Chinon 300mm f/5.6

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

I did a search but didn't find reference to this lens. Does anyone have experience with it? I had never seen it before. It can be seen here:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Objectif-CHINON-1-5-6-f-300-mm-avec-etui-/400144816561 I believe this is the Multi-Coated version.

BRunner · Joined: 29 Jul 2009 Posts: 705 Location: Czech Republic

Looks exactly like my Revuenon 5.6/300 which, I suppose, is Tokina made.

Very sharp lens with good contrast. Unfortunately, it suffers from strong CAs. @f5.6 sharper than my Tair-3S at same aperture, @f8 it's tie. But @f8 Tair exhibits almost no CAs.

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

You don't suppose Chinon made the lens for Revuenon? The one I'm looking at is the Chinon multi-coated with the green lettering. I was hoping it was a Chinon manufacture.

BRunner · Joined: 29 Jul 2009 Posts: 705 Location: Czech Republic

Tokina RMC 5.6/300 except the colors of lettering and slightly different rubber grip, looks exactly the same. I don't know Chinon history, but wiki states, that it was camera company. Probably Chinon lenses was built by other manufacturers.
BTW. my Revuenon has too green lettered "multi coating" on front ring.

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

I wonder. I find it difficult at times to identify lens makers, or even lenses that may have been made by same makers. There are always subtle differences, and sometimes subtle similarities. Since basically they are all round and cylindrical in shape, we need to look at other characteristics. Does this one look like it too can be the same maker? There are subtle differences.

BRunner · Joined: 29 Jul 2009 Posts: 705 Location: Czech Republic

Hard to say, but this one looks quite different to me. Especially the aperture ring. Which looks on Chinon, my Revuenon and Tokina exactly same. The front part of focusing ring and transition to the lens hood is on the other three lenses same too, but different from your last picture.

casualcollector · Posted: Sun Aug 22, 2010 9:19 pm Post subject:

Woodrim, The lens in your post is one I've not seen. It definitely looks different from the Tokina style so I guess a different maker. What brand is on the lens.

Bill

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

martinsmith99 · Expire: 2013-11-18

Chinon seemed to MAKE either very good or average lenses. I'm not aware of them putting their badge on other lenses but they did make lenses for other companies.

casualcollector · Posted: Wed Aug 25, 2010 1:14 am Post subject:

Woodrim, The screw pattern on the rear surface of the lens is like that used by Cimko but the orientation is different.

My thoughts on Chinon are that they probably assembled some lenses using designs and elements bought from others and used their own mechanical components (barrels and grips). Other lenses were bought and labeled. I think it depends on the time frame. There are also examples carrying the Tomioka name on the ID ring in addition to the Chinon brand. I see them on e-bay at outrageous prices!

A Chinar lens caught my eye last week but it was clearly marked made in Korea and I passed it by.

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

Think the lens is worth a go? As for Chinon, I find it confusing with all the different and conflicting information. Surfing the net will reveal comments saying they made their own lenses, didn't make lenses, lenses are all good, some are average, yada yada. I find it very disappointing how little is really known about many of the Japanese lens companies. Wouldn't you think there were records still in existence or at least people who worked at the companies who would remember? I suppose to research it better, it would need to be done by an enthusiast in Japan.

casualcollector · Posted: Wed Aug 25, 2010 7:05 pm Post subject:

Worth a go? That's between your conscience and your wallet and the advice of others may be all for naught if you really want it. I know I have a few that I just had to have!

Yes, Chinon's is an interesting situation. I could fill a few paragraphs with what I know from selling their cameras in the '74-'77 screw mount era, faded recollections of what I read in magazines of the '71-'86 period and a few anecdotes from the web.

Marshaling and attributing published or physical evidence is something I haven't done and that is why my statements are opinion, not fact.

We really need to correspond with people who worked in the industry then. We also need a very good interpreter!

Follow this link to read an article by a writer who followed the industry very closely.

http://keppler.popphoto.com/blog/2006/03/whats_in_a_name.html

Pancolart · Expire: 2013-11-18

Interesting reading there!

There seems to be complete series of such Chinons. Quite nice i must say:

2.5/24mm M42 Click here to see on Ebay.de
2.8/28mm M42 Click here to see on Ebay.de
2.8/35mm M42 Click here to see on Ebay.de
2.8/135mm M42 Click here to see on Ebay
8/500mm M42 Mirror Click here to see on Ebay

heritagecameras · Joined: 19 Feb 2011 Posts: 104 Location: UK

ChromaticAberration · Joined: 23 Dec 2010 Posts: 819 Location: Portugal

That last one looks a lot like the 70's Adaptall-1 from Tamron from the lettering to the coating!

Lloydy · Expire: 2022-01-01

I got one of those Chinon 300's last week, and I'm already impressed. I've also got a Tair and a Soligor 300, this Chinon is way lighter than either so it's easy to hand hold on my NEX5.
It's fractionally slower that the Soligor and a stop slower than the Tair, but the ability to hand hold makes up for that.
Is it as sharp ? I haven't done a good shootout of all three on a tripod yet, but the Chinon is OK. One fault is the CA / fringing, which although it isn't as much as some other lenses I have used, is red. Which makes it harder to remove in PP.
The bokeh is lovely, and the colours are good. It's got a lot going for it.

I posted a 5 image stitch taken with this lens in the 'Digital Darkroom' forum.

http://forum.mflenses.com/microsoft-ice-for-stitching-t46910.html

I'll post some more pictures with no PP in this topic later on.

dimitrygo · Joined: 01 Apr 2009 Posts: 561

Lloydy · Expire: 2022-01-01

No PP or cropping, the flower was in a patch of long grass and everything was blowing in the wind, which is why there is some bokeh in front of the flower which was probably 20 feet away, just about the closest this lens will focus.
Hand held shot, wide open at 5.6, ISO 800 and 1/1000sec

I was pleased with this shot, I think the lens stamped a certain style on the image which I like.