New Member Registered: March, 2014 Posts: 2 | | Review Date: March 27, 2014 | Recommended | Price: $16.45
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Image quality | | Cons: | No infinity focus on digital bodies with adapter | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 7
Value: 10
Camera Used: K10D and Spotmatic F
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MalcolmL's review was spot on. I just wanted to concur with his findings.
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New Member Registered: January, 2010 Location: Auckland Posts: 18 | | Review Date: February 3, 2012 | Recommended | Price: $30.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Quality wide macro | | Cons: | Infinity focus NOT | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 9
Value: 10
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REVIEW UPDATED 11-2-2012
These lenses are being sold on Ebay for small amounts of money. I bought one out of curiosity. With no formal reviews I expected rubbish.
This lens is a pleasant surprise but with some issues.
I presume JML ( which manufactures for various clients including some major lens companies and TV cameras), was commissioned to make a batch to a specific formula. There is no ethnology here to guide us. However the lens looks exactly the same as the Tokina RMC 28mm f2.8
THE GOOD. The lens goes close that is 1:5 (not macro) where it excells. It is sharp with minimal aberrations. It is sharp to the edges even wide . In the very corners IQ drops off suddenly and here is where you will see blue CA. But this is only the very far corners. It is a lowish contrast lens with neutral colours. From f8 the lens is brutally sharp and compares to the best I have come across. There is no vignetting. There is NO CA except in the very corners. Thee is mild barrel distortion not unusual for this focal length.
HANDLING. I gave it only a 7 as the aperture is a bit clunky. Since then I have greased and tightened the aperture mechanism and it is smooth so I have given it now 9. Focus is a tad stiff. Otherwise the lens almost all metal and precision built and handles really well. It is a small package.
THE BAD - the lens does not infinity focus on my Sony a850. It approaches infinity focus from f8 and smaller. Wide open distant objects are just a blurr. This is of course using an adapter for digital work. It may be fine on an old Spotmatic.
BUT this is fixable. I removed the backplate and ground off 1-2mm of the plate. I removed the stop down pin and lever as this is not needed on digital cameras.
The lens does now infinity focus - and does this well. The lens is now sharp right through its focal distance.
Flare - thers is some flare. Thee is a shade more than from my Minolta 24mm 2.8. The flare is really only mild to moderate.
SUMMARY
This is a superb lens. A true bargain at 30.00. You may find that infinity focus needs to be remedied depending on your make of camera.
I have used this lens alongside a Minolta 24mm f2.8 AF. The Minolta a highly rated wide angle prime. The JML surpasses it in sharpness. It has a vanishingly small degree of CA except in the far corners . The Minolta has more CA. The CA from the Minolta is red / green. The JML just blue.
Above all the JML renders images in a suble warm way that I have seen with some Zeiss glass. Its an abosolute gem.
I suspect the JML is a copy of the Tokina RMC. Depending on the year of manufacture the JML coatings may be more up to date than the Tokinas.
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