[Darley]

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Hope this is the right place, but does anybody know anything about Trimex, specifically a 135mm f/2.8 M42? Is it an Asahi brand? Is it any good? I'm not well up on older Pentax lenses but having bought two for a combined price inc. p&p of under £20 I'm getting quite interested in them. Thanks.

[elliott]

It is likely a store branded lens made by one of the many third party lens manufacturers of the time.

Is it like this one?
New Trimex 135mm F 2 8 M42 Screw Mount MF Lens Pentax Praktica etc Telephoto | eBay

I've seen that one sold under many brand names (Hanimar is a popular one), but have never personally had one. I'm not sure who actually made it.

[Darley]

Sorry I should have added a link to begin with - this is the one RARE TRIMEX 1:2.8 135mm TELEPHOTO LENS WITH M42 SCREW MOUNT. | eBay

[Just1MoreDave]

It looks like the minimum focus distance is fairly large on that, 2m instead of the typical 1.5. That would limit its indoor use somewhat. And the price is high. I might look for a Pentax-A 135/2.8 if I were inclined to pay that much, for the extra functions. The Pentax-M 135/3.5 is pretty cheap these days and excellent, no adapter needed. Maybe a Vivitar/Komine 135/2.8 if you can find one in the UK?

[Darley]

Dave you must be looking at the wrong lens, it's £7.50 plus shipping!

[rbefly]

Hello Darley,
There's nothing wrong with taking a chance with off-brand lenses, occasionally you'll find an inexpensive gem.
With the 'Trimex', you're looking at an OFF-off-brand, likely a rebadged budget 3rd-party job like many in the 1960's and early '70's. Large camera stores would offer a brand-name camera body with (usually) the cheapest 50mm and two off-brand 'extras' like a 28mm and the 135, a favorite short tele in the film era.
While none of these lenses were particularly bad, neither were they very good. A handful have some special bokeh rendering or other feature that made them become cult favorites, most faded into well-deserved obscurity.
The fact that there's very little information available for the Trimex should tell you which category it falls into.
You may find it fun to try these oddities for awhile, but eventually they all end up collecting dust in a box somewhere. No real use and no resale value.
As mentioned earlier, the Pentax M 135mm f/3.5 is only slightly more expensive and a great value. Beautiful rendering, sharp and compact. No adapter needed, fine 'M' series focusing, built-in hood.
That would be my suggestion for a manual short tele.
Ron

[jkobleur]

Hope this is the right place, but does anybody know anything about Trimex, specifically a 135mm f/2.8 M42? Is it an Asahi brand? Is it any good? I'm not well up on older Pentax lenses but having bought two for a combined price inc. p&p of under £20 I'm getting quite interested in them. Thanks.

Whew, I typed the wrong thing into Google looking for the lens you mentioned:


Trimix Injections Seattle - Innovative Men's Clinic

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Last edited by jkobleur; 11-08-2013 at 12:51 PM. Reason: add title