Pentacon Six 80mm Zeiss Jena flare issues?

eurekaiv · Jun 9, 2022

A simple question… is this lens notorious for flare or do I have a crap sample. Mine will leave huge washed out blotches in pics if there’s even a hint of light coming in from the side, even with a hood. My only decent results have been in shade or with the sun directly behind.

halfaman · Jun 9, 2022

I had the multicoated version ('MC' letters in the lens) and I don't remeber any flare problem. Didn't use or had any hood either.

itsdoable · Jun 9, 2022

I have the Zebra version (non-MC), and it's flare characteristics are similar to the other 5 element Biometar/Planar/Xenotar (ie: in the Rolleiflex's) from that era. If you are getting a lot of flare when using a lens hood that keeps the sun off the front elements, then I think something else is going on with your lens...

gone · Jun 9, 2022

Ck it for haze, that can cause flare issues I believe. Having said that, I did have some flare issues, as well as shutter issues on my one attempt to shoot one of those cameras and lenses.

Maris · Jun 9, 2022

Could it be camera body flare? My Kiev60 camera has extra black flocking added to the mirror box to combat flare which was a problem with the original design.

eurekaiv · Jun 10, 2022

Maris said:
Could it be camera body flare? My Kiev60 camera has extra black flocking added to the mirror box to combat flare which was a problem with the original design.

I wonder if this is what’s going on. I stopped posting examples of anything here so a description will have to suffice, it‘s more like an overexposed blotch, almost like someone did an agressive roundish dodge on a large portion of the image. FWIW, the lens was just serviced along woth the body by Trescam and the glass looks flawless. The few photos I’m getting in the right light are very nice, if just a little flat in contrast perhaps.

flavio81 · Jun 10, 2022

eurekaiv said:
A simple question… is this lens notorious for flare or do I have a crap sample. Mine will leave huge washed out blotches in pics if there’s even a hint of light coming in from the side, even with a hood. My only decent results have been in shade or with the sun directly behind.

Check your glass for haze. Use a flashlight, shine it through the lens and check for hazy elements and also for damaged (opaque) coatings.

If it's all OK then there's a chance you're using it on a Kiev camera and the lack of good flocking in the mirror box is making the flare problem worse than it should be. In that case, use the narrowest hood you can put (without causing vignetting)

moto-uno · Jun 10, 2022

This was pretty intense with the sun in the clouds and I don't notice too much flare (Pentacon 6TL ,80mm MC lens) . I wasn't sure it would come out at all ! Peter

eurekaiv · Jul 18, 2023

Finally got around to getting back to this camera and thought I should update this thread for anyone searching.

It seems like the "flare" problems are coming from the prism finder. I wanted to shoot this thing again and noticed just looking through it in the house that I was getting weird washed out patches in the frames if I pointed toward any significant light level. So I tried the waste level finder I had and everything looked much better (more even across the frames) and it followed that the pics looked basically normal outside of being rather flat in contrast for the exposure and development I gave with an orange filter on board. Going to try and disassemble and clean the glass in the finder but I have a feeling I'll be out of luck there.

Jeremy Mudd · Jul 19, 2023

eurekaiv said:
Finally got around to getting back to this camera and thought I should update this thread for anyone searching.

It seems like the "flare" problems are coming from the prism finder. I wanted to shoot this thing again and noticed just looking through it in the house that I was getting weird washed out patches in the frames if I pointed toward any significant light level. So I tried the waste level finder I had and everything looked much better (more even across the frames) and it followed that the pics looked basically normal outside of being rather flat in contrast for the exposure and development I gave with an orange filter on board. Going to try and disassemble and clean the glass in the finder but I have a feeling I'll be out of luck there.

I own the "Zebra" version of the lens you are asking about, and I've never really run into any flare issues with it. I shoot it with adapters on my Mamiya 645 Pro T/L systems.

I don't own a Pentacon Six, so excuse this maybe stupid question - how does the prism finder contribute to flares in the image? Doesn't the mirror move out of the way when taking the image and shields any light from the WLF or Prism from getting onto the film?

Jeremy

Kino · Jul 19, 2023

Jeremy Mudd said:
- how does the prism finder contribute to flares in the image? Doesn't the mirror move out of the way when taking the image and shields any light from the WLF or Prism from getting onto the film?

Jeremy

This was going to be my question. Is it that the actual shots/negatives exhibit this problem or is it that you are just comparing viewing systems?

Flaring in the prism should have nothing to do with flaring in the image produced itself.

I'll bet if you can get access to the prism surfaces and clean them the viewing problem will be vastly reduced. There still may be issues in the film chamber that need to be addressed with flocking material.

I have both Kiev 6C and 88 cameras; flocking is pretty much required to stop light bouncing all around.

eurekaiv · Jul 20, 2023

I think it’s probably not a flare issue, i think it’s probably a fogging/light leak/internal reflection issue of some sort that I initially interpereted as flare.

Jeremy Mudd · Jul 20, 2023

eurekaiv said:
I think it’s probably not a flare issue, i think it’s probably a fogging/light leak/internal reflection issue of some sort that I initially interpereted as flare.

Right. But not really the fault of the viewfinder.

A while back I owned one of the Goodman Zone 3-D printed cameras that took Mamiya Press lenses and RB67 backs. The first several rolls had strange issues similar to what you described. Once I eliminated any light leaks as a factor, I suspected that the shiny black plastic on the inside was causing it. I bought some black felt telescope liner from a member here in the group and applied it to the inside of the camera to block out any gloss. The next test roll was perfect and I didn't have the problem for the remainder of time that I owned the camera.

Jeremy

europanorama · Jul 20, 2023

i had multiple zeiss jena and have them again also russians. i remember using 180/2.8 MC maybe not newest since 1981. shooting agains sun with slidefilm a big pain. zeiss oberkochen has the better lenses. had the 180/2.8 its just fabulous. use musou darkest black to paint camera inside. will even paint over kiev 60 flocking. i have flocking from baierfoto. hugest part is larger than araxfoto counterpart. protecting better. inlens-reflexion also could be a big problem. we had that with horizon pancam. we replaced even drumtube.
i compared 80 with 85/1.4 indoors. on APS-C. zeiss oberkochen (C/Y) is just sharper must have tinier COC.
its impressive how big are original zeiss-oberkochen sunshades for C/Y. i have comparision. they are superhuge.
85/2.8 has larger one than 1.4.never took care over all these decades since 1978. people were going 6x6 instead of buying better lenses for 35mm. same true for digital

Pentacon Six 80mm Zeiss Jena flare issues?

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