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Post by olroy2044 on Aug 12, 2007 15:36:46 GMT -5
Hi guys I own and use (occasionally) a f3.5-4.5 35-70 macro zoom badged Bell and Howell Serial #231917. It produces good but not exceptional results on my K-mount bodies. Does anyone have any info on who might have built it? I have totally struck out in trying to identify it. Thanks Roy
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Reiska
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Post by Reiska on Aug 13, 2007 14:47:18 GMT -5
K-mount makes me think, that lens might be manufactured by Pentax itself. American, like also UK and German importers had a peculiar custom to rebadging. Perhaps because they thought, that they could this way confuse comparison of prices.
If you can get a Takumar lens with the same specifications you could make comparisons.
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casualcollector
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In Search of "R" Serial Soligors
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Post by casualcollector on Aug 13, 2007 20:36:51 GMT -5
Post a photo of it. It may resemble at 35-70 that someone else owns. Any idea how old it is? Bell and Howell was associated with Osawa and Mamiya during the late 70s early 80s, so the lens probably came from someone in their supply line. Perhaps Komine. Could be any of a bunch of lesser known Japanese manufacturers. Compare it to Vivitar lenses of similar spec and time frame. If it is nearly identical in size, layout and filter size it probably came from the same maker Vivitar used. Then, it's a simple matter of using the first two digits of the Vivitar serial to identify the maker.
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Post by olroy2044 on Aug 16, 2007 21:49:44 GMT -5
I'll post some photos of it this weekend. Ain't it the pits when work gets in the way of fun? :-)
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Post by olroy2044 on Aug 24, 2007 10:13:50 GMT -5
%$)*&%8#!@$%(*^ Can't get the blamed thing to work! I'll figure this out and get some photos posted! :>( Roy
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Post by Just Plain Curt on Aug 24, 2007 19:46:44 GMT -5
Hi Roy, This is just a trial photo to see if the instructions I've PM'ed you work properly or if I've goofed up again. Hope this helps you with your posts.
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Post by olroy2044 on Aug 26, 2007 0:27:53 GMT -5
Thanks Curt I think that I can make that work. Will try it on my next day off. This is fun, kinda like trying to figure out how to use a strange camera with no manual! :>) Roy
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Post by olroy2044 on Aug 26, 2007 23:08:54 GMT -5
Ok, here goes--hope I got this right If this worked, here are some photos of the Bell and Howell Thanks Roy Yuck! Gotta work on that macro setting on my digitoy!
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Post by Rachel on Aug 27, 2007 3:02:32 GMT -5
alroy, if you want to check what your reply will look like before you post it use the Preview option.
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Post by olroy2044 on Aug 27, 2007 10:48:24 GMT -5
Thanks, Rachel
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Post by herron on Aug 27, 2007 14:32:14 GMT -5
casualcollector already mentioned an Osawa-Mamiya connection. Osawa was a lens maker in their own right, and for a long time a distributor for Mamiya. Mamiya used Osawa-branded lenses on many of their cameras. Bell & Howell was a US distributor for Mamiya for a while in the late 60s early 70s. Osawa also made lenses for other camera manufacturers. I keep coming back to them, because the lettering on the lens ring looks suspiciouly similar to the style and coloring that Osawa used. Not sure who the K-mount would have been for, if not Pentax. It certainly wasn't Mamiya.
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casualcollector
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In Search of "R" Serial Soligors
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Post by casualcollector on Aug 27, 2007 20:07:11 GMT -5
Ok, here goes--hope I got this right Iff this worked, here are some photos of the Bell and Howell Thanks Roy Yuck! Gotta work on that macro setting on my digitoy! My first guess is Tokina. Here's a photo from e-b!y to show the similarity. Filter size is same and the appearance is very similar. The specs are a bit different and the lenses are not identical so I could be very wrong! Bill
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Post by Just Plain Curt on Aug 27, 2007 20:32:42 GMT -5
While Bill's Tokina photo might be the real answer, I'd have to guess Osawa meant for Chinon. Chinon lenses at least aftermarket zooms were almost always a garish red and yellow combination for the lettering.
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casualcollector
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In Search of "R" Serial Soligors
Posts: 619
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Post by casualcollector on Aug 27, 2007 20:42:44 GMT -5
Ok, here goes--hope I got this right Iff this worked, here are some photos of the Bell and Howell Thanks Roy Yuck! Gotta work on that macro setting on my digitoy! My first guess is Tokina. Here's a photo from e-b!y to show the similarity. Filter size is same and the appearance is very similar. The specs are a bit different and the lenses are not identical so I could be very wrong! Bill D'oh! Spoke too soon. This one looks like a better match. Osawa lens with same specs as your B&H. Again from e-bay. There was much cooperation among Japanese manufacturers and Osawa, as a trading company, had their fingers in many pies. My guess is that Osawa branded lenses were made by one of the companies they distributed or, perhaps, owned. Here's one for Ron... Did Osawa actually own Mamiya, or at least a significant portion of it? I recall Osawa's collapse nearly did Mamiya in back in the mid 80s. Only the medium format stuff was salvaged.
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Post by olroy2044 on Aug 27, 2007 21:39:16 GMT -5
Wow, I think casualcollector nailed it. I'm looking at the photo of the Osawa lens while holding the B&H, and it is an exact match except for a slight color difference in the painted numerals. Was Osawa a builder or distributor? I think I will give this lens a better and more structured workout. Thanks to everyone for your help and patience with a first time photo poster! I asked the same question on several other boards without even a reply. Roy
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