Need help Identifying Lens ~ 70-210mm

davidvandoren · 06-10-2010, 06:56 AM

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Hi
I bought one yesterday which looks almost the same except the colors

The company name is Samyang

70-210mm F4.0-5.6

I got it in original packaging

Nowhere Matt · 06-10-2010, 07:17 AM

What are some of the dates on the packaging?
We know that Quantaray and Vivitar made lenses with very similar design and markings but with just enough differences to disclaim those. I think we can also discount Samyang as well.
I just wish we could properly identify the thing and get it in the lens database and review.

Rockstar's use of software are good examples of how to improve the image quality of a lens with questionable reputation. Come to think of it, I don't believe I have used mine on my K-7 yet. It's compact size is one of it's strong points in my opinion. It is two thirds the lens (in many ways) that the Pentax A 70-210 is at probably one tenth the price sometimes.
I smell a future challenge and another barely interesting post from me. Making all his nowhere plans for nobody.

davidvandoren · 06-10-2010, 08:19 AM

r0ckstarr · 06-10-2010, 08:42 AM

Very similar in appearance, yes. But, not the same lens. Notice the others have QTII next to the front glass.

davidvandoren · 06-10-2010, 08:48 AM

Yes I saw that and everything else seems to be from left to right.

However I saw somewhere Samyang Optics, Korea

Nowhere Matt · 06-10-2010, 11:59 AM

David, that one looks nearly identical to Quantaray's version of the lens. Where you lettering is orange, mine is white and "Quantaray" in green is where yours labels "Samyang". Otherwise, exact same construction.
The Samyang/Quantaray 70-210 are just about the same profiles (height, diameter) as this " QII " lens. And the lens in question focuses to minimum and macro to a position left of the aperture mark whereas the Quantaray focuses to infinity left of the mark.

I took a walk with the kids to the library today using my "Mystery" 70-210 and the K-7. It goes a little something like this:

The previous three were with saturation, contrast and sharpness set to +3 in camera, nothing else.
These next two are in camera digital filters:

Saturation, contrast and sharpness returned to zero with no edits:

r0ckstarr · 06-12-2010, 05:07 PM

Not bad at all. Thanks for showing them.

Everywhere I search on the net, I find the lens being called a QTII, and anything similar to it that I find is branded a different name. The lenses with a different name do not have the QTII marking on them. Could it be that the brand of this lens is "QTII"?

Nowhere Matt · 06-13-2010, 08:40 AM

I would tend tp believe that the QTII is the series or model and not the make. I am not in complete disagreement and fo not have a real reason to say one name is right or another is wrong. But perhaps the lens us something like a Focal QTII 70-210mm f4-5.6 Auto Zoom Macro. I'm just reachin' here.
But since you resurrected my interest in this lens... I recently got this Quantaray lens which is very similar to the "QTII" and the Samyang. The image quality and overall performance of the Quantaray and QTII are pretty close in my eyes. I have to clear out some of my lens soon so I have some tough choices to make.
The QTII was my first zoom but it is a slightly heavier and has some creep compared with the Quantaray but
both still have a size advantage over the Pentax A 70-210. I know I would not get much at all for either the Quantaray or thr QTII; that's really no great concern to me. Sometimes with me it is a style. Each lens may have some similarities but just a difference in style or my own emotions I guess.
How can I choose just one lens over this Focal/Sears/Sigma/QTII lens? And why should I?

" Keep shooting" I say.

r0ckstarr · 06-13-2010, 06:25 PM

Originally posted by Nowhere Matt

I always referred to it as a Focal lens. It is compact enough and since it is an auto aperture lens, I used it often on my K10.
As you can see, mine has the brass like, rounded Ricoh pin and is clearly marked -"KR" on the aperture ring.

This SMC Pentax A 70-210 is a bit heavy and not at all compact but takes consistently better images than the "Focal" cousin.

Looks like you're right. Here's one listed on eBay as a "Focal QTII"
Focal 1:4~5.6 70~210mm Zoom Pentax K1000 ME LX "A" Lens - eBay (item 350361142604 end time Jun-30-10 07:33:29 PDT)

If we agree that this is the brand of the lens, I will start the review in the database using the pictures I took of mine.

Nowhere Matt · 06-14-2010, 06:02 AM

I would agree that Focal is the manufacturer. I always thought that I bought the lens at a Kmart who were a known seller of Focal lenses. My only hang up was my Focal teleconverter clearly say Focal on the side and in other instances, they seem to brand their products prominently. So the lack of obvious branding on this lens just confused me a bit.
But if I can finally stop roaming the earth like Quai Chang Caine or Bruce Banner and finally find peace by even just we two calling this Focal, then I can agree.

Old friend, thy name is... Focal.

Please do include your review and sample image in the forum data base, Rockstarr.

r0ckstarr · 06-14-2010, 06:17 AM

Will do.

After some more searching, I can confirm that you got your lens at K-Mart.

