# Acquired a lens.. no idea what to do with it



## Zada (Dec 10, 2007)

My grandmother sent me a big lens... and I haven't the slightest clue what I can do with it. My dad said it is a telephoto lens. I'm a huge Noob.... I've never even used different lenses before. 

Auto Coligon MC Zoom 1:4.5 f=80-205mm No. 713607 

That is the information on the inside of the lens. If you know anything about it .. or even if I can still use it let me know!! 

Thanks so much!

Oh, it also says - Optical Filter  Skylight (1A) on it


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## Big Mike (Dec 10, 2007)

The focal length is 80-205mm, so it's a telephoto zoom lens.

The Maximum aperture is F4.5



> Oh, it also says - Optical Filter Skylight (1A) on it


That's a filter that is screwed onto the front of the lens.

What type & brand of camera do you have?  

From a quick search, it looks like this may be a 'third party' lens, which could be used on different camera brands...depending the mount that it has on the back.

Have a look at the back and see if you can identify they type of mount that is has.  Maybe take a photo and post it up here.


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## Sideburns (Dec 10, 2007)

what kind of camera do you have?  That would help.

Also, the skylight (1a) is not the lens itself...that's the filter on the end of the lens.


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## usayit (Dec 10, 2007)

Please post picture of the mount....

My guess is it  a Kmount.


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## Zada (Dec 10, 2007)

There are the pictures. 

Camera wise... I'm borrowing a camera - S602 Fujifilm Digital
and then I have an old film camera - Canon EOS Rebel G
I hope those are the names of them.. :blushing:


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## Alpha (Dec 10, 2007)

I'm quite sure it's an Olympus mount.


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## Zada (Dec 10, 2007)

MaxBloom said:


> I'm quite sure it's an Olympus mount.


 
So it'd only work with an olympus camera?


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## Alpha (Dec 10, 2007)

Zada said:


> So it'd only work with an olympus camera?



Unless you want to buy an adapter, which would be a waste of time and money, especially considering the lens isn't very good to begin with and is worth next to nothing. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.


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## Zada (Dec 10, 2007)

MaxBloom said:


> Unless you want to buy an adapter, which would be a waste of time and money, especially considering the lens isn't very good to begin with and is worth next to nothing. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.


 

Hahaha ! No worries   Its an ancient lens ... just thought It'd be nice if I could make use of it. Thanks for the info!


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## AUZambo (Dec 10, 2007)

Zada said:


> Hahaha ! No worries   Its an ancient lens ... just thought It'd be nice if I could make use of it. Thanks for the info!




You could break out the front lens and use it as a vase.


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## Patrice (Dec 10, 2007)

Max, I think you might be mistaken on the mount. It looks an awful lot like a Nikon mount. I'm pretty sure it is not autofocus as I don't see a drive slot. The lens might have an auto aperture mechanism, but I can't be sure since I can't quite make out the aperture leaver. The lens should work fine on any Nikon body but you might have to use stop down metering.


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## usayit (Dec 10, 2007)

Zada said:


> Hahaha ! No worries   Its an ancient lens



Can't be ancient if it is a zoom....

Looks to me as a Nikon mount as well...


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## Zada (Dec 10, 2007)

Patrice said:


> Max, I think you might be mistaken on the mount. It looks an awful lot like a Nikon mount. I'm pretty sure it is not autofocus as I don't see a drive slot. The lens might have an auto aperture mechanism, but I can't be sure since I can't quite make out the aperture leaver. The lens should work fine on any Nikon body but you might have to use *stop down metering*.


 
What is stop down metering???  Thanks for the info! 


> Can't be ancient if it is a zoom....
> 
> Looks to me as a Nikon mount as well...


 
I was exaggerating... but its fairly old if it was my grandfathers.  He passed away in 1991 and I don't think he used it for a few years before that.  

So if I were to get my hands on a Nikon one day.. I could use it?


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## jstuedle (Dec 10, 2007)

I may be wrong, but it looks like maybe a T-Mount Nikon. If it is "T" mount, the T adapter could be exchanged for an adapter of your choice. But as already mentioned, it would be a waste of money. As it is, sit it on a shelf and keep it knowing it was your grandfathers.


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## dpolston (Dec 10, 2007)

I vote for the vase idea too.


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## Zada (Dec 10, 2007)

jstuedle said:


> I may be wrong, but it looks like maybe a T-Mount Nikon. If it is "T" mount, the T adapter could be exchanged for an adapter of your choice. But as already mentioned, it would be a waste of money. As it is, sit it on a shelf and keep it knowing it was your grandfathers.


 
I see.... Well thanks for the info!  I shall just keep it for the sake of having it


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## usayit (Dec 10, 2007)

Doesn't look like a T-mount...

Missing the knurled metal grip and release of the adaptall.. at least mine have them...  I believe the majority of the T-mounts were Tamrons.. I don't recall seeing to many thirdparty T-mount lenses.

btw.. I think the whole T-mount idea was brilliant.. wish it were like that today.


