dumber question about the last days of third party manual focus lenses

[ricardo12458]

Did the third party lens manufacturers ever have IS or VR-like feature in mounts like the Canon FD? Tangentially related: when did they discontinue lenses for these mounts? I seem to recall the Vivitar MF lines to have been around as late as 2004 or so...

 

[BobD]

The mounts that died off when AF SLRs began their reign in the 1980s never got to the point of having IS/VR type features. This includes Canon FD, Minolta MD and a number of others.

The mounts that have survived from the MF days up through the current day such as Nikon F, and Pentax K have had IS/VR features added in their later versions. Though these mounts are mechanically the same, they have had other improvements and features added over the years as well.

I'm not sure how long Vivitar made MF mount lenses. Up into the 1990s or maybe early 2000s would be my guess.

 

[AgX]

I asked that question myself.

One of the most modern lenses from that range was the Tamron SP 35-105mm 2.8 aspherical from the early 90's. It was an AF lens from which Tamron also produced a MF version in their Adaptall mount.

I recently came it across and was surprised to even find such lens in the MF range.

 

[AgX]

I seem to recall the Vivitar MF lines to have been around as late as 2004 or so...

Were these new designs or lenses from the 80's/90's still produced?

 

[AgX]

The latest Sigma catalog I got at hand is from 1993 and it got some modern MF lenses as 28mm 1.8, 70-210 2.8, 300mm 2.8, 500mm 4.5.

 

[Jesper]

I guess Zeiss can be considered a third party lens manufacturer and they still have a couple of all manual lenses at least in Nikon F mount

 

[gone]

There's a lot of third party lenses still being made. I have a really good Mitakon Zhongyi Creator 90 2 lens on my Nikon N70. It works in stop down metering mode only though. You're not going to find many, if any, third party lens for the Canon FD mount though. It was a complicated mount, and Canon killed it early on. Nowadays you can find lots of adapters being made for all sorts of combinations. I also use a Leica R 90 Elmarit on the Nikon. All it took was to swap the lens mount w/ a $20 Chinese copy of a Leitax mount. At one time I used 2 adapters to mount Nikon AI lenses to my Canon AE-1. That got other photographer's attention when they saw those two prongs sticking up on a Canon camera!

 

[grat]

You're not going to find many, if any, third party lens for the Canon FD mount though. It was a complicated mount, and Canon killed it early on.

... are you sure you didn't mistype "FL" when you typed "Canon FD"? The FD mount was alive for 21 years, and Canon produced 134 lenses themselves... And I'm seeing a fair number of FD mount lenses not made by Canon. I've always been under the impression it's one of the most common mounts ever made for SLR's.

 

[Chan Tran]

Did the third party lens manufacturers ever have IS or VR-like feature in mounts like the Canon FD? Tangentially related: when did they discontinue lenses for these mounts? I seem to recall the Vivitar MF lines to have been around as late as 2004 or so...

No because VR and IS technology uses AF technology as well. They use the AF sensors to detect motion somehow. You however can have IBIS using these lenses.

 

[AgX]

I've always been under the impression it's one of the most common mounts ever made for SLR's.

My impression too. I got no problem finding locally 3rd party FD-mount lenses, much ,much more common than Canon-made ones.

 

[MattKing]

I think there may be a difference of understanding here about what constitutes "early on".
I think it is safe to say that FD cameras went out of production before IS, VR or AF.
So there wasn't a large reason to try to incorporate such features in later FD mount lenses.

 

[wiltw]

No because VR and IS technology uses AF technology as well. They use the AF sensors to detect motion somehow. You however can have IBIS using these lenses.

dSLRs use VR and IS, and the AF sensor is NOT used to detect motion...that detection is entirely within the lens, via gyroscopes.

Canon IS technology description here... https://eos-magazine.com/articles/lenses/image-stabilisation.html

 

[ricardo12458]

dSLRs use VR and IS, and the AF sensor is NOT used to detect motion...that detection is entirely within the lens, via gyroscopes.

Canon IS technology description here... https://eos-magazine.com/articles/lenses/image-stabilisation.html

yes, which is why the thought even entered my mind to begin with, considering that MF lenses for these older mounts continued production for some time after the end of vendor support

 

[wiltw]

yes, which is why the thought even entered my mind to begin with, considering that MF lenses for these older mounts continued production for some time after the end of vendor support

Not insurmountable, but there would have to be a control button on the lens to activate the stabilitzation system, and a battery in the lens to power the stabilization system!

