What is Soligor?

<p>And it appears that M.L. has not "contributed" on this wonderful site since his "delightful" three historic entries here. Anyways, moving on...</p>

<p>Mmm... old thread... a bit tough but fun to drag out and chew on every few months. Kinda like a Slim Jim or mystery meat jerky. ;></p>

<p>I bought a new Soligor spot meter from Adorama about 5 years ago for $99. There is one on eBay as I write this with 9 bids and going for $106. Wow, I've actually got a piece of equipment that's gone up in value. It is a simple, accurate meter that's fun to use. The only draw back is that it is quite large so I don't use is as much as I should. Back in the 60's/70's I was deep into photography and there were a few Vivitar Series 1 lenses such as the 24-48 zoom that were innovative and excellent quality. Still own it.</p>

<p>I bought a Soligor 135mm f/2 Nikon mount recently. It's sharp, contrasty, and has wonderful bokah. It fully meters on my D3. Minimum focus is about 2.5 meters or so. It's very well built, and the unit I purchased is flawless, no marks of any kind.</p><div></div>

<p>Here is another with the Soligor 135mm f/2:</p><div></div>

<p>Greetings, I came across this soligor c/D lens on local ebay. Can some body identify weather it is a M42 screw mount? ( I want to use it on my pentax dSLR)<br>

http://cgi.ebay.in/Used-Soligor-C-D-Dualfocal-1-4-85mm-1-4-135mm-Lens_W0QQitemZ150328900436QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_203?hash=item150328900436&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=66%3A2|65%3A1|39%3A1|240%3A1318<br>

thanks in advance</p>

 

<p>It looks Nikon mount to me. Have a look to this Richards's page:</p>

<p>http://rick_oleson.tripod.com/index-153.html</p>

<p>Yeah, they were once an American company that went and appropriated Japanese optical companies. Look up Soligor on Google for the full story. I have a 2x Teleconverter from them, Nikon F mount, for the Nikkormats back in those days.. It was the only one around that I could find with a Pin that would keep the old meter coupling in place. (From the old days when they had the butterfly clip). Kept it for God knows how long, works better then the Vivitar 2x tele I have. Still works, using it on my D3000 now, with two old Nikkor M2 tubes then a standard lens. Also use it in macro photography. 2 M2 toobs, the tele and a reversed 28mm nikkor lens. Siligor originally was a German optical company. (German optics from what I have found are superfluous.. you can't go wrong with them..) Need I remind you of Carl Zeiss? The father of optics, scientists today are still scratching their heads trying to figure out some of his optical equations.) If I could afford Zeiss I would most certainly put their optics on my cameras. </p>

<p>Some Soligor equipment was very good, some not so good. As folks here have correctly pointed out, Soligor was a brand under the Allied Impex Corporation (AIC Photo) corporate structure. Tokina made a lot of the Soligor lenses, as it did for vivitar. A lot of the specs between the two brands are identical. If a lens is a Tx or T4 mount, it is a Tokina.<br>

Soligor came out with its C/D lens line to compete with Vivitar's Series 1 line. I have a Soligor 80-200mm f1:3.5 C/D two-touch zoom and it is a good performer. I cannot say for sure, but I think a number of lenses in the C/D line were made by Kino Precision Optical, which also made some of the better Vivitar lenses. I have a Vivitar 28mm f1:2.5 in Minolta mount and it beats any of the Minolta 28mm glass. Not as good as the Super Multi-coated M42 Takumar, but good nonetheless. The S/N starts wit 22.<br>

Don't be conned by people selling old Soligor lenses and describing them as "designed in Germany, built in Japan." Aside from the Tx/T4 mounts and some of the Soligor C/D lenses, it is very dificult to determine the provenance of Soligor lenses.</p>

<p>I have a Soligor 35-105 "macro" lens. This thing is pretty solid, feels like its been around for ever but looks like its brand new. I adapted it to the GH4 for video because old manual focus film lenses have much better focus throws than most modern AF models. I have the F mount version and with the 2x crop factor of the GH4, I was having a hell of a time getting the thing in focus. I eventually broke down and added a x.64 speed booster to my kit that really brought this lens back to life (for me at least). I have a full complement of nikon G lenses already or I would not have bought a $500 speed booster for a $40 lens. <br>

Im looking for other fast, zoom, manual focus lenses. I don't like to live zoom but filming wedding and documentaries doesn't give me a lot of chance to change lenses. Thats why I use 3 a camera setup and also need lenses for them lol. Not looking to break the bank. <br>

I love the look of these older lenses. Their imperfections give them character, and flavor. </p>

An even greater Lens, a rather ultimate Achievement. 130mm to 650mm internal focus Super Zoom Lens - Extremely sharp & fast compared to it's Size, German Soligor Design made in Japan by . . . can anyone tell me. Well I keep looking for your answers<div>[ATTACH=full]302737[/ATTACH]</div>

Well I recently acquired this 'Big' bad boy, in excellent condition but without a case or any caps or Hood. I started doing a little research and the serial number suggests that it was made by Sun Optical, and my copy was produced in 1983.

