Miranda 105mm f2.8 - to keep or not to keep?

marcusBMG · Joined: 07 Dec 2012 Posts: 1312 Location: Conwy N Wales

I acquired this lens as part of a job lot, there are some good pics/reports on this type of 105's around so I was quite interested to check it out.

The lens arrived with some fungus affliction and a horribly sticky oiled up iris. Eventually I got round to fixing it up,
a reasonably straightforward project with this relatively simple lens. It tuned out to be a 5 element design, a bit sonnar like actually, big fat element behind the front elements. Turns out too that this is an easy (as it gets!) conversion to PK: the miranda mount comes off leaving a flat plate,
the miranda mount can be used as a pattern to drill three holes in a M42-PK adapter, screw it on, voila!

But unfortunately I didn't succeed in recouping the difference in the registration distances, focus was limited to 1-10m approx!

I took it out today, a nice sunny interlude in the assault of the Atlantic storms. Favourably impressed with the images, the local fauna provided the portrait opportunities - what do you think? Just OtC jpg's, most cropped and resized.

I used auto adjust colors in Irfan View on this one , decided I liked the output.

100% crops off a roadsign. Only a tinge of fringing!

100%

So I am undecided. The infinity focus issue is a problem, but iq seems good...

Oldhand · Posted: Sun Feb 16, 2014 8:38 pm Post subject:

Results look quite good.
If you want to use it as a dedicated portrait lens the focus range will be almost ideal.
If not, well I would sell it, but then again - how much is it likely to fetch for you?
Cheers
OH

DR.JUAN · Joined: 08 Feb 2013 Posts: 661

It's a fine lens.

Like the 135s lenses, the little brothers, the 100/105s lenses, are good ones.

It has the same formula than the auto miranda-soligor- 135/2,8. And it has the same rendering too.

Almost any 100/105 lens will give you decent images.

In your shoes i buy it. If in the future you buy another 100/105 lens, the miranda is a nice lens to collect.

Attila · Expire: 2025-11-18

You can buy lot better lens on affordable price Nikkor 105mm f2.5 AIS most obvious example, I had this Miranda to test , loan from my friend, even if I did like it I not willing to buy it , until Nikkor available on actual price level.

Lloydy · Expire: 2022-01-01

AKA the chrome eared Soligor, a decent lens. I like my Soligor version a lot.

marcusBMG · Joined: 07 Dec 2012 Posts: 1312 Location: Conwy N Wales

Thanks for your thoughts

I'm guessing the nikkor would be more like a hundred as opposed to the 20-30 odd quid one of these Mirandas might cost/go for? And in any case Nikon F mount would also have infinity focus issue on my pentax.

Oldhand · Posted: Sun Feb 16, 2014 9:23 pm Post subject:

luisalegria · Expire: 2018-01-18

I have this. Used it on film a few times on Miranda bodies.
Seems well made.
You should be getting sharper results wide open.
I like that you used my favorite models!

woodrim · Joined: 14 Jan 2010 Posts: 4060 Location: Charleston

Miranda is a brand I remember, but know little about. Did they actually make lenses themselves? I too notice the chrome ears seen on many other third party lenses.

nukemall · Posted: Sun Feb 16, 2014 11:56 pm Post subject:

Good lens.

woodrim · Joined: 14 Jan 2010 Posts: 4060 Location: Charleston

Very crisp.

luisalegria · Expire: 2018-01-18

As far as I know Miranda itself always contracted with other makers for everything. The resemblance to the "chrome ears" is no accident as during that period Miranda was owned and distributed by Allied Impex, the owners of the Soligor brand.
So there are a lot of Miranda lenses can be identified with known types that were also branded as Soligors. However, some lenses seem to have been exclusive to the Miranda brand and were not sold under other brands, even Soligor. The most complete series of these is the one to which this 105mm belongs, made for the very popular Sensorex series. There was a range of primes 25mm-180mm in this unique bunch. I have seen speculation that they were made by Kowa under some sort of exclusive contract. For sure they did not have the same formulas as typical Soligor branded lenses. Many had more elements.

marcusBMG · Joined: 07 Dec 2012 Posts: 1312 Location: Conwy N Wales

So I took these using a tripod, MLU etc for a more definitve assessment. 100% centre crops.

Distinctly soft at 2.8, sharpens up f4, sharp 5.6 and up - I would say same sort of ballaprk as my CZJ 135, Panagor 135, Jupiter 11A. But much warmer colours OtC.

TrueLoveOne · Expire: 2013-12-24

Found this set in a thrift store a while ago, i think you just gave me a reason to load it with film any time soon now!

Nukemall: very crisp examples!

Miranda Sensorex II by TrueLoveOne, on Flickr

philslizzy · Joined: 07 Aug 2012 Posts: 4743 Location: Cheshire, England

A super lens. It could be worth attempting to thin the adapter a bit with a file I have done this successfully and managed to convert OM lenses for my Nikon with infinity focus.

marcusBMG · Joined: 07 Dec 2012 Posts: 1312 Location: Conwy N Wales

I was looking at the lens and thought "I could use a rimless adapter on this" because of the position of the screw holes.

I used my chinese clone one. Only trouble with this is the engagement on my PK-MFT adapter is too loose (actually that is the case with all my M42 adapters except the better quality plated rimmed one I used first for this mod). I was using my G1 to test because the
protruding aperture lever is catching on the body of my Pentax so I'll have to figure out something with that.

Yes I just used a bit of blue tack to plug the gap for the mo..

Crop:

UPDATE: still short of infinity focus on my Pentax K-r. focusses to about 20m. Confused