| Author: | | Site Supporter Registered: November, 2012 Location: North Wales Posts: 2,868
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: September 27, 2021 | Not Recommended | Price: $15.00
| Rating: 5 |
| Pros: | Interesting spec, good construction and handling. | | Cons: | Poor iq, very short focus throw is ticklish | | Sharpness: 4
Aberrations: 6
Bokeh: 7
Handling: 8
Value: 7
Camera Used: K3-ii
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This lens looked interesting so I picked it up cheaply. It is a rather typical ?early 1980's metal 'n glass zoom lens with quite a high spec: fast at f2.5, built in macro mode which is a built in extension tube, rather like the tamron adaptall zooms 28A (28-135mm), 40A (35-135mm) etc. thus giving closer focus at all focal lengths, max repro at 35mm. I have added details to the description above - it seems clear that there is a dstinction in body form between the soligors and the other nameplates like Access, but the optical spec seems the same.
I have to say the lens is a bit of disappointment.
I was expecting much better at 70mm, this is poor, the adaptalls etc are comfortably better at f3.5/4 vs f8 for the soligor.(small nb I should have entered f10 on crop 2)
  
Too soft for me at 35mm f2.5, does sharpen up decently at f8/f11, and iq is consistent across the frame on apsc.
Given the proliferation of far better iq 35-70/105/135mm lenses like tamron adaptalls, tokinas etc I can't recommend this.
| | | | | | | New Member Registered: June, 2018 Posts: 16 | | Review Date: September 21, 2018 | Recommended | Price: $15.00
| Rating: 7 |
| Pros: | Compact, good macro, warm color | | Cons: | build, little soft | | Sharpness: 6
Aberrations: 6
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 7
Value: 7
Camera Used: Pentax K5
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I picked this lens up as a bargain item ($15, Ebay). Its serial number told me it was made by Kobori in 1979, since Soligor didn't make their own lenses. It had some dust, which I cleaned from the inside elements by disassembly. There was a little haze on the rear element, but it was not too bad. I had to cut off the aperture guard (well, most of it, except for a little behind the lever) - so it'd fit on the K5.
I found it was a little soft across the range, but this may stem partially from the light haze on the rear element that I have not yet completely removed. Contrary to another review, I found the focus throw to be pretty good (it's at least twice the throw of my much newer Sigma lens. I like the warm color, perhaps that is also a result of the age.
The negatives are the across-the-range softness and the build quality, which is medium. It's not a bad build, but lesser than my Sigmas and Tokinas (which are not kit lenses). I'd rate the build as equal to a lot of kit lenses. It's about the same as my Pentax "A" 33mm kit lens in terms of build.
Hutch dog at 70mm, 6400iso, f/11
Hutch dog at 35mm, 1600iso, f/2.5
The last image may be just a little out of focus in addition to being at f2.5. These shots were taken in Av mode on the K5.
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: January, 2013 Location: Kansas City, KS Posts: 1,612 | | Review Date: March 1, 2015 | Not Recommended | Price: $35.00
| Rating: 4 |
| Pros: | Versatile zoom range, great macro (1:2.7), fun to use | | Cons: | NOT sharp, fringing, short focus throw | | Sharpness: 3
Aberrations: 3
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 8
Value: 4
Camera Used: K-30
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I used this lens for the "Single In" challenge for the month of February 2015. I was excited about using the lens going into the month, because it is fun to use and seems versatile, but the performance was extremely lacking.
The lens is large. 58mm filter thread at the front, and about 4 inches in length when it's retracted to its shortest possible length. It's all metal and glass, so it's not lightweight, either. There are four rings: Focus, zoom, macro and aperture. The focus throw is EXTREMELY short, which breaks my heart. I'm very used to manual lenses with long focus throws and I LOVE them. If every lens I had spun 360 degrees from MFD to infinity, I would not complain. Not only does the focus ring have a short throw, it also wobbles. I don't think this has any effect on the functionality, but it does not instill confidence. The zoom ring turns counter-clockwise to 35mm and clockwise to 70mm. There is a macro ring that requires you to disengage a locking pin and turning the ring extends the lens, so I assume it's working something like extension tubes. The magnification can achieve 1:2.7, which is satisfyingly close! The aperture ring has full stops from 2.5 to 22. All focal lengths can use the widest aperture of f/2.5 except the full zoom at 70mm, where it jumps to f/3.5 as the widest aperture and stays a stop ahead of the rest of the zoom range.
Handling was fine, except for the short focus throw. I'm accustomed to using lenses with manual apertures, and the macro ring was strange, but intuitive.
The lens flares terribly in any light at all and I kept a hood on it at all times, which didn't always help. At 2.5, the lens had a "glow", and fringing was a problem at all apertures I engaged, and in every lighting situation.
The BOKEH, actually, was excellent, and easy to tease out of almost every exposure. Big thumbs up, there!
This is the least-sharp lens I have ever used and it was anguish to be out taking shots, only to get home and look at them in Lightroom and see that EVERY exposure was just mush. Lines and edges were soft and indistinguishable unless I did a lot of PP or used a flash, so I made it a point to use the Vivitar DF-383 flash I got for Christmas more than ever this month...
This lens serves best in strong light and up-close. However, I have lenses that perform even better in the same situations, and with infinitely greater sharpness. There's nothing about this lens that will ever make it first choice in any situation, and it is not enough of a "jack-of-all-trades" to make it a go-to for walk-abouts.
Click here to see my Flickr album with images from this lens. | | | | | New Member Registered: January, 2013 Posts: 6
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: January 25, 2013 | Recommended | Price: $50.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Macro Zoom to 1:2.7, Sharp, Fast for a zoom | | Cons: | heavy | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 7
Handling: 7
Value: 9
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What a neat lens. Heavy as a tractor, but built like a tank. It has 4 rings. One for the Aperture, one for the Macro function, one for the zoom, and the one for the focus. Seems like a lot to handle, but relatively easy to maneuver. The filter thread is 58mm. This lens is apparently the same as the Soligor version made by Kobori in Japan. If you buy this lens, you should note that the rear flange around the bottom will need to be removed in order to fit on a modern Pentax DSLR. It is too large and will not lock in properly. A relatively easy fix. you can unscrew the flange part or take it off, dremmel the flange and screw it back on the lens. Coatings seem to resist flare well and bokeh is nice, although cannot compare to a prime.
Overall a very cool lens.
Here is my favorite shot taken with this old zoom.
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