After doing some archive searching, I found this site:
Medium Format Cameras Library Page

(archive link: Internet Archive Wayback Machine)

There is a wealth of info there. Too bad the site isn't still up anymore and can only be found by archives.

On that site, I found this:
Third Party Lens Manufacturers

Quote:

rec.photo.equipment.35mm
From: "JB" nomail@nospam.com
[1] Re: Focal Brand Lenses
Date: Thu Jan 13 2000

Yes, K-Mart sold the Focal lenses. I don't know who actually made them, but the same lenses were sold by Montgomery? Ward under the brand name "Ozunon", and by Ritz Camera as "Quantaray." They're OK mechanically, but mediocre optically. The "MC" stands for "Multi-Coated", meaning the anti-reflective coating on the glass, and the mount is usually designated by a series of letters, such as "PK" for Pentax K, "N" or "N-AI\S" for Nikon, "OM" for Olympus, etc. I still have one of the Ward's versions in Pentax mount laying around that I haven't used in years. Since, as I recall, they were very inexpensive, they might be a decent value if you're not planning on doing any big enlargements

Somewhere else I read that Minolta manufactured the lenses for K-mart to sell as competition against their own lenses.

r0ckstarr · 06-15-2010, 01:37 PM

Ok, the review is in the Database.

PentaxForums.com Third-Party Lens Review Database - Focal QTII 70-210mm f4-5.6 Auto Zoom Lens Reviews

Feel free to add your input.

Nowhere Matt · 06-15-2010, 02:01 PM

Thank you for your efforts towards the identification.
I will add a review of my own soon.

r0ckstarr · 06-15-2010, 05:32 PM

I didn't do it alone. Thank You for helping out as well. The info you gave helped to confirm some of the later findings while searching.

Looking forward to your review, as you have owned your copy of the lens longer than I have had mine.

(maybe we could start a QTII club. We'd be the only 2 members!)

Aaron28 · 02-21-2015, 01:03 PM

ok I have recently discovered how to engage the 'macro' mode on both my sears 135 and 80-200 mechanically by twisting the lens appropriately......however I have this QTII 70-210 that has 'macro' markings on it but I cannot figure out to engage 'macro' mode on this lens other than lining up the macro arrow marking atop the 1:11 thru 1:4........how is it done?
thanks
A

06-10-2010, 11:59 AM	#21
Nowhere Matt Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Nowhere Land Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,362	David, that one looks nearly identical to Quantaray's version of the lens. Where you lettering is orange, mine is white and "Quantaray" in green is where yours labels "Samyang". Otherwise, exact same construction. The Samyang/Quantaray 70-210 are just about the same profiles (height, diameter) as this " QII " lens. And the lens in question focuses to minimum and macro to a position left of the aperture mark whereas the Quantaray focuses to infinity left of the mark. I took a walk with the kids to the library today using my "Mystery" 70-210 and the K-7. It goes a little something like this: The previous three were with saturation, contrast and sharpness set to +3 in camera, nothing else. These next two are in camera digital filters: Saturation, contrast and sharpness returned to zero with no edits: Last edited by Nowhere Matt; 06-10-2010 at 02:00 PM.

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06-10-2010, 06:56 AM	#16
davidvandoren Forum Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Taiwan Posts: 85	Staff note: This post may contain affiliate links, which means Pentax Forums may earn a small commission if a visitor clicks through and makes a purchase. If you would like to support the forum directly, you may also make a donation here. Hi I bought one yesterday which looks almost the same except the colors The company name is Samyang 70-210mm F4.0-5.6 I got it in original packaging

06-10-2010, 07:17 AM	#17
Nowhere Matt Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Nowhere Land Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,362	What are some of the dates on the packaging? We know that Quantaray and Vivitar made lenses with very similar design and markings but with just enough differences to disclaim those. I think we can also discount Samyang as well. I just wish we could properly identify the thing and get it in the lens database and review. Rockstar's use of software are good examples of how to improve the image quality of a lens with questionable reputation. Come to think of it, I don't believe I have used mine on my K-7 yet. It's compact size is one of it's strong points in my opinion. It is two thirds the lens (in many ways) that the Pentax A 70-210 is at probably one tenth the price sometimes. I smell a future challenge and another barely interesting post from me. Making all his nowhere plans for nobody.

06-10-2010, 08:19 AM	#18
davidvandoren Forum Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Taiwan Posts: 85

06-10-2010, 08:42 AM	#19
r0ckstarr Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Texas Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,507	Very similar in appearance, yes. But, not the same lens. Notice the others have QTII next to the front glass.

06-10-2010, 08:48 AM	#20
davidvandoren Forum Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Taiwan Posts: 85	Yes I saw that and everything else seems to be from left to right. However I saw somewhere Samyang Optics, Korea

06-12-2010, 05:07 PM	#22
r0ckstarr Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Texas Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,507	Not bad at all. Thanks for showing them. Everywhere I search on the net, I find the lens being called a QTII, and anything similar to it that I find is branded a different name. The lenses with a different name do not have the QTII marking on them. Could it be that the brand of this lens is "QTII"?

