| Author: | | New Member Registered: February, 2022 Posts: 10
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: February 17, 2022 | Recommended | Price: $70.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Decently sharp, low aberrations, great colours, fairly lightweight, useful range, close focus | | Cons: | Manual only, slow-ish, no OIS | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 8
Value: 10
Camera Used: Samsung NX300
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I own one of the newer fully-manual versions of this "beer can" lens for Nikon F, S/N 9912707, made by "Kobori" in 1991 according to Soligor Lens Compendium. I bought it in mint condition for $70 plus shipping. Any Soligor C/D ("computer design", "compact design"? nobody really knows) lenses with S/N starting with 9 are the most sought after Soligors and valued above all other serial numbers; and having two of those I can see why that would be the case.
Physically, it's on the shorter end of my long-range telephoto zooms (only about 5mm longer than also Soligor's C/D 28-200mm f/3.8-5.5), it's light considering its far focal length goes to 300mm, well balanced even handheld on a rangefinder camera, and a very reliable performer once one tames their expectations and concludes that expecting it to remain sharp fully open at its longest focal length was probably a bit too optimistic for an under $100 lens. In earnest, it's not really very sharp fully-open at any range, but it gets good to excellent stopped down some. See below.
My recommendation is to keep it at f/5.6 in 60-100mm range, f/5.6-8 in 100-200mm range, and f/8-11 in 200-300mm range. Keep at the lower end of these values for shots where edge sharpness doesn't matter that much and at the higher end if it does. Or if you want a cleaner bokeh, need faster shutter speeds,...Those f-stops should allow for still reasonably low ISO and fast enough shutter speed in broad daylight, so even handheld shots at its furthest focal length are possible, especially for static subjects with camera's burst mode on, so you get to select the sharpest one upon review. Forget about low light or fast-moving subject handheld shooting at anything close to 300mm though. You'll want to look at lenses 30x the price of this one if you expect that.
Handheld, 300mm, f/11, ISO100, 1/250s (good light but plenty of atmospheric effects in between yours truly and the mountains as the air warmed up on a winter day):
Sharpness aside, which is nothing to frown upon with keeping the above in mind, this lens has plenty of other "keeper" qualities;
My favourite aspect of it is its colours and dynamic range (for a telephoto zoom). Colours are sufficiently saturated while maintaining that vintage (read: realistic) look that so many newer coating lenses fail to achieve. Skies are sky blue, grass is grass green, blush people look blush and pale people look pale. And it maintains this in shadows with decent fidelity, too. In this, it only starts failing against bright sources of light, but does that rather gracefully. If I was pressed to describe it, I would say it produces cinematic look and feel, with few, if any flares and ghosts with a short hood, and probably none at all with a long one on unless you point it directly towards the sun (don't do that with any telephoto lens anyway!).
Handheld, about 90mm, f/6.3, ISO400, 1/320s (I wanted it a bit overexposed to bring out pastel tones of the winter landscape background):
My copy also seems to have optical elements extremely well aligned, so chromatic aberration stays at their minimum and there's no astigmatism whatsoever. The lens isn't apochromatic in design but it approaches that and seems to be parfocal (maintaining focus at varying focal lengths). I'm unsure if it's true parfocal or only really close to that, as changing focal length does mean sliding the focus ring barrel, but it does help in pinpointing focus. All these attributes also make it a solid choice for your telephoto video shooting needs (landscapes, architectural details, rack focus scenes,...), just install a follow-focus ring on it and a long lens hood, de-click its f-stop ring by removing a tiny metallic ball under it (the lens is simple to disassemble and you'd only have to remove the 4 screws on its bayonet ring to remove the clicky ball), and it's good to go. Only real downside for videos is that its filter ring does rotate with focus, so lens-attached polarizing filters are out of the question with it. But you can still use rig-attached ones, of course.
