| Latest Review Posted | Soligor Telephoto 135mm F2.8
I guess I am the only reviewer here whose lens looks exactly as the one in the picture. I received it as a gift for my vintage camera collection, together with the original caps made of machined aluminum and a nice velvet-lined box.
The lens is very beautiful and looks fantastic on my Exakta VX IIa! However, does its optical quality match its looks? Unfortunately, not. This lens probably comes from that period in time when Japanese lensmakers had already perfected the exterior but hadn't mastered the optical quality yet.
I tried the lens on my Samsung NX30 mirrorless, so my impressions about its image quality are based on APSC digital. Wide open, the lens is very soft with a strong glow, and the photos look like paintings of a myopic impressionist who lost his glasses. Unusable unless you are looking for extreme soft focus effect. By F5.6, the glow disappears and the centre becomes pretty sharp. The corners become decently sharp by F8-11. Due to 20 aperture blades, the bokeh is nice even at smaller apertures. However, to my disappointment, contrast and clarity don't improve much no matter how I stop the lens down.
I can't recommend this lens for general photography, however it can be used for special effects like filming a dream sequence and will certainly look great in somebody's vintage lens collection :)
A few examples shot wide open and at F5.6.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52606621744_911d052d7b_b.jpg
F2.8
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52606621799_8f62... |
