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04-21-2007, 09:40 PM - 1 Like   #1
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Here's some stuff at the far cheaper (under $90) spectrum of the 200mm K Mount Lens choices


THE PRIME

RMC Tokina II 200mm f3.5
+Cheap
+relatively fast aperture, clicky aperture ring
+smooth focus
+light
+pretty sharp (sharpest at f11)
-some minor green fringing, almost gone by 5.6
-slightly soft wide open


THE ZOOMS

TOU/FIVE STAR MC AUTO MACRO ZOOM MC 70-200mm f4
+some macro ability
+smooth focus ring
-soft..ok if you focus..really well
-green fringing (gone by f8)
-some purple fringing
-sharpest f16?
-aperture ring a bit hard to use. tightly sandwiched between focus ring and body.
-blob of blue reflection at barely noticeable at f16..gets kinda bad at f32. (sensor reflections?)
-Yes, this is one of those the dreaded non-SMC Takumar/CPC/Cosmicar 70-200 cheapo SMC A70-210/4 clone zooms

Pro Rokinon MC AUTO ZOOM 80-200mm f4.5

+cheap..like $5 cheap
+light
-not what its name suggests.
-soft
-green fringing (gone by f8)
-sharpest at f16?
-sensor reflection f16-f32

Vivitar 75-205mm f3.8 MC Macro Focusing Zoom (Kiron made)

+Smooth focus
+Quality feel, probably related to the S1 70-210
+noticeably sharper wide open than the others
+crispy by f5.6..maybe a tad better at f8..I can't tell
+some macro
+/- heavy and bulky..depends on your style
-minor green fringing (gone by f8)
-sensor reflection f16 to f22

Tokina SD 70-210 f4-5.6

+very light and compact
+intuitive zoom (compact = 70mm, extended = 210mm)
+no sensor reflections!
+/- some metal and some plastic
+/-pretty good by f8...sharpest at f16?
-a bit soft wide open
-some green fringing..I thought this was an "SD" lens...(gone by f5.6)
-some purple fringing...so much for the "SD" label...(very minor at f11-16, finished by f22)

(Photos will be up later tomorrow, sry my internet sucks. haha)


Last edited by FotoPete; 04-21-2007 at 10:23 PM.
04-21-2007, 11:17 PM   #2
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04-22-2007, 03:36 AM   #3
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Hi!

I have owned the vivitar series 1 by 70 - 210 by kiron, and the vivitar 100 - 200 by kimone, and these are both great performers, and actually the 100 - 200 was my favorite!, It can be had for next to nothing and is a great lens.

Ludvik
04-22-2007, 06:50 AM   #4
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Mo may not be a fan, but I picked up a "BGN" M 200/4 at KEH for $60 and I love it. It may not be the sharpest lens in the world (unfortunately, I received my 31 limited in the mail the following day, so an objective comparison is difficult!), but it's compact and focuses extremely smoothly. A great bargain 200.

04-22-2007, 09:32 AM   #5
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QuoteOriginally posted by Finn Quote
Mo may not be a fan, but I picked up a "BGN" M 200/4 at KEH for $60 and I love it. It may not be the sharpest lens in the world (unfortunately, I received my 31 limited in the mail the following day, so an objective comparison is difficult!), but it's compact and focuses extremely smoothly. A great bargain 200.
I had a bunch of these in my cabinent from rather reckless LBA episodes and you can see only the Vivitar and the Tokina prime was really worth it. I was hoping to test them out but was always too lazy. When Mo did the real Pentax 200mm comparision, I decided to just get on with it. Haha I guess he didn't like the cheapos there too. Omg I ran all my zooms through the test and then when I carefully attached my 200mm prime...turn the focus ring...I got a jolt when the ring stopped just short of what I needed haha. The minimun focus distance was too long and I was forced to move my tripod back haha.

I don't really like the design of the M80-200 f4.5 or the M/K 200mm f4. I find the focus ring way too big. The lens looks like a simple can. I like lenses with different shifts in their profile.

I'm actually been looking around for the vivitar s1 70-210 by kiron to complement my vivitar s1 28-90. same 67mm filter thread. There's nikon mounts a plenty but I can never find a darn good pentax mount one in the local area for cheap.

I guess the Vivitar 70-205 will have substitute for now.
04-23-2007, 02:21 AM   #6
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1. Those 3.5/200mm-lenses were quite good from all manufaturers (had a Vivitar in M42-mount myself)
2. Those 4.5-zoom-lenses weren't the best of lens-makers....
3. the Tokina SD has been tested by some photomags and they said that on the long end it's a bit weak.... The short end is/should be much better. I have been thinking of buying this lens too - but disliked the stiff zoom-ring and that it's direction is exeactly different than my other push-pull-zoom-lenses.

Don't you thgink that 140,- EUR is cheap enough?
You can get a really good Tamron 70-300 AF LD Di for that....
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