Question about a Sun 135mm LTM

I got a silver Sun 135mm F3.5 Telephoto with the serial #536**, in

good shape with a little dust in the lens. I tried the lens and

liked the results. My question has anyone any knowledge about the

Sun lens and the quality of it in the LTM format? It is a LTM mount

not T-mount and made in Japan.

 

Before I give it a serious test and maybe have it cleaned I would

like to know what kind of quality I might expect. It was a good buy

and I'm not sure if I got a good deal or paid what it was worth. I

really got it as a inexpensive way to test a 135mm on a rangefinder

camera. I can see I might use it some maybe 5% of my shooting time.

 

 

How would this 135mm Sun compare to a Russian Jupiter 135mm or a low

end Leica 135? Are we talking quality lens or junk.

 

Thanks

 

Leo Christoffer

 

leo@fidalgo.net

<p><em>I can see I might use it some maybe 5% of my shooting time.</em></p><p>If it were less than excellent, would that worry you?</p><p><em>How would this 135mm Sun compare to a Russian Jupiter 135mm or a low end Leica 135?</em></p><p>Neither underpriced like the former nor overpriced like the latter.</p><p>It has a good reputation. The dust is highly unlikely to have any effect. If you have the lens cleaned by somebody who's not conscientious, chances are high that he'll reassemble the lens carelessly and it will end up worse than it is now. If the cleaning is conscientious, it's going to cost you. All this for a lens that you'll use for 5% of your shooting time? The cleaning doesn't make sense to me.</p><p>Screw the lens into the camera, and go out and have fun with it. Incidentally, I get good results from another Japanese lens of the same vintage and price level, a Tele-Tanar 135/3.5 -- when I can be bothered to lug it around, which is very seldom. My Canon 100/4 is a much more portable and usable alternative, through no optical fault of the Tele-Tanar. (The Canon cost me less, too.)</p>

It's a lens formula that's hard to mess up. It should be just dandy.

<p>Sorry, the (Japanese-language) book that I thought had a favorable write-up

instead says nothing. (The non-mention means nothing: only a minority of lenses

are covered.) However, it has a glowing write-up for the same company's LTM

Sun-Sola 90/4.</p><p>Sun was a lens maker that survived into the 70s or perhaps

even 80s by making SLR lenses (cf Komura).</p>