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Posso lenses are shrouded in mystery
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PostPosted: Fri Feb 21, 2014 11:18 pm    Post subject: Posso lenses are shrouded in mystery Reply with quote
Ran across this interesting Posso MC zoom lens, which is for sale (not sure of the mount):

Click here to see on Ebay

Provenance? Sorry, dunno. Possibly Iberian or Italian? This is the first Posso lens I have seen.

Last edited by guardian on Sun Feb 23, 2014 8:07 pm; edited 1 time in total


PostPosted: Sat Feb 22, 2014 1:22 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Konica mount. I've seen it under Promaster and Quantaray brand as well.

I'd say Tamron made them, I believe these markings are a match.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Tamron-F-80-205m-f4-5-lens-for-Nikon-AI-Multi-Coated-manual-focus-/200931644103?pt=Camera_Lenses&hash=item2ec87592c7


PostPosted: Sun Feb 23, 2014 11:41 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
elliott wrote:
Konica mount. I've seen it under Promaster and Quantaray brand as well.

I'd say Tamron made them, I believe these markings are a match.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Tamron-F-80-205m-f4-5-lens-for-Nikon-AI-Multi-Coated-manual-focus-/200931644103?pt=Camera_Lenses&hash=item2ec87592c7


Interesting. Well, first of all, I thought (perhaps wrongly) that Promaster and Quantaray were Sigma.

That quite aside, though, the Posso name itself has to be a candidate for "off brand lens" of the week. Perhaps "Posso" is actually a version of "possum", and the brand has been silent and unobtrusive since inception.

There are other (relatively) obscure lens brands. "Underground" comes to mind. It was a regional brand, I think.

Google offers scant little regarding Posso lenses. However, there is this one post from somebody with a Posso 28mm f2.8:

http://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/3394459

It elicited no responses whatsoever.

I think Posso brand lenses belong in the Obscure Lenses Hall of Fame!! Very Happy

Does anyone own one?


PostPosted: Sun Feb 23, 2014 12:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
After further review:

In the OP I suggested this Posso lens might be Iberian or Italian. It now appears it could instead be French!

I found this patent for an item related to optics:

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/4532728.html

Note that the assignee is: Posso, S.A. Paris

If these old Posso lenses are actually French they might be quite good. Some very fine MF camera lenses were made in France!!

And the date on the patent, 1985, is within the time frame for high quality MF lenses.

ETA

Just wanted to add here, for benefit of anyone who might be doing Posso research:

I contacted the seller. The lens mentioned in the OP is not French. It is made in Japan. So much for my theory!!

Heck, if it were a French lens I might have bought it myself!! Very Happy

There is a chap, an inventor, named Patrick Posso who lives in the French-speaking portion of Switzerland. He holds a number of patents. However, after further checking, and while I am not entirely certain, I no longer believe Mr. Posso has a connection to or with Posso lenses.

The true origins of Posso lenses remain, at least for me, shrouded in mystery. If anyone knows anything about this brand of lenses, or owns any one of them, I hope you will post on this thread what you know.
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