vintage prime lens suggestion for basic m42 SLR

[Neil Grant]

...my 3 element Domiplan 50mm is getting 'sticky' (though I have finally managed to remove the back cover using a Zyliss bottle opener to get to the innards). Looking for something in the meantime. Maybe a Zebra Tessar 50 f/2.8 or there's also the Pancolor. 50 f/2 or 1.8 - sometimes a choice of the number of diaphragm blades - not to mention the 'Thoriated' glass. I believe both the German lenses focus to about 0.35m - and that's really useful as thi tubes for m42 aren't all that thin. Who can tell me about these?

 

[blockend]

A good Domiplan is a sweet lens, unfortunately there are a few lemons around. Among the less expensive M42 lenses Chinon are under rated IME, or perhaps a Fujinon?

 

[AgX]

I believe both the German lenses focus to about 0.35m.

Pancolar : 35cm
Tessar : 35cm or 50cm depending on model

 

[baachitraka]

Helios 44-2

 

[John Wiegerink]

I have only had a brief stint with the striped Tessar and it was an okay lens, but nothing spectacular. I still have two Pancolor 50mm 1.8 lenses and I rate these as one of the best 50mm lenses I have ever used. These are not the striped version Pancolor or the very latest ones either. I'm not suppose to say this here, but they work superb on digital DSLR cameras as well. With the right adapter of course. Another lens you might want to check out is the Pentax 55mm f1.8 Super-Takumar. It's the early scalloped focusing ring version. It also has the glass makeup you are looking for and it's cheaper than the Pancolor 50mm. I have both the f1.8 and f1.4 Takumar lenses and for me the 55mm f1.8 wins hands down.

 

[Neil Grant]

A good Domiplan is a sweet lens, unfortunately there are a few lemons around. Among the less expensive M42 lenses Chinon are under rated IME, or perhaps a Fujinon?

...mine was excellent at f/5.6 and smaller openings. Softer at wider apertures - but usefully so. Poking around inside the lens, it's possible to trigger the diaphragm - but I can't work out what's causing it to 'go intermittent'.
Thanks all for the sugestions.

 

[AgX]

It is Pancolar.

Maybe the typical -ar ending. (Who gave names to all these animals...?)

 

[onre]

Domiplan diaphragm is very simple. If it sticks, it isn't clean.

 

[Hatchetman]

another vote for the 55mm f1.8 Takumar

 

[trythis]

zeiss jenna ddr - panacolor 50mm f1.8 zebra stripe. I had a buddy with a very nice digital SLR tested it against several high end lenses of same focal length and this one beat them all out for color and sharpness.

 

[Ian Grant]

I'd go for a Tessar, but the Pancolar is an excellent lens, the problem with East German lenses is the lubricants used. I had a Prakticamat with an f1.8 Pancolar and it was unreliable as it never stopped down consistently to the set aperture. I have both Tessars and Pancolars for my Exactas and a later (non Zebra) Tessar on a Spotmatic.

Some of the highest quality 35mm negatives I've printed were shot with a Pancolar, 35mm CZJ Flektagon and 135mm CZJ Sonnar with a Varex 1000

Ian

 

[dynachrome]

I had the 50/2 Pancolar in Exakta mount and used it on a VX500. The lens was quite good but I did not like the camera and traded both. For a moderately fast and moderately priced standard M42 lens it's hard to beat a 55/1.8 S-M-C-T or SMC Takumar. The 55/2 versions (which I think are the same as the f/1.8 versions) are also excellent. I recently got a 50/1.8 Pentacon in nice condition. It works well.

 

[Paul Howell]

Over the years I have both German and Japaneses 50 mm in 42 mount. Likely the sharpest is the Rollie 1.9, I had the German version and I think it was tad sharper than the Takumar 1.8 or 2.0 which I still have, in terms of value the Ricoch, Cosina, and Chinon 50 2.0 were quite good, also the Yashica 2.0 and 1.7. A sleeper is the Chinon version of the Kern Swiss 50 1.7 Macro Alpa made for the Alpa 2000 in M42. Another very sharp lens is the Tamumar 2.8 or was it F4 Macro.

 

[Kodachromeguy]

I will add another vote for any one of the Pentax Takumar 55 mm lenses. My wife's 1971-vintage Spotmatic has a single-coated 55 f/1.8, which is superb. We have never seen any obvious flare issues, but if the price is similar, one of the SMC versions might be a good choice.

 

[Alan Gales]

(Who gave names to all these animals...?)

Probably some German fellow. Tiger, Panther and Leopard tanks?

 

[Helios 1984]

+2 Super-Takumar 55mm f/1.8 or even a f/2.

- Helios 44-2 if you can get used to preset
- Helios 44M (With A/M switch)
- Industar-61 L/D are dirt cheap (You'll need a m39 to m42 adapter for this one)

 

[onre]

- Industar-61 L/D are dirt cheap (You'll need a m39 to m42 adapter for this one)

Won't work, because it is for a rangefinder camera. Different flange distance.

There is another version of the same lens, the Industar-61 L/Z which has normal M42 mount and focuses all the way to 30 cm. Ridiculously sharp lens, in my opinion the best Tessar variant ever. If you don't have problem viewing a d*g*tal picture, here is one I took with said lens exhibiting its qualities. The subject is a broken trace repair job on a circuit board using what I had in hand.

https://anteek.fi/~esp/mxr-remontti.jpg

 

[Neil Grant]

+2 Super-Takumar 55mm f/1.8 or even a f/2.

- Helios 44-2 if you can get used to preset
- Helios 44M (With A/M switch)
- Industar-61 L/D are dirt cheap (You'll need a m39 to m42 adapter for this one)

I've seen a Helios 44 preset, 8 diaphragm blades and multicoated - but apparently there are compatability issues with a normal m 42 mount. Basically
the focus collar must be removed and ground down by 1 to 2mm. Has anyone come acrosss this lens? It looks interesting.

 

[onre]

I've never heard of such issue. Sounds like this may be a problem on some single camera, but most cameras can accommodate all Helios-44 variants just fine. The one exception would be the original Helios-44 which is M39.

 

[Ian Grant]

Won't work, because it is for a rangefinder camera. Different flange distance.

There is another version of the same lens, the Industar-61 L/Z which has normal M42 mount and focuses all the way to 30 cm. Ridiculously sharp lens, in my opinion the best Tessar variant ever. If you don't have problem viewing a d*g*tal picture, here is one I took with said lens exhibiting its qualities. The subject is a broken trace repair job on a circuit board using what I had in hand.

https://anteek.fi/