Tou / Five Star Five Star 28mm f2.8 Heritage

Overview

The Tou / Five Star 28mm f/2.8 is an obscure, budget-tier manual focus lens attributed to a company called Toyo, though the 'Toyo' name reportedly does not appear on the lens itself, which instead carries the 'Tou' and/or 'Five Star' branding. It was an inexpensive third-party lens sold in various mounts (including Minolta MD and Pentax KA on related models), and information about it is scarce enough that owners struggle to find anything beyond eBay listings. According to community discussion, these were very cheap when new and are of mostly-metal construction, with some elements retained by snap rings rather than threaded rings. No established nicknames or cult jargon exist for this lens; it has no cult following per se, but has attracted a small niche of adapted-lens enthusiasts on mirrorless systems who enjoy it as a cheap thrift-store find. One user picked up a bag of MD-mount lenses including this 28mm for $15 and found it 'a decent but not spectacular performer' that was surprisingly fun to use. Its most distinctive selling point is that it is labeled 'Macro' at 1:5 magnification, allowing closer focusing than a typical 28mm.

Verdict: The Tou / Five Star 28mm f/2.8 Macro is a cheap, obscure vintage lens best suited to adapted-lens tinkerers and thrift-store bargain hunters. It is flat and low-contrast SOOC with poor flare control and a glowing chromatic-aberration signature, but rewards patience with surprising sharpness, a genuinely pleasant focus feel, and a handy 1:5 macro mode. Buy it if it's practically free and you enjoy experimenting; skip it if you need reliable contrast, flare resistance, or documentation.

Optical Character

Sharpness wide open

Surprisingly sharp given its budget origins, reported sharp wide open with good detail on close, flat subjects at f/2.8.

Flare resistance

Handles flare very poorly; shooting near a direct light source absolutely nukes the contrast.

Contrast

Low global contrast, especially SOOC, requiring a contrast bump in post, attributed to old cheap coatings.

Community Insights

What people love

Surprisingly sharp for such an inexpensive lens, capturing fine detail well on close subjects
Nice, grippy manual focus ring that turns smoothly with just enough friction
Aperture ring that clicks and operates wonderfully, plus a useful distance scale
The 'Macro' 1:5 magnification allows fairly close focusing, making for interesting shots at 28mm
Mostly-metal construction with a solid quality feel
Cheap and fun to use as an adapted lens on mirrorless bodies

What people dislike

Low contrast straight out of camera; images look flat and need post-processing
Severe chromatic aberration described as a glowing look at high-contrast areas (not classic purple fringing)
Very poor flare resistance; contrast is destroyed near direct light sources
Some reconstructed/repaired samples produced flarey prints
Obscure with almost no documentation available online
Some elements retained by snap rings, which can complicate repair

Pro Tips

Shoot RAW and add a contrast bump plus light sharpening in post; the flat SOOC files clean up well
Avoid shooting toward or near direct light sources, as flare will nuke the contrast entirely
Use the 1:5 macro capability for close-up shots of small subjects where the lens is at its sharpest
Use focus assist/magnification (e.g. 5x on the E-M5) for accurate manual focus wide open
Expect and embrace the glowing CA at high-contrast edges as part of its character, or tame it in post

Sources (1)

Web-grounded synthesissecondary

The Tou / Five Star 28mm f/2.8 is an obscure, budget-tier manual focus lens attributed to a company called Toyo, though the 'Toyo' name reportedly does not appear on the lens itself, which instead carries the 'Tou' and/or 'Five Star' branding. It was an inexpensive third-party lens sold in various mounts (including Minolta MD and Pentax KA on related models), and information about it is scarce enough that owners struggle to find anything beyond eBay listings. According to community discussion, these were very cheap when new and are of mostly-metal construction, with some elements retained by snap rings rather than threaded rings. No established nicknames or cult jargon exist for this lens; it has no cult following per se, but has attracted a small niche of adapted-lens enthusiasts on mirrorless systems who enjoy it as a cheap thrift-store find. One user picked up a bag of MD-mount lenses including this 28mm for $15 and found it 'a decent but not spectacular performer' that was surprisingly fun to use. Its most distinctive selling point is that it is labeled 'Macro' at 1:5 magnification, allowing closer focusing than a typical 28mm.

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/10-pentax-slr-lens-discussion/64523-tou-five-star-lens-any-good.htmlhttps://www.mu-43.com/threads/toyo-tou-five-star-28mm-f-2-8.65164/