06-13-2010, 08:40 AM	#23
Nowhere Matt Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Nowhere Land Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,362	I would tend tp believe that the QTII is the series or model and not the make. I am not in complete disagreement and fo not have a real reason to say one name is right or another is wrong. But perhaps the lens us something like a Focal QTII 70-210mm f4-5.6 Auto Zoom Macro. I'm just reachin' here. But since you resurrected my interest in this lens... I recently got this Quantaray lens which is very similar to the "QTII" and the Samyang. The image quality and overall performance of the Quantaray and QTII are pretty close in my eyes. I have to clear out some of my lens soon so I have some tough choices to make. The QTII was my first zoom but it is a slightly heavier and has some creep compared with the Quantaray but both still have a size advantage over the Pentax A 70-210. I know I would not get much at all for either the Quantaray or thr QTII; that's really no great concern to me. Sometimes with me it is a style. Each lens may have some similarities but just a difference in style or my own emotions I guess. How can I choose just one lens over this Focal/Sears/Sigma/QTII lens? And why should I? " Keep shooting" I say.

06-13-2010, 06:25 PM	#24
r0ckstarr Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Texas Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,507	Originally posted by Nowhere Matt I always referred to it as a Focal lens. It is compact enough and since it is an auto aperture lens, I used it often on my K10. As you can see, mine has the brass like, rounded Ricoh pin and is clearly marked -"KR" on the aperture ring. This SMC Pentax A 70-210 is a bit heavy and not at all compact but takes consistently better images than the "Focal" cousin. Looks like you're right. Here's one listed on eBay as a "Focal QTII" Focal 1:4~5.6 70~210mm Zoom Pentax K1000 ME LX "A" Lens - eBay (item 350361142604 end time Jun-30-10 07:33:29 PDT) If we agree that this is the brand of the lens, I will start the review in the database using the pictures I took of mine.

06-14-2010, 06:02 AM	#25
Nowhere Matt Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Nowhere Land Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,362	I would agree that Focal is the manufacturer. I always thought that I bought the lens at a Kmart who were a known seller of Focal lenses. My only hang up was my Focal teleconverter clearly say Focal on the side and in other instances, they seem to brand their products prominently. So the lack of obvious branding on this lens just confused me a bit. But if I can finally stop roaming the earth like Quai Chang Caine or Bruce Banner and finally find peace by even just we two calling this Focal, then I can agree. Old friend, thy name is... Focal. Please do include your review and sample image in the forum data base, Rockstarr.

06-14-2010, 06:17 AM	#26
r0ckstarr Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Texas Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,507	Will do. After some more searching, I can confirm that you got your lens at K-Mart. After doing some archive searching, I found this site: Medium Format Cameras Library Page (archive link: Internet Archive Wayback Machine) There is a wealth of info there. Too bad the site isn't still up anymore and can only be found by archives. On that site, I found this: Third Party Lens Manufacturers Quote: rec.photo.equipment.35mm From: "JB" nomail@nospam.com [1] Re: Focal Brand Lenses Date: Thu Jan 13 2000 Yes, K-Mart sold the Focal lenses. I don't know who actually made them, but the same lenses were sold by Montgomery? Ward under the brand name "Ozunon", and by Ritz Camera as "Quantaray." They're OK mechanically, but mediocre optically. The "MC" stands for "Multi-Coated", meaning the anti-reflective coating on the glass, and the mount is usually designated by a series of letters, such as "PK" for Pentax K, "N" or "N-AI\S" for Nikon, "OM" for Olympus, etc. I still have one of the Ward's versions in Pentax mount laying around that I haven't used in years. Since, as I recall, they were very inexpensive, they might be a decent value if you're not planning on doing any big enlargements Somewhere else I read that Minolta manufactured the lenses for K-mart to sell as competition against their own lenses.

06-15-2010, 01:37 PM	#27
r0ckstarr Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Texas Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,507	Ok, the review is in the Database. PentaxForums.com Third-Party Lens Review Database - Focal QTII 70-210mm f4-5.6 Auto Zoom Lens Reviews Feel free to add your input.

06-15-2010, 02:01 PM	#28
Nowhere Matt Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Nowhere Land Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,362	Thank you for your efforts towards the identification. I will add a review of my own soon.

06-15-2010, 05:32 PM	#29
r0ckstarr Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Texas Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,507	I didn't do it alone. Thank You for helping out as well. The info you gave helped to confirm some of the later findings while searching. Looking forward to your review, as you have owned your copy of the lens longer than I have had mine. (maybe we could start a QTII club. We'd be the only 2 members!)

02-21-2015, 01:03 PM	#30
Aaron28 Pentaxian Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: Huntsville, Al Posts: 7,131	ok I have recently discovered how to engage the 'macro' mode on both my sears 135 and 80-200 mechanically by twisting the lens appropriately......however I have this QTII 70-210 that has 'macro' markings on it but I cannot figure out to engage 'macro' mode on this lens other than lining up the macro arrow marking atop the 1:11 thru 1:4........how is it done? thanks A