Soligor (Kobori) 75-300mm 5.6

[connloyalist]

I realize that film-era zoom lenses are usually nothing to write home about, especially not the third party ones. Nevertheless, I am curious if anyone has any opinion on the Soligor C/D 75-300mm 5.6. From what I can tell it is probably made by Kobori judging by the serial number. Mid 1980's. Two-ring zoom (I don't like the push pull types), 740 grams. Which I find to be quite heavy, but for something that goes out to 300mm actually not too bad for the era.

Regards, C.

[visualopsins]

Anybody?

[SkedAddled]

I can't reply to the 75-300 Kobori Soligor model, so my input may be irrelevant.

But I have a 1972 Tokina-made 75-260 M42 zoom which is in excellent condition,
which has obviously been subjected to very little use. It's not a C/D model,
and it obviously predates your suspected Kobori lens.

The optics are flawless minus typical minor dust specks, the barrels are almost
free of any indication of use, everything moves and adjusts as if it were a new lens,
and the mount had almost no wear visible upon my acquisition. There's also
no indication that the lens has been opened or tampered with, which can be
an indicator of problems in some way or another.

Image quality has proven to be very good under ideal conditions, much the same
as my Tamron SP Adaptall-2 28-80 and 60-300, which are also in excellent condition
and produce extremely favorable results. Also as good as my Soligor prime 400/6.3
under ideal conditions; another lens which appears almost new with no signs
of any tampering.

But it's a rather heavy lens, and because its optical range is covered by other lenses
I own, it doesn't see much use by me.

At the same time, I now have a few of these Tokina 1970s lenses in a 128/2.8;
400/6.3; 75-260/4, and they're all quite good in the optical department across
APS-C and full-frame cameras. I still occasionally look for more Soligor lenses
of the same Tokina-made era, just because I've enjoyed their optics
and aesthetics; I'd like to acquire a series of them.
I can say the same for Tamron Adaptall-2 SP lenses, but both of the series
seem to climb in asking price as the days go on.

[D1N0]

The Tamron Adaptall-2 60-300mm Is the best Bang for buck IQ-wise I guess. But it is long and a bit heavy and one touch (which I don't mind). Not a walk around. This goes for most vintage options. There is a two touch NIKKOR 50-300mm 1:4.5 ED. It is rare and not cheap. I haven't found any samples. Ken Rockwell talks about it (I assume because he is not doing a very good job describing the specifications) and he doesn't like it. For a Manageable zoom in this range look at the Pentax HD Pentax-DA 55-300mm F4.5-6.3 ED PLM WR RE Light weight fast and sharp. You'll need a modern Pentax body with it though.

[stevemark]