I need to buy some caps and find or make a hood for it. it does have that proprietary interchangeable mount and I wish there was an adapter from that lens (bypassing their mount) directly to my GH2 without an MD to m43 adapter. My lens was in Minolta MD mount and I already had some extra mount caps for it, and I'm currently using a Coffie cup lid for the front (fits perfectly) until a cap arrives. I Need to get a case for it, does anyone have any suggestions? I don't want to spend too much or ill just build one out of cedarwood, wrap it in pleather and Line it with felt, filled with silica desiccants. Not sure what I will do for a Hood.

Edited July 15, 2020 by rdm

Wow, the post that keeps on rollin'...:D

 

Not sure you'll easily find a case for that. it's a very long AND narrow lens.. relatively speaking.

 

Just what are the dimensions you're after, and what hood 'thread' do you need?

 

I was going to make my own CF hood for my 600mm f4 AFS before the focus motor died. Even though they are commercially available, the Nikon one's are v.silly money.

I wish there was an adapter from that lens (bypassing their mount) directly to my GH2 without an MD to m43 adapter. My lens was in Minolta MD mount.....

And the relevance of this in the Nikon forum is....?

And the relevance of this in the Nikon forum is....?

Ha!

 

I wrote that on the end of my note, only to delete it. I guess it's here as that's where it started way back yonder...!

Just for information the proprietary mount referred to (T4) was shared by Vivitar, and one can still find it around. It was replaced later by the TX. In Nikon mounts, the T4 is not AI compatible, and cannot be converted, but is safe for AI mounts. You cannot couple the meter, because there is no rotating rear barrel, but the auto diaphragm still operates. You can stop down meter on film cameras, and shoot in M mode with external metering on digitals. The TX is AI compatible.

 

You can mount a T4 mount on a TX lens, but you cannot mount a TX mount on a T4 lens.

 

If you are the sort of person who likes to frequent bargain and free bins (assuming such things ever return after the covid era) keep an eye out for T4 and TX lenses. It's very easy to put these together wrong, assume they're broken, and toss them.

FWIW with this ancient thread...

 

I've had two Soligor lenses.

 

The first was an FD mount 21mm that came with my first "real" camera-my A-1. I used it some, but never really warmed up to it(I didn't aprpeciate WAs in those days like I do now) and Ebayed it for a decent price that I've long since forgotten.

 

Much, much more recently I picked up an F/AI mount 100mm f/2. It came the same way I buy a lot of 3rd party lenses-it was in a bag with a different camera I'd bought(maybe an EL2 or something along those lines). I put it to the test against the venerable Nikkor 105mm f/2.5(Sonnar-type) and found that it resolved decently at similar apertures to the Nikkor when used on my D800. It may have been a bit sharper, it may have been a bit softer, but really that was splitting hairs. What did stand out to me, however, was that even used in the shade it had less contrast and a whole lot less "punch" than the Nikkor. Consequently, once again, the Soligor went on Ebay and brought what I thought was a strong price(nearly enough to pay for the camera I bought it with) and the Nikkor is still in frequent rotation especially with slide film on manual cameras.

I have a CZ Jena 20mm f/4 'zebra' Flektogon in Nikon fitting! Courtesy of a T4 mount that some clever soul has adapted to the lens. At least I think it's a one off custom job. Although the machining looks factory professional.

 

Man, that lens was w--i--d--e for its time! And no slouch IQ-wise either.

Wow, the post that keeps on rollin'...:D

 

Not sure you'll easily find a case for that. it's a very long AND narrow lens.. relatively speaking.

 

Just what are the dimensions you're after, and what hood 'thread' do you need?

 

I was going to make my own CF hood for my 600mm f4 AFS before the focus motor died. Even though they are commercially available, the Nikon one's are v.silly money.

 

Well, I did provided in my post a like that takes you to a page with all the specs for all the Sologor lenses, including this one. However, their dimensions are in millimeters and don't account for the two strap lugs at the side, or tripod mount. So, I will just tell you that from my eye, using a tape measure, it looks to me about 16" x 4.25"

And that site says the diameter is 89mm but at the filter end I measure 88mm, but about a quarter-inch down the lens, the diameter bumps up to 89mm. Probably where the lens hood slips on (If I had one). The filter ring is an 86mm thread and I just noticed that the filter threads are a little missed up on my lens. Oh Joy

 

Also, from my recent searches, I believe that I have found what the OEM case is. Many examples of this lens have the case seen below, with the lens. Looks pretty solid but big.

