Unknown Tamron lens...

ContaxRTSFundus

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I wonder if anyone here has come across any lenses under the tamron-POPULAR brand? I just bought an old Yashica TL Electro with a number of M42 Yashica and Takumar lenses which also included a mint conditioned tamron-POPULAR 200mm f4.5 in a M42 fixed mount. I can find no reference to this lens anywhere - it produces nice images stopped down to f5.6 on my digital camera but I've had no chance to put it on a film camera as yet.

It presumably pre-dates the Tamron T-mount lenses from the early to mid 1960s as well as the only other 200 4.5 I could find under the Tamron brand which was from 1972 and an Adaptamatic. It's a bit of a mystery...
 

AgX

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Maybe it is just a trader's brand name added to the Tamron designation instead of substituting it.
 

Ian Grant

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I have a very early Tamron T2 lens for an Exacta and it pre-dates the tamron-POPULAR range which I think is much later.

If it's definitely fixed mount it maybe a budget range Tamron sold alongside the Adapt-A-Matic or Adaptall lenses, it should uses the more modern lower case "tamron" lettering in tamron-POPULAR. Tamron were making fixed mount lenses for other companies usually re-branded. My guess is an early to mid 1970's lens.

Ian
 
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ContaxRTSFundus

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Thanks for your thoughts guys. The lens does use the lower case 'tamron' - what I need to do is get hold of some photo magazines from the mid 1960s to early 1970s and see if it appears there. It does not appear on the Adaptall2 reference site which also features T-mount and some fixed mount lenses from the early to late 1960s as well as most subsequent lenses. As mentioned, the only 200 f4.5 listed is a 1972 Adaptamatic. I shall keep digging...
 

Ian Grant

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As the TL Electro came out in 1972 that fits well with my estimate of early 1970's. I can't remember who Raynox lenses were sold by but they were re-badged, it's likely this 28mm WA suffers from quite noticeably barrel distortion, most 3rd party WA lenses of that era did, in comparison the Yashica and Pentax WA lenses were much more expensive. If you bought the 28mm SMC Takumar with the kit that would be why there's 2 28mm lenses.

Ian
 
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