What's the latest lens you added to your collection?

Nordentro · Expire: 2015-01-29

I just had to buy the "Triosan" 100mm f/2.8 Smile

https://www.manuellfokus.no/ttartisan-100mm-f2-8/

kiddo · Joined: 29 Jun 2018 Posts: 1221

whats the best place to buy it in EU?

Nordentro · Expire: 2015-01-29

I just bought from the official store. Free shipping and showed up in my mailbox the next week.
https://ttartisan.myshopify.com/products/m42?ref=vgisgi6u

Doc Sharptail · Joined: 23 Nov 2020 Posts: 1161 Location: Winnipeg Canada

caspert79 · Joined: 31 Oct 2010 Posts: 3132 Location: The Netherlands

As I'm a great fan of lenses around the 100mm range, I bought a Fujinon 100mm f/2.8. Hope to show some results soon!

stevemark · Joined: 29 Apr 2011 Posts: 3928 Location: Switzerland

caspert79 · Joined: 31 Oct 2010 Posts: 3132 Location: The Netherlands

blotafton · Joined: 08 Aug 2013 Posts: 1616 Location: Sweden

caspert79 · Joined: 31 Oct 2010 Posts: 3132 Location: The Netherlands

Manichaean · Joined: 03 Oct 2013 Posts: 70

Alun Thomas · Joined: 20 Aug 2018 Posts: 652 Location: New Zealand

(sellers pic) I noticed another Miranda lens I never knew existed, a 58mm F2, and was definitely lured in for a better look. According to this post ( https://www.facebook.com/groups/mirandacamera/permalink/5770627259706836 ) on a Japanese Miranda Fans Facebook page, the lens was available around the beginning of 1958, just before the Miranda A camera was released with the silver 'Y' code PAD lens, making this the first Miranda 'automatic' aperture lens.

My interest is also as to whether this is a unique design or a biotar copy. Unfortunately I am at work, at sea on a vessel, and there's nary a leafy background to be found to help with confirmation. I only know of one other 58mm F2 Japanese lens, the Takumar Sonnar derived design from roughly the same period. At that time, Miranda and Asahi Pentax were probably the two most established competitors in a fairly small SLR market, joined lately by some of the big names to come. It's unlikely Asahi would have licenced their design to be used by Miranda, and as well, the Miranda lens has a distinct curvature on the outer side of the rear element as opposed to the flatter profile of the Takumar lens rear element.

If it is a biotar copy, it becomes both very common and fairly unique, because although the design was freely copied by both Soviet and Chinese lens makers, I'm not aware of other Japanese versions of that lens design. In the post war period many Japanese makers made lenses strongly based on German rangefinder lenses such as the Sonnar 5cm F1.5 and F2 lenses. Perhaps by the time Japanese makers turned to SLR designs they were also turning toward their own lens designs instead of relying on pre-war designs, perhaps as a point of marketing, as besides being in a battle with each other they were also strongly competitive with the German camera industry.

In any case, if I don't manage to find a suitable background for tests I'll have to wait a few weeks and test it against some known biotar designs and try to establish the truth of the matter. Even if it isn't it's still a somewhat unique lens I haven't seen before. The maker is not discernable, as there is no serial number prefix or suffix to use as a clue. It looks similar in some ways to both the 'Y' and 'K' code PAD lenses, but there's not really enough there to tell beyond doubt.

My gut feeling is that the lens was commissioned by Miranda to fill the gap while a 'Y' code PAD lens was manufactured (at this time they were already using 'Y' code preset 50mm F/1.9 lenses), and perhaps at that time a biotar design was used as all the optical design work was essentially done. The F2 aperture and 58mm focal length were both (in marketing terms) inferior to the 1.9 aperture and 5cm focal length Miranda had been able to boast about from the time of first release. So, once the 'Y' code PAD lens arrived with the Miranda A, perhaps the 58mm lens either sold poorly, or was withdrawn from sale. But it's only a guess at the end of the day.

The lens showed up with minor traces of fungus which cleaned off nicely. The aperture didn't work either, but a couple of sprays with degreaser and then once dry, the application of some graphite for lubrication fixed that problem easily.

edit: This link here ( http://novacon.com.br/odditycameras/phoenixmir.htm ) mentions a Crystar 58mm F2 lens for Miranda cameras, I wonder if this is that lens or another.

calvin83 · Joined: 12 Apr 2009 Posts: 7555 Location: Hong Kong

A Japaneses Biotar clone? Congrats

caspert79 · Joined: 31 Oct 2010 Posts: 3132 Location: The Netherlands

SMC Pentax K 85mm f/1.8
Took a while to find a good one for reasonable price.

D1N0 · Joined: 07 Aug 2012 Posts: 2530

Baekmann · Joined: 28 Feb 2021 Posts: 72

caspert79 · Joined: 31 Oct 2010 Posts: 3132 Location: The Netherlands

starbucklover69 · Joined: 27 Nov 2022 Posts: 46 Location: Swiss

I buy today a Pentax-A 100 f2.8 Macro for a good price Wink

caspert79 · Joined: 31 Oct 2010 Posts: 3132 Location: The Netherlands

stevemark · Joined: 29 Apr 2011 Posts: 3928 Location: Switzerland

KEO · Joined: 27 Sep 2018 Posts: 772 Location: USA

starbucklover69 · Joined: 27 Nov 2022 Posts: 46 Location: Swiss

starbucklover69 · Joined: 27 Nov 2022 Posts: 46 Location: Swiss

marius.zaech · Joined: 27 Jan 2021 Posts: 56 Location: Switzerland

Tamron 70-150/3.5
unfortunately it is full of fungus. The performance of it is pretty bad, the low contrast may well be because of it's horrid condition but it I can't imagine it being great anyway.

And got some great deals on A-Mount lenses (I've acquired an LA-EA4 lately....)

Tamron 24-70/2.8
Sigma 20/1.8

And I'm gonna pick up a sigma 12-24 (!) first generation soon, got it for the insane price of 75 CHF
Really interested in that one.

stevemark · Joined: 29 Apr 2011 Posts: 3928 Location: Switzerland

D1N0 · Joined: 07 Aug 2012 Posts: 2530

I have good experiences with both my Tamron adaptall 70-150's (qz-150m (two touch) and 20a (one touch and more compact)