Opinions, Please

Can I have opinions/comments on a Makinon 4-5.6 35-300mm Macro Zoom?

Is it a good lens and do they have a good price point 2nd hand?

Regards

RayB

Unfortunately the general opinion is they are average at best, I believe they were a manufacturer in their own right so there may be some good examples out there but I doubt it, until one of the members proves me wrong of course. In terms of price point I wouldn't go much beyond £30-40 and even then I'd be wary. There are better lenses out there with stronger reputations but if that's your budget take a punt, you never know.

My advice is not to take a punt on an unknown lens by a third-rank manufacturer, even for peanuts.

Better to have one good lens than a load of second-raters - even if you do have to save for it.

If I had been around to give advice to my younger self forty years ago, I would have saved a great deal of money!

G

Likewise, hence my "Pentax only" decision.

It seems to be a good general rule that the wider the zoom range the more compromised the lens will be. The better zooms tend to have ranges like 35-70mm or 40-80mm. While modern lens technology has improved matters it still seems to be the case that shorter ranges equal better image quality.

Save your money and think about what end of that range you're after. There are a few Pentax zooms in the 75-300mm "ish" range which have been discussed in a recent thread, if you're after the shorter end then look at the old Pentax-F 35-70mm which is a very sweet compact zoom. The latter is readily available attached to old SFX/SFXn 35mm cameras, in fact it can be cheaper to buy the camera and lens than the lens alone, if you keep an eye out for buy it now prices.