Promaster lenses

My local shops only sell the camera manufacturers' and "Promaster" branded

lenses. Does anyone know who actually makes Promaster lenses? Their web site

is not helpful on this question. Are these Promaster lenses any good?

The answer is several and it depends on the lens. Sigma has made some of their lenses and I believe Corsica has as well. Personally I'd recommend against them though. While it has been many years, the two Promaster lenses that I have known litterly fell apart in their owener's (sister and friend) hands. A friend of mine also had a promaster circular polarizer that returned purple skys! Great for Sci-fi, not so great for a returned Grand Canyon trip. Better just to buy from B&H on recs from users here.

I've owned the Promaster 28-80 lens that is identical to Tamron's. Its MTF curve is 3.0. Not bad, not great.

Promaster just re-brand other lens. For example, their 12-24 f4 is just a rebrand of Tokina (I own a Tokina version which is a great super wide zoom IMO). Their 100mm f3.5 macro is also a good bargain (from Cosina). Can't say (and don't know much) about the remainders. One thing you need to consider is that the Promaster brand name properly get you less $ on re-sale.

When I bought a Nikon N70 for my daughter from B&H we got a Promaster 28-80mm lens on it. A couple years later the lens mount, the little ears that lock the lens on it's mount, broke off for no reason at all. I contacted Promaster to see if they honor their "life time" warentee. They needed to see the sales slip first otherwise they can't honor the warentee, I didn't keep the slip. After talking to supervisors I finally convinced them the "life time" of the lens had nothing to do with the "life time" of the sales slip. They agreed to look at it but they wanted to know where I bought it. I bought the camera at B&H, Promaster says B&H doesn't sell their lenses so they refused to fix it. So I now have a broken lens that will be in my closet for another life time.

 

I can't find the site link but will check my e-mails for a contact person. All I can say about Promaster is I will never buy another of their products even if it comes with a camera. Their reps are rude and very condecending.

I recently bought the 100/3.5 Promaster (Cosina) macro lens in Canon FD mount from an eBay seller. The price? About $35. It's a lot lighter than my 90/2.5 Vivitar Series 1 macro in FD mount and also lighter than my Tamron 90/2.5 SP Adaptall II lens. I used the lens two days ago and I curious to see how the film looks when I get it back.

 

Buying off-brand lenses can be tricky. If you know which better known lens it is the same as then you can get a better idea of how good it is. I have a 90mm f/2.5 Rokunar VH-Q macro lens in Minolta MD mount. This same lens was sold under the Spiratone, Elicar and Vivitar names. It cost a lot less with the Rokunar name on it. I also have an Access brand 35-70mm f/2.5-3.5 lens which is very nice. It's the same as the Soligor 35-70mm f/2.5-3.5 but has a slightly different hood.

A few years ago, I bought the 28-210 and the 60-300 for my manual focus pentax. The camera shop was ditching their film stuff, so they were half price. The 28-210 is very soft at the wide angle side but quite sharp everywhere else. The 60-300 is not to bad at all. The build quality of the 2 that I have is pretty darn good. All metal barrels and metal lens mounts.

I would stay away from the 28-210, but the 60-300 is worth the cash, at least in my opinion. Good luck. -Mike

I've never owned anything branded by Promaster that did not break within a year. Granted, I've never tried a Promaster branded lens, but that is because I've come to recognize Promaster as a generic distribution brand designed for camera stores to make a little extra margins over authentic brand name equivalents.

 

I learned the hard way that the money saved at the slightly cheaper purchase price is offset by the money lost having to buy a replacement. I'd avoid ProMaster.

Hi, Michael, concerning the Soligor 60-300, do you have any comments to use it. Sharpness, contrast in different focusing lengthes and and ... Thanks Joerg

<p>As a carpenter, I face this problem very often when purchasing tools. A camera lens has more in common with a table-saw or air compressor than one might think. Here is how I look at it:<br /> <br /> 1) How often am I going to use the tool. If I am going to rarely use it, but still need it, I will be happy with the off brand. If it is a tool I will use often, I want a quality brand with a reputation for quality construction.<br /> <br /> 2) Will my results differ if I am using the cheap tool. What are the consequences if the tool produces poor results. Will it hurt my reputation, in turn hurting my business? Will it cost me more money in the long run due to poor results from the cheap tool, or having to replace that tool prematurely?<br /> <br /> 3) How much am I saving in buying a cheap brand vs a quality brand? Are the savings worth the PITA of using a cheap tool that might not be as comfortable to use? Where was the tool made? Is the tool made in China? I have had nothing but problems with tools made in China, auto parts made in China, and electronics made in China. They are junk and fall apart. One the other hand, Japan, Korea, Mexico, etc. seem to produce much higher quality products than China.<br /> <br /> 4) Very often, you get what you pay for.</p>

Prior to upgrading to all L lenses i owned exclusively Promaster Lenses for my Canon SLR's they appealed to me because

of the lifetime warranty I to didn't keep my sales slip when I had an issue with one of my 6 lenses but in my case the dealer

i purchased my lens from simply looked up there records and a few weeks later i had my lens back in great shape. I highly

recommend Promaster Lenses, Tripods and Filters.