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## Alpha (Dec 10, 2007)

Patrice said:


> Max, I think you might be mistaken on the mount. It looks an awful lot like a Nikon mount. I'm pretty sure it is not autofocus as I don't see a drive slot. The lens might have an auto aperture mechanism, but I can't be sure since I can't quite make out the aperture leaver. The lens should work fine on any Nikon body but you might have to use stop down metering.



"auto" signifies that is has an auto aperture feature. Of course it's not auto focus. It appears that some Coligon lenses were in fact made in t-mount. Though the majority of results for Coligon lenses are Olympus mount, and the only listing I can find online for the 80-205 Auto Coligon MC is in Olympus mount.


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## Helen B (Dec 10, 2007)

There are/were non-Tamron T-mount lenses, such as Soligor and Vivitar. I agree that this doesn't look like a T-mount though. It looks like it could be a Nikon-mount AI with auto aperture. You wouldn't need the ears or AI for a pre-set/stop down lens - in fact it would confuse the metering system. The auto aperture connection would be in the shadow just below the uppermost bayonet lug in the picture of the back of the lens.

Stop-down metering is what happens when the camera's meter reads at the working aperture - ie the aperture doesn't stay wide open when metering. 

With an auto aperture lens the lens stays wide open, and the aperture ring just tells the lens how far to stop down immediately before the picture is taken. It also tells the metering system in the camera body what aperture has been set - that is what the 'ears' sticking out of the aperture ring did on the original TTL-metered Nikons.

Best,
Helen

Edit: A quick Google suggests that "Coligon" was a name used for some Taika lenses, and that they were made in a few different mounts, including Exacta.


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## monkeykoder (Dec 10, 2007)

My guess (after a little bit of googling is that it is a Nikon mount and it does seem to have a lever close to the top.


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## Zada (Dec 10, 2007)

Wow this is a lot more confusing that I anticipated. :raisedbrow:

Should I maybe take it to a camera store and see what they say?? 

Just to clarify...

If its a 't' mount... I can't use it
If its an Olympus... I can't use it
If its a Nikon... I can use it?


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## jstuedle (Dec 10, 2007)

usayit said:


> Doesn't look like a T-mount...
> 
> Missing the knurled metal grip and release of the adaptall.. at least mine have them...  I believe the majority of the T-mounts were Tamrons.. I don't recall seeing to many thirdparty T-mount lenses.
> 
> btw.. I think the whole T-mount idea was brilliant.. wish it were like that today.



I've had a few T mount Vivitars way back in the day. Still have a 35mm that I let my grandson use on his Nikkormat FT.


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## Battou (Dec 10, 2007)

The ears are leading me towards Nikon as well, but I don't know enough about Nikon lenses to know for sure.


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## jon_k (Dec 11, 2007)

MaxBloom said:


> I'm quite sure it's an Olympus mount.



I'm sure it is not.

The OM system never used that ear thing. It was Nikon or maybe K mount? I don't know who it was. I've seen the ear thing before though, and wondered what the hell its purpose served.

None of the OM lenses I've ever seen used such a tab (and I'm glad cause that thing looks sharp and capable of cutting flesh if mishandled.)


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## usayit (Dec 11, 2007)

Pentax never used the aperture ring "ear"


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## Helen B (Dec 11, 2007)

Zada said:


> Wow this is a lot more confusing that I anticipated. :raisedbrow:
> 
> Should I maybe take it to a camera store and see what they say??
> 
> ...



If you have a Canon you could use a T-mount lens with a simple Canon T-mount adapter.

If it is a Nikon (which it is) you can use it with an adapter: link. or  here - in more detail

If it was an Olympus mount (which it isn't) you could also use it - see the second of the two links above.

None of these adapters will maintain the auto aperture function.

One of the advantages of Canons is that the flange focal depth (or distance), FFD, is shorter than almost all other 35 mm SLRs. This gives room for Nikon and Leica R etc lenses to be mounted via an adapter.

Those ears couple to a prong on the early Nikon TTL bodies. You had to mount the lens with it set at f/5.6 (and the camera prong fully clockwise), then twist the aperture ring from one end to the other to tell the camera what the maximum aperture was.  It became a habit.

Best,
Helen


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## Battou (Dec 11, 2007)

Helen B said:


> Those ears couple to a prong on the early Nikon TTL bodies. You had to mount the lens with it set at f/5.6 (and the camera prong fully clockwise), then twist the aperture ring from one end to the other to tell the camera what the maximum aperture was.  It became a habit.
> 
> Best,
> Helen



Ah, every time I have seen one of those I always wondered the function of the ears and pin, thanks. My Canon uses a pin on the back of the lens (shorter the pin the Higher the max aprature) I would not have realized I needed to do anything for that. I've been planning on getting my brother an older Nikon for a wile so...


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