Hoya zoom from late 70's? Anyone remember

Murray@uptowngallery · Jul 13, 2005

I just won a dirt cheap Hoya zoom for experiments.

70-210/3.8 I guess that implies constant aperture, a minor 'plus' to start out with.

Anyone know where they fell in the 'food chain' with Vivitar/Kiron, etc. I don't have any idea if they were affiliated with Tokina then.

Thanks

Murray

Russ - SVP · Jul 14, 2005

Murray

The Hoya's were never marketed or made by Kiron (Kino Precision Industries) or Vivitar. Did you receive my reply that I sent you through the Kiron Klub?

Kiron Kid

gma · Jul 14, 2005

I just bought one from a used camera store website also. I have not tried it yet, but the focus and one touch zoom features work very smoothly. The multicoated lens is free of surface defects. I will try to shoot some negatives this weekend.

Murray@uptowngallery · Jul 15, 2005

OK! I look forward to hearing about it. Somone else told me it was very comparable to the Kiron or Viv Series 1 that is a favorite of his.

Tom Hoskinson · Jul 15, 2005

Murray, I have one of these (multicoated - like new) in a Contax/Yashica mount. I bought it on Ebay 2-3 years ago (about $30. as I recall). An ok lens - not a Zeiss, but ok performance.

Murray@uptowngallery · Jul 15, 2005

thank you

127 · Jul 15, 2005

I picked up something similar at a garage sale a month or so back. I don't normally shoot 35mm but can't resist a bargain.

The results were average, but it sure was a lot of fun.

Ian

Murray@uptowngallery · Jul 18, 2005

OK,

I'm not sure how bad a lens will have to be for me to take offense to it. Any output taken with the intended target camera will be unlikely to be any larger than 8x10, adn I won't be doing resolution tests. If it flares objectionably, I'll realize 'what did you expect from any zoom with so many elements?'

Thanks

Murray

Russ - SVP · Jul 19, 2005

Murray@uptowngallery said:
OK,

I'm not sure how bad a lens will have to be for me to take offense to it. Any output taken with the intended target camera will be unlikely to be any larger than 8x10, adn I won't be doing resolution tests.
Thanks

Murray

Murray

I agree. We tend to get too caught up with lens resolution, contrast charts, etc. Most lenses will perform better than our eyes will. Especially at 8x10" and smaller sized prints.

Kiron Kid

Murray@uptowngallery · Jul 19, 2005

Gotta watch the film too. That roll of slide film I just did had been discontinued, sale price. I then read web reviews & there were enough people who hated it to make me wonder. I just looked at the scans (pro lab, not home flatbed), and it is indeed grainy & lifeless to me. I used three different lenses on one roll, so I think the lenses don't get the credit for disappointment...I'll let the film have that.

Ian Grant · Jul 19, 2005

Hoya lenses used to get great reviews in some of the photo magazines, some were good others were right dogs. They gained such an indifferent name and disappeared. Of course the plant contiued making lenses but the designs and build quality were changed and they were sold under a different brand name.

I bought a new 28mm Hoya WA, wonderfully sharp but so prone to flare it wasn't practical to use on a bright sunny day. In fact the only realistic & honest magazine review said just that but came out 2 or 3 months after my purchase.

Hoya had the potential to have been up alongside the Vivitar S1 and Tamron SP ranges but they didn't make it and in fact lagged behing Vivitar & Tamron's cheaper ranges in overall quality acrooss their range of lenses.

Ian

Murray@uptowngallery · Jul 19, 2005

Thanks for the reality check.

If I can make it fit an old Kodak Retina Reflex S (have some spare Deckel bayonets, it'll be more for fun/novelty than critical work anyway.

Murray@uptowngallery · Jul 24, 2005

It arrived; glass is perfect but most accessible screws are loose (who knows about the inaccessible ones?), the one-touch zoom can't hold itself tilted away from horizontal.

I tightened everything I could reach. I think optically it'll mount on the Deckel mount OK without vignetting, but I gotta deal with the next level of looseness (internal). That part's getting scary (tore it down as far as I could without problems rebuilding) so I better find someone else who's done the next level of teardown so I don't end up with a bucket of parts.

Hoya zoom from late 70's? Anyone remember

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