How To Repair A Kiron 70 - 210 Macro Lens

narddogg81 • Senior Fellow member • Posts: 1,042

kiron lxx-210 f4 zoomlock

May 12, 2010

I just received my Kiron 70-210 f4 in the mail today. I bought it from a pawnshop selling on ebay for $half dozen, and when I tried it out i was amazed out how incredibly good it is. It is as sharp or sharper than anything else I ain (including my fa 50mm macro), has great colour, dissimilarity, and bokeh, and has a handy zoomlock feature so i can lock it at 70mm 85mm 100mm 135mm and 210mm which makes it practical to use SR, considering i tin can be certain exactly what focal length i am at. I bought information technology sight unseen and for once didnt get burned, as it is in pristine condition and fifty-fifty came with the lens hood. I dont have whatever of the famous vivtar series one 70-210 lenses, only I deceit imagine them beingness whatsoever better optically than this lens and they seem to sell for quite a chip, whereas this i is clay cheap. If you can find one in good condition i would recommend information technology, if you lot are similar me and did not yet accept anything out to 200mm. they seem to sell for side by side to nothing and are pretty much crawly. I will post some photos to illustrate later.
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pundit • Senior Member • Posts: 1,477

Re: kiron lxx-210 f4 zoomlock

Here y'all are...

http://world wide web.robertstech.com/vivitar.htm

Kiron fabricated quite a number of lenses for Vivitar dorsum in the lxx's and 80's.

I have a Vivitar 'Series 1' lxx-210 F2.eight-4.0 Zoom (tertiary version) made by the other 'K' lens maker, Komine, and it is a razor abrupt lens at all focal lengths and is even quite sharp broad open.

Information technology is even no slouch compared to my Kiron made Vivitar 'Series one' 105mm F2.5 macro at the same focal length.

I judge CA is this biggest issue with many of these older lenses only apart from that, Kiron and Komine produced some seriously excellent lenses.

KentG • Veteran Member • Posts: iv,784

Re: kiron 70-210 f4 zoomlock

You must be doing something terribly wrong in your photography. The Kiron is a very nice preforming older zoom lens, I've used ones in the past. But if you think it is sharper than any of your Pentax 50mm lenses y'all need to run across a doctor. The Tamron SP 70/210/iii.5 Adaptall-two is a better lens than the Kiron seventy-210/4, and better than any of the Vivitar S1 seventy-210 equally I've owned all of those also.

The question is not why the Kiron is and so good but why the photos you lot make with your 50mm lenses you recall are worse than a very good at best zoom lens from the past. Maybe FF/BF or DOF bug.
Kent Gittings

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Zaldidun • Veteran Member • Posts: four,092

Re: kiron 70-210 f4 zoomlock

In reply to KentG • May 12, 2010

KentG wrote:

…

The question is non why the Kiron is so practiced merely why the photos you make with your 50mm lenses yous think are worse than a very good at best zoom lens from the past. Maybe FF/BF or DOF issues.

Hmmm… I would also suspect AF issues, which would not come into play with a manual-focus lens.

.
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OP narddogg81 • Senior Member • Posts: 1,042

Re: kiron 70-210 f4 zoomlock

In answer to KentG • May 12, 2010

KentG wrote:

You must be doing something terribly wrong in your photography. The Kiron is a very nice preforming older zoom lens, I've used ones in the past. But if you think it is sharper than any of your Pentax 50mm lenses yous demand to see a doctor. The Tamron SP seventy/210/3.5 Adaptall-2 is a ameliorate lens than the Kiron 70-210/4, and better than any of the Vivitar S1 70-210 as I've owned all of those also.

The question is not why the Kiron is and then good but why the photos you make with your 50mm lenses yous call up are worse than a very good at best zoom lens from the by. Possibly FF/BF or DOF problems.
Kent Gittings

thanks for the useless and condescending respond, kent gittings. Makes me think why I honey these forums so much, the people are so friendly. go along up the good work beingness a know-information technology-all blowhard, simply feel free to just skip my posts if yous dont take anything constructive or even polite to say.
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OP narddogg81 • Senior Member • Posts: 1,042

Re: kiron 70-210 f4 zoomlock

In reply to Zaldidun • May 12, 2010

I dont have autofocus problems with the FA fifty macro, as i use it in transmission focus on a tripod zoomed in with live view
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awaldram • Forum Pro • Posts: 13,271

Re: kiron 70-210 f4 zoomlock

narddogg81 wrote:

KentG wrote:

Yous must be doing something terribly wrong in your photography. The Kiron is a very squeamish preforming older zoom lens, I've used ones in the past. But if you think it is sharper than whatsoever of your Pentax 50mm lenses y'all need to see a dr.. The Tamron SP 70/210/3.5 Adaptall-2 is a better lens than the Kiron 70-210/iv, and better than whatever of the Vivitar S1 seventy-210 as I've owned all of those also.

The question is not why the Kiron is then good but why the photos you make with your 50mm lenses you recall are worse than a very adept at all-time zoom lens from the past. Maybe FF/BF or DOF bug.
Kent Gittings

thanks for the useless and cavalier reply, kent gittings. Makes me recall why I love these forums and then much, the people are so friendly. continue upwards the good work beingness a know-it-all grandstanding, but experience gratuitous to merely skip my posts if you dont take anything constructive or even polite to say

Kent was being humourous and overtly friendly , Your the one being rude.

Being rude to people trying to help you is a quick way to have no aid.

Kent is right the kiron whilst a fair quality lens (I ain it), Cannot match fifty-fifty the 55-300 over the overlapping range never mind a very abrupt Prime Macro.

