[GANESH MOORTHY]

Hi Ira

Get a Yiddish dictionary and look up the word "farkakt"

[PhotoTron07]

IM having such a hard time finding an adapter for this lens?

[niceshot]

I'm on an ebay mission for some lenses and found some Albinar lenses.

I'm having trouble finding reviews and buyers guides. Are these lenses good for cheap zoom or macro under a hundred bucks? In terms of specs, they look good. Just wondering if any of you out there are using them and if there are any specific "stay-the-hell-away-from" models to the lineup.

Some are listed as having P/K-A mount, will this be OK with a K7?
Thanks!

For the most part they are Korean made, by Sam Yang and if you put the time into to lean how to manual focus you will be rewarded. Also they are very very cheap to buy,you cant go wrong or broke.The trick is learn how to FOCUS.

---------- Post added 01-23-17 at 08:36 PM ----------

I'm on an ebay mission for some lenses and found some Albinar lenses.

I'm having trouble finding reviews and buyers guides. Are these lenses good for cheap zoom or macro under a hundred bucks? In terms of specs, they look good. Just wondering if any of you out there are using them and if there are any specific "stay-the-hell-away-from" models to the lineup.

Some are listed as having P/K-A mount, will this be OK with a K7?
Thanks!

But for the same money go get Vivitar Series 1

[Driline]

I have an Albinar Auto 2X teleconverter. It makes for a nice door stop.

[niceshot]

I have an Albinar Auto 2X teleconverter. It makes for a nice door stop.

N ice you found a use for it.

[E-man]

I had three Albinar lenses for my 35mm Minoltas back in the '80s. Still have them but I haven't used them in several years. The only place I ever saw Albinar lenses was at a catalog showroom store called Best Products, which got Amazoned out of existence by the late '90s or early 2000s. I always assumed Albinar was their house brand, but maybe not. The 80-200 zoom is total junk and was from day one but I was too naive back then to know it. The 35-70mm was better but not all that great. The one I had the most fun with was the 28mm f2.8 wide angle, which was reasonably fast and sharp but had a bit of distortion that gave it a mild fisheye effect that I occasionally used for creative effect. It was only after I got some genuine Minolta glass and a nice Vivitar Series 1 70-210mm zoom that I realized just what utter junk the Albinars were.

[Just1MoreDave]

IM having such a hard time finding an adapter for this lens?

Canon FD? The thread gives me the impression that the lens wouldn't be worth it anyway, and Canon mount would be difficult.

[Nesster]

Albinar ADG 135mm f/2.8 macro focus lens - a similar one was sold as a Sears also. The lens has a 'macro zone' where the front of the lens rotates out in addition to the normal focusing collar. This was sold as a 'macro' feature that goes to 1:5 maximum magnification.

Of course the real use of this control is as a variable softness control - cranking it out adds spherical aberration.
(nikon FE, Ferrania 400)

[niceshot]

Albinar ADG 135mm f/2.8 macro focus lens - a similar one was sold as a Sears also. The lens has a 'macro zone' where the front of the lens rotates out in addition to the normal focusing collar. This was sold as a 'macro' feature that goes to 1:5 maximum magnification.

Of course the real use of this control is as a variable softness control - cranking it out adds spherical aberration.
(nikon FE, Ferrania 400)

yup real sharp, the same company is now the world renowned SAM YANG

[PaulC]

Albinar is a problem because it was the name used by different importers in (then) West Germany and in the USA.

Here are two 2008 era posts to help: Credit to the two who posted on the photrio.com forum for this information.

=====
Albinar branded lenses and tubes show up here regularly.
The brand name was registered both in the USA and West-Germany in the early to mid 70s by two different importers.
But much earlier in Germany. Though the similarity of Albinar and Albu might not be a coincidence.





=====
In the 1970s I worked for the Camera Barn chain in NY during my summers. My recollection was that Albinar lenses and Alfon flash units were named for Fred Albu, who owned the Camera Barn chain. The same people owned what was then called Uniphot-Levitt, a company which sold accessories and imported Hoya filters. Star D was another house brand and was used for tripods which were made at the same NJ factory that turned out the Leitz Tiltall tripods. Some of the Albinar and Star D lenses looked like the Hoya lenses. The Hoya lenses were made by Tokina and that's why some of them looked like Vivitars. I don't have any Albinar or Star D lenses but I do have a very nice looking 135/2.8 Hoya lens in Minolta mount and it is a good performer. At one time I had a 25-42mm Hoya zoom in Konica mount and it was pretty good too.


=====

So this is a "brand" copany that uses outside contract manufacturing companies to make their stock.

I often enjoy such lenses as they can sometimes be a great way to get an inexpensive version of a "sought after" lens at a bargain price.

If the price is low and the lens is a prime and I think I can guess the "other brand' name - then I often buy one just for interest. In this era of digital photography - it costs nothing to shoot 100 frames to kick my creativity.

I often find the images form even "poorly rated" Hanimex,Sirius, etc...lenses to perform well - or to have distortions that are themselves creative.

Conclusion: Please forum members - include full ID and ideally photographs of "Albinar" lenses when you review them and tell us if these were found in Europe or N.America.

BEST WISHES TO YOU ALL -!

[Driline]

Albinar: worst lenses ever made.

If their lenses are anything like the Albinar teleconverter I purchased then I would agree with your statement. My Albinar makes a nice doorstop