TOYO Optics Lens Test

Found this Auto TOYO Optics 28mm f2.8-f22 at a thrift store. Never heard of the name.  The lens is all metal and has a solid build feel.  Its has a MC (multi-coated) designation on the lens and designated with SN790080.

More on what I found about TOYO Optics of Japan at the bottom of this post. 

The mount is Olympus, but the lens and adapter together is somewhat loose.  Although it functionally works, the looseness was annoying when photographing - may try another adapter.

The 28mm on the crop-sensor NX1 is the 35mm equivalent of 42mm.  That's a nice sweet spot for general street photography.  The focus ring has a rubberized grip that was nicely dampened. 

The photographs shown here were as-shot.  Missing are some black & white images, and full open (f2.8mm) bokeh images.  

Overall the images are clean and clinical, but the 'resolving optics' on digital camera is suspect since at full zoom-in on a photo editor, the image seems pixelated.  

An internet search found the following history for this lens:

TOYO Optics from Japan was active during the 1970s and 1980s, producing a range of third-party lenses often sold under names like TOU/Five Star and Toyo Optics. These lenses were typically marketed as affordable alternatives to OEM glass and were distributed through department stores.

Here’s what’s known about the company and its legacy:  The company behind TOYO Optics appears to be Toyo Kogaku Kogyo, which later became part of TOYOTEC Co., Ltd., a broader optical manufacturing group in Japan. TOYOTEC’s roots trace back to 1944, with various reorganizations and mergers through the decades. By the 1980s, they were producing optical components and lenses for consumer cameras. TOYO lenses were often manual focus zooms and primes, such as 28mm f/2.8 and 70–210mm f/4–5.6.  Build quality varied—some users found them solid and reliable, while others noted issues like zoom creep or softness wide open.  Many of these lenses were rebadged or OEM versions made by other Japanese manufacturers like Cima Kogaku, known for producing lenses under brands like Cimko, Paragon, and Ensinor.

Test Photos with the Yashica Auto Yashinon-DS 50mm f1:1.9 Lens

The Yashica Auto Yashinon-DS 50mm f/1.9 lens is a fast, manual (35mm) full-frame standard prime lens, made of all metal components, that was produced by Yashica, a Japanese company known for its high-quality cameras and lenses. [The actual manufacturer of these lenses was Tomioka Optical Works, one of the largest and most reputable lens manufacturers in Japan. The relationship between Tomioka and Yashica began already in 1953, and in August 1968 the company was acquired by Yashica.] (Source: Yashica M42 system | LENS-DB.COM)

The designation "Yashinon" was used by Yashica Co., Ltd. to signify a higher-quality line of lenses. This design was known for producing sharp images with good contrast with minimal chromatic aberration.

This lens features an M42 screw mount, which dates this lens prior to 1975 when the Yashica/Contax partnership created a technical alliance with the Carl Zeiss optical company and established the c/y bayonet mount.  This mount was designed for use with both Contax and Yashica cameras at that time and as with all camera's today, makes changing lenses simple and quick.  Thus the M42 mount for this lens suggests its manufacture to either the late 1960's or early 1970's.  

The closest focusing distance for this lens is 0.50m. Filter size id 52mm. It has 6-aperture blades. This Yashinon (DS) lens series is single coated. It has 6-aperture blades.

The Auto Yashinon-DS 50mm f/1.9 lens has 6-elements in 5-groups known as the 'Double Gauss Derivative". The classic double Gauss lens, patented by Alvan Graham Clark in 1888, consists of two symmetrical achromatic doublets with a positive meniscus lens on the object side and a negative meniscus lens on the image side. Derivatives of this design incorporate one or more additional elements and are the basis for many (ultra) fast standard lenses and standard macro lenses produced in the 20th century (Source: Yashica Yashinon-DS Auto 50mm F/1.9 | LENS-DB.COM)

 

This lens was adapted to my Samsung NX1 digital camera by utilizing a M42 -to-NX mount adapter.

All photos below are 'as-photographed' with the exception of a couple of images that were slightly cropped.  No in-camera effects or filters were employed for these photographs.

My first impression of this lens is that it's very sharp, when compared to other vintage lenses of the period. 

Above: Landscape details stand-out with this optic.  

As I looked at these first images, the 'character of the lens emerged as 'realistic'.  Realistic being that the resultant image appears true-to-life.  Good for photography; but from a filmmaking standpoint, the lens may seem to produce images that are too 'clinical', meaning not providing a style or a cinematic texture.

Above: I opened up the aperture to reveal the lens' background 'bokeh", which is uninspiring, when compared to other lenses manufactured in this period.  However, in the case of the above photo the bokeh is very pleasing, with the background separation looking 'painterly' and directional natural light adding to the composition.  

Above: Nice light adding to this scenic capture.

Below: 200%-crop zoom  

Overall, first impression is one of 'sense of quality' for this 50-year old lens.  Operationally, due to a longer focus throw, there is an ease to precisely set manual focus, using 'focus peaking' on a modern digital camera.

I would take this lens out for street photography, but for filmmaking, I think I have other lens options that better lend themselves to producing a visual texture that appeals to me from a filmic point of view.  

Switching perspectives, let's look at this same lens with cityscape photographs taken in monochrome with the Samsung NX1.

I just took a late afternoon walk to and looked for opportunities downtown Phoenix, Arizona.  I wanted to get a sense of the lens's 

imaging with bright light and dark shadows with the sun only about 30-degrees above the horizon.  

I like the sharpness and deep contrast of this lens.