At present it may be your enthusiasm for your new lens that got the better of you, But if it is indeed amend than your 50mm Macro then your Macro is faulty.

Optically the Kiron is slightly inferior to the da 50-200 but has a lovely warm color cast that makes sunny days seem that little chip brighter.

I dear mine for its power to render a seen with a yester year feel.

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awaldram • Forum Pro • Posts: 13,271

Re: kiron 70-210 f4 zoomlock

In reply to awaldram • May 12, 2010

Here and instance of what I mean.

Interestingly the pka mount appear to take an result ever reporting 400mm to the photographic camera!!.

I'd assumed this was a contrary technology trouble only if yours doesn't do it then information technology probably a fault on my lens.

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OP narddogg81 • Senior Fellow member • Posts: 1,042

Re: kiron seventy-210 f4 zoomlock

In reply to awaldram • May 12, 2010

awaldram wrote:

narddogg81 wrote:

KentG wrote:

You must be doing something terribly incorrect in your photography. The Kiron is a very nice preforming older zoom lens, I've used ones in the by. But if you recollect it is sharper than any of your Pentax 50mm lenses you need to see a doc. The Tamron SP 70/210/iii.5 Adaptall-2 is a amend lens than the Kiron seventy-210/four, and amend than any of the Vivitar S1 70-210 as I've endemic all of those also.

The question is not why the Kiron is so expert but why the photos you make with your 50mm lenses you think are worse than a very skilful at best zoom lens from the past. Maybe FF/BF or DOF issues.
Kent Gittings

cheers for the useless and condescending reply, kent gittings. Makes me recall why I dearest these forums so much, the people are so friendly. continue upward the adept work being a know-information technology-all blowhard, only feel costless to only skip my posts if yous dont take anything constructive or even polite to say

Kent was being humourous and overtly friendly , Your the one being rude.

where exactly is the humor and friendliness in his response? was information technology the part about terrible problems with photography or the proposition that I should get to the doctor? i perhaps was a flake hasty in my response though. i remember im probably just fed up with forums for a while.

Being rude to people trying to help you is a quick way to accept no help.

i was not looking for,did non require, and did not solicit assist. I did non accept a trouble, rather the opposite. i had a slap-up lens that i got for next to nothing and was excited almost it, and was suggesting that other people might desire to take a look at this lens if they were in the market for something similar. I was non inviting a lecture on the relative merits of other lenses or baseless conjecture well-nigh the land of my gear. I did not appreciate the implications of what was said ie. i dont know enough virtually my own gear to recognize if I had a bad copy of a lens or had a focus problem. that is thoughtlessly condescending.

Kent is correct the kiron whilst a off-white quality lens (I ain information technology), Cannot match even the 55-300 over the overlapping range never mind a very sharp Prime number Macro.

mayhap you take a bad re-create or i got an especially practiced re-create of the kiron. granted I have not taken many photos with it yet, just pixel peeping it looks super abrupt at 100%. Neither of you waited for me to mail service any test images taken with the lens before you started bloviating nigh it. i do not ain the 55-300, but the samples i have seen on the web practice not await as sharp as the results i saw in LR from the few photos I took this afternoon. i dont really care beyond that, equally I dont intend to own the 55-300

Now it may be your enthusiasm for your new lens that got the meliorate of yous, Just if information technology is indeed amend than your 50mm Macro and so your Macro is faulty.

my macro is fine. information technology is one of my most used lenses and is quite sharp with no focus issues

Optically the Kiron is slightly junior to the da 50-200 but has a lovely warm colour bandage that makes sunny days seem that piddling bit brighter

I honey mine for its power to render a seen with a yester yr experience.

Re: kiron 70-210 f4 zoomlock

I would exist happy to see your photos. I like playing with these old film era lenses. Like you, I accept institute some old lenses that are better than I thought they ever would exist, and certainly better than the price would indicate. What is important is that yous are happy. Sounds like you got a practiced bargain.
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bienenbernd • Contributing Fellow member • Posts: 982

Re: kiron 70-210 f4 zoomlock

In reply to awaldram • May 12, 2010

awaldram wrote:

....

Optically the Kiron is slightly inferior to the da 50-200 but has a lovely warm colour cast that makes sunny days seem that little flake brighter.

On the same level is the Kiron 70-210/iv.5 (without zoomlock). I don't apply it often but it is a nice piece of craftsmanship.
All-time, Bernd

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Re: kiron seventy-210 f4 zoomlock

After seeing your postal service, I compared my Kiron 80-200 to my Tamron 24-135 and my Pentax 50-200. My Kiron was slightly softer than the other ii at 135mm and f8. Actually the Tamron was the sharpest of the three.
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KentG • Veteran Member • Posts: 4,784

Re: kiron 70-210 f4 zoomlock

In reply to awaldram • May 13, 2010

Cheers.

Nosotros used to have a saying in the used lens business: A lens with less than stellar operation keeps getting bought and resold until it lands in the hands of someone who tin't see the issues and thinks it is a practiced lens.

That is actually a long paraphrase every bit the shorter raw version is: A bad lens keeps getting resold till it lands in the hands of someone who thinks its expert.

My opinion on the Kiron is based on testing about half a dozen of them over the years. And while at that place is some sample variation Kiron is known for making very expert lenses with a low range of variation. But zooms from those days take no real ED or low dispersion glass and so they tend to suffer from CA and other issues. Many of those issues are masked by using them with cropped sensor DSLRs that don't use the outer role of the optical railroad train.
Kent Gittings

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