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OSAWA MC 28/2.8? (Very Compact!)
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PostPosted: Sun Sep 05, 2010 5:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Scheimpflug
Thank you. Smile
I'm going to try to find one in MD. It's alot sharper at 5.6 than the Soligor. Shocked


PostPosted: Sun Sep 05, 2010 10:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

walter g wrote:
Scheimpflug
Thank you. Smile
I'm going to try to find one in MD. It's alot sharper at 5.6 than the Soligor. Shocked


It is, isn't it? The difference is especially noticeable as you move away from the center of the frame... The center sharpness seems to be about the same, but the Osawa is much better toward the edges.

I wish I had one more 28mm to compare these two against. In particular, to figure out which one is the outlier for the exposure difference. Neutral

Here's a MD mount version that seems to be the same series as mine:
Click here to see on Ebay


PostPosted: Mon Sep 06, 2010 9:59 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Excalibur wrote:
Well I dug out my Osawa as I bought a Hanimex 28 F2.8 it was this one @ £5.50:-
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/HANIMEX-MC-AUTO-1-2-8-f-28mm-LENS-EXCELLENT-CONDITION-/150482681758?pt=UK_CamerasPhoto_CameraAccessories_CameraLensesFilters_JN&hash=item2309777f9e

Well I compared the two (in an unscientific way) and would say the Hanimex was a bit sharper than the Osawa

Thanks for checking that. I am pretty sure that yours is a different design than mine... It looks like the rear element is definitely different, would you mind taking a picture of the front and rear of the lens?

It would also be interesting to see your unscientific test results, if you wouldn't mind sharing them. Cool The best I can do is compare mine to my Soligor - your comparison should be just as informative!


Excalibur wrote:
but these lenses fit into the saying.... "you get what you pay for".

It is great timing that you should mention that, because I just came across a huge price list for 60s/70s/80s lenses:
http://web.archive.org/web/20060508222338/http://medfmt.8k.com/third/table1.txt

There are 1,612 lenses in the list, 89 of which are 28/2.8s, and one of those which is an Osawa. Of those 89, the Osawa ranks #28 when sorted by price... with 61 lenses being cheaper. If you look at just the local year range (the Osawa was a '79, so we'll look at 78-80), the Osawa ranks 2nd most expensive out of 14, ahead of the Cosina, Kiron, Tokina, and other well-known names. Shocked


So I'm not quite getting the feeling that these were cheap lenses... I think they just for whatever reason didn't catch on, and as such, nobody today really knows about them or is willing to risk buying one, hence the current prices are quite low.

Searching for information on the web finds very very little - certainly nothing about there being multiple versions or manufacturers, and mostly just generalizations about the quality. No samples, that I could find. I'm hoping that we can pull together a bit more data here, from a few of these different generations, and get a better picture of how they progressed. Cool


PostPosted: Mon Sep 06, 2010 4:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

**So I'm not quite getting the feeling that these were cheap lenses... I think they just for whatever reason didn't catch on, and as such, nobody today really knows about them or is willing to risk buying one, hence the current prices are quite low.***

Surprised erm well the Osawa is nicely made on the outside and is pretty Surprised





Unscientific comparison between Osawa 28mm and Hanimex 28mm...different film and different days and different cameras and I've tried to get the best results from each lens so have sharpened results in PS.

Osawa 28mm


Hanimex 28mm


Osawa 28mm


Hanimex 28mm


...also I know my own back garden and use it for test shots, and this Osawa shot might be pretty but it's not as sharp as my other lenses:-


Hanimex 28mm wide open


Hanimex 28mm at f5.6


PostPosted: Sun Nov 29, 2015 8:03 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Here's few examples of my Osawa 28/2.8 in Yashica/Contax mount, without post production. Shot with Olympus e-30. Imported to Lightroom as RAW and exported in full size, without PP. All were shot at f4.
My impression: not the sharpest of lenses with nice close focus capabilites.

iso 200:


iso 400:


iso 500:


PostPosted: Mon Nov 30, 2015 2:42 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Old post resurrection!
Laugh 1

Just thought I'd add in regards to the info given on the original post's pictured Soligor C/D.

That Soligor C/D 28mm f/2.8 was made by Sun Optical, and was also sold as an Osawa. I have this lens but under another name (Aston DX).

I think QC is an issue, but a good copy is an excellent 28mm. Performance as good as a competing Minolta MD. The multi-coat yields a warmer rendering favoring earthy tones and green and yellow. Blues are less vibrant.
I believe it's a 7 element in 7 groups formula. It's sharp across the field, good contrast and depth, no aberrations.