Soligor C/D 80-200mm f/4.5 Macro+Zoom MC (Sun Optical)

Soligor C/D 80-200mm f/4.5
Macro+Zoom MC (Sun Optic, 1982)

2016.05.01 - Published
2017.05.27 - Re-written
2020.01.16 - Re-written

2021.08.12 - Re-written, re-uploaded

2022.08.15 - Updated

Soligor C/D
80-200mm f/4.5

Macro+Zoom MC

Maker - Sun Optical
Year - Late 70s/Early 80s

Zoom - One-touch design, parfocal

Focusing - Manual, non-AF

Minimum Focusing -2 meters
Macro - 1:4 at 80mm

Maximum 80mm - f/4.5
Maximum 200mm - f/4.5
Iris Blades - 6

Filter Thread Ø - 55 mm

Optical Formula - 12 elements, 9 groups
MC = Multi Coated

C/D = Computer Designed

(This is their top-of-the-line product.)

Made in Japan

Serial# 382500420

3 = made by Sun Optical
82 = year it was made

Photo Album:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/B5DxqLjzsKBi6dv47

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Impressions

The Soligor C/D 80-200mm f/4.5 Macro+Zoom MC was my first ever one-touch telephoto zoom lens. The 'C/D' marking (Computer-Designed) is a designation for Soligor's premium lenses. The lens is super sharp wide open, then macro lens sharp at f/8. It has a minimum focusing of 2 meters but has 1:4 macro at 80mm. The macro is very convenient because you only need to zoom to 80mm and then continue focusing closer from that point, no extra switches.

One thing that sets is apart from all other one-touch zooms is the ultra smooth focusing/zooming ring. Buttery smooth, but not loose. There's nothing like it, ever. They also managed to create a constant maximum aperture of f/4.5 and keep the lens small and light at the same time (without any plastics, it's all metal). The smaller max aperture of f/4.5 also keeps the lens smaller but this means slightly less background blur and darker shots.

Most Soligor lenses were made by Sun Optical. There were four cosmetic looks. The early probably 1960s was all metal with knurled/scalloped focusing ring, T-mount. The second look was black and chrome, YS-mount. Third was all-black with rubber grip on the rings. Lastly is the modern look. The Soligor C/D 80-200mm f/4.5 Macro is that of the modern design.

Sun Optical was one of the first third-party companies to offer lenses for SLR cameras. Its history begins as 'Kajiro Kogaku', a company founded by Kajiro Hitoshi in 1939; they sold lenses under the name 'K.O.L.' (Kajiro Optical Laboratory). It was renamed 'Gojo Koki Seisakusho' in 1941, but then ceased operation in 1945. The company was revived as 'Sun Koki' and then began using the name 'Sun Optical Co., Ltd.' from the 1950s. Again, they changed name to 'Goto Sun' around 1981. They were last known to exist in 1983 and disappeared shortly (the introduction of AF lenses to the market killed many companies). Goyo Optical absorbed them in the late 1980s; the same company that sold the Noktor 50mm f/0.95 in Micro Four Thirds mount from March 2010.