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07-11-2017, 03:24 PM   #1
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Lens OEMs

This comes up a lot with house brands, like Sears. The real manufacturer takes an existing design and white labels it.

Who are these major OEMs, and who do/did they make lens for?

07-11-2017, 03:35 PM - 1 Like   #2
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I think Vivitar used pretty much all of them...

Cosina, Schneider Krueuznach, Kino Precision, Ozone Optical, Komine Co. Ltd, Makina Optical Co., Asanuma & Co. Ltd, Tokina Optical Co. Ltd, Bauer, Perkin-Elmer, Chinon Industries Inc., Tokyo Trading, Kyoei Shoji Company Ltd., Samyang Optics Co. Ltd, Hoya Corporation, Kobori Mfg Co Ltd, Polar

There were probably others, both in Japan and Korea. Ricoh made lenses for Sears, as did Chinon and Tomioka (now Kyocera Optec). Sears sold Takumar lenses with Tower (Asahiflex) SLRs.
07-11-2017, 03:47 PM   #3
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Doesn't Cosina make lenses for Zeiss? (I understand that Zeiss doesn't actually manufacture lenses)
07-11-2017, 04:21 PM - 1 Like   #4
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QuoteOriginally posted by timw4mail Quote
Doesn't Cosina make lenses for Zeiss? (I understand that Zeiss doesn't actually manufacture lenses)
The current Zeiss lenses are made by Cosina but designed by Zeiss. The partner used to be Yashica, but Yeshica was acquired by Kyocera and stopped making cameras/lenses in 2005.

Sony also licenses the name, much like Leica partnered with Panasonic...

07-11-2017, 05:55 PM - 1 Like   #5
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QuoteOriginally posted by timw4mail Quote
. . .
Who are these major OEMs, and who do/did they make lens for?

Sun made many of the lenses sold by Soligor in the 1970s. Prior to Sun, Soligor's main supplier was Tokina.

Based on lenses I've used, both Sun and Tokina Soligors are good optically. But Suns have lesser build quality and reliability. (Sun Soligors often have oily / sticky aperture blades.)

Soligor lens serial number code key is here.
07-11-2017, 06:09 PM   #6
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QuoteOriginally posted by boriscleto Quote
I think Vivitar used pretty much all of them...

Cosina, Schneider Krueuznach, Kino Precision, Ozone Optical, Komine Co. Ltd, Makina Optical Co., Asanuma & Co. Ltd, Tokina Optical Co. Ltd, Bauer, Perkin-Elmer, Chinon Industries Inc., Tokyo Trading, Kyoei Shoji Company Ltd., Samyang Optics Co. Ltd, Hoya Corporation, Kobori Mfg Co Ltd, Polar

There were probably others, both in Japan and Korea. Ricoh made lenses for Sears, as did Chinon and Tomioka (now Kyocera Optec). Sears sold Takumar lenses with Tower (Asahiflex) SLRs.
Hasn't there also been weird rebranding between OEMs, like Yashica not making the Yashinon DX 50/1.4?
07-11-2017, 06:25 PM - 1 Like   #7
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QuoteOriginally posted by timw4mail Quote
Hasn't there also been weird rebranding between OEMs, like Yashica not making the Yashinon DX 50/1.4?
I saw a claim on Fred Miranda that it was made by Tomioka with cooperation from Zeiss. But Yashica parterned with Zeiss in the 1970s...It is apparently a thoriated lens like the Takumar...

07-12-2017, 07:33 AM   #8
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QuoteOriginally posted by boriscleto Quote
I saw a claim on Fred Miranda that it was made by Tomioka with cooperation from Zeiss. But Yashica parterned with Zeiss in the 1970s...It is apparently a thoriated lens like the Takumar...
There's just something about radioactive lenses...

Have Pentax (Asahi)/Pentax (Hoya)/Pentax (Ricoh) and Tamron exchanged designs at times?
07-12-2017, 07:46 AM - 2 Likes   #9
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QuoteOriginally posted by timw4mail Quote
There's just something about radioactive lenses...

Have Pentax (Asahi)/Pentax (Hoya)/Pentax (Ricoh) and Tamron exchanged designs at times?
The D FA 15-30 & D FA 24-70 are both Tamron designs. The DA 18-250 & 18-270 are both Tamrons. The FA 28-200 (IF) & FA 28-105 (IF) are both Tamrons.

The FA 100 F/3.5 Macro is a Cosina. The DA 12-24 is a Tokina. Tokina made the 16-50, 50-135, & 10-17 FE for Nikon & Canon mounts. Maybe the 100mm F/2.8 Macro too.

And the K 28/2 "Hollywood" is a Zeiss Distagon...

Last edited by boriscleto; 07-12-2017 at 07:53 AM.
07-12-2017, 01:06 PM   #10
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Got a very old Sun 85-210, probably in the early 1970s - as soft as a baby's bottom, and so it's never been used very much (even just after I got it)! Anyone want a very large paperweight!

Also, in the late 1990's I bought a s/h "CZ Zeiss" 75-300 in Practica "B" mount - another "soft" one that got sold on PDQ. Any idea where that came from, although I suspect it was Sigma - OTOH, if so then very uncommon for a Sigma lens, and so which company actually make most Sigma lenses (I have had quite a few, and most have been pretty good)?

Last edited by jeallen01; 07-12-2017 at 01:29 PM.
07-12-2017, 01:31 PM   #11
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QuoteOriginally posted by jeallen01 Quote
Got a very old Sun 85-210, probably in the early 1970s - as soft as a baby's bottom, and so it's never been used very much (even just after I got it)! Anyone want a very large paperweight!

Also, in the late 1990's I bought a s/h "CZ Zeiss" 75-300 in Practica "B" mount - another "soft" one that got sold on PDQ. Any idea where that came from, although I suspect it was Sigma - OTOH, if so then very uncommon for a Sigma lens, and so which company actually make most Sigma lenses (I have had quite a few, and most have been pretty good)?
Huh, those Sun lenses seem to have a reputation for being sharp. Maybe you just have a bad one?
07-12-2017, 01:36 PM   #12
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QuoteOriginally posted by timw4mail Quote
Huh, those Sun lenses seem to have a reputation for being sharp. Maybe you just have a bad one?
I must assume that I did (especially as I was not exactly "flush" with cash at the time I bought it)
07-15-2017, 07:40 AM   #13
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QuoteOriginally posted by boriscleto Quote
And the K 28/2 "Hollywood" is a Zeiss Distagon...
Asahi Pentax and Zeiss also collaborated on the 1974 Takumar 15/3.5 lens, which morphed into the K15/3.5AL in 1975. The production versions were different optically between Pentax and Zeiss.

Phil.
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