Opinion Please

[Randy]

PRINZ Rexatar f 2.8 135mm Telephoto Lens in Minolta Mount. Is the Rexatar a good lens? Quality?

[Just Plain Curt]

Can't say if they're by the same maker or just the same importer but I have a Rexatar 55 f1.7 in m42 and a Prinzflex 35 f3.5. Both seem like good functional lenses to me on par with most name brands. I wouldn't pay a fortune for an unknown, but hey if the price is right....

[Peter S.]

Hi Randy,

I admit that I don't know the Rexatar. But I simply can't imagine, that a lens could be better
than the Minolta 2.8/135. My favourite is the late MC Rokkor with the diamond mark acting
for both aperture and focus distance. This is containing the 4/4 construction, which is generally
regarded as the best 135mm Minolta ever did.
The older MC Rokkor-PF (6/5 construction) is the next bet. It is reported to be a bit less sharp
(I can't see an obvious difference between the two lenses) but it should have an even smoother
out-of-focus rendition.
I saw both selling for less than 20.-€ on the Bay-of-Evil - the plain MD is usually more expensive,
it can go up over 60.-€. Therefore I recommend the MC version.
So in other words I don't understand the motivation to go for a different one - given the price
and availability of the Minolta 135mm lenses, the third party lens should be priced in the 10$
range, and therefore I would simply try it out. And get a Minolta one (a real test needs two
lenses at least ;-) ).

Best regards
Peter

[casualcollector]

Randy,

You're looking at another store/distributor brand. Determining manufacture of these is a challenge. Here's a reference photo. Maybe your Rexatar looks like my Cimako.

www.vermontel.net/~wsalati/CasualCollector/lenses.htm

You may need to scroll down a bit.

PS. I need a working Minolta to check out a couple of lenses on. Wouldn't happen to have one for sale, cheap, would you?

[tsiya]

Feb 25, 2007 11:46:44 GMT -5 casualcollector said:

Randy,

You're looking at another store/distributor brand. Determining manufacture of these is a challenge. Here's a reference photo. Maybe your Rexatar looks like my Cimako.

www.vermontel.net/~wsalati/CasualCollector/lenses.htm

You may need to scroll down a bit.

PS. I need a working Minolta to check out a couple of lenses on. Wouldn't happen to have one for sale, cheap, would you?

If you want to drive up this way I've got 2 Minoltas ready to go, an XG-M and an X9. I don't want to sell them but you could run a roll through either of them.

[lloydy]

Prinzflex was a store brand for Dixons here in the UK many years ago - 1970 / 80 period. Most were average, some were poor.
I haven't come across any with the Rexatar name on them though, maybe they were different ?

[daveh]

LLoydy, funnily enough I was talking to a bloke yesterday who used to be a manager of a Dixons shop. He said that once Stanley Kalms stopped running the business it started going downhill, especially in terms of customer relations. There was Prinz everything in those days of the 70s. I think it was manufactured wherever was the cheapest, and a fair proportion came out of the Eastern Bloc.