Sun Optics 80-240/4 YS mount - Awkward but nice

luisalegria · Expire: 2018-01-18

This is one of the "Japanese Monster Zooms" I'm trying out.

Its a product of Sun Optical, one of the first Japanese third-party lens makers, and it dates back to, probably, the very early 1970's. At the time it must have been their top-of-the-line lens. Its certainly one of their more common lenses today.

Its a bulky, heavy monster, even heavier than it looks as its not only full of glass, they used THICK aluminum on this thing, it must have the heaviest-guage built-in hood I ever saw.

Its a normal two-touch zoom in most ways, other than the slightly odd design, with that very unusual tripod mount screw off to the side. It is a little difficult to handle with bits and pieces projecting more than one would expect.

It has an early and curious "macro" - really close-focus - feature, using a switch to disengage the zoom ring and turn it into a sort of internal-focus mechanism. You can get focus down to about 2ft-2/3m, which is pretty good for 240mm. The image quality of the macro seems a bit iffy, but probably acceptable if this is all you've got - and this thing is more than enough to carry ! It does focus rather close for a 240mm even in "normal" mode, under 2.5m.

It does not have an auto-manual switch, a big problem for me. The YS mount can of course be replaced by a T-mount, and this helps in getting something to jam down the stop-down pin, to make this a manual.

As for quality (as a plain zoom) - well it looks pretty darn good to me ! I was surprised by the results, I was expecting mediocre to bad, but its really very respectable, and very decent wide-open; its better than a lot of primes I've tried. No particular problems with flare, glare, or contrast either, but some CA(?) apparent on the OOF sometimes.

If one can have it carried by someone else, it would be quite nice !

"macro" mode -

Just a lot of boats -

The bird - this one liked to talk

crop -

LucisPictor · Expire: 2013-12-03

Pretty impressive!

Schnauzer · Expire: 2012-03-08

Looks like a pretty darn nice lense.

trifox · Expire: 2014-05-29

hey! always well done!

but my question is how you are able to take these pics in the same circumstances as before!
've seen a couple of lenses you have tried before - results - the same! Smile

've been watching your pics for 2 weeks approx. -
and motifs look very, very, very similar - tram, bird... ( is this bird fixed? Smile

tram has switched its lights on! Smile

you have to be at the same moments with the same lenses! Smile

excellent! Smile

because I am saying this: only professional can repeat always the same!

tf

luisalegria · Expire: 2018-01-18

Hi tf,

Its really very simple !

I work near the San Francisco waterfront, by the Ferry Building. So if I want subjects for test shots, I usually choose from my surroundings. These are really test shots after all, I hope you forgive the lack of innovation.

The boats are always in the bay, the bridge is huge and unavoidable, the streetcars are ubiquitous and more interesting than most of the other vehicles, and the seagulls are numerous and cooperative. It is really easy to repeat a shot, more or less. If I want a seagull, I walk a minute or two to the pierside railings and there is almost always a good selection perched ready for their modelling assignment.