 

[Pioneer]

Pentax cameras incorporate their vibration/motion/shake reduction systems into the camera itself so every lens that fits the Pentax K-Mount benefits from the shake reduction system in the camera. This even includes the old M-42 Takumar lenses attached via the M-42 to K mount adapter. Pretty nice actually.

Of course they are still manual focus and they won't provide a lot of the data we are accustomed to receiving from newer digital capable lenses.

 

[Paul Howell]

Hard to say when MF went out of production, there was a lot of old stock in the pipeline.

 

[AgX]

Not insurmountable, but there would have to be a control button on the lens to activate the stabilitzation system, and a battery in the lens to power the stabilization system!

Exactly. That is why I considered already years ago to remount such lens for FD mount. But as so far none of such lenses showed up in the rummage boxes I frequent...

 

[ricardo12458]

Hard to say when MF went out of production, there was a lot of old stock in the pipeline.

you say that, and i come across this (old stock as all Adaptall-2 lenses were discontinued 2006): https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/prod..._A17200_28_200mm_f_3_8_5_6_LD_Aspherical.html
(I have the matching adapter for Canon FD)

 

[abruzzi]

dSLRs use VR and IS, and the AF sensor is NOT used to detect motion...that detection is entirely within the lens, via gyroscopes.

yup, but it’s worth noting that the in-lens image stabilization requires power in the lens. Some of the older mounts such as FD may never have had that connection designed in (I don’t know in the case of FD because I know little of Canon 35mm.). Certainly, there was never a mechanism for power transfer with M42 lenses. Was there on Minolta or Olympus? Nikon and Pentax K having carried their mount from the manual focus universe all the way to present have added power features to the mount (even though Pentax use the power for AF motors, but not in lens image stabilization AFAIK.)

 

[wiltw]

yup, but it’s worth noting that the in-lens image stabilization requires power in the lens. Some of the older mounts such as FD may never have had that connection designed in (I don’t know in the case of FD because I know little of Canon 35mm.). Certainly, there was never a mechanism for power transfer with M42 lenses. Was there on Minolta or Olympus? Nikon and Pentax K having carried their mount from the manual focus universe all the way to present have added power features to the mount (even though Pentax use the power for AF motors, but not in lens image stabilization AFAIK.)

Post 14: "and a battery in the lens to power the stabilization system!" there was never power transmission from body to lens with MF lenses...there was no REASON to need power! Twist something to focus, twist something to change aperture. (you set lenses to 'A' in order to let the meter in the body control aperture selection in Tv automation, but that control was often controlled by mechanical linkage.
Electrical linkages were mostly associated with AF lenses and the changeover to electronic control of aperture by the body.

 

[AgX]

you say that, and i come across this (old stock as all Adaptall-2 lenses were discontinued 2006):

I referred to Adaptall above, but I am really surprised to learn that the range was offered that long. Have you an idea when the last model was added to the Adaptall range?
I thought the lens I referred to had been the last.


EDIT:
I just found the discontinuation notice from 2006 in my archive... so much about my memory...
Though the question on last model remains.

 

[wiltw]

I referred to Adaptall above, but I am really surprised to learn that the range was offered that long. Have you an idea when the last model was added to the Adaptall range?
I thought the lens I referred to had been the last.

This site would help with Tamron lens history
https://www.apotelyt.com/camera-kit/tamron-adaptall-catalog

 

[AgX]

I know this site. But it is incomplete. For instance the lens I mentioned is not even listed.

 

[Outjo2]

Hi there. Indeed the 35-105 / 2,8 is not there but I think the last tamron offered in MF AND AF must have been the 28-105 / 2,8.

 

[wiltw]

I know this site. But it is incomplete. For instance the lens I mentioned is not even listed.

Then perhaps Tamron JP web site would be more complete. It shows the last Adaptal-2 mount lens launched in 1998, and 1997, and 1996, none in 1995. The missing 35-105 was from 1992 (and one in 1991!)
https://www.tamron.jp/en/brandsite/history/