Excellent vintage 135mm lens for less than $20!!
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- Опубликовано: 15 сен 2024
- Today we are taking a closer look at an excellent, yet super affordable vintage lens - the Auto Sears 135mm f2.8. This lens is built extremely well, it's very sharp and has unique colors.
Gear used in this video:
Auto Sears 135mm f2.8 lens - ebay.us/veeDzl
M42 lens to Sony E adapter - amzn.to/3fkvFZy
My camera - amzn.to/3DeiF2W
My video lights - amzn.to/2WoI3ls
My video monitor - amzn.to/3Dfqfdz
My microphone - amzn.to/3rVvQki
My studio lights - amzn.to/3r0R0OJ
My dry cabinet for storing lenses - amzn.to/2Wjih2a
Favorite SD card - amzn.to/3sOidn3
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just came across your channel, really cool classic western intro and transitions
Thank you so much!
In the US, large chain stores like Sears and Pennys used to sell photo equipment, not a wide or high quality line up, but decent stuff. Sears even had its own camera trade name, "Tower". Sources were various, both Japanese and German. A lens like this might come from one supplier today and a different one next month, both labelled Sears. If you were not seeking top quality, they were usually a good deal for what you paid. Some of those products have survived as highly sought, such as a Tower TLR, made by Aires, a rebadged Airesflex, which came with a Nikkor lens. For years in the late 1950s, Seats sold Tower 35mm rangefinder cameras made by Olympus, relabeled Olympus 35 models which were top quality with excellent optics. Of course, these were balanced off by a variety of cameras made by some low quality German makers which were meager quality at best.
I just stumbled on your channel and subscribed. I am a vintage lens photographer (on digital DSLR & mirrorless) and enjoyed your channel. I have acquired this same Sears lens and it is in excellent shape. Out of the 11 vintage 135 primes I own; this Sears is the 2nd most I have used. A Ricoh made, from what I have researched. Good video. Keep them coming.
Hello and thank you so much for subscribing to the channel! Glad to hear that you also appreciate this excellent lens! I know some people might be wary of the Sears name, but as you know this lens was not made by Sears and is actually an amazing performer in this focal length! It can easily compete with much more expensive 135mm lenses out there. Also the build quality is outstanding! Thank you for sharing your thoughts about this wonderful lens. Take care!
I have the Auto Rikenon which I believe is the same lens. Never liked it until I pulled it out & stopped it down after watching this video. Remarkable. Thank you for your channel & advice.
Glad to hear that the video inspired you to give your lens a second chance. Stopped the sharpness is really impressive! Enjoy it!
I bet you like Tarantino movies don't you? Because i sure do, and your intro reminds me of that. Good video sir.
Chris Emerick Thank you! Yes, I love Tarantino’s movies. I was wondering when someone will spot the reference. :)
Glad you enjoyed the video.
Excellent channel, videos, advices and music !
Subscribed and liked A LOT ! :-))
Take good care !
Thank you so much!! I really appreciate it! Take care.
2:00 Cool music))
Thanks :)
Great vid, as always! I especially liked the timelapse of the lens cleaning!
ARG_IM_PIRATE Thank you!! Cleaning old lenses can be really satisfying (as long as everything goes well 😬) This one was particularly easy since it only had 4 elements. Glad you enjoyed it!
Brilliant ! ...and that cleaning operation !
Thank you!!
Holy moley. you blew me away with that cleaning! what did you use to remove fungus/haze? H202?
@@cinewillp6391 I use Hydrogen Peroxide Solution 3% to clean fungus. It works great!
@@VintageOptiks Thanks, youre the best!
Love the video cheers
Thank you!
love your channel! especially the intros and title XD
speaking of flares, for those who like myself like lens flares could you recommend lenses with the most pronounced flaring? helios 44m-2 (58mm), vivitar 35 -85 2.8 have a great lens flares, are there more like it?
