Yashica ML Zoom 80-200 f4

[Lloydy]

What a surprise this lens is, I didn't know what to expect from it. Push - pull zooms of a certain age can be decent, a few are excellent, but most seem to fall in the average to rubbish bracket. But this is Yashica, their reputation is mostly good. Would this handy range, constant aperture zoom be worthy of the Yashica name?
I'm pleased to say it does. I grabbed the lens as I went for a very quick walk in the last few minutes of sunshine. I was getting some fresh air and not really taking pictures, but the results really surprised me. It's a nice easy lens to use, the colours are good, its sharp and the CA is very small and easily dealt with.
All these pictures are untouched except for sizing, ISO 800, shot at f4 or f5.6, hand held.












It's a well built and compact lens.


Here it is alongside the Vivitar Series 1 70-210 / 2.8-4 ( Komine ) Is it a rival ? I think it is, despite the differences.

[iangreenhalgh1]

Wow, surprisingly great for an old zoom, congrats.

[Lloydy]

I need to try it properly, and back to back with the Vivitar S1 - maybe the Soligor CD 70-210 3.5 and the Tamron SP 70-210 / 3.8-4 as well? They were the premier line zooms from those manufacturers back in the day.

The long shot of the Ironbridge lacks contrast, but the sun had gone from there completely and I was at 200mm with the camera resting on the branch of a thin sapling, but....it is a lot sharper than I expected. I shall be using this lens a lot more.

[iangreenhalgh1]

You can compare it to my Konica UC 80-200 to if you like.

I suspect this Yashica ML is made by Tokina and is the same lens they sold as an AT-X 4/80-200 and was also sold in QBM mount as a Rollei Rolleinar and a Voigtlander Color-Dynarex, I had that lens, one of the best 80-200s and renders exactly like this one, physically looks very similar too.

[Oldhand]

[Lloydy]

That's interesting, it came with a kit of Yashica gear, with a Contax RX camera. All in great condition with some choice accessories and filters, not the usual 'starburst' crap filters found in most kits. This came from a keen and knowledgeable photographer, so I wouldn't be surprised if this zoom was bought because it had a good reputation rather than on a whim.

[Lloydy]

[barryreid]

Not a huge surprise, the ML zooms are pretty good -> very good. The 70-210 is supposed to be slightly better. I found the 28-85 and 35-105 to be very nice lenses. Particularly the 35-105 Which can deliver real 3d pop at times and is a nice size too. It would fun to see to see your lens tested against the Zeiss 80-200 too.

[Phenix jc]

I've the same lens in Yashica ML & Zoom-Rolleinar MC. I suspect a Tokina too. ø55 mfd 1.9m. Small, not tested.

[iangreenhalgh1]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vario-Dynar-f-4-80-200mm-AR-fur-Rolleiflex-QBM-/121279763002?pt=DE_Foto_Camcorder_Objektive&hash=item1c3cd6523a

That is the Tokina in Voigtlander guise.

[barryreid]

Interestingly it looks very much like the 35-105 is a Tokina as well. I think I may need to look into Tokina's lenses...

[iangreenhalgh1]

Look for the AT-X ones like the 28-135 (also sold as a Konica Zoom-Hexanon), the non-AT-X Tokinas are nothing special, I've had a dozen or so of them, all decent, but no real standouts whereas the AT-X ones are all at least very good and some truly great (by zoom standards).

[Basilisk]

[Lloydy]

Straight out of the camera, ISO 800 - 1/200 f5.6 and hand held in driving wind and hail. I'm liking this lens.



1/640 and f4. It's not razor sharp, but that's the wind and hand holding. But the bokeh is delicious.

[ManualFocus-G]

Nice shooting, I've just won one as well

Click here to see on Ebay

Will compare to the Vario-Sonnar 80-200/4 once it arrives

[Lloydy]

Wow....that's a bargain! I think you'll like it, there are no major vices with this lens - a bit of CA which seems to go at 5.6, and that's about it.

[ManualFocus-G]

Well I'm looking forward to getting it now, particularly at that price

[Lloydy]

I've got to bump this topic - Graham, have you compared this lens to the Vario Sonnar yet ?

[ManualFocus-G]

Oooh yeah I did! But I haven't published a comparison yet, will aim to do so this weekend.

[Lloydy]

Thank you Graham, I look forward to it.

[ManualFocus-G]

I haven't forgotten about this thread I've tested both lenses and have a conclusion based on my lenses, but sadly my ML has some haze so I'm not sure it's going to be 100% perfect. Will update soon, promise!

[tomzcafe]

Got myself this lens Yashica ML 80-200/4 but unfortunately it has fungus on the front side.
Looking some reference on how to disassemble it for cleaning the fungus.
i saw some screws but they are soooo tiny .....

[doomed-forever]

Got it myself also, but the 70-210/4.5 seems to be better, than the 80-200/4 ML.

[doomed-forever]

I've found not the original ML 80-200, but the 70-210 GA-21 Yashica lens hood @ebay, quite expensive.
Cheaper Alternative: screw-in metal hood, from roxsen eBay...about 3 bucks. I'd guess it's way fine for the 80-200/F4 ML,
the GA-21 is only for the former 70-210/4.5 Zoom...but both have 55mm into Filtersize, i'd guess it's click-into?

[biggles3]

I've come rather late to this topic - apologies...

The ML 80-200 was originally made by Yashica at the Tomioka factory from 1977 onwards. However, production stopped in 1979 for a little under a year when Yashica, seeking to provide a high-end lens to match the Zeiss range, produced the superb ML 70-210 f4. This was a very expensive lens to manufacture (only the Reflex 1000mm f11 lens cost more) and the build quality is classical Tomioka and absolutely on a par with the Zeiss VS 70-210 f3.5 Macro, reckoned to be the best zoom in its focal range ever made. I've shot a series of comparative images which show no discernible difference between the ML and VS lenses. The ML 80-200 also fares pretty well although most of my 80-200s are early numbers from the end of the 70s and beginning of the 80s. Once Kyocera got their hands on Yashica/Contax in 1983, production was outsourced more and more as the years went on so it is perfectly possible that Tokina and Cosina may have produced the final batches.

I've attached a piccie of some of the mid-range zooms from Yashica which shows the ML 80-200 (twice for a reason I can't recall) and the uber-rare ML 70-210 f4. If you can get a copy of the latter that is clear and mechanically sound, grab it - pictures are amazing and the build quality is fabulous. Early numbered 80-200 lenses are great too - the 70-210 f4.5 also has a lot of supporters and as you can see is a lot more compact than the f4.

Why the ML 70-210 f4 was killed off so brutally by Yashica is almost certainly because Zeiss introduced the VS 70-210 shortly after Yashica's lens came to market; photographers that had adopted the Contax Real Time System were always more likely to opt for Zeiss than its 'poor cousin' Yashica. I was guilty of that approach at the time and to be honest didn't even know that Yashica had a premium tele-zoom in their range. High production values and costs, and not enough buyers; the cancellation of the lens was inevitable and the company reverted to its much less expensive 80-200. Incidentally, the ML 80-200 and the Zeiss 80-200 produce very similar results except in extreme lighting where the T* coating has the edge over the ML.