Member-only story

Vintage Lens Review | Kiron 30–80mm F3.5–4.5 Nikon mount

A concise review after use with mirrorless cameras (sample images provided)

Jared Braun / Photography
3 min readApr 3, 2022

READ ME: Discover why I highly recommend these vintage lenses for your collection! This review series focuses not on technical specs, but on the lens’ unique character, quirks, and my personal experiences with each.

Impressions: The inly vintage zoom I have, vintage primes are often preferred by most photographers, but this one is great. I enjoy the bokeh and macro features of the lens. The lens does have variable aperture and focus distances based on focal length so it’s not a particularly consistent lens to use in practice. It always feels like you’re learning something new with it, but it is also always a unique experience. Not for everyone.

Size/Weight: Medium, a bit overweight, not easily pocketable

Favorite Usage: Walk around, spur of the moment, vintage vibes lens

Issues: I can’t say for sure, but I feel like my Canon mount version renders photos with a softer black range and generally “better” character. I use this one more anyways due to the aperture actually working on this version.

Notable Features: A slight purple tint (great with plant focused photos), also a macro lens, very…

--

--

Jared Braun / Photography
Jared Braun / Photography

No responses yet