35mm f2.8 for £4 delivered....... bargain?

[Xpres]

Well maybe, maybe not. It's a Hanimex which seem to be universaly panned, but it was only four quid all in so I had a punt to see if you can still get something good for a few pounds.

Others have tried it..


http://forum.mflenses.com/hanimex-35mm-f2-8-m42-t6716,highlight,hanimex.html


http://forum.mflenses.com/hanimex-hmc-35mm-f2-8-m42-first-shots-t3499,highlight,hanimex.html

The one I got looks and feels OK. It seems well made, reminding me of a yashica ML, and is in good nick. It has an auto manual switch so is easy to use and the quick shots I tried so far are OK but as commented on in one of the other threads it seems to be optimised for closer focus than infinity. The bokeh is fairly pleasant too so it maybe a useful lens on a crop camera for portraits perhaps.
So I'm trying my hardest to believe this is £4 well spent. It's fun to play with and compare with others, it's good to feel I've got a useful tool for almost nothing. On the other hand I don't need it and will most likely let it go with the growing pile of unplayed with toys to find a better home.
Was it a bargain? It certainly wasn't a doorstep. Perhaps it's a symptom.







This cat had the sun right behind it.

[Xpres]

Here's another one;

[estudleon]

Who did it? I haven't any experince with hanimex. I assume that it's

only a brand, not a maker.

It seem a good lens, medium level.

Rino.

brand

[luisalegria]

It looks quite nice.

Hanimex was a distributor, based in Australia and I think later in Hong Kong. They sold around the world, but I think especially to SE Asia, the UK/British Commonwealth and the US. They put their name or "Hanimar" on many different makers lenses, many of them the same ones sold as Vivitars and Soligors, so you will find Tokinas, Kirons and Komines under their name. They also sold a lot of the very cheapest lenses.