Not too long ago, I had an opportunity to purchase a Sears/Kiron 28-200mm
lens on evilBay. I won it, but the deal fell through when the seller was
unable to find it. Bummer.
So, I set up an evilBay WANT looking for any brand of 28-200mm lenses.
Most did not appeal to me as the focus control was 90 degrees or less. Some
had the macro coupled into the focusing. Then came along a Samyang version
with a Conica/Yashica mount, NIB, for slightly more than what the earlier Sears
version would have cost me.
Samyang is not exactly a recognised brand, but a couple of years ago I
bought one of their 100-500 zoom lenses with the learther case at a thrift
store. I was amazed at the optical performance. I have a sort of performance
test consisting of a utility transformer on a pole about 1/8 mile away. With
the Samyang 100-500mm and a Sigma 2X teleconverter I was able to clealy read
the lettering on that transformer, which was better than any other lens that I
have.
When I came across this 28-200mm Samyang lens, I figured that it would
have comparable performance, so I bought it. The Cosina/Yashica adapter
arrived yesterday, and I took it around the house for a short spin this
morning. I was not disappointed. The macro control was a bit stiff, but then
this is a NIB lens. The optical performance was comparable to that of the
100-500mm lens, focusing being sharp at all FL and macro settings.
When the temperature warms up I'll take it out for a full trial. It was
38F this morning, and I'm not enthusiastic about doing demanding detailed work
while shivering.
Speaking of which, there may be 8-9 feet of snow on the ground around
Buffalo before this Arctic storm is over. And there will be another one early
next week.
Chris
When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro
- Hunter S. Thompson
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