This is a short review of the M42 mount Auto Optomax 200mm f/3.5 telephoto vintage lens when used on a Sony NEX 6 mirrorless camera. Although this lens is relatively cheap to purchase, the overall results obtained suggest that it is not a good buy.
Photos of the Optomax 200mm Images
This was another cheap lens which I picked up from eBay UK a few weeks ago.
It's a fixed focal length 200 mm telephoto lens with a maximum aperture of f3.5 and a minimum aperture of f/22. The aperture is made of 6 blades, so any bokeh will be less than perfectly circular. I found a technical description of the lens on the M42 lens data site, and discovered that there have been a few variations of the lens. I bought it because after I saw it on eBay, I did a quick search on Flickr for some sample images and was quite impressed with the results.
The lens actually took a long time to turn up because it was on a 5-day delivery and then the courier managed to lose it! Fortunately the seller was very good and after some searching in the couriers premises it was found and arrived about a week later.
This is a simple lens to use. There is simply an aperture ring and a focus ring to adjust and an Auto/Manual switch (although on my NEX I simply leave this set to Manual, so the lens stops down as I adjust the aperture ring). The aperture ring clicks on full stops only - there are no half stops. The focus ring is smooth and well damped and focuses easily over its useable range which is about 3.5M to infinity.
There were a few small specs of dust inside the lens but no more than is usual for an M42 lens which must have been made about the mid 1970s.
Auto Optomax 200mm Performance
I have to say that the performance of this lens leaves a lot to be desired. Although it improves as the lens stops down it's hardly stellar and even though it was a cheap lens (about £16) I would say there are probably better lenses for a similar price. The images look soft wide open and lack contrast. Of course, it could be my particular example - the images I saw on Flickr for this lens were significantly better than any I've obtained
Photos taken with the Auto Optomax 200 mm
The pictures below were taken in my garden at the different apertures the lens offers and were actually about the best of the images I took.
