MFlenses - A new life in a digital age
MFLenses 2026

Manual Focus Lenses Forum

Explore the world of vintage lenses through repair notes, real test shots, and detailed archive threads packed with images.

Explore the world of vintage lenses through repair notes, real test shots, and detailed archive threads packed with images.
logovectorizer.com
Spotlight

Featured partner placement for the forum front page.

Sun 60-135/3.5 zoom - 1970's Bling !
View previous topic :: View next topic  


Reply

I picked this up for a song - all right, a couple of bucks. By some weird coincidence I just got it yesterday, and this morning Rino asks about it - http://forum.mflenses.com/sun-zoom-t10913.html



Here it is with its big brothers, the 70-210/4 (Aetna brand) and the mighty 80-240/4

Sun Optical was an odd lens maker. They were there almost at the beginning of the third party lens business in the early 1950's, with very nice quality optics for Leicas and Exaktas. Later they seemed to have gotten into a business model where they had to add an extra - some trick or gimmick - to their products. So they made a lot of odd things. They specialized in consumer zooms from the 1960's onwards - all with some odd quality. They were always small, but they seem to have sold a lot of lenses into the US market under their brand or under the Aetna label, there are always several Suns on US ebay.

The 1970's line seems to have depended mainly on styling, and the 60-135 short zoom may be the ultimate in cheap bling. Satin chrome and an absurd number of knurled rings and switches, it looks like something that should have been launched into space with Apollo 13, or starred in Space:1999. It just screams that its owner is a particularly silly amateur with no taste, who probably wears his flowered shirt open to his navel to show off the medallion on his chest hair. Yes, I remember those days.

Unlike its big brothers, this one is in fixed M42 and not YS, but there may be a YS version. Among its features, this lens may be unique in having a flash calculator - you set ASA and the flash guide number on the bottom, and as you turn the aperture ring it gives you the flash distance. I have never seen anything like it on a lens. It is otherwise a conventional two-touch zoom with constant aperture, but it doesn't hold focus while zooming. Like the other Suns it does have a very nice manual-auto switch and an excellent sliding hood.

But did our unsophisticated disco-dancing buyer with great big sideburns and no taste regret his decision ? Assuming that he was able to work his camera at all, I don't think so.

Under all the bling and silliness, this is actually a pretty nice lens. It is reasonably sharp at f/3.5 and as good as my sensor can manage by f/5.6. And it has excellent contrast - too much, possibly. It does not suffer from flare or glare or other deficiencies. I was getting sharp pictures from the beginning, it is one of those lenses that seems to snap into focus for me - maybe the high contrast does it ?















The bird -



crop -



Reply

Great Photos


Reply

I don't know how you do it ! Everything always looks great.


Reply

Amazing!


Reply

Outstanding quality!


Reply

Nice, very nice pics, as always you do, Luis.

How much did you pay for the sun zoom?

Enjoy. Rino.


Reply

wow.. very nice...


hey got white "L" lens....


Reply

Hi Rino,

$2


Reply

Very good for you, Luis. Very Happy

For $2 ? At this price I can't buy 1 Kg. of bread here. Crying or Very sad

The few seller in Argentina need to sell in the expensive way because they sell in one little market.

Any lens, no less than $ 50. Well Rino, don't cry.

Regards Rino.


Reply

Luis between you and Koji
It is like we have professional level presentations every day.
This group will be experts on so many lenses in no time.
A great service Kudos!
Very Happy


Reply

Wow, pretty good shots. The lens performs quite well and skill did it.
I have never seen those lenses, the name "sun" was known to me.

Of course we cannot underestimate those oldy lenses, eh. Shocked
Otherwise this forum wont be here. Very Happy Very Happy Very Happy

No.6 photo has Coit-Tower? (Maybe its spelling is incorrect.)


Reply

Hi, Luis!!

Did you have another pics with this lovely zoom ?

I'm trying to Knock out the seller's price $ 45. It's high. If the lens performer as you show us, I will pay .

If you have more pics, send to us, please.

Rino.


Reply

Hi Rino,

Its not bad, but its not really special. You could just as well get something like the Kiron 85-205/3.8 (under many names), they are very common and just as good.

I can send you 2000x3000 jepegs if you like, I just need your email.

Luis


Reply

Luis. All that you said was enough.

Thanks. Rino.


Reply

I have found recently a wide angle Sun zoom : 24~40mm f:3.5~4.5 + macro in YS changeable mount. It's huge (72mm front filter) and eavy (600 gr).

Some says it's a Tokina lens, ancestor of the 24~40mm f:2.8 ATX.

Seems very soft wide open on the viewfinder (I had in in Minolta MC mount and take some shot on film with it but not yet developed).


Reply

How could I miss this amazing thread? Shocked
Congratulations!


Reply

Hi Flor,

That 24-40 would be a late product by Sun, possibly mid-late 1970's. It would probably be in the same series I have. Could you post a picture ?

I have pages from 1981 and 1983 Sun catalogs that shows a 24-45/3.5-4.5 with a 62mm filter. That may have replaced your model.


Reply

luisalegria wrote:
Hi Flor,

That 24-40 would be a late product by Sun, possibly mid-late 1970's. It would probably be in the same series I have. Could you post a picture ?

I have pages from 1981 and 1983 Sun catalogs that shows a 24-45/3.5-4.5 with a 62mm filter. That may have replaced your model.


Hi Luis,

Sorry, no pics of mine : kept it one week than sold the same price I got it (20 €).
Here is another one : http://forum.xitek.com/showthread.php?threadid=342416


Reply

Its articles like this that make me wish I could read Japanese !

So many mysteries could be unravelled immediately.


Reply

So do I... Crying or Very sad


Reply

What about distortion at 24/35 mm?

It seem to be nice lens.

Rino.


Reply

Seems to distort a little bit, will know as soon as I will develop the films.


Reply

luisalegria wrote:
Its articles like this that make me wish I could read Japanese !

So many mysteries could be unravelled immediately.


It's Chinese. I can't read it neither Sad

But here's Google translation to it.

http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fforum.xitek.com%2Fshowarchives.php%3Fthreadid%3D342416&sl=zh-CN&tl=en&hl=en&ie=UTF-8


Reply

bawang wrote:
luisalegria wrote:
Its articles like this that make me wish I could read Japanese ! So many mysteries could be unravelled immediately.


It's Chinese. I can't read it neither Sad


Luis. Sure, you are a traslator man. Laughing Laughing

Enjoy, Rino.


Reply

I find sample test Sun
on 3-4 meter, on see bokeh