Chinon MC 28mm F2.8 - maybe a Tomioka lens?

[norman j shearer]

Got the following lens from Ebay because it looked like it may be a Tomioka lens. For £33 I figured it was worth a punt.


#1


#2


#3


#4


Does anyone know if it really is a Tomioka lens? The following site thinks so but with only 2 reviews I'm not convinced. http://www.pentaxforums.com/userreviews/chinon-tomioka-28mm-f2-8-mc.html

Anyway. Had a quick go with it on my Canon 5D and it impressed. Flares a bit into the sun but does not lose much contrast so did well for an old lens imo. Seems very sharp and little in the way of c.a. The corners were a bit iffy but I was getting a slight vignette from the lens hood I used. I look forward to testing it on my Pentax K-3 - just as soon as I can locate my M42 adapter!

Here's a few favorites taken today on the Canon 5D.


#1


#2


#3


#4

[dimitrygo]

This line of Chinon lenses was made by Tamron. I saw 24mm, 28mm, 135mm and 200mm primes as well as several zooms. Most chances also 35mm exists.

[Minolfan]

The 35mm 2.8 existed indeed in this outfit.
I have one of these

[Lloydy]

I've had the 200 and 300mm lenses in this series of Chinons, and liked them a lot. They do have a distinct style that some people might not like, but optically they are above above for third party lenses of this era. For some reason I sold the 200 and now wish I hadn't.
I've seen the 24 and the guy who had it loved it, and wouldn't sell it. Interestingly, he also thought this series of tapered Chinon's were Tamron's as well, and that's the way I would think as well. Whoever made it, I think it will be a great lens for what you paid for it.

[WNG555]

Very nice output! And a very handsome lens. Distinct indeed, and I do see some Tamron character in the body.

[Lloydy]

This series of tapered design Chinon's is very distinctive, as this 300 / 5.6 shows. They are very well built lenses, they might look like 1980's 'plastic fantastic' lenses but they are all metal lenses, very light and superbly smooth. This 300 is under half the weight of the Tair 300 and a lot smaller. It is slower, but the weight and ease of handling make it a far better lens than the Tair.
This series of Chinon's should be snapped up when you see them, they might surprise you.

[norman j shearer]

I'm okay with it being a Tamron and thanks for correcting me. I did have my doubts but its performance was a nice surprise and it's a keeper for sure.

[marcusBMG]

If this is indeed a tamron then the point of comparison would be the CW28 (albeit in its fixed mount Tamron-F version):

http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=ja&u=http://www.tamron.co.jp/data/old-lens/cw28.htm

certainly that metal badged cap is very tamron (of that era)!

Update just spotted this chinon 85-210mm. Certainly a tamron, the features are distinctive.

[WNG555]

The lenses shown in the thread are all M42 mounting. Which follows Chinons' line of cameras.

I just found and won a 28mm f2.8 like the OP's lens, BUT, it is not M42. I suspect it's Konica Hexanon AR bayonet.
Note the AE, and button. And a slight flange around the mount area.

Did Chinon sell lenses for other camera brands? Or was there an obscure camera that used Konica's mount?




The 300mm f5.6 Lloydy owns above, is similar in design to Tamron's f5.6 CT-300. Have one, it's very light, and pretty good resolution-wise.

[paulhofseth]

Chinon apparently made\marketed a series of lenses for Alpa after Pignons gave up on the prototypes they got from Rollei in Singapore. They are named Auto Alpa and look a bit like the ones here.

Did not sell very well because the customers were used to Angenieux, Kinoptic, Kern and Schneider + the adapted M42 Takumars.

p.

[Lloydy]

The Tamron link is interesting, I have a Auto Tamron 670AU 300 / 5.6 that I've just compared to the Chinon 300 / 5.6.

On first inspection they appear to be very different, the filter size is Tamron 62 and Chinon 58mm. The Tamron is longer, has a larger diameter rear element and different spacing of all the elements, it's also slightly heavier; but it is an older lens that's built more robustly.

But, the aperture and blades mechanism look identical to both lenses, and it's distinctive enough to make that judgement. I would happily say the aperture in the Chinon is the same as the Tamron.

The Chinon is a lot newer than the early 1970's Tamron, so that explains the many differences. It would be interesting to compare a later Tamron with the Chinon.

[konicamera]

[WNG555]

Lloydy,

I believe you have there an Adaptall model, not the CT-300, which came with a fixed mount and no tripod mounting collar. It's also 58mm filter diameter. And shorter.

[WNG555]

[heritagecameras]

[WNG555]

[Lloydy]

[MrKodak]

[marcusBMG]

That's very interesting MrKodak. Certainly that Expert 35mm looks identical to the Chinon 35mm (which I have), and other Expert lenses are also identical looking to the Chinons. Several of them have been reviewed by Bengt Sandberg. There is a thread discussing the origin of the chinon "tapered barrel" 35mm, which was an oddity in terms of a tamron attribution for these chinons because there is no tamron adaptall 35mm prime! I would be perfectly prepared to credit that kino made the 35mm, and if they made that then why not other lenses in the range, or even all of them. However the similarity of a number of the lenses in the range to the corresponding tamrons eg the 135mm, 200mm, the 300mm, the 85-210mm, is also quite convincing.

(I'll look for the thread I mentioned). This is also about this lens:
https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/10-pentax-slr-lens-discussion/351091-diagram-found-m42-chinon-multi-coated-35mm-f-2-8-a.html

It's also worth noting that BKS reviews two quite different expert 135mm lenses, one of which is a "tapered barrel". Which suggests Expert sourced from different manufacturers at different times.

[MrKodak]