Kiron Corporation
Kiron Lenses were sold by the Kiron Corporation, formally based in Carson, California, USA.
The company was set up as a subsiduary of Kino Precision Industries Ltd, Tokyo, Japan in 1978/9, in order to market their photographic lenses to the USA.
Previously they had made lenses under contract for Vivitar (and others) but felt production could be better maintained if they designed, manufactured and distributed their lenses under their own name.
Links
[1] details some background information about the creation of Kiron
Rise and Fall
Kiron lenses hit the USA market in 1980 and following a successful advertising campaign had achieved significant sales. Kiron were then introduced around the rest of the world.
Following the introduction of Minoltas patent protected Auto-Focus lenses, the licence fees required to produce them, and the rapidly shrinking photographic market, Kino Precision decided to close down Kiron Corporation in the late 1980's.
Kino Precision continued to make photographic lenses for other companies for a number of years.
Some further lenses were sold in Europe, Australia, and Asia under the Kiron brand name but these were made by other manufacturers (notably Tokina) and rebadged as Kiron.
Kiron 35mm lenses:
- 24mm f/2
- 28mm f/2.8
- 28mm f/2
- 28-70mm f/3.5-4.5 (two versions)
- 28-70mm f/4
- 28-85mm f/2.8-3.8
- 28-105mm f/3.2-4.5 (two versions)
- 28-210mm f/3.8-5.6 (two versions)
- 30-80mm f/3.5-4.5
- 35-135mm f/3.5-4.5
- 70-150mm f/4
- 70-210mm f/4 (two versions)
- 70-210mm f/4.5
- 80-200mm f/4
- 80-200mm f/4.5 (six versions)
- 105mm f/2.8 macro
Lenses were made in the following mount types:
- Canon Inc. C/FD
- Konica K/AR
- Minolta M/MD
- Nikon N/AI and N/AI-S
- Olympus Corporation O/OM
- Pentax P/K and P/K-A
- Yashica and Contax Y/C