Soilgor lenses, any good??

[blastman]

hey all,

I've just brought a soligor 85-205 F3.5 macro/zoom off the bay for less than a £10er.

I'm a big believer in 'buy it and try it' when it comes to old lenses, but I was wondering if anyone had any experience with these and if they're any good.

A hour on google doesn't show much, a few people saying their good and few saying their not.

Thought I'd ask you lot!!

 

[Kei]

Some soligor lenses are quite good, these were normally short range zooms and primes though (Usually "Soligor CD" branded to denote their pro range similar to canon L, Tokina AT-X, Tamron SP etc) Try http://www.mflenses.com They normally have everything from the ultimate stuff to the most obscure murky glass you can find. I would expect that lens to perform well around f8-f11 but you may encounter some problems focusing it which is what will lead to soft results. Best to take a series of shots as you focus to guarrantee a sharp one.

If you want a really good zoom like that try and find a Tamron SP 70-210mm f3.5 from the adaptall-2 range. Its performance is almost up to the standard of my canon 70-200mm f4 L. (and it only cost me £35 vs the £700+ of the canon, also benefits from being able to fit it to almost all brands of camera too)

 

[PinkFloyd]

Tamron SP 70-210mm f3.5 from the adaptall-2 range.

I'm almost certain there is one of those in Pentax fit back home in my mum's old camera bag. Although it may have been an 80-210. Can't remember - will dig around when I go back home - although I don't think it would get any use with an adaptor on my camera when I have my Sigma 70-200