Opinions please on the 135mm f/1.8 Spiratone 35SLR lens

[daniel_unkefer]

Hello all,

 

Just picked up a 135mm f/1.8 Spiratone lens, from Adorama. I've

always wanted one ever since I saw it in the Spiratone ads in the

back of Mod and Pop photo, back in the '70's.

 

Anybody have this lens, any opinions reagarding it's performance?

Mine has a sticky aperture, but I doubt that matter much for me,

cause I only plan to use mine wide-open (f1.8)

 

A friend is buying an expensive 135f2 for his digital Nikon, well

over $1000. This seems like a nice alternative for shooting film, at

a price I can afford. Amazing how bright and easy it is to focus and

look through. Think I'm going to like it.

 

Opinions??

 

-Dan

[www.antiquecameras.net]

<p>I have had this lens....if you shoot it from 1.8 to 2.8, you will see every optical problem known to man....<p>

<a href="http://www.antiquecameras.net">www.antiquecameras.net</a>

[Aoresteen]

The Spiratone 135 f/1.8 was the same as the Vivitar 135 f/1.8 & the Soligor 135mm f/1.8. I think that they were made by Sigma but I might be wrong. Anyway, they were not that good but were much better than the 135mm f/1.5 preset lenses. The Soligor 135mm f/2 C/D was a significantly better lens and the Vivitar 135mm f/2.3 Series 1 was the best of the lot.

 

The center portion of the 135mm f/1.8 should be acceptable but the corners will be soft unless you stop down to 5.6.

 

Give it a go, you just might like it.

[john_shriver]

I have the Aetna Rokunar version. For distant stage work, wide open, with Fuji NPZ film, to 4x6 prints, it works fine for me. But I wouldn't plan on pulling any 8x10 enlargements.

 

But I'm not going to waste any time taking the "brick wall" test shot, I know it won't be pretty.

 

It's so hard to focus such a lens accurately, that it's optical performance can be a little moot.

[francois_gauthier]

Expect poor quality but nice effect due to tiny depth of field and optical aberrations.