A lens from the past
Posted 27/05/2016 - 23:08
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Is it this one:- http://www.pentaxforums.com/userreviews/chinon-auto-mc-28mm-f2-8.html ?
It was a Dixons own brand lens, so at the budget end. Quality would have varied so you'll need to try it to see (note the reviews at that link.). If it works for you you've answered your own question and grabbed a bargain, if it doesn't it didn't cost a fortune.
It was a Dixons own brand lens, so at the budget end. Quality would have varied so you'll need to try it to see (note the reviews at that link.). If it works for you you've answered your own question and grabbed a bargain, if it doesn't it didn't cost a fortune.
John K
Posted 28/05/2016 - 09:00
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JAK wrote:
Is it this one:- http://www.pentaxforums.com/userreviews/chinon-auto-mc-28mm-f2-8.html ?
It was a Dixons own brand lens, so at the budget end. Quality would have varied so you'll need to try it to see (note the reviews at that link.). If it works for you you've answered your own question and grabbed a bargain, if it doesn't it didn't cost a fortune.
Is it this one:- http://www.pentaxforums.com/userreviews/chinon-auto-mc-28mm-f2-8.html ?
It was a Dixons own brand lens, so at the budget end. Quality would have varied so you'll need to try it to see (note the reviews at that link.). If it works for you you've answered your own question and grabbed a bargain, if it doesn't it didn't cost a fortune.
Yes this is the one, thank you
Dave
Posted 28/05/2016 - 13:51
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JAK. I'm not being nasty but let me put you straight on a couple of things. I have 3 Chinon cameras in my cupboard with a variety of manual and AF lenses from my film days before I got my Z1p and my 645.
Chinon was NOT a Dixons own brand. (Although even some of Dixons employees thought it was) Chinon was an independant company who actually made Canons first AF lens with the 2 "eyes" on the top. It also made that lens for its own cameras. They were also innovaters on quite a few things that were later used on other leading brands. The brand was sold all over the world and in some places was very well respected. Kodak had a small share in the company and Chinon made all the early film compacts for Kodak. Kodak eventually bought a controlling interest in the company (Namely 50.1%) yes that's right 50.1%. The owner of the company was a Mr. Chino. If I had a question I used to email Chinon Japan because Dixons knew sweet B all.
python118 Dave. The lenses are what you might call OK. Not quite up to Pentax * lenses but for every day happy snapping more than adequate.
CHEERS Vic.
Chinon was NOT a Dixons own brand. (Although even some of Dixons employees thought it was) Chinon was an independant company who actually made Canons first AF lens with the 2 "eyes" on the top. It also made that lens for its own cameras. They were also innovaters on quite a few things that were later used on other leading brands. The brand was sold all over the world and in some places was very well respected. Kodak had a small share in the company and Chinon made all the early film compacts for Kodak. Kodak eventually bought a controlling interest in the company (Namely 50.1%) yes that's right 50.1%. The owner of the company was a Mr. Chino. If I had a question I used to email Chinon Japan because Dixons knew sweet B all.
python118 Dave. The lenses are what you might call OK. Not quite up to Pentax * lenses but for every day happy snapping more than adequate.
CHEERS Vic.
Born again biker with lots of Pentax bits. Every day I wake up is a good day. I'm so old I don't even buy green bananas.
Posted 28/05/2016 - 20:50
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I don't recall any other retailer selling Chinon items in the UK other than Dixons, are you aware of any Vic? As far as I know Dixon's were the sole UK importer so the cameras could only be purchased from Dixons, so it was virtually a Dixons brand in the UK. I agree with you about them being an independent company etc.
John K
Posted 29/05/2016 - 08:38
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You answered your own question John. Yes Dixons were the sole retailer of Chinon but it was not a Dixons own brand. They just had the sole rights to selling it in the UK. As I said lots of their own staff thought it was their own brand (Badly informed by their bosses) When I emailed Chinon in Japan I would get a reply within hours. Bearing mind the 8 hrs. time difference. I once even had a reply signed (Nominally) by the boss Mr Chino himself.
The last 35mm camera they made was the CP9AF. this came with a short telephoto 35-70 and a long 70-300 but I managed to find a VERY RARE BEAST 50-135. I found this while looking for a nonexistant 50mm AF.
The reason I bought Chinon in the first place was that at the time I couldn't afford a Pentax, (poor but happy days) but Chinon used the Pentax K fit and there were lots of Pentax fit lenses around and I had an eye to the future. I now have the K3 and the K3ii With a variety of Pentax and non Pentax lenses.
