[Swapnil]

Hello Pentaxians,

Tried searching about this lens in Lens review section but couldnt find anything. I found this lens for sale in one of the local posting. Was wondering if it was good decision to buy this one?

Also, is this the one similar to Pentax-A or is it full manual lens?

I have Pentax K-r and wanted to have good budget fast lens.

Please let me what is your opinion?

Thanks!
Swapnil

[PGillin]

It might be good, Soligor is hit and miss. The C/D stuff tends to be quite good, though. If you could give us the serial number someone here might be able to identify the manufacturer. (Soligor was an Import-Export re-seller, their lenses were MADE by outside companies, hence the variation between lenses.)

[Kim C]

The early Soligors were very good and some of their zooms were better than the early Pentax lenses. Later, they tended to go for the cheaper end of the market.

I still have a 35-105 F3.5 Soligor in M42 and it is a very good performer for the day. Constant aperture throughout the zoom but rather large and heavy.

They also did some quite fast lenss as well such as 85/1.5, 135/2 etc.

An old thread here https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-slr-lens-discussion/75340-soligor-c-d-lenses.html

Kim

[JeffJS]

I hate to say this to people but sometimes it's true. Google can be your friend.

The big Soligor thread!::Manual Focus Lenses

may provide you with some more information.

[Swapnil]

I hate to say this to people but sometimes it's true. Google can be your friend. The big Soligor thread!::Manual Focus Lenses may provide you with some more information.

Thanks JeffJS
I did a search on google and found this link. I wanted to know if someone has it in his/her bag and recommends it to buy for 35 bucks!

[JeffJS]

I'm sure there are one or two people who have the lens (and frequent this section). I've never owned a Soligor branded lens. It's been my general experience though, with wider angle lenses, as long as they work, they are pretty good. I even had a sears branded k mount 28mm once that was half way decent (but I thought the 50 f1.7 from the same kit was a doorstop).

[RioRico]

The Soligor C/D line was meant to compete with the Vivitar Series 1, Tokina ATX, and other premium 3rd-party lens lines. I don't know what all lens mounts they were made in -- those that have passed through my hands were either Minolta MD or Nikon mounts. I have a non-C/D 28/2.8 in Nikon mount make by Tokina that is quite good and cost me just US$9. It was my favorite 28 until I got a Vivitar-Komine CFWA 28/2 for US$19 a few months ago.

Just knowing that this is C/D 28/2.8 isn't really helpful. The mount is important -- is it PK-M, PK-A, M42, or something else entirely? As mentioned, the serial number may reveal the maker. I would want a more detailed description, and some pictures of front-side-rear, before bidding on it. And I think US$35 is a little high, but then I'm a cheap bastard.

[Swapnil]

And I think US$35 is a little high, but then I'm a cheap bastard.

And so am I

Gave up the idea for this as soon as I got Pentax-A 50mm F2 for a 20+Shipping.
Now waiting for that lil' antique to come

Thanks for all the help!

Ciao!

[RioRico]

Gave up the idea for this as soon as I got Pentax-A 50mm F2 for a 20+Shipping.
Now waiting for that lil' antique to come

The 50/2 don't get no respect, and it's not as brilliant as its faster kin, but it's still better than most of the competition. And that's a decent price! I'm currently stuck with three M50/2's that just aren't worth selling. Yet. Maybe they'll be worth something next year...

Don't give up on cheap wider primes. PK-mount 28's and 35's labeled Sears, Focal, Vivitar, Access-AMC, Toyo / TOU, Rokinon etc are still available fairly cheap. At least, they were the last time I looked a few weeks ago. My copies of those each cost about as much as a sandwich -- well, sometimes a fancy sandwich, but no more than a large pizza. Buying a lens instead of a hamburger is a good way to diet.

[Swapnil]

I would love to have those wider primes but it seems to selling at at prices higher than pizzas these days. Please give a pointer if you find one

Few days back Soligor 28mm F2.8 was selling for 35 bucks and he was not even ready to negotiate

[RioRico]

I would love to have those wider primes but it seems to selling at at prices higher than pizzas these days. Please give a pointer if you find one

Scan zillions of listings, especially posted lenses where the seller has no clue as to what they have. Bid low on zillions of lenses. Set a firm limit, and don't exceed it by more than five bucks. When bidding goes over that limit, forget it and focus on the next auction. I lose 98.5%+ of auctions. The ones I win, are great deals!

Few days back Soligor 28mm F2.8 was selling for 35 bucks and he was not even ready to negotiate

So f*ck him. There are always more lenses where those came from. These are NOT rare items. Waste your time on the slightly possible, not the totally impossible. Check completed listings to see current market prices. If a price is above market, or beyond your comfort zone, forget it and move on to the next one.

[JeffJS]

So f*ck him. There are always more lenses where those came from. These are NOT rare items. Waste your time on the slightly possible, not the totally impossible. Check completed listings to see current market prices. If a price is above market, or beyond your comfort zone, forget it and move on to the next one.

Best used lens buying advice I've ever read.