Tomioka f/1.2 hype?

[naplam]

I came across this website (in German, translation), which speaks against the 55mm f/1.2 Tomiokas (well, it says they're not at all worth their current prices). I thought you might find it interesting.

[casualcollector]

I don't own this lens and have no experience with it. My opinion on Tomioka is that they were a competent optical manufacturer. Zeiss found in them a suitable working partner for manufacturing Zeiss designs at less than exorbitant prices. This association with Zeiss seems to have created an impression that all Tomioka designs and products must also be superlative. I don't buy into that impression. The 55/1.2 is an interesting oddity among M42 lenses. Notice that Asahi/Pentax did not make a lens of similar specification in M42. The anecdotal evidence being that it couldn't be done well within the dimensions of the M42 mount. Your opinion may vary.

[thePiRaTE!!]

I've had the Tomioka 55/1.2 as well as the Porst and Cosina versions. I couldn't tell you one was definately better than another in use, they were all quite similar. The later Cosina's output seemed about .3 EV brighter. I just assumed the value spread had to do with the universality of the mount. FWIW, I like my Topcor 58/1.4 better than all of them even for the wide open Dof stuff and its cheaper than all but the Porst.

In the end, these things are worth what people are willing to pay. Demand may be artificially hyped, but the truth will find its way eventually. Its only over priced when no one buys it.

[no-X]

I never noticed any Tomioka hype, however I noticed a lot of anti-Tomioka hype

Facts are simple:

• Tomioka 55/1.2 is the only existing 55/1.2 for M42 - you can say, that it's the best 55/1.2 M42 lens, you can also say that it's the worst 55/1.2 M42 lens and you'll be always right
• Tomioka 55/1.4 is the most affordable M42 f/1.4 lens
• 55/1.2 has very good mechanical construction (very smooth focusing, 8 aperture blades, nice look)
• 55/1.2 is less sharp, than majority of 50mm M42 lenses, but it's faster than all 50mm M42 lenses

It's only about photographer's preferences.

Anyway, the lens is not multicoated. If you take any f/1.4 multicoated lens, exposure time will be the same

[tango]

Actually, the logic structure of the use of the words "better" and/or "worst" demands the existence of other model for comparison, need alterity. If no other 1,2/55 in M42, can't be a better or worst lens, only a unique ones.

In this way, the tomioka isn't the better nor the worst 1,2 normal lens in M42, is the unique.

[F16SUNSHINE]

The lens is interesting and does have some unique character.
I had a few different ones over the years and have sold them all as the value went so high.
The Yashinon D-MS 1.2/55 M42 was in fact multi-coated. My feeling is the coating was the same as the later ML-series coating.
I did compare that lens to the ML 1.2/55 in a tripod session. The ML55 was sharper but the bokeh was not as smooth open.
The ML55 was a better overall lens and one of the sharpest 50ish lenses I have seen by f4.

Is it hype........yup!
For good reason. Well I think that depends on the user and some truly love this lens and produce dazzling images with it.

In that sense any popular lens is hype. The Flek 2.4/35 for example to me is way overhyped. It is a great lens but not perfect.
Corners soft and not the sharpest. Below average build quality and quality control. The price currently can go way too high.
But, I lot of guys love that lens (me included) and make their best images with it.

So Hype is a word for magazines articles and the advertisement lot.