Makinon 35-105 mm f/ 3.5-4.5 MC Auto Lens

wonderful mechanics and surface finish

Weaknesses:

optically - mine was a failure due to fungus etching one of the rear elements

Comments:

I paid less than £3 for one on EBAY in 2017.  Sadly it had fungus on one of the multiple rear elements that had etched the glass into a white crescent. The aperture was also stuck open.

It is now in the bin - with 12-15 lenses in a typical zoom it is not really worth the effort, time or expense to repair them ! The seller paid up as it had been described as "used" which means though it may be cosmetically imperfect there is full function.

My experience is that the return rate for EBAY in 2017 is about 1 in 3 lenses due to obvious faults that should have been spotted in seconds by any moderately enthusiastic photographer. Whether sellers are misinformed or mischevious I leave up to the discussion boards.

However:

[1] Mechanically this was great - smooth as butter; metal finish was excellent

[2] there are good reports on the web about this lens

[3] there are 2 versions: 1 is a one-touch zoom with an accessory ring for close focus (I had that one); there is a second constant F3.5 version with separate zoom and focus rings. Perhaps commentators could advise which version works best?

[4] so after my first experience I might bid for one again if the price was right and I could return it or demand a refund if it had functional errors. An equivalent 70-210mm zoom at f3.5 with close focus abilities for a M4/3 camera and a general purpose zoom for my Pentax film cameras would be useful.