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Production
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Country
Japan
Optical
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Updated
Jul 13, 2026
Samigon Samigon 135mm f3.5
M42 · 135mm · f/3.5
AI-assisted · from real reviewsUpdated 13 Jul 2026
Overview
The Samigon 135mm f/3.5 is not a lens from a real optical house but a product of the mid-20th-century rebadging trade. 'Samigon' was a brand name applied by a United States importer to miscellaneous rebranded camera gear, and the lenses that carried it were Japanese-made optics marked 'made in Japan.' In the 1960s and 1970s a 135mm telephoto in the inexpensive M42 screw mount was one of the most common budget offerings around, and the Samigon 135mm f/3.5 fits squarely into that category of modest, competently built Japanese vintage telephotos. Its exact origin is not documented: one community contributor speculated that a Samigon optic might have been a rebranded Sun lens, but this was explicitly unconfirmed. There is no established nickname, jargon term, or cult reputation attached to this lens — no 'Bokeh King', no 'Iron Curtain', nothing of the sort exists in the sources. In fact, dedicated reviews of the f/3.5 version specifically are essentially absent; it remains poorly documented, its closest paper trail being scattered owner reports of the related Samigon 135mm f/2.8. It is best understood as an honest, unglamorous workhorse rather than a legend.
Verdict: This is a modest, poorly-documented Japanese vintage telephoto for the shooter who values character and honesty over pedigree. Judged through its better-known f/2.8 sibling, it rewards patient, precise focusing and soft, overcast or evening light with a gently soft, 1970s-film-like look — and disappoints anyone expecting bright-sunlight contrast or corner-to-corner bite. There is no cult status, nickname, or signature optical trick here; it is a low-key everyday classic-format lens for experimenters and mood-seekers, not collectors chasing a legend.
Optical Character
Sharpness wide open
Not documented for the f/3.5; the related f/2.8 is fairly soft unless focus is exact.
Contrast
Reported low in bright direct sunlight and improving in overcast or evening light (for the related f/2.8).
Community Insights
What people love
- The soft, gently rendered, 1970s-film-like look that the related Samigon 135mm f/2.8 can produce when the light suits it — flattering in overcast or evening conditions (noted for the sibling, not verified for the f/3.5 specifically).
- A modest, competently built Japanese vintage telephoto in the ubiquitous M42 mount — an unpretentious, affordable classic-format lens.
What people dislike
- Softness unless focus is exact — the documented sibling is described as fairly soft when focus is even slightly off.
- Poor contrast in bright, direct sunlight (reported for the related f/2.8).
- Being poorly documented and generic — a rebadged importer's lens with no established reputation, making information about the f/3.5 variant hard to find.
Pro Tips
- Focus with great care — the related lens is soft whenever focus is even slightly off, so use magnified focus aids and take your time to nail the plane of focus.
- Favour softer light: the sibling lens performs better in overcast conditions or evening light and struggles in bright, direct sun, so shoot into gentler light to preserve contrast.
- If shooting in strong sunlight, expect reduced contrast; shade the front element and consider recovering contrast in post rather than fighting it in-camera.
- Lean into its character — treat any softness and gentle, film-like rendering as a look for mood and portraits rather than expecting clinical sharpness.
Compatible Adapters
Real adapters from our shop that fit this lens mount.
Standard · ฿325 · In stock
Standard · ฿325 · In stock
Standard · ฿325 · In stock
Standard · ฿325 · In stock
Standard · ฿540 · In stock
Standard · ฿540 · In stock
Standard · ฿540 · In stock
Standard · ฿540 · In stock
Standard · ฿540 · In stock
Standard · ฿1,250 · In stock
Standard · ฿890 · Out of stock
Standard · ฿890 · Out of stock
Sources (2)
Samigon - does anyone know anything about them? (MFLenses forum)-
https://forum.mflenses.com/samigon-does-anyone-know-anything-about-them-t71918.html
Web-grounded synthesissecondary
The Samigon 135mm f/3.5 is not a lens from a real optical house but a product of the mid-20th-century rebadging trade. 'Samigon' was a brand name applied by a United States importer to miscellaneous rebranded camera gear, and the lenses that carried it were Japanese-made optics marked 'made in Japan.' In the 1960s and 1970s a 135mm telephoto in the inexpensive M42 screw mount was one of the most common budget offerings around, and the Samigon 135mm f/3.5 fits squarely into that category of modest, competently built Japanese vintage telephotos. Its exact origin is not documented: one community contributor speculated that a Samigon optic might have been a rebranded Sun lens, but this was explicitly unconfirmed. There is no established nickname, jargon term, or cult reputation attached to this lens — no 'Bokeh King', no 'Iron Curtain', nothing of the sort exists in the sources. In fact, dedicated reviews of the f/3.5 version specifically are essentially absent; it remains poorly documented, its closest paper trail being scattered owner reports of the related Samigon 135mm f/2.8. It is best understood as an honest, unglamorous workhorse rather than a legend.
https://forum.mflenses.com/samigon-does-anyone-know-anything-about-them-t71918.html