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Tamron model 680 AR fixed mount 135/2.8
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PostPosted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 7:33 am    Post subject: Tamron model 680 AR fixed mount 135/2.8 Reply with quote
I noted the arrival of this yesterday.



Its not in fact a very strange lens, other than its styling and its history, which make it interesting to a collector.

Its a fixed-mount M42 Tamron, which is an odd thing by itself. Tamron made its reputation on interchangable mounts, T (Tamron invented the t-mount), Adaptall, etc., and rarely made fixed-mount lenses. This may be the only one in the consumer line released under the Tamron brand, until the end of the interchangable lens lines in the 1990's.

It is also possibly the first automatic Tamron, and represents a transition stage between the manual and preset T-mount lenses Tamron made its reputation with, and the automatic Adapt-a-matic and Adaptalls.

The styling was very "modern" for its day (1962 according to the Tamron site), and was carried on by Tamron and other lens makers like Yashica in other lines.

So how does it work ? Quite well I think. I don't see that its particularly wonderful, but it is a perfectly functional, easy to use lens in excellent condition.

At f/2.8 -




At f/4-f/8

















The bird -



crop -



PostPosted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 9:15 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
nice shots Luis
this look a excellent lens from wide open with very little CA


PostPosted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 11:17 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Love #5 and the bird Smile


PostPosted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 11:22 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
those are good shots indeed, on their own merit, and show what the lens is capable of.

I have an auto tamron-f 35mm/2.8 which is also a fixed mount M42. I've tried to trace back when it was made, so far to little success, although I half remember seeing a camera store ad from the mid 70's with the tamron-f's... which would indicate they made fixed mount lenses in parallel with the T and adaptalls.



there it is on the right. It doesn't have the silver design, there's a pebble-grained focus ring.

The Vivitar on the left is a TX mount, by the way.


PostPosted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 5:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Excellent samples as always!


PostPosted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 7:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Great! You could make nice pictures with an old bottle, Luis. Smile


PostPosted: Thu Aug 28, 2008 5:11 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Just want to add that this lens probably dates from about 1967-68, and it pre-existed the Adaptamatic series.

These can be found under the trade name "Vernon Edonar" interestingly bearing Tamrons company name at the time "Taisei Kogaku", in case anybody finds such a thing it is a Tamron. I guess it was meant as a cheap series, keeping the prestige brand for Tamron ?

There were apparently at least two other lenses in this series - one was a 28/2.8 - GoKevin has one -

http://cgi.ebay.com/Taisei-Kogaku-28-2-8-Vernon-Edonar-Canon-FD_W0QQitemZ280122710254QQcmdZViewItem?_trksid=p3286.m20.l1116

The other apparently was a fixed mount version of the 80-250/3.8 monster zoom.


PostPosted: Thu Aug 28, 2008 6:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
You certainly make the lens look desirable luis - as are all your lenses. Interesting story about this Tamron line. I just got the adaptall 28/2.5 with an M42 fitting (should go well with my spare nikon fitting.


patrickh
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