Help with more identifications.

zewrak · Joined: 12 Apr 2008 Posts: 1193

Can you identify the lenses in this picture? They are branded "Expert", which once was the biggest photographics store chain in Sweden.

In the seventies they used to sell Vivitar lenses and I hear that their brand usually was repackaged Vivitar or Soligor.

The smaller of the teles is a 150mm/3.8f and the bigger one is a 300mm/4.5f and they are both branded Expert.

The one on the camera is known however, its an Auto Chinon 50mm/1.7f.

Attila · Expire: 2021-11-18

It is too small for a 400mm lens, 400mm 4.5 sounds good, but this brand "Expert" ? I suggest to not take, except for low price for play and if "doorstop" quality you will not loose much.

zewrak · Joined: 12 Apr 2008 Posts: 1193

oh yes, thats a typo. 300mm ofcourse. And the price for it all is about 110$

Attila · Expire: 2021-11-18

If no additional postage cost should ok for play, but you have not more than 10% chance to found a good quality set.

zewrak · Joined: 12 Apr 2008 Posts: 1193

Are there really differences of an original Vivitar/Soligor and the ones that are branded differently?

Attila · Expire: 2021-11-18

Yes, they have no stable quality like Nikkor, or Carl Zeiss have it, some "noname" lens can be close for "brand" lenses but most of them not reach that. They quality can be very different. I saw many superb photos here taken with "noname" lenses , but this is only came from photographer genius... So I believe a talented guy can make excellent photos with a crap lens too, but always nice to have best quality lenses as possible.

luisalegria · Expire: 2018-01-18

The 150/3.8 was probably from 1978-79 and is probably similar to a unit sold under the Osawa brand, and also as a Telesar.

That is an unusual lens, as this 150mm focal length was not common for 35mm, and even less so for cheap Japanese third-party makers, in fact it may be the only one. You are more likely to find high quality (and expensive) Kilfitt and Takumar 150mm's than this one. I have never seen this on ebay or anywhere else.

Personally I wouldn't pay more than $15 for it, but it is worth getting for the sake of rarity.

The 300/4.5 is from the same period, 1978-79, and was probably also sold under brands like Miida. I would put a fair price of @$30-40 for it, as you can easily get good 300mm lenses for that.

I don't think Vivitar ever sold these lenses. Soligor probably did sell the 300/4.5, in its late period when it was no longer using the Tokina T4 lens mount, and the quality wasn't so good. It was not a C/D series lens that I know of.

I don't think these are very good lenses, as they are from the late 1970's explosion in poor quality manufacture, and the same lenses were sold by the lowest category of distributors. Back in the 1960's-early 1970's the mechanical fit and finish could be excellent even on a no-name lens from Accura or Lentar.

But you never know, I have a couple of very good lenses that by all rights should be garbage, but they do very well - a Suntar 135/2.8 for instance that looks like it should be the very definition of cheap 1970's lenses, but in fact is really worthwhile.

The camera is a Chinon and probably is a very good one. I would say its likely to be fairly sold for $30.

I see that there is a ring-light ? and a big flash unit, these would be worth something.

In US pricing terms I would say the whole outfit is a bit expensive, but price levels may be different there.

zewrak · Joined: 12 Apr 2008 Posts: 1193

Well I got the super takumar 150mm and a S-M-C Takumar 300. So im fit there. Wink

But thanks for the information, you sir, are a library of knowledge.