Home

Please support mflenses.com if you need any graphic related work order it from us, click on above banner to order!
SearchSearch MemberlistMemberlist RegisterRegister ProfileProfile Log in to check your private messagesLog in to check your private messages Log inLog in

Dollonds Auto Tele 135 / 2.8
Post new topic   Reply to topic
Home   Manual Focus Lenses
View previous topic :: View next topic  


PostPosted: Sat Dec 12, 2020 10:00 pm    Post subject: Dollonds Auto Tele 135 / 2.8 Reply with quote
A mystery lens, but I'm sure someone will know the true heritage of this rather good, old, interchangeable mount lens?

Dollonds is a company that sold optical equipment, John Dollond became Optician to King George III - but that was in 1761. The Dollonds optical business carried on and became Dollonds & Aitchison Opticians, now part of the Boots Chemist empire. But for a wile they sold photographic equipment, which I think was all bought in and rebranded, I've had a wonderful Dollonds S 200 / 3.5 that is the same as Vivitar and probably Kino / Kiron - maybe Tokina? But this 135 / 2.8 is newer, and completely different.

The interchangable mount is unlike any I have from early Tamron, Tokina, Soligor, Vivitar or anything I can find on the internet. The aperture ring is designed to work both ways, there's two sets of f stop numbers and the ring is sprung to go from one direction to the other, the mechanics are horribly complicated as I discovered when I took it apart to fix it, the aperture ring had been forced and didn't work, a bit like the mount that had also been forced and was loose!

The style has shades of Tamron, Tokina and other makers, the focus is a big fine knurl, there's nice silver bands, a tiny window for the aperture numbers and a good quality feel to it, but there's nothing that screams out as to who made it.

Now I've fixed it, it's a very good lens, the colours are strong, it's got good contrast and it's plenty sharp enough for an old lens. I like it.











Here's a few pictures, it was a horrible wet and grey day, high ISO, No, or very minimal PP. Sony A7II.

No PP at all, the colours are as shot.


Slight contrast adjustment, shot into the sun, such as it was!




PostPosted: Sat Dec 12, 2020 11:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Auto-Tele lenses were sold under various badges, including Caspeco, Samigon and Kaligar. I have a Caspeco 135/3.5 which I posted here: http://forum.mflenses.com/caspeco-auto-tele-interchangeable-mount-t81126,highlight,%2Bcaspeco.html

I also have a Samigon 135/2.8 similar to your model, but without the silver colouring, black only. I also saw a Kaligar 300mm lens for sale on the Goodwill website a while back which was clearly an Auto-Tele lens.

So far I haven't managed to work out who made them.


PostPosted: Sun Dec 13, 2020 1:02 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Very interesting, and probably right Alun, that Caspeco mount looks very close indeed. There are differences in the pins / levers but the Canon style breechlock part is surely the same, it would be interesting to check them dimensionally if you still have the Caspeco lens.


PostPosted: Sun Dec 13, 2020 1:05 pm    Post subject: Re: Dollonds Auto Tele 135 / 2.8 Reply with quote
Lloydy wrote:
A mystery lens, but I'm sure someone will know the true heritage of this rather good, old, interchangeable mount lens?



I wish I could remember where I read it Lloydy, but it said that the Dollands of 1960s/70s lenses was an import/export business unconnected with the chain of opticians, Dollond & Aitchison. I must admit though, given the history of the opticians, you do make a joined up case. Until I remember the source, please read it as an anecdotal one.

I know you were looking for the source of the lens, of which I am no help.

Last edited by Sciolist on Sun Dec 13, 2020 1:12 pm; edited 1 time in total


PostPosted: Sun Dec 13, 2020 1:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
It reminds me a tokina Auto Tele, the same sold by Mamiya tl/dtl previos to SX series.
Very good lens, like yours is.
Congrats. An old beauty.


PostPosted: Sun Dec 13, 2020 6:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
papasito wrote:
It reminds me a tokina Auto Tele, the same sold by Mamiya tl/dtl previos to SX series.
Very good lens, like yours is.
Congrats. An old beauty.


This was my first thought when I saw the blurred picture on Facebook Marketplace, and when I first got the lens, I immediately compared it to the Tele-Auto 135 / 3.5, and it's siblings, in the picture below. But I could find no common features other than the straight fine knurl of the Mamiys Sekor and the angle on the front of the focus ring. But- I was comparing the f2.8 to a trio of f3.5. And - the early Tokina TX interchangeable mount is completely different, so I pretty much discounted Tokina.



Maybe the Tokina 135 / 2.8 stands a chance of being the same lens? but everything I've seen so far has the Tokina with a 55mm filter, and this Dollonds has a 58mm thread.
I can't see any retailer going to the effort and expense of having a lens that is already available with an interchangeable mount modified to a different one.


PostPosted: Mon Dec 14, 2020 8:54 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Got this as Marexar. Found one here: https://kamerastore.com/product/no-brand-28mm-f2-8-wide-angle-auto-marexar/
Really stylish and quality made.


PostPosted: Mon Dec 14, 2020 4:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Pancolart wrote:
Got this as Marexar. Found one here: https://kamerastore.com/product/no-brand-28mm-f2-8-wide-angle-auto-marexar/
Really stylish and quality made.


Yes, that's the same. I've only had one Marexer before - a huge old zoom that weighed a ton ans was absolutely awful.

Was Marexar a store brand, or a re-brander like Vivitar and Soligor?


PostPosted: Mon Dec 14, 2020 10:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
This Ifbagor 135mm f/2.8 appears to be the same lens as Lloydy's Dollonds - except it seems to have some mount issues:

Click here to see on Ebay


PostPosted: Mon Dec 14, 2020 10:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
55 wrote:
This Ifbagor 135mm f/2.8 appears to be the same lens as Lloydy's Dollonds - except it seems to have some mount issues:

Click here to see on Ebay


Yes, that's the same lens - mine has two pins, I think to allow the aperture ring to turn both ways?

And IFBAGOR has to be a first! It must be a great name somewhere? Wink


PostPosted: Mon Dec 14, 2020 11:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Lloydy wrote:
. . .
And IFBAGOR has to be a first! It must be a great name somewhere? Wink


Right, I'd never heard of Ifbagor until I came across that ebay listing today. Smile

That reminds me of an old manualfocus.org thread which collected different brand names of 135mm f/2.8 M42 mount lenses:
https://web.archive.org/web/20100625224434/http://forum.manualfocus.org/viewtopic.php?id=14497&p=1


And, of course Wink, there's a MFLenses topic about Ifbagor. Abbazz's post has some interesting tidbits:
http://forum.mflenses.com/ifbagor-35-and-135-t25360.html


PostPosted: Tue Dec 15, 2020 1:02 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
55 wrote:
Lloydy wrote:
. . .
And IFBAGOR has to be a first! It must be a great name somewhere? Wink


Right, I'd never heard of Ifbagor until I came across that ebay listing today. Smile

That reminds me of an old manualfocus.org thread which collected different brand names of 135mm f/2.8 M42 mount lenses:
https://web.archive.org/web/20100625224434/http://forum.manualfocus.org/viewtopic.php?id=14497&p=1


And, of course Wink, there's a MFLenses topic about Ifbagor. Abbazz's post has some interesting tidbits:
http://forum.mflenses.com/ifbagor-35-and-135-t25360.html


I saw Abbazz's post earlier, very interesting.

And the old post of M42 135's is epic...it's no wonder I've got so many of the damn things! Laughing
Post new topic   Reply to topic
Home   Manual Focus Lenses
Page 1 of 1