And these two images: Here and Here

 

And the relevance of this in the Nikon forum is....?

 

After all these years it still astounds me how somebody can scrutinize every word I would write in a post on a thread yet never read anything else other people had posted previously, which could explain anything that I would write. Then make a snide comment that does nothing to contribute to the thread but, reminds me why I stopped coming to this site for so many years.

 

Like Mr. Curry said, the lens mount is changeable, like an adaptable, for many camera systems, even to a Nikon. It was also mentioned in an earlier post.

 

Also, Mike Halliwell is correct, in that this is where the thread about this lens started. I remember reading, all those years ago when I joined, about not starting a new thread where one already exists on the subject. I would agree that this should not be the best place for questions about 3rd party lenses, but since this site never addresses the need for such an equipment category, (Yet another reason why I Love this site the amount that I do) any equipment category is appropriate so long as the same lens was ever available in the system mount of the forum category it is posted in, and the post is not specifically about the mounting mechanism.

-

 

For those that remember Sologor Lenses, they might remember the popular interchangeable Y/S mount system that had for a while. This is in a not that system..lol

Apparently Sologor came up with another system. That later mount system, this lenses mount system, is known as the U/S mount system.

Edited July 15, 2020 by rdm

And the relevance of this in the Nikon forum is....?

 

As I understand it, though I don't remember where it says it, a Nikon product anywhere

along the way in the process is enough to discuss it here.

 

You can, for example, scan with a Nikon scanner the Ilford film used in your Canon camera

with a Soligor lens.

 

I have some contact prints made with paper film and glass under an enlarger with an

EL Nikkor. It seems that those qualify, as the EL Nikkor was in the path. I haven't

posted any of those yet.

Update:

.....

Not sure you'll easily find a case for that. it's a very long AND narrow lens.. relatively speaking.

 

Just what are the dimensions you're after, and what hood 'thread' do you need?

...

... it looks to me about 16" x 4.25"

... The filter ring is an 86mm thread ... the filter threads are a little missed up ...

 

I have not found a suitable case yet. The closest thing I seen that would work was an old Canon 600mm FD lens hard case. It looks pretty similar to the soligor OEM one. The only good canon case I found for sale is way too much money. I'm not spending hundreds on a case.

I am seriously considering making my own case.

I can not find a place to buy the parts to make an aluminum clad case like that one I pictured earlier. I am thinking I can make one out of wood, line it with felt and wrap it in leatherette.

Or if I find a cardboard tube with the right diameter, I could line it with a a layer of neoprene covered in felt or satin. Then wrap the outside with a leather, but I have not priced out those materials yet, nor found a suitable cardboard tube source (maybe a rug stores trash). Plus I doubt my leather work skills and think I might have the local leather smith do that part. Or I will glue some other material to wrap if leather is cost prohibitive (not sure what that material would be)

But if all those options are too expensive ill just just make a quick and dirty one out of Cedar and Lauan and paint it.

I also, I still have to buy a lens cap (using a green plastic cup lid currently) and find a hood for it.

Wish I had the tool to fix the dent in the filter threads. I need to find a repair place. Every time I need a manual lens worked on I find out that the guy/place I used before is no longer an option, & have to find someone else. Its a dying art... shame.

Vivitar, Soligor,Tamron, Komur, Accura, Aetna-Rokunar, Caspeco, Busnell, Novoflex, Telesar, Kilfirr- Zoomar, Vernon, Cambron, and Spiratone were all brand names of aftemarket lenses for 35mm slrs in the 1960's; some later too :) The 1968 date of Soligors birth is abit puzzling. I bought a 135mm F3.5 Preset Soligor from Cambridge back in 1965 for 19 dollars; it was a made in Japan; it ws a decent lens. I also bought a 28mm F3.5 Preset Soligor too'; I was terrible unless really stopped down alot. Maybe the 1968 date is like Biden saying Roosevelt got on TV when stocks tanked? Maybe Allied bought out the Soligor name from another; since there were Soligor lenses made before 1968. Most of the names listed above just rebrand lenes; Like Radio Shack has Uniden make a radioshack CB; the trim and knobs different.

 

 

Funny you mention Cambridge: The King of Bait and Switch.

I think back in the 70's Cambridge was a different outfit. Much in the same class as Willoughby's and the like, they had their own house brand (Cambron), similar in quaity to Willoughby's "Cavalier" and some of the stuff from Spiratone. I actually went into their NY store back in the 1970's and it was a pretty decent, real store. Not necessarily the best, but OK. I can't remember now which of those stores it was, but at least one of them once had big bargain bins, and I recall in about 1970 getting a wonderfully well preserved leather case for my Leica IIIb, for five bucks. I still have it!