Thank you so much!! I have a lot of fun making the intros! :) I am glad to hear that you appreciate flares in vintage lenses. Many people see them as nuisance but I like them a lot. From my experience the lenses that flare the most are mostly the fixed lenses that I have adapted from rangefinders or viewfinder cameras - like the Konica Hexanon 45mm f1.8 (beautiful flare) and the Rikenon 35mm f2.8 (super wild flare) which I have reviewed here on the channel. In a few weeks I am going to upload a video of an Olympus lens (also from a rangefinder) that is super sharp but also has amazing flare! So stay tuned!
i dont know, but i think anyone who looks into vintage optics these days appreciates all the defects and nuances they produce. otherwise theres no reason to shop for vintage optics, as there are so much affordable modern glass from samyangs to 7 artisans, that produce clean commercial image. i was hopping to find something on the longer end around 85 -105, although i do realize that wide angle lenses are most prone to lens flares. i was considering nikon 105 2.5 that you reviewed recently and either nikon or canon 100mm 2.8.. still not sure which one to get.
yep, all tuned up )) might also recommend doing comparisons like “5 best lensflaring lenses”, “5 lenses with the most beautiful bokeh”, “5 sharpest 50mm lenses”.. it be fun to watch smth like that in the vintage optics world XDD
I thought the bokeh was hit - or - miss in the photographs you showed. But the real appeal of the lens is the ability to have a max f/2.8 aperture if your favorite telephoto zoom needs the occasional support in the 100-200 mm range. (And to tell your admirers that you own a 135mm prime!)
Do you have a video (or can recommend one) that teaches how to clean a lens? I really enjoyed the timelapse of you cleaning yours!
Yes I do. Here is the link: ruclips.net/video/czoisKjBCXY/видео.html
Glad to hear you enjoyed the time-lapse. I appreciate the feedback.
I like this focal length. Not found a bad one yet, 4 & counting. Have an ISCO f3.5 that's always with me.
Yeah there are a lot of excellent 135mm vintage lenses out there! I’m currently using the Carl Zeiss Jena 135mm f3.5. Really great lens!! I need to try the ISCO at some point. Take care.
@@VintageOptiks look for the 3rd version in m42, it's nice and compact focuses fairly close for a vintage 135. 4' crazy 350° focus throw!
@@ryanbeer5262 Awesome! Thank you for the info!
i like the soundtrack of this show ^^
Thank you. Glad you enjoy it.
WOW..... Just stumbled on this video, very informative !!! What kind or type of solvent did you use to clean the fungus / dust of of the lens when taking it apart ?
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed the video. I actually made a whole other video on my method of cleaning fungus from lenses. Here is the link: ruclips.net/video/czoisKjBCXY/видео.html
I have included a full list with all the materials I use. You can find it in the description of the video.
@@VintageOptiks Thanks
There are multiple variations of this lens (Sears Auto 135mm f/2.8) both with those made in Korea and those made in Japan. My "made in Japan" lens is Sears Part Number: 199-73312. The closest focus distance is 1.5 meters. I don't know who produced this lens for Sears but, I suspect that it was Tokina because it seems very much like other Tokina lenses that I have used. However, it may have been some other manufacturer such as Tomioka (My 58mm f/1.4 Auto Sears was produced by Tomioka). I purchased the 135mm lens for $11.00 U.S. Dollars from Goodwill Online.
It does quite a decent job when I match this lens with a Sony A6600 camera using a Kipon BavEyes M42-NEX Focal Reducer which provides close to a 135mm focal length with close to an f/2.0 aperture... The equivalent to a full frame is 1.05x rather than a 1.5x which would be the case if I were using a non-focal reducing adapter...
I purchased this lens because I couldn't resist a lens so inexpensive. It is in perfect shape and has an integral sliding lens hood which I really like!
Thank you for your comment. The Auto Sears 135mm f2.8 is an amazing deal for sure. There are definitely several versions and the origin of who manufactured which version is pretty murky, but nevertheless this lens delivers great results for very little money. Glad to hear you are enjoying your copy.
Mamiya Sekor made most the Japanese M42 Lenses I believe, you can literally put the lenses side by side and they match perfectly piece to piece model to model just type any of the sears m42 lenses and change it to Mamiya Sekor and you'll find matches, down to the same body just different names on the lens.
Great content !! , I'm waiting for you to review Soligor 135mm f2.8
Thank you so much!! Would love to review the Soligor 135mm f2.8 at some point. So many lenses, so little time :)
Hi Vintage Optiks. Thank you for sharing. People like you that are very well appreciated in this community.
What solutions do you recommend, or prefer to using when cleaning the elements of a lens? Do you have particular ones you found that work best. Thank you!
Forgot to mention. I just found your channel. Just subscribed. Thanks again!
