| Year | 1980 |
| Lens Groups | 9 |
| Lens Element | 15 |
| Aperature Blades | - |
| Minimum Aperture | f/32 |
| Closest Focusing | 2. m |
| Max. Magnifcation | |
| Filter Size | 58 mm |
| Diameter x Length | 71.4 x 172 mm |
| Weight | 705 gr (1.55 lb) |
| Hood | BT-58 |
I got a mint condition copy of this lens for only € 50,- but it dissapoints me. Of course, it was produced as an affordable, entry level, large FL zoomlens but the range between 200 aan 300 mm does degrade in sharpness quickly while that extra range is just the reason it exists. If you are looking for an affordable zoomlens the 70-210 f/4 is a much better alternative.
Not much for me to like with my copy. Image quality isn't great at 300mm compared to any modern lens. Focus and zoom ring is mushy with zoom and focus creep when holding. Even the divots on the grip are kind of sharp and prickly feeling on my hands making it uncomfortable to hold. Even at F5.6 it's not a lot of light for a lens of this class.
As is common with such lenses, IQ drops visibly approaching 300mm, but is quite good overall. Sharpness is very good, with pixel-level detail on my 24MP APS-C NEX-7 even wide open, although contrast isn't great and PF and glow show around 300mm. Color is both very good and consistent across focal lengths and apertures. The relative lack of CA is impressive, but the harder-to-correct PF largely removes that advantage. In summary, what this lens gains in sharpness and color are largely lost by the PF around 300mm, but if you can avoid NIR-heavy bright lighting....
This lens is 8" long and still perfectly smooth and free of play, which is very impressive, but lack of a tripod collar brings it down to 8.5 build. Length doesn't change during zoom, but does during focus.
got this lens a few week before and I´m fascinated from the carakter - very interessing lens with a creamy bokeh.