I had a 400mm /6.3 Spiratone as a teenager too. Mine was hanging from my
back pocket by the tripod mount when a large wave washed over me while I was
walking in on the pier in Lake Michigan at Benton Harbor. I was lucky not
to have washed off the pier! I threw the lens away and my insurance paid
for it. I don't remember if it took good photos or not.
Gregg
From: Lex Jenkins
> Herbert Keppler (Pop Photo, formerly - sigh - of Modern Photo) has
reported
> more than once, and most recently I believe in Feb. or Nov. '97, about how
> good these preset teles were and are. The 400mm f/6.3 was quite common
for
> a while, especially when I was a teenangster first getting into
photography
> in the early '70s. The 500mm f/8 is more common now and still made.
Those
> lenses were reportedly made by just a couple of optical makers in those
> days, so it doesn't make much difference whose label is on 'em -
Spiratone,
> Vivitar, Cambron and a zillion others. I've seen more variation in the
> current crop of 500/8 lens so apparently more manufacturers have joined
the
> fray.
>
> Pretty generic lens formula according to Robert Monaghan, who's also a fan
> of these lenses. As am I. My single favorite lens is a Lentar preset
135mm
> f/3.5, tho' my favorite or most used type of lens is a normal 50mm
> f/whatever. The Lentar's bokeh is wonderful. And the preset design gives
> me a look at depth of field, a feature missing from my Canon T70 bodies.
> That's one reason I'm so anxious to find a compatible T-mount adaptor for
my
> Vivitar 300mm f/5.6 preset.
>
> As Dave mentioned, the 400/6.3 is relatively light. So is the 500/8.
> They're mostly tube with, maybe, three strategically placed elements. But
> so are the Zuiko super-teles, looking at the cutaway drawings. Oddly, the
> smaller teles like mine *seem* heavier, but that's probably relative to
the
> length. They feel like nearly solid metal.
>
> Lex
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