New Member Registered: February, 2019 Posts: 15 | | Review Date: August 13, 2023 | Recommended | Price: None indicated
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Very well built | | Cons: | Infinity a bit off and crazy to adjust | | Sharpness: 7
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 10
Value: 10
Camera Used: Digital full frame
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Inside it looks and feels like like a quality Yashinon/Chinon made lens. Lens arrangement is a Tessar copy but mechanics and barrel design and aperture blades are far finer and more durable, combining into a pretty good overall little lens.
Bokeh at the wider open apertures is really nice, and with no real differences to a Tessar. However, infinity is not as good as the original German Tessar lens. In this Auto Flex lens infinity is just about good - not very good - at F8 and a bit weaker everywhere else around the aperture scaling.
Coatings are good quality if you can find one without expected coating marks and deterioration from lenses this old. Like any old German Tessars made in Jena, the glass pieces are tiny and coating marks and deterioration can lead to less than perfect imaging. And like the German Tessars, the light coming through such small glass can lead to dark and difficult to focus imaging on dull days.
Trying to service this lens is difficult as it's all sealed and fixed into tough metal sub-barrels. Make sure you buy one that does not need cleaning out.
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Pentaxian Registered: December, 2007 Location: In the most populated state... state of denial Posts: 1,851 | | Review Date: June 17, 2020 | Recommended | Price: $5.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Character of the images, handling, cost | | Cons: | no a/m switch, | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 7
Value: 9
Camera Used: Chinon CS/Pentax SP
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Highly underrated lens, it came with a Chinon CS I got for cheap years ago.
I think it is a Tessar design, since the images came with a look similar to the 1950s Zeiss lenses
Lots of character in the images wide open,
Quite sharp at f/5.6-11 and some light fallout on the edges at f/16
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Forum Member Registered: August, 2010 Location: Belgium Posts: 60 | | Review Date: September 23, 2010 | Recommended | Price: $5.00
| Rating: 7 |
| Pros: | Ease of use, good IQ, cheap, well made | | Cons: | No a/m switch | |
When reading this, please bear in mind that this review is nothing more than my opinion about one sample of a lens. I’m nothing of a scientist. I don’t play with test sharts and other static « prepared » subjects. When I want to try a lens, I usually have a walk and take pictures of things and places I know, adding some homeshooting if needed.
Back to film days, a fast 50 or 55 mm prime was the kit lens of most SLRs. Those lenses were probably the best MF lenses ever made, and I’ve still to find a bad one. Unless it’s in poor condition, you can’t go wrong with a cheap 50 or 55 mm prime. Considering the crop factor, you’ll get a fast little portait lens on your DSLR.
Very fast models (f1.4 ; f 1.2 ...) are not that cheap, but there are lots of f1.7 , f1.8, f2.0 and f2.8 to find on the second hand market. Buy one or two. You won’t regret !
Stopped down a bit, all those standard film primes are good performers. The main differences appear when used at the widest apertures (where they show their « character ») or in tricky light conditions (where they show their resistance to flare). Mechanically, there are differences too, and you’ll probably feel more comfortable with some of them than with their counterparts.
All I know about this Auto Flex is it’s japanese-made. I don’t know who made it, nor if it was the kit lens for any reflex camera.
There’s an aperture pin, but no auto/manual switch, so you have to use it only wide opened with a DSLR unless you find a way to (permanently) depress the aperture pin. As my sample was in excellent condition and smoothly operating, I didn’t try opening it. I just lightly glued the pin.
If you can manage the lack of an a/m switch, this little prime is easy to use. The focusing ring is as smoothly turning as that of my S-Tak 1.8/55mm, which is worth telling. It’s not a very fast prime, but f2.8 is enough in most situations. The front glass is deeply recessed, a good thing for an obviously non-MC lens. And, yes, IQ is surprisingly good. | |
