Anyone have ideas about Cosina 70-210mm f/4.5~5.6 lens

Does anyone have ideas about Cosina 70-210mm f/4.5~5.6 lens, EF mount. It's a old lens, but made of metal .

Not that good. You'd be MUCH better off with the older Vivitar Series 1 70-210 lenses. Especially the second or third edition.

Kiron Kid

I forgot to mention, that the Vivitar Series 1 lenses are much sharper and faster. (f/2.8 vs f/4.5).

Kiron Kid

Oh, and the Kiron 70-210 f/4, is a very good and sharp lens. Very well designed and built.

Kiron Kid

THX

Regarding Viv S-1 glass. There are numerous (8) Series 1, 70-210 lenses. However, for the sake of discussion, we will deal with the first five. The 4th & 5th editions are nothing to seriously consider, so we will concentrate on the first three editions, which are the good one's. The 4th & 5th editions are also 2.8-4 variable aperture model's, but lacking in construction quality (Cosina built). Due to the fact that the third one is a variable aperture lens, (2.8-4) it will be somewhat sharper than a fixed aperture lenses. It is much easier to design and build a quality variable aperture lens. The first edition was designed by Vivitar (Ellis Betensky of NASA Optics fame, had a hand in it) and built by Kiron. (67mm filter) It is a professional caliber lens, with a 1:2 macro feature built into it. It was the first zoom, designed with the aid of computers, that truly rivaled the OEM lenses of the time. That was in "76."

The second edition (my personal favorite) was built by Tokina, per, Vivitars specs. It too, is a fixed 3.5 aperture, but smaller, lighter and sharper. (62mm filter size). I really like it because of the fixed 3.5 aperture which is nice for focusing in dim light and long range flash work. However, not a true macro, 1:4 life size.

The third edition was made by Komine, and like the first two, is very well built. It is a 2.8-4 variable aperture lens, and the sharpest of the bunch. It has 1:2.5 life size macro from 100-210mm's, with a working distance of about two feet. Which can be quite useful. Can you see a discernible difference in slides taken with either one of them? No! Don't get caught up in bench tests. Any of the first three editions will give you professional-publishable images. I really like this lens, and in time may become my favorite.

Personally, I recommend the second or third edition of the line. I have and use all three of the first editions, and can highly recommend any one of them. Superb optics and construction.

Also, the Kiron 70-210 f/4 with zoom-lock, is a very good lens, that will deliver professional caliber results.


If you have anymore questions about the Vivitar or Kiron lenses, or want more detailed information on a particular lens, please don't hesitate to ask. Are you aware of the Viv S-1 28-90 or the Kiron 28-85, Kiron 28-105? As for Kiron glass, well that's another discussion.........


Kiron Kid

Do please tell us about Kiron glass!

John

John

What would you like to know about it? Are you looking at a specific Kiron lens that you want info on?

Kiron Kid

I meant in a general sense - a short description of Kiron, who they are/were/did they make their own glass/who did they make lenses for.....

John

Yes, it would be interesting.

Ian

Oops! I'm over a year late in responding. Kiron was started by a few former lens designers from a small outfit named NIKON. They made some of the early Vivitar Series 1 lenses, their own Kiron and Panagor branded lenses and some of the Nikon 'E" series lenses. Their construction and glass was top notch.

Kiron Kid (Russ)