Hanimar 200mm f4.5 telephoto

gimp · Posted: Sun Sep 28, 2008 7:57 pm Post subject: Hanimar 200mm f4.5 telephoto

I purchased this Hanimar 200mm f4.5 telephoto many years ago for $20 CAD. Ihave been very pleased with its optcal quality for such a modest price. I have tested it against a number of long zooms as well as a Pentax 200mm f4 lens that I used to have. I could see no difference between the pictures taken with both lenses. It is sharp from maximum to minimum apertures. It is only single coated but with a good lens hood flare has not been a problem. I have often wondered who made it. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance

Attila · Expire: 2025-11-18

I think if anybody able to answer for your question , that member will be Louis.

luisalegria · Expire: 2018-01-18

I'm sorry to say I don't know who made this. I haven't seen the 200mm of this line before.

It looks a bit, in some details, like the preset series made by Tokina for Accura, Sears, etc., but I know the 200/4.5 of that line and it is quite different - it has a tripod mount and the layout is very distinctive. And some other details are also different from that line.

I have seen others from Hanimex that were probably from the same maker.

luisalegria · Expire: 2018-01-18

Here is your lens under the "Focal" (K-Mart) label.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Camera-Lens-No-01893-Focal-FREE-SHIPPING_W0QQitemZ230295556237QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item230295556237&_trkparms=39%3A1%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A10%7C240%3A1318&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

Helios · Joined: 05 Jan 2008 Posts: 537 Location: East of France

Hi , I have a 135mm f/3,5 Preset from Cosina (Cosinon) with preset rings , markings (letters and figures font) and focusing ring look physically very close to this lens . However , if one says "It's a Cosinon" , chances to be wrong are near 25% ... Mr. Green

luisalegria · Expire: 2018-01-18

By George, I think you've got it !

I am guessing that this thing is from the late 1960's/early 1970's.

Cosina was already in the business at the time, already using the name "Cosina" not "Niko", so it could be that.

Every unidentified thing turns out to be a Cosina doesn't it ?

Fujinonuser · Joined: 06 Jan 2011 Posts: 128 Location: Germany

It has generally been accepted as fact that a line-with-dot index within a box is indicative of a lens made by Tokina or one of its sub-contractors. Apart from that, Tokina seems to have specialized in tele lenses that were manufactured for many other brands like Mamiya, Ricoh, Nikon, Chinon, Hanimex and certainly others when Japanese manufacturers had to present a complete line of different focal lengths when they massively entered the international markets in the early 1960s. Cosina began as a manufacturer of lens tubes in 1963 and did not melt its own glass before 1968, that is to say, probably too late for this pre-set lens to be made by Cosina.

luisalegria · Expire: 2018-01-18

I doubt this is a Tokina.
Tokina had a very well known and extremely common 200/4.5 preset lens during that period of a very different design -

http://forum.mflenses.com/lentar-tokina-200-4-5-preset-another-lens-of-many-names-t11353,highlight,%2Btokina.html

This is well known as a Tokina lens because it has been recorded in the "Tele-Tokina" brand. At the time the maker was known as Tokyo Koki and its house brands were Tokina and Minetar.

They would not have made a totally different design of the same lens during the same period.

Sankyo interestingly directly copied several of the Tokina preset designs, but used their own distinctive finish, so from a distance some Sankyo's look like Tokinas, but are instantly seen to be different when examined.

There were several players in this market at the time. Some of them used finish styles very similar to those of Tokina.
Kawakami (Kawanon) and Nittoh(Komine) both made lenses that look very much like many known Tokina lenses, and otherwise used very similar cosmetics.

Fujinonuser · Joined: 06 Jan 2011 Posts: 128 Location: Germany

Very well observed, Luis. I might perhaps add that "copying" or "imitating" a masterful, exemplary piece of art is very much accepted within Japanese philosophy where "art" and "imitation" are equated. The outward similarity of early Japanese lenses also results from the fact that some manufacturers like Chinon and Cosinon made lens tubes for many different brands (even Canon tubes were allegedly manufactured by Chinon). But different interior designs, the glass used and the quality of the actual manufacturing process (cooling down, polishing and coating of the glass elements) may lead to very different results.

mo · Expire: 2016-07-30

I must say it does remind me of the Tele Tokina, except it does not have the tripod mount.It does have the shiny mount like my Tele Tokina but not the silver bit in between the preset rings.The f stop design looks identical except no IR mark on the Tele.

It has the flute style of the Mamiya/sekor 200/3.5 and the same IR mark and f stop design, not the top distance scale font color the Mamiya is red..... I hope this is more helpful than adds to more confusion....it seems to agree with fujinonusers post Smile

I have to add the mamiya is a beast, very round and very heavy in comparison to the above lens or the Tele Tokina.

Do we have an image of a Cosina 200/4.5 lens?