Anyone used a Yamatar 200mm lens?

[mo]

I won this lens on the bay along with a haminex 200mm...I am just curious to how it may perform...it looks pretty cool.I have never used a haminex either so both are a mystery to me.
Click here to see on Ebay

[luisalegria]

Yamatar is likely to be a trade name for some distributor.
I have run across it before but its certainly not common.
The lens looks interesting. The focus grip has the multi-band style seen on some 1960's Soligors and Kawanonons.

The aperture ring and its markings however looks bit like those on an Itoh Higon - Itoh may have been a manufacturer? of limited output apparently.

[Univer]

Hi Mo,

To my inexperienced eye, the triple focus ring immediately recalls the Vernon Edonars I've managed to collect; and we know that some of those, at least, are Kyoei lenses. By the way, I'm now reasonably certain that the 35/3.5 Edonar is in fact a Kyoei; I recently had the opportunity to compare a Petri Orikkor 35/3.5 - a lens whose Kyoei origin seems to be fairly well established - and it's obviously the same lens.

Some other details seem similar as well: the knurling on the aperture ring and the use of green and orange in the distance-scale engravings. Of course, this Yamatar is an automatic, while the Edonars are presets, so the kinship may go no deeper than these few superficial similarities.

Nice catch! Looking forward to samples.

Cheers,

Jon

[mo]

Thanks Jon and Luis
I will certainly post up some better pictures when I receive it...sometime next week I hope
When I Googled Yamatar it seemed to be associated with telescopes and binoculars and a few other attachments.Now I have 4... 200mm lenses.

[Attila]

I know Hanimex only, color rendering is very nice , sharpness is acceptable.
http://www.mflenses.com/gallery/v/japenese/othermaker/hanimex_200/?

[mo]

They are of an acceptable quality, Attila thanks for the link.

[mo]

Received the Yamatar,I can say I am disappointed in its condition it looks like it has been opened and I am unsure the mount is the original as it looks dodgy to say the least...what are your professional opinions,
The F stop/Aperture was working... sort of until I mounted it on the camera then it stayed wide open.
#1The body looks good

#2

#3

#4 The lens without the mount,the notch you see is were you line the T mount up on and it sits flush.

#5

#6The mount seems a little odd to me is it all there or is it a home made job?This is after the T mount has been taken off the big metal tab when you slide it sideways I assume should open and close the aperture but it does nothing at the moment.

#7 This is the inside of the T mount,it attaches to #6

#8

#9 The silver bit that is sticking up I assume should push on the metal tab in photo 6.

[luisalegria]

Whats that sticking out of the mount in photo #6 ? What does it move if you push on it ? Does in move in and out as you focus ?

Is the T-mount an M42 ?

Are those shots of the front end in #7 on ?

Someone has been messing with this lens, but I think it might easily have had those brass screws from the beginning.

[mo]

Sorry luisalegria I have added some more info above each photo.

[luisalegria]

Well, to start thats not a T-mount. A T-mount wouldn't have all those linkages.

The piece that goes back and forth looks like what you guessed, an aperture linkage. If you set the aperture to 22, does anything happen to the diaphragm when you move it ?

I suspect this thing is some strange sort of auto mount.

How about the camera end of the mount ? No pins? Is it M42 ?

[mo]

It is M42 but the pin is really ineffective it pushes down on the silver strip which sits under the copper strip in #7
When I first unwrapped it the aperture did work but was slipping when turned towards the F22 end now if it is set at 22 and I move that tab in photo 6 and nothing happens.

[ManualFocus-G]

Just for info, I've seen these "three ring" focus barrel models labelled as Optomax as well.

[luisalegria]

Then thats pretty definitely an auto lens and not a T-mount at all, though at the moment as you say, the aperture isn't working. It should be easy enough to fix. The linkage tab in 6 should be moving the diaphragm blades. Probably some spring slipped out of position somewhere.

[mo]

Not so easy when you don't know what you are doing or don't have a lens spanner for the front element.

[luisalegria]

You may not have to get the lenses out.

1. That tab may move in some other direction. It looks like the bit that connects with it is not designed to rotate it but to force it inward to the center of the lens. Of course, its likely that the diaphragm spring has opened the lens up and now the blades are stuck open anyway.

2. It looks like there are setscrews (3?) on the aperture ring, which MAY permit you to unscrew the front group as a unit, or just pull it off.

I am sure the lens is an auto without an M/A switch. The default state is wide open. The lens stops down when the pin is pressed, somehow (and there may be missing bits there I think) rotating that big grey curved bit, which pushes on the tongue-looking thing, which is connected to the diaphragm mechanism, stopping down to the selected aperture.

You will need to get an adapter that presses the pin, or figure out how to keep that tongue shifted or depressed.

Its not flooding over your way is it ?

[mo]

@ luisalegria
Thanks for some pointers,I may not have the skills to do this but I will have a look at what I can do....no flooding here

[mo]

Ok
I managed to get the top off containing the glass,I think I have to remove the name plate to clean between the glass,... but the aperture and the mount end is still a mystery.
#1 The top half

#2 It is a solid piece of glass

#3 Looking into the barrel from the top towards where the aperture blades should be.

#4

#5

#6

#7 I think I need some needle nose pliers for removal of this glass (back glass)

#8 A close up of the M42 pin from under the mount and the damaged copper strip

#9 The pin depressed.

[mo]

Here are samples from the lens wide open (no hood and some PP)
#1

#2

#3

#4