Handheld, 150mm, f/8, ISO100, 1/250s (pièce de résistance of my vantage point, you can't say it wasn't worth it climbing up there):
Another great thing about this lens is that, at roughly 650g together with lens adapter, a short hood, 0-haze UV filter and a 67mm front cap, it's very light (again, for a 60-300mm zoom), so I can use it as my single walk-around lens on days that I don't expect to have the need for a wider or a macro-capable lens. This one, while it does say "zoom+macro" on its beauty ring, isn't a true macro lens. It can focus down to what was later described by some manufacturers as "close focus". It can focus to anything further than a bit over 1m away throughout its focal length range, so it probably can magnify closest subjects to about 1:4 ratio at 300mm and that's also what it claims on the barrel, forfeiting any range markings at its closest focus (smallest range marking is at 2m, but that's more than double the distance to closest focus than between 2 and 2.5m, so assuming inverse logarithmic distance scale, it would put closest focus at roughly 1.3m and that seems to play out in use, too). Anything more will require a macro ring, or a macro-focusing adapter/multiplier. But that would also double its f-stop value, make it longer, heavier, and besides, who takes macro shots at 300mm anyway? So, in short, it's perfectly capable of focusing down to your favourite flower heads, but you'll need something else to focus sharply on any aphids on them.
Bokeh is fair, but nothing exceptional. This isn't a "bokeh monster" lens, but there's nothing distracting about it either, so it's in the upper end of the spectrum regarding that just for not producing nervous out-of-focus areas around, be it in front, or in the background of your subject. In theory, it should be a decent daylight portrait lens, but I personally don't consider it as such nor intend to use it for that. I have faster, lighter prime lenses at 50-135mm range for portraits, including a few true "bokeh monsters" among them (e.g. Konica Hexanon AR 50mm f/1.4). What it should be better for is still life with seamless and calm separation of depth with open iris, and a decent depth compression at longer focal lengths and somewhat stopped-down iris, however. I just haven't tried it enough in that to give you my honest opinion, yet.
Negatives are few and mostly can be worked around by its positives. Perhaps the biggest downside is that it doesn't have any tripod collar nor could one be added to it easily. Luckily, as it's light and weight-wise fairly well balanced even fully extended, it won't ruin your expensive camera's mount if the tripod is attached to the camera instead. Another is, perhaps, that it only has half-stop clicks, but it is possible to stop it in between those of course, you just won't get that satisfying click to confirm your choice. And the least worrying with a lens like that, that it has significant zoom creep when held vertically. But still none if tilted even slightly less than a full 90°. So not easy to focus on the Moon if you live at the equator, otherwise it's fine.
So, if you can find one with a serial number indicating manufacturer you trust, is in good condition and is under $100, do get it!
A few photos more exhibiting lens' colours and contrast (click for bigger size and description):
* Obligatory disclaimer: As this is my first review here, please don't hesitate to let me know via a PM or in forum if I missed out some information that you'd like to know about. | | | | | | | New Member Registered: June, 2021 Posts: 4
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: June 3, 2021 | Recommended | Price: $54.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | sharpness, zoom range | | Cons: | very light fringes | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 8
Value: 9
Camera Used: K-x
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Some example(without additional processing, f8): | | | | | Site Supporter Registered: April, 2016 Posts: 201 | | Review Date: March 27, 2019 | Recommended | Price: $100.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Sharpness, color, bokeh | | Cons: | Light CA, | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 8
Value: 9
Camera Used: Sony A7r
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My lens is with Minolta A-mount, sn 9890929, UMCS, AF, C/D.
It is an AF version with same or similar specs of the above lens.
Have bought it especially for the long end. Is reasonable sharp with good details at f8 for long throw and f11 at close focus.
AF is hunting and needs probably some experience.
Thank you all for the reviews made about this lens! It was very helpful for the purchase and I‘m happy to have one.
| | | | | New Member Registered: December, 2016 Posts: 23
3 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: August 15, 2017 | Recommended | Price: $124.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | very sharp 300mm end, good macro 1:4, great bokeh | | Cons: | bit heavier than DA 55-300 | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 8
Value: 8
Camera Used: K5
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This review is for "made by Kiro" (serial 98xxxxx)
My sample found in really very nice condition. This lens was great recommendation long time ago in Germany/Austria by famous author. His name is Barnim A. Schulze who wrote books about camera and other and make lens tests in famous German fotoMAGAZIN. He develop lenstest method named under his name BAS now refined into digital.
There is important difference to version made by Tokina 60-300 which is not same at all!
Tokina is all metal construction and have weight of 680g and length of 11,1cm
Also most important: Tokina 60-300 have aperture flange being too long. It extend into body of
Pentax and touch SDM contacts. Cannot be used in Pentax DSLR body if not filed to shorter length!
See:
https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/attachments/10-pentax-slr-lens-discussio...img78121_c.jpg
Soligor made by Kiron don't have this problem! Can mount directly on any Pentax DSLR.
Flange much shorter. No touch of SMD contact. I have tried with K10D, K200D, K20D, Kx, K5, K5IIs, K30, K3II, all work perfect.
Data I measure from Soligor:
Weight: 580 grams.
Length: 11,5cm zoom in, 17cm zoom out
Diameter: 6,9mm (Filter 67mm)
Coating: MC multicoated
Quality of lens:
I have two more lenses similar range, Pentax DA 55-300 old version and Tamron 70-300 DI LD which has 1:2 macro ability.
Before I find this Soligor I always prefer Pentax on long end but Tamron can give macro 1:2 which is very nice. But Soligor beat Pentax but have lack of AF of course. But AF on DA55-300 can be slow
and not good for object with move faster. Very difficult then. For me manual focus easier.
On Pentax K5 I have Katzeye focusing screen which work really good.
Soligor 60-300 can give 1:4 macro but have no AF, only P/K-A. No green button necessary.
It is actually P/K-A R P/K which mean Ricoh. Ricohpin is no problem here but easy to take out:
Just set aperture on A to remember which position, take 4x screw (PH00) off. Then very easy to take Ricoh pin away: bend spring which hold at place and remove.
At 300mm long end both = tele and macro IQ have really great quality. Macro 1:4 is better than 1:2 of Tamron. But half size, Tamron larger but not so sharp, crop of Soligor still sharper than Tamron.
Very surprising lack of chromatic aberration. I did not expect for lens of this age.
Sharpness at 300mm is really great, also other focal length
Vignetting zero
Colours: very nice natural more like Pentax, not Sigma cool colour.
Contrast: good - very good
Bokeh: Beautiful. Very soft and gentle. Not busy.
Builtquality is of best value and no zoom creep, zoom stay in place always. Smooth change of aperture setting. Smooth focusing and long enough for making focusing precise. Makes manual fokus very easy and give exakt point.
My lens purchased in almost new quality, I think one can find cheaper used but must make sure it is Kiron version. I have not Tokina version. But photos I can see when Tokinaversion on Sony A7 have not same good quality as Kironversion on Pentax K5.
| | | | | | | New Member Registered: November, 2013 Posts: 14
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: May 27, 2016 | Recommended | Price: $75.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | very sharp lens | | Cons: | very few CA's | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 8
Value: 10
Camera Used: k-5 k-x k-s1 k200d fuji x-t00 + x-e1
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I've compared it with sigma 75-300 apo. the sigma is really sharp, but not so sharp at 300mm tele as the Soligor, and sigma apo (old big version) has more CA's wide open
pentax 55-300 needs f 13 for really good sharpness at 300 mm (very good correction of CAs)
soligor 60-300 shows very high sharpness with f 9.5
a really nice lens - inspite of manual focus:
(high value and it's rare)
++ excellent sharpness
+ low CA's (advice at 300 mm f 8-11 usefull)
++ very fine contrast, color rendition and bokeh
9,5 points and highly recommended | | |
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