bnp@ihldt.UUCP (12/03/83)
A friend recently raised a question with me and I thought I would pass it on for general discussion. I must say that I am not a regular reader of net.rec.photo, so if this is a duplicated request, just provide a pointer to any appropriate information. I have recently seen a number of one touch zoom lenses in various discount catalog stores (Service Merchandise, Basco, Best, etc.) for what appear to be great prices. (80-200 mm f/4.5 for $69-$79) I am wary of anything that appears to be this kind of a deal, so I would appreciate some thoughts on these products. (Note that these are NOT well known brand name lenses, but come under a variety of "store" brands.) A few specific questions come to mind: 1. Are these lenses of reasonable optical quality? I don't expect Zeiss optics at this price, but are they tolerable? 2. How well can I expect them to hold up under reasonable use? I don't think any of them have metal barrels, but quite a few "brand name" lenses now have plastic bodies; don't they? 3. Do these lenses generally use glass optics, or should I expect plastic lenses? Is this necessarily a problem? Should plastic optics be avoided? 4. Could these be manufactured by one of the major lens makers and only marketed under this "off brand" name? If so, could I expect performance comparable to the manufacturer's main product? I would appreciate any comments, thoughts or suggestions. Of course, if people are interested, I'll post a summary of the results. Thanks, Bruce Peters AT&T Bell Laboratories Naperville, Ill. ...!ihnp4!ihldt!bnp
wally@cornell.UUCP (Wally Dietrich) (12/04/83)
The chances that these lenses are made by a major manufacturer and them marketed under an "off-brand" name are practically nil, no matter what the salesman tells you. The only good lenses I have heard of with plastic elements (the lenses inside the lens) are extremely expensive. I suppose a lens with a plastic barrel is ok for a few months but I'll bet I won't hold up for as long as a metal one.