit from recycled old japanese battleships, solid metal and glass. Like the vendor said, it looks as though its never been used. The MFD is a relatively unhelpful 7m, a squirrel posed nicely in the sun on my neighbours fence but he was too close!

These were shot on a sunny morning , I popped the tripod on top of a fence rail for some, but not great stability and the adapter I`m using is one for my 100m f4 so only has image stabilisation up to that focal length which is better than nothing.

I have no experience in reviewing lenses full stop so will let others decide whether these pics are any use in measuring the lens. ISO all 100

1.

at 4.5

2.

at 5.6

3.

at f8

4.

at 4.5 or 5.6 not sure

5.

at f11[/img]

luisalegria · Expire: 2018-01-18

Not bad it seems.

The test, from my barbaric point of view, would be:

Open it to f/4.5
Take a perfectly focused picture of something with some fine detail in the center of the image
Load the shot into your photo editor and blow it up to 1:1
crop that and post it.

If that crop looks good I call it a good lens.

woodrim · Joined: 14 Jan 2010 Posts: 4060 Location: Charleston

ManualFocus-G · Expire: 2014-11-24

Ah, I see. The adaper is programmed for a 100mm lens, so in body stabilisation isn't that effective. This is one of the reasons I.moved away from the a mount line of cameras...you need an adapter for each focal length if you want effective steadyshot.

Macca · Joined: 20 Mar 2012 Posts: 248 Location: Glasgow, Scotland.

Macca · Joined: 20 Mar 2012 Posts: 248 Location: Glasgow, Scotland.

More detailed crops as promised.

wide open

and a squirrel hiding in the neighbours eaves..

at f8

none of the squirrel crops at 4.5 were too hot, however my tripod found the weight of the lens challenging at times!

I will probably sell on due to the MFD/weight, its not the worst 25 quid lens on the planet though.