CHEERS Vic.
The last 35mm camera they made was the CP9AF. this came with a short telephoto 35-70 and a long 70-300 but I managed to find a VERY RARE BEAST 50-135. I found this while looking for a nonexistant 50mm AF.
The reason I bought Chinon in the first place was that at the time I couldn't afford a Pentax, (poor but happy days) but Chinon used the Pentax K fit and there were lots of Pentax fit lenses around and I had an eye to the future. I now have the K3 and the K3ii With a variety of Pentax and non Pentax lenses.
CHEERS Vic.
Born again biker with lots of Pentax bits. Every day I wake up is a good day. I'm so old I don't even buy green bananas.
Posted 29/05/2016 - 21:21
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Not originally but they now own the brand. I think they'll sell it to you if you want!
John K
Posted 30/05/2016 - 06:30
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On Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinon_Industries
Although I think Vic knows more about them than whoever wrote the Wikipedia piece...
It certainly was available in Italy in the 80's (and we did not have Dixons :wink
It was one of the cheaper alternatives to Pentax, I chose a Cosina instead...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinon_Industries
Although I think Vic knows more about them than whoever wrote the Wikipedia piece...
It certainly was available in Italy in the 80's (and we did not have Dixons :wink
It was one of the cheaper alternatives to Pentax, I chose a Cosina instead...
Posted 30/05/2016 - 09:05
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Having read the Wikipedia article it has corrected me. I said I have a 50-135 lens. It is actually a 35-135 lens. I didn't look in the cupboard and haven't had it out for a long long time.
Giorgio. Yes Italy, France, Switzerland, USA. That I know of for certain.
The forerunner to the modern "bridge" camera. Chinon were the first to put both passive and phase detection AF in one camera. They also were the first to put the focus points diagonal so that compacts could focus better in portrait mode. Soon followed (copied) by the other manufacturers.
Yes Chinon were very often ahead of the game and I don't understand why Kodak eventually shut them down???????????????
I don't know it all but I do know quite a bit as I said before I had quite a few email conversations with them.
CHEERS Vic.
Giorgio. Yes Italy, France, Switzerland, USA. That I know of for certain.
The forerunner to the modern "bridge" camera. Chinon were the first to put both passive and phase detection AF in one camera. They also were the first to put the focus points diagonal so that compacts could focus better in portrait mode. Soon followed (copied) by the other manufacturers.
Yes Chinon were very often ahead of the game and I don't understand why Kodak eventually shut them down???????????????
I don't know it all but I do know quite a bit as I said before I had quite a few email conversations with them.
CHEERS Vic.
Born again biker with lots of Pentax bits. Every day I wake up is a good day. I'm so old I don't even buy green bananas.
Posted 04/06/2016 - 12:59
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vic cross wrote:
Yes Chinon were very often ahead of the game and I don't understand why Kodak eventually shut them down???????????????
Yes Chinon were very often ahead of the game and I don't understand why Kodak eventually shut them down???????????????
Well, I know nothing about Chinon, but I do know some things about Kodak. The digital camera was actually invented at Kodak back in the 1970s by an engineer named Steve Sasson. It was cassette tape-based and produced an image on a TV set.
Kodak was a classic "razor and blades" business. Early on George Eastman realized that a camera sale was a one time deal, but film sales went on forever. Then as Kodak created automatic developing, they had the whole package. Camera, film, processing. You can imagine what they thought about the idea of digital photography.
They dragged their heels with digital and once it caught on, they could never catch up. The company eventually ended up in what the U.S. calls a Chapter 11 bankruptcy, which allowed them to reorganize. Today the company that made photography available to everyone has no consumer presence at all. It focuses on printing technology for corporate customers, touch-screen sensor components for smartphones and computer tablets, and film for the movie industry.
At any rate, maybe they got rid of Chinon at a time they were getting rid of a lot of stuff, scrambling to stay afloat.
Don
Visit us at link
Visit us at link
Posted 06/06/2016 - 01:45
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They came up with some amazing stuff over the years. I recall a computer application that printed a strip of paper similar to a bar code which could later be read by the appropriate Kodak reader. The bar code was the equivalent of today's SD card except it could be photocopied, faxed, posted and still be capable of being read to reproduce the original image, text, program code or whatever consituted the original. Brilliant idea -- it flopped
Going back to Chinon, I've got an f1.7 50mm. Lovely lens
Going back to Chinon, I've got an f1.7 50mm. Lovely lens
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Dave