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Bell & Howell 28mm 2.8 FD mount. Unusual.
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PostPosted: Tue May 22, 2018 7:36 pm    Post subject: Bell & Howell 28mm 2.8 FD mount. Unusual. Reply with quote

I picked this guy up a while back. At the time I was building a backlog of Canon FD 50mm 1.4. Thinking their value might increase. A B&H camera with the Canon 50 1.4 SSC came up at auction. Bought that then started looking at B&H auctions. This lens came up. I think I paid 30 or so for it. The weather was crappy at the time so I didn't have a chance to try it out. I matched it up with the camera as a shelf display (Camera completely works!) The other day I spotted it sitting on the shelf and says to myself Oh yeah, I should test that lens. So here it goes.

Camera and lens:[url=http://forum.mflenses.com/userpix/20185/big_7980_DSC06607es_1.jpg]
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hmm my picture of the bezel was blurry. I'll try to get another shot and upload later.


sample


crop















Just the livery makes me think tomioka but that is just a guess. I have been scanning the Bell and Howell auctions for quite some time and have not seen anything like this lens.


PostPosted: Tue May 22, 2018 7:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Rebranded I guess. Excellent optics!! Nice catch Congrats


PostPosted: Tue May 22, 2018 7:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yeah the Bell and Howell FD are Canon manufactured then "badge engineered" After Canon and B &H parted ways B &H started contracting with other makers for lenses. The cameras (SLR) though as far as I know were all Canon manufactured. That is just my understanding though and I don't have any documentation. I was quite pleased by the lens performance for a mid seventies after market wide it does quite well.


PostPosted: Tue May 22, 2018 9:38 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Bell and Howell became the American distributor for Mamiya 35s after Canon founded Canon USA. B&H then had branded lenses sourced from third party makers. Tomioka is unlikely. Your lens focuses opposite Canon or Mamiya practice so my guess is it comes from Sun, Sigma or Sankor.


PostPosted: Tue May 22, 2018 10:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The camera body is very Canon and looks to have been made by them.
That lens looks different to the Canons and may come from elsewhere.
Nice optics though
Tom


PostPosted: Wed May 23, 2018 12:56 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Oldhand wrote:
The camera body is very Canon and looks to have been made by them.
That lens looks different to the Canons and may come from elsewhere.
Nice optics though
Tom


Very definitely a rebadged Canon TLb or TX.


PostPosted: Wed May 23, 2018 1:05 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

here is the front bezel


PostPosted: Wed May 23, 2018 1:22 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

The FD camera is a rebadged TX canon camera. As to the lens there are many Bell and Howell labeled cameras out there with dual canon, b and h labels on the lens. This lens dates from after that period. I have many canon lenses from the era and this lens is quite different. I have yet to see a similar looking 28 2.8 from anybody. The Sun suggestion is intriguing.


PostPosted: Wed May 23, 2018 1:39 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

One other clue (which I have not had a chance to pursue) is the preceding greek letter , a lower case gamma before the serial number.


PostPosted: Wed May 23, 2018 1:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

jamaeolus wrote:
One other clue (which I have not had a chance to pursue) is the preceding greek letter , a lower case gamma before the serial number.


Using greek letters in the serial is what Sigma used to do back in the days of "-matic" lenses.


PostPosted: Wed May 23, 2018 3:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I have seen sigma use greek letters but it has always been a ...sigma! Interesting that sigma would use a gamma but I found another lens on ebay that seller says is sigma labeled as quantaray. This is very close to the same lens as it has the aperture readout in the little window, exactly the same as on my copy. The size shape and general aspect seem the same. The grip and paint colors are different. I'm calling it a sigma.


PostPosted: Wed May 23, 2018 6:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

jamaeolus wrote:
I have seen sigma use greek letters but it has always been a ...sigma!


Sigma for the Sigma-branded, other letters for the off-brand stuff.