Just bought a Kiron P/KA 28-70mm f/3.5-4.5 Macro Zoom

Got that on E* for about $50 CAN including shipping.

 

I'm assuming that since it's a KIRON it should be pretty decent.

 

Good deal? Good lens?

 

Any comments would be appreciated.

 

 

Regards,

 

Guy

 

BTW Justin, I finally got hold of an Olympus Varimagni Finder. It rocks!!!

You'll have to try it a bit to see how you like it. "Kiron" doesn't necessarily equate to quality. I have one;

I use it as a body cap for one of my old, unused bodies sitting in the closet. And as far as the deal, I think I

paid less than half that, including shipping (although prices on K-mount lenses have been doing weird things

lately, so what do I know). Hope it works out for you.

Well that's encouraging! Oh well, lose some, win some...

Interestingly, that's the first time I ever remember anyone saying anything negative at all about the quality or consistency or performance of a Kiron lens. I suppose statistically there must be the odd broken one out there, that people sell off very cheaply.

I just hope that mine doesn't end up as a doorstop...

I'm with Ian. Not only those branded Kiron, but those made by Kino Precision and branded under other labels (the old Vivitar Series 1 comes to mind), are excellent glass. A terrific walk-around lens, and it'll be great on a Pentax DSLR.

Well, like I said, hope it works out for you. I used to have 100% center and corner crops posted online ,

comparing it at 28mm with three 28mm primes and my Tamron 17-35. I didn't test any other focal lengths in the

zoom range. In the center, it is quite good even wide open, gets a little better at 5.6, but then doesn't

sharpen up any more as you stop down (but it is not diffraction limited, if that's what you're thinking). Which

is all well and good, except that the corners blow chunks wide open (even on a 1.5 crop sensor), and don't get

decent until at least f/8, preferably f/11. Compared to the other lenses I tested it with and how little money I

had tied up in it, there just wasn't any reason to rely on it after that. I think I may have taken it out once

or twice just for the novelty of it, but that was about it.

 

I'm not trying to knock Kiron. I've got the 28/2 and the 105/2.8 as well, and they are in an entirely different

league. I have occasionally gotten reflections off the sensor with the 28 when the sun was in or near the view,

but it's very good (and even better on film). The 105 delivers saturation that knocks the socks off my Sigma

105/2.8 EX and is equally as sharp closed down a stop or two. If I seem disappointed by the 28-70, it's because

I got it after the other two and it seemed decidedly average, even for a zoom, when I had hoped the Kiron magic

touch might carry through.