1966 Soligor Lens Brochure

[casualcollector]

I acquired this brochure with a recent lens purchase. Publication date, from the lower corner of the rear cover, is 12/66. Interesting bit of history.


















Pages three and four cover the Soligor Automatic lenses. I have examples of most, and find that they are from several different manufacturers. I belive the 28mm to be made by Kino Precision, later known for making the Kiron line of lenses. The 35 and 135s look like products of Tokyo Koki, better known as Tokina. The 200 and 300 I find most interesting as they have some unique charactersistics. Focus direction is opposite and the aperture rings are ahead of the focus grip. The serials begin with R. The maker may be Kawakami (Kawanon) or possibly Itoh Kogaku. The 250 has definite Tamron characteristics.




I've been tracking the R serial Soligors for several years. As you see I have rounded up the 135, 200 and 300mm examples. The 300 is a bit different as it has the aperture ring aft of the focus grip and is set up for Nikon F mount and metering. The one illustrated in the brochure has the aperture ring ahead of the focus grip. My 28 is the Kino version with 966--- serial and the 35 a familiar Tokina with H----- serial. Later Tokina/Soligor serials begin with 1.

I've recently uncovered a fourth member of the "R" family, a 28mm f-2.8. My example has the R Serial and aperture ring at the front but not the Soligor name. It bears the Optomax trademark which I believe to be of UK origin. A photo of it will follow.

Bill

[Berndt]

I own an excellent Soligor 400 mm f:6.3 ... but it seems to be not in this brochure

[Stephen]

Allied Impex owned the Soligor brand name, but not all the international sales rights, and the Japanese makers sold Soligor brand in other than US markets with slightly different lenses. Photopia Ltd., handled them in the UK, with different models to the US Soligor branded lenses. The situation was complicated by the ownership of the Miranda trademark in the UK sales areas, by Stanley Kalms of Dixons, who had the rights to both Miranda and Soligor names. Later on Kalms bought the Miranda name, with Soligor outright. with even some Russian made 135mm lenses that were sold as Soligor brand.
Nice to see the old brochures, they were often lost, and are a worthwhile, if a touch unreliable, source of information, as makers tended to "puff" the available range.

Stephen.

[lloydy]

Jul 17, 2013 4:43:49 GMT -5 Berndt said:

I own an excellent Soligor 400 mm f:6.3 ... but it seems to be not in this brochure

I've got two! ( One is for sale, if I can shamelessly pimp it here )

I like the old Soligors, of the eight that I have, only one is what I would call bad. Some, the CD line, are excellent as are some of the other lenses - but that is largely dependent on who actually made it.