Optomax 2.8/135 t-mount preset on NEX-3

[iangreenhalgh1]

Optomax 2.8/135 t-mount preset. Has 16 blades and fantastic all-metal build quality. Does feel or perform like a cheap lens, it is very sharp even wide open with great contrast and colours, a real surprise package. The bokeh is very smooth and makes me think this is a Sonnar design.

These are all wide open at f2.8. no PP other than resizing for upload:


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#13 100% crop

[iangreenhalgh1]

These are at f4, a bit sharper than wide open and the glow disappears:


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[iangreenhalgh1]

These are at f8, nice and sharp and very contrasty:


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[iangreenhalgh1]

This is the actual lens:


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#3 16 blades!

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[Pancolart]

Seems like a good lens. Nice samples, Ian.

[DigiChromeEd]

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There has to be a story behind this shot, surely?

[iangreenhalgh1]

Cheers Pancolart, the good sunlight certainly helps, it's sadly rare here.

Could well be Ed! That shot is one that makes me think it is a Sonnar, the bokeh certainly looks Sonnar-like to me.

A 100% crop at f2.8 with sharpening, looks pretty sharp to me.



A 100% crop at f8 sharpened, sharp and no CA.

[hktam]

UK sunlight is even better then HK.........in these days

[iangreenhalgh1]

Yes, we are having some very good weather for March in UK, most unusual, 21C and very sunny yesterday, same today.

[luisalegria]

Itoh Higon ?

[iangreenhalgh1]

I have no idea Luis, I bow to your far greater knowledge.

My thoughts are that is is a Sonnar design, the rendering of the oof areas looks like a Sonnar to me and the sharpness is like a Sonnar.

It's a very well made lens, feels like a quality item, and the 16 blades is another sign of quality. It's not upto Takumar standards of build quality but it is similar to a Jupiter-11A - all metal and very solid in feel.

[martinsmith99]

It looks good stopped down, but open looks a bit too soft for my taste and the colours & contrast look weak. I do like the preset and aperture blades.

[iangreenhalgh1]

I don't agree at all, especially about the colours and contrast, remember these are straight out of camera images, no PP. Look at the wide open shots of the cat, there is no lack of sharpness there.

[Lloydy]

I've got the Optomax 28 f2.8 that's doing the doing the rounds in the 'Cheap Lens Challenge' with me at the moment, and agree that there some aspects that seem to mark it out as a quality lens - the 28 is also a 16 blade iris and silky smooth. ( the focusing ring is another matter but that might be age and hard life related ) But.....I would say this 28 is older and from a different manufacturer, the style and detail is very different. The serial number of the 28 is only four digits and ends wit 'K' - so my guess is it's just another store branded lens from whoever was cheapest at the time ?

Those are good pictures though, it looks like a decent enough lens. And the decapitated and impaled doll is a great image in it's own right.

[iangreenhalgh1]

Cheers David, I like this lens, it's not as good as my best 135s - the Topcor 3.5/135 and Konica 3.2/135, but I rate it as highly as the M42 Pentacon 2.8/135 I had. I like the doll shot, just one of those lucky ones you sometimes see these wierd little things but often you don't have your camera with you.

[hktam]

Looking forward

[iangreenhalgh1]

I found a couple of other Optomax lenses that are possibly the same maker as this 135:

a 3.5/135:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CAMERA-LENSE-OPTOMAX-f3-5-135MM-LENSE-/270942431825?pt=UK_Lenses_Filters_Lenses&hash=item3f156d6a51#ht_500wt_1413

and a 4.5/200mm:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/OPTOMAX-TELEPHOTO-LENS-/251028476952?pt=UK_Lenses_Filters_Lenses&hash=item3a72769418#ht_742wt_1396

I don't know who Optomax were but there are so many different lenses with the Optomax brand that they were probably, as David says, buying up whatever was cheapest. There are at least half a dozen totally different 200mm lenses and I've seen probably half a dozen at least 35mm lenses with Optomax branding.

I expect the quality varies a bit from mediocre to quite good.