The bad side of an OM (Original Manufacturer): Kino Precision Kiron 70-210mm f/4.5 Macro f/4 MC

Cost: 24.99 (market price unknown)

   

The last time I reviewed a Kiron made lens, the Kiron 28-105 F/4 Macro MC, I was pretty impressed. So I had good hopes for this one. It's a much less common version of the Kiron 70-210 then the F4 version, and regarded as significantly less in quality.

Build quality is good. Very solid, made in metal and no lens creep what is nice for a one-touch type of lens. Nice to operate with a smooth focus, zoom and aperture. But that is where the good stuff ends...

Image quality is lacking in this lens. Not easy to get sharp, unless in the zoomed out position. But when you start zooming in, pictures get a lot softer and the end of the range, quality really suffers. At least the sharpness, or lack off, seems to be the same from center to edge. Colors are a little blend but there is little color aberration, even in the corners.

So I for sure overpaid for this lens. At this price, you can get a decent Vivitar or the much better Kiron 70-210 f/4. It was OK to play with, but not a keeper.

Lens Specification:

Focal Length: 70-210mm

Maximum Aperture: F4.5 Macro F4

Minimum Aperture: F32

Image Format: 35mm

Lens Mount: N/AI

Optics: unknown

Blades: 8

Focussing: Manual

Minimum Focus: 130cm

Filter Size: 55mm

Weight: 584g

Length: 136-148mm

Production: 1975 to 1990

Serial Number: 57500627

Made in: Japan

MC

Multi Coated stands for a multiple of chemical coatings for lens surfaces with minimum light loss. The result is a dramatic improvement in both color fidelity and brightness and the elimination of flare and ghost images.

Samples

1/160 sec - ISO1000 - Handheld

1/160 sec - ISO4000 - Handheld

1/160 sec - ISO1600 - Handheld

1/250 sec - ISO100 - Handheld

1/160 sec - ISO200 - Handheld

1/320 sec - ISO100 - Handheld

1/160 sec - ISO200 - Handheld

1/160 sec - ISO500 - Handheld

Sources:

Juzaphoto.com

Wikipedia

flickr.com