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03-09-2010, 12:51 AM   #1
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Albinar lenses

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!


Last edited by Ouroboros; 03-09-2010 at 12:53 AM. Reason: More info
03-09-2010, 02:43 AM   #2
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Try looking atmflenses.com for experiences with those lenses!

They will work on the K7 in Av and M Mode but you might have to file down some of the protruding ring around the back! That's common practice with PK-lenses and evethough I haven't had it with PK-A until now it might be!

If they are chep, try them!
03-09-2010, 03:17 AM   #3
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More details about the specific model(s) you are considering would help. The only Albinar I own is an 80-200 f/5.6 that came with a used K1000 body and isn't worth owning. Keep in mind that good to excellent Tamron, Vivitar and Pentax manual zooms can be had for $100 or less if you are patient. The 50-200mm Pentax kit zoom also often sells for around $100.
03-09-2010, 04:34 AM   #4
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The Albinar I'm looking at is a 28-80mm f3.9/4.9 macro, it's not high on the want list as there is little info, but the price is good. Just thought I'd check it out here first, I'll go with something else I think.

03-09-2010, 05:34 AM   #5
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Don't waste your money on it!

Take a Tokina RMC 28-70 f4 or the AT-X 28-85 3.5-4.5 instead! They are both sharp and very very well built!

Albinar has some nice small pancake style primes those would be the only ones I would consider!
03-09-2010, 05:53 AM   #6
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I got a PK 28mm 2.8 albinar is some grab bag type thing when buying a film camera years back , the construction of the lens is quite nice and focus was butter smooth. Then I tried shooting with it, total junk, don't waste your money
03-09-2010, 08:51 AM   #7
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non-zoom PK Albinar

My one (Super-)Albinar is a 24/2.8 T1-M42 that appears to be very similar to a Sigma-Z 24/2.8 M42, though the Albinar claims MC and the Sigma-Z doesn't. As it happens, I did a series of rough test shots yesterday, comparing them to the DA18-55 kit lens at 24mm. Not surprisingly, the primes were a bit softer wide-open (their f/2.8 vs the kit's f/3.5), but sharpen up noticeably at f/8, sharper even than the kit. That surprised me. The kit seems slightly sharper at f/22, but that's not its smallest aperture, so no surprise there.

So those two primes, which together cost me US$30, are comparable to the kit, for which I paid a whole US$55. Too bad the Sigma-Z has a wobbly focus ring (and I can't find any way to tighten it). Both primes are solid chunks of glass and metal (Albinar: 280g; Sigma-Z: 290g; Pentax kit: 250g). I suspect they're from the same maker. But I doubt we can extrapolate to the larger world of Albinar zooms. Maybe Sigma (if that's the maker) badged its marginal products as Albinar? Or rather, sold Fred Albu its marginal zooms?


Last edited by RioRico; 03-09-2010 at 09:01 AM.
03-09-2010, 09:18 PM   #8
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QuoteOriginally posted by Ouroboros Quote
The Albinar I'm looking at is a 28-80mm f3.9/4.9 macro, it's not high on the want list as there is little info, but the price is good. Just thought I'd check it out here first, I'll go with something else I think.
That lens came with a camera body I wanted from Ebay. My copy was a dog. Don't waste your money.
03-10-2010, 01:12 PM   #9
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Thanks!

Thanks for the advice everyone

Albinar is now removed from my ebay watchlist.
I'll definitely check here if I run into anymore strange makes.
06-18-2010, 03:00 AM   #10
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QuoteOriginally posted by Ouroboros Quote
Thanks for the advice everyone

Albinar is now removed from my ebay watchlist.
I'll definitely check here if I run into anymore strange makes.
I have an Albinar ADG 28-80mm F3.9/4.9. I bought it on eBay since it was cheap and the macro feature looked interesting, and it was an A mount.
When it reached me and I put on my K-7, I got the most terrible shots, and I kept it aside.
2 weeks back when I was cleaning up my gear, I cleaned this lens and took some shots - they were out of focus. Last week I put a split prism focusing screen and again took some shots with this lens. The results were very encouraging - see them below.
I feel the lens is good for its price, and is solid in build. It is softer than the kit lens and gives better people photographs. The colors are natural, and 28-80 is a good size to have on your camera.

Overall a pretty good value for money.

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/attachments/10-pentax-slr-lens-discussion/64586d1276854874-albinar-lenses-imgp7159-1.jpg
https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/attachments/10-pentax-slr-lens-discussion/64587d1276854874-albinar-lenses-imgp7159.jpg
https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/attachments/10-pentax-slr-lens-discussion/64588d1276854874-albinar-lenses-imgp7507.jpg
https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/attachments/10-pentax-slr-lens-discussion/64589d1276854874-albinar-lenses-imgp7592.jpg
https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/attachments/10-pentax-slr-lens-discussion/64590d1276854874-albinar-lenses-imgp7443.jpg
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06-18-2010, 03:10 AM   #11
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seeing as this thread has been upped, I thought I'd chime in and say I love my Albinar 28mm CF
08-14-2010, 03:09 AM   #12
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Need help

Hi Brothers

I am from southern part of India, and am using Olympus E-500. Also I am having Albinar 70-210mm which I was using with film camera 'Cosina' (Hope it is Pentax Mount).

Now can I able to fix this lens in my olympus E-500 camera using an adapter?
If so which adapter should I have to purchase?
I see a small pease of metal emerging out at fixation point of lens (Image attached)

Could somebody please help in this matter?
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08-14-2010, 06:30 AM   #13
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Get a Yiddish dictionary and look up the word "drek."
08-14-2010, 06:37 AM   #14
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Albinar: worst lenses ever made.
08-14-2010, 07:07 PM   #15
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QuoteOriginally posted by danielausparis Quote
Albinar: worst lenses ever made.
Not necessarily. Besides, Albinar was a distributer like Vivitar or Porst or Hanimex, not a lensmaker.

Besides the 24/2.8 Albinar I mentioned above, I have an interesting set of 3 one-touch push-pull manual MC 'macro' zooms with 55mm threads, each of which cost me US$9:

Sears (KR) 070-210/4.0 --- # 860424148 -- Korea 7377600 Mod # 202
Albinar (NI) 080-200/3.9 -- # 87151623 ---- Korea 214833
Sears (M42) 080-200/4.0 - # 840830082 -- Korea 737010 Mod # 202

All three appear to come from the same lens foundry. The builds are identical; the two 80-200's are distinguishable only by having different bases and front inscriptions; the two Sears are labeled as being the same model. Performance is as close to identical as I can see. (Note: the M42 is labeled PU which I guess means Pentax Universal.) And all three garner good comments on their quality.

Because the 70-210 has a KR (Pentax-Ricoh) mount, I suspected at first that all these were made by Ricoh, but now I'm not sure. Sears-branded lenses have a decent reputation (and some were made by Pentax). Does anyone here know who Sears' Korean supplier was? Samyang, maybe? I've read that Samyang made some Rikenons, so there is a tie-in.

Anyway, it looks like Fred Albu bought lenses from the same varied sources as many other marketers of the 70's-80's. I've seen the exact same 21/3.8 (probably made by Tokina) badged as Lentar, Albinar, Vivitar, Soligor, and Tokina, just as I've seen the same 135/2.8 badged as Sears, Focal (K-Mart), Vivitar, Opticam, and Hanimar. All these brands have their good and bad models and copies (and so does Pentax). Some brands just had low standards. (Can you say Porst?)
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