J. H. Hello and thank you for your kind message. I use just Hydrogen Peroxide to clean the lens elements. I’ll usually have a little cup with some Peroxide in it and then I’ll soak each element for a couple of minutes. After that I use a lens cleaning cloth to wipe it down. It works quite well and is a very affordable method. Thank you for subscribing to the channel. Glad to hear you are enjoying the videos. I appreciate it.
Would you say this lens gives a similar image quality to the Vivitar auto telephoto 135mm 2.8? I picked up a near perfect copy of the Vivitar at a local charity shop for £24 and am amazed by the quality of the photos I've got with it.
Hello. The Vivitar Auto telephoto 135mm f2.8 was made in 2 different versions - the early version came out in 1971 and has five glass elements and 8 bladed aperture. The newer version came out in 1976, and has 4 glass elements and 6 bladed aperture. Not sure which version you have. Optically speaking, the Auto Sears is more similar to the later Vivitar 135mm version, since they both have the 4 element design. But their coatings are different, so they will perform differently when it comes to colors and saturation. Hope this helps. Glad you are happy with your Vivitar. It's a steal for 24 pounds. Cheers.
Hi! I recently bought this lens and is really really nice. I was wondering if you know if this lens is made with thorium oxide or some radioactive material?
Hi I don’t know if this lens is radioactive or not.
Thanks for all these short and informative videos. Any recommendations for a vintage long telephoto prime or zoom over 200mm (preferably with fix aperture). I rarely shoot long focal lengths and don’t want to spend too much on a AF lens for my fuji body...thanks alot
One Life You are welcome. I’m glad that you’re enjoying the videos. For a long telephoto I would recommend the Nikon 300mm f/4.5 AIS Nikkor Telephoto Lens. It’s affordable (you can find it for under $100, it’s sharp and has great colors). I haven’t tried any zooms that go beyond 200mm, so I can’t comment on that. The only issue with vintage telephoto lenses above 200mm is that they can get pretty heavy and handholding them can be an issue.
Vintage Optiks agreed, these metal lenses become heavy and feel unbalanced on smaller camera bodies. Please don’t stop making these videos
Will this give me better long range portraits with better bokeh than the 70-300mm L lens?
Are you talking about the Canon 70-300mm F4-5.6 L?
Great Bargain is Right! I paid eleven U.S. Dollars for a minty copy of mine... I like the retractable lens hood...
Amazing deal for such an excellent lens! Enjoy!
@@VintageOptiks I also purchased an older Vivitar 135mm f/2.8 for$15 USD but, don't like it very much.... The two meter MFD of the Vivitar leaves me cold.... 1.8 meters is a bit better... However, the approximate 1 meter MFD of my Sony 70-200mm f/4 G lens is heads and shoulders above either the Sears or the Vivitar...
@@richardpcrowe I agree, 2 meters is way too long! The Carl Zeiss Jena 135mm f3.5 has a minimum focusing distance of only 1 meter and is a really excellent lens! And it has a retractable lens hood as well.
wow I just got one of those!
That’s awesome!!
Hi mate!
Say, would you say this is on par with the Vivitar 135mm 2.8 or the Jupiter 37A?
Yeah it’s quite similar to the Vivitar 135mm f2.8, but the Sears flares more.
Just picked this up $4
Awesome!! Enjoy!
Are you selling lenses ?
How do the multi-coated Korean lenses compare?
They don’t perform as well wide open and have more chromatic aberrations.
@@VintageOptiks Thanks for the quick reply and tips! I'm browsing eBay at the moment and was tempted by the cheaper lenses, haha.
@@briantorsell You are welcome. Good luck with your search. I hope you find something that you’ll enjoy. I’m on eBay way too often myself. ;)
The pictures has correction color?
No. I only adjust the white balance so colors are accurate.
@@VintageOptiks Nice! really amazing pictures, i want macro lens, do u recommend the canon fd 50mm? i live in argentina
@@fefeviajero Thank you! Yeah the Canon FD 50mm f3.5 macro is really amazing! And it's super affordable for the kind of quality you can get. Try to get the SSC version. The colors are amazing!!
@@VintageOptiks
ray-co
Hey I love your RUclips channel! It inspired me to start making lens reviews on our channel. We gave a shout out to your channel in our latest video. When you get a chance check it out. Keep up the great work can't wait to see more.
Thank you so much! I really appreciate the shout out! It's nice to see that other people are inspired to shoot with vintage lenses. I just watched your video on Sears vs Soligor 135's. Well done!! Keep it up and I wish you all the best with the channel.
🤗👏 supper!!!
Thank you!!