As I think someone else mentioned here, Kiron was started by ex Nikor
(Nikon) lens designers.
___________________________________
John Hermanson
Camtech Photo Services, Inc.
21 South Lane, Huntington NY 11743
631-424-2121 | Olympus OM Service since 1977
http://www.zuiko.com | omtech1 AT verizon.net
Chuck Norcutt wrote:
> Kiron is the lens brand name of Kino Precision (now defunct). Kino
> Precision started life as a manufacturer of lenses for other companies.
> Those that had a design house but no manufacturing house such as Vivitar.
>
> They existed very quietly for a number of years before finally venturing
> to produce their own designs (and some supposedly pirated designs from
> the likes of Vivitar) under their own Kiron name.
>
> But Kiron lenses were premium lenses. When bought new they were very
> expensive. Most Kirons did not compete with OEM lenses on the basis of
> price but on speed and optical performance. They were more like
> Vivitar's Series 1 line. Today, nobody knows who they are or were and
> the lenses sell for a song. Most have exceptional optical performance
> for the day.
>
> If you own a Zuiko 70-150 I urge you to try the equivalent Kiron 70-150
> f/4. Assuming you don't mind a one-touch zoom you might not go back.
> Just make sure you get one that's pristine and also includes the
> plastic, reversible hood and soft leather case which can be hard to find
> otherwise. You can probably get one for $30 if you're patient.
>
> But when buying Kiron (or any Japanese lens of the era) watch out for
> the dreaded zoom creep on one-touch zooms and sticky diaphragms.
> They're related. The reason the zoom is creeping is reduced viscosity
> of the helicoid and zoom mechanism grease. The reason the diaphragm is
> sticking is that the helicoid grease has turned to oil and is flowing
> onto the apertuere blades.
>
> Chuck Norcutt
>
> Jeff Keller wrote:
>
>
>>Good evening Mike,
>>
>>I've never owned a Kiron other than the 105 macro which I haven't tested
>>yet. I believe Chuck Norcutt liked and used Kiron lenses. I think that Kiron
>>made an f2 wide angle lens that when it shows up sells in the $50 to $75
>>range. I would recommend you send an email to Chuck asking him if he knows
>>anything about the various Kirons. Chuck is the only one that I think has
>>regularly talked about different Kirons. Of course Moose is always promoting
>>his Kiron 105mm macro. I think AG Schnoze or someone made some comments
>>about Kiron color rendition years ago (slightly cooler than Zuikos?). The
>>vague impression that I've picked up is that the Kirons were typically a
>>good buy. I never got the impression that they offered anything the Zuikos
>>didn't offer except a lower price. Keep in mind you can probably buy a Zuiko
>>28/3.5 for $30. Even the 28/2.8 seems to be sold for down around $50 from
>>time to time.
>>
>>-jeff
>>
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