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Anybody knows the Soligor 70-210 f3.5?
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Hi guys!

I can get a Soligor 70-210 C/D f3.5! I cant find anything about it on the net! Does anybody of you knows something about this lens? How good is it? Compared to my Tamron 70-210 3.8-4?

It looks really good but how does it perform optically?

cheers,

Karhallarn


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I just know and have the Soligor 3.5/70-220.
That lens is a monster but also a great performer.


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That's interesting! Here's a picture!



I think it's a 70-210 anyhow!


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Karhallarn wrote:
Hi guys!

I can get a Soligor 70-210 C/D f3.5! I cant find anything about it on the net! Does anybody of you knows something about this lens? How good is it? Compared to my Tamron 70-210 3.8-4?

It looks really good but how does it perform optically?

cheers,

Karhallarn


erm the Tamron 46a is very good, so I can't work out why you would want a Soligor...save your money for say a Tamron SP 28-80mm


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The Soligor "C/D" line of lenses was introduced to compete with the Vivitar "Series 1" and Tamron "SP" line of lenses at the time. The C/D versions are usually quite good. A few years ago, I gave away a "mint" Soligor "C/D" 70-210 f/3.5 lens. I never got around to using it, but it's construction appeared to be quite nice. I've seen a couple of very positive reviews on it. What's the asking price on said lens?

Russ


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29€!


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I am pretty sure this is also Tokina RMC as Vivitars. Just different clothing.


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Pancolart wrote:
I am pretty sure this is also Tokina RMC as Vivitars. Just different clothing.



The Soligor C/D 70-210 f/3.5 was a completely different design than that of the Vivitars. I can't speak for the Tokina's. I have little experience with them.


Left to right:
Vivitar Series 1 (Kiron model), f/3.5
Vivitar Series 1 (Tokina model), f/3.5
Vivitar Series 1 (Komine model), f/2.8-4
Kiron 70-210. f/4 with Zoom-lock

Russ


Last edited by Russ on Wed Feb 23, 2011 6:37 pm; edited 2 times in total


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Karhallarn wrote:
29€!


Go and get it before somebody else takes it away!
It will certainly be worth that much!!


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Russ wrote:
The Soligor C/D 70-210 f/3.5 was a completely different design than that of the Vivitars. I can't speak for the Tokina's.


Well, Vivitars in that league were made by Tokina. Just check their 3.5/70-210mm as it is re-branded Tokina RMC. Soligors C/D were also made by Tokina (some maybe by Cosina). Practical tests do not show much difference over "old" Tokinas though "computer designed". Mostly it's greenish coating making them special.


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Pancolart wrote:
Russ wrote:
The Soligor C/D 70-210 f/3.5 was a completely different design than that of the Vivitars. I can't speak for the Tokina's.


Well, Vivitars in that league were made by Tokina. Just check their 3.5/70-210mm as it is re-branded Tokina RMC. Soligors C/D were also made by Tokina (some maybe by Cosina). Practical tests do not show much difference over "old" Tokinas though "computer designed". Mostly it's greenish coating making them special.



I presume (and ONLY presume) it was made by tokina because 90% of c/d lenses of that period and most soligor lenses of that period were tokina made

It is a ~1977/1978 lens which was marketed just after the 1st c/d batch (80-200 3.5 / 35-105 3.5 / 100-300 5 / 70-220 3.5)

Aniway the C/D 70-210 3.5 2 touch lens was a much older lens that the tokina rmc one touch lens / vivitar s1 2nd version

It is a ~1977/1978 lens which was marketed just after the 1st c/d batch


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I've just got one of these 70-210 3.5 Soligors, excellent condition as well. I'll try it on the NEX later on.


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Lloydy wrote:
I've just got one of these 70-210 3.5 Soligors, excellent condition as well. I'll try it on the NEX later on.


Shocked I hope you will still find your NEX once it is mounted to that monster lens.
A little hint: the NEX is that small box at the rear end of the lens. Wink


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Oh yes, the NEX is dwarfed in size, but it's man enough for the job. Very Happy I've just looked at the test pictures, and I think this is possibly the best zoom I own. Shocked
Pic's coming shortly. Wink


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Yes, it's a good one, it just has problems with CAs at high contrast edges.


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My first impression of this lens was all good, it's a solid and well made lens, smaller than the Vivitar Series 1 70-210. The Soligor is 70mm diameter and 195mm long fully extended. There's a 27mm hood in that measurement. The lens does not extend when zoomed, only when focused. I like the gloss black as well, it sets it apart from other lenses.
On the nex it's a case of handle the lens and let the NEX sit on the back for the ride. I like that, once you're used to handling a big lens on a NEX its fine.

All these pictures are straight out of the camera and ISO 1600 except the clock tower at ISO 6400, that was hand held, all the ISO 1600 were using a monopod.
I tried to use the lens without going wide open to f3.5 or closed down to f 22. But I can't remember the stops.





100% crop




200% crop, there's some CA there but not a huge fringe. Easily PP out.




100% and 'auto levels'


The obligatory 'tree in a field' shot.




I'm already very impressed with this lens, I also have two Vivitar Series 1, a Sigma UC2, Tokina SD ( Autofocus ) and a couple of Tamrons in this range. I'll have to arrange a shoot out, but I wouldn't be surprised if this Soligor won !


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Vivitar Series 1 (Kiron model), f/3.5
Vivitar Series 1 (Tokina model), f/3.5
Vivitar Series 1 (Komine model), f/2.8-4

I've tried all three. My vote goes to Kiron in terms of sharpness, contrast and macro mode.


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I've got a Kiron and a Komine S1, and I do rate them both very highly, but they are bigger than this Soligor, although it's results that count.
To be honest I haven't used either S1 for a while so I might be rash in judging the Soligor as being as good or better? The Soligor is good, these pictures aren't the best - there's no PP and I know some could be sharper. But I can see a lot of potential in this lens.
I need a shoot out with a Viv S1. Laughing


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...

Last edited by Pancolart on Fri Mar 10, 2017 8:12 am; edited 1 time in total


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I just got one of these lenses and am very impressed with its performance. There is a little purple fringing noticeable under magnification at 210mm near the edges of the frame with a high contrast line or area but it's really negligible in my opinion, and the lens won't be satisfactory for flat-field macro but otherwise it produces results on par with my primes. The side of the box shows MTF graphs and says the MTF data gives Soligor lens designers valuable information for lens design, suggesting Soligor designed the lens which was manufactured by Tokina (serial number 17xxxxxxx).


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How does your soligor compare to the tokina 2 ring 70-210mm? The same lens?

https://www.pentaxforums.com/userreviews/tokina-70-210mm-f35-2-ring-zoom.html


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I still have mine, and probably wouldn't sell it - even though I don't use it very often any more. After using it quite a lot on the Pentax K10 and the a bit on the NEX5 I found that actually, the Vivitar Series 1. 70-210 f2.8 - 4 was a better lens, and now I also have the Tamron 19AH 70-210 which is possibly better than the Vivitar. But that doesn't make the old Tokina / Soligor CD a bad lens, far from it.