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135 which should i buy VivitarTokina or yashica dsb or-kor?
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PostPosted: Sat Jul 17, 2021 6:04 pm    Post subject: 135 which should i buy VivitarTokina or yashica dsb or-kor? Reply with quote

Hello,

did now look a bit on the reviews , opinions market prices etc on the internet. After a long search im now thinking about buying one oft these three lenses:

Vivitar tokina 2.8 135 mm m42 or md

Yashica dsb 135 cy

or the yashikkor 135 m42

The sekor sx or yashica ds-m is a bit out of my current budget.

Have you an idea which one is the sharpest in the edges of them with lowest CAs at f4 or f8?

kind regards bluedxca93


PostPosted: Sat Jul 17, 2021 7:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

It has been said that there are no bad 135's. Whether that's true or not, it does seem to hold a kernel of truth, at least.

Honestly, my recommendation, if you can find one at a reasonable price, is the Vivitar 135mm f/2.8 CF (Close Focus). The CF is the only Vivitar 135mm with 62mm filter threads. So, when sorting through piles of used or bargain lenses, that's something to keep your eyes open for.

Although not labelled as such per se, the Vivitar 135 CF is a macro lens and is as sharp as the best macros. I know because I have one and I have probably a dozen different macro lenses, and my Viv 135 CF hangs in there with the best of 'em.


PostPosted: Sat Jul 17, 2021 9:20 pm    Post subject: Re: 135 which should i buy VivitarTokina or yashica dsb or-k Reply with quote

bluedxca93 wrote:
Hello,

Have you an idea which one is the sharpest in the edges of them with lowest CAs at f4 or f8?

kind regards bluedxca93


I probably have more than 50 different 135mm lenses, but for some reasons I have none of those you mention ...

Anyway, out of my many vintage 135mm lenses there are only very few which have (relatively) low lateral CAs when stopped down. Two of them are the Konica AR 2.5/135mm, the Konica AR 3.2/135mm (see image below).

I would recommend the AR 2.5/135mm if you like to shoot portraits, too. Its MFD is at 1.2m (compared to the common 1.5m), but it's rather heavy (around 600g). The AR 3.2/135mm is much lighter, and its MFD is just 1.0m!!
http://artaphot.ch/konica-ar/objektive/435-konica-hexanon-135mm-f25
http://artaphot.ch/konica-ar/objektive/390-konica-hexanon-135mm-f32
http://artaphot.ch/konica-ar/lens-tests/505-135mm-ar-hexanons-f25-f32-f35

Both lenses are very well built, but both have the typical quirky Konica aperture ring which is a pain to use.

If smoothness of operation is important, you may go for the MC-II, MC-X, or MD-I variants of the Minolta 2.8/135mm. Focusing is very smooth, and so is the operation of the aperture ring.
http://artaphot.ch/minolta-sr/objektive/171-minolta-135mm-f28


All theses lenses go for 40-80 CHF here in Switzerland (about USD 45-90 or EUR 35-70).

S

CLICK TWICE AT THE IMAGE BELOW TO GET THE FULL RESOLUTION!




EDIT if you specifically look for something cheap AND very good around 135mm (stopped down to f8 or f11), you might consider a good vintage 70-210mm or 80-200mm zoom. Several of these now cheap zooms are better at 135mm / f8 than their fixed focus 2.8/135mm counterparts from the same manufacturer.
One of the cheapest and best would be the Minolta 4/70-210mm, which in its AF incarnation ("beercan") often goes for less than CHF/USD/EUR 10.--. I know that the Canon nFD 4/80-200mm L is extremely good at 135mm / f8, but too pricey probably. I have to check a few common and cheap f4 zooms tomorrow, specifically at f=135mm and stopped down to f8 or f11.

S


PostPosted: Sat Jul 17, 2021 11:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

cooltouch wrote:
It has been said that there are no bad 135's. Whether that's true or not, it does seem to hold a kernel of truth, at least.

Honestly, my recommendation, if you can find one at a reasonable price, is the Vivitar 135mm f/2.8 CF (Close Focus). The CF is the only Vivitar 135mm with 62mm filter threads. So, when sorting through piles of used or bargain lenses, that's something to keep your eyes open for.

Although not labelled as such per se, the Vivitar 135 CF is a macro lens and is as sharp as the best macros. I know because I have one and I have probably a dozen different macro lenses, and my Viv 135 CF hangs in there with the best of 'em.


I agree, the Vivitar 135 / 2.8 Close Focus is surely the best budget to be found, and the adage that there are no bad 135's certainly seems to have some credibility, I think I've got 40 135's in various mounts, mostly f3.5 but quite a few 2.8's, and there are very few that are so bad I wouldn't use them ( or sell them on ) Maybe half of them are very average, but that would be comparing them to the best 135's - such as the many Rokkor's, Zuiko's, Zeiss, Takumar, Pentax, Yashica, Canon + Nikon lenses, and the debate over which is the best of the major players 135's is mainly pixel peeping and people championing their favourite brand.

My go to 135's are usually my Rokkors or Zuikos, OR my cheap and excellent Prakticar / Zeiss and Vivitar 135's. I've got a Cimko 135 / 2.8 with a store brand - Super Paragon - which is stunning, bought about 10 years ago for next to nothing.

The DSB Yashica is a good lens, as is the M42 Auto Mamiya Sekor 135 / 3.5 - which I believe is a Tokina lens also found as a Soligor. You wouldn't be dissapointed with either.


PostPosted: Sun Jul 18, 2021 8:01 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hi,
thx very much for the much replys.
Seems like the vivitar cf is a good solution and the yashicas possible too if i find them cheap.
M42 Auto Mamiya Sekor 135 / 3.5 need to look at it.
The hexanon ar looks indeed very nice but not possible on ef mount.

At the moment my current travenar 135 petri admiral lens has this optical quality:

100% crop


And this was my first try to replace it an revuenon auto ( not special) lens that i sold immediatly after seeing this on an edge crop.:

So any lens showing this behaviour ill sell again.


PostPosted: Sun Jul 18, 2021 11:48 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

easily dealt with:


PostPosted: Sun Jul 18, 2021 12:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

bluedxca93 wrote:
Hi,
thx very much for the much replys.
Seems like the vivitar cf is a good solution and the yashicas possible too if i find them cheap.
M42 Auto Mamiya Sekor 135 / 3.5 need to look at it.
The hexanon ar looks indeed very nice but not possible on ef mount.

Sorry, I missed that you're looking for a lens for Canon EF mount. That makes it quite a bit more difficult.

bluedxca93 wrote:

And this was my first try to replace it an revuenon auto ( not special) lens that i sold immediatly after seeing this on an edge crop.:

So any lens showing this behaviour ill sell again.


Then you have problem since any vintage 135mm prime suitable for EF mount I'm aware of has such problems. Even the Zeiss Oberkochen Sonnar 2.8/135mm (which wide open has the best performance of my vintage 135mm lenses) has some visible CAs. Same is valid for the Zeiss Jena Sonnar 3.5/135mm (which is more a 130mm lens though) which has a better-than-average color correction too.

You may, however, consider a 135mmm prime which is sharp wide open, and correct its Lateral CA via software. Might be a good copy (!) of the Sonnar 3.5/135mm or a late Tokina RMC 2.8/135mm "compact" with M42 mount (very cheap lens, but surprisingly close to the Zeiss CY Sonnar 2.8/135mm).

The only really good vintage 135mm lens I'm aware of is the Leica M Elmar 4/135mm: Excellent wide open, both concerning corner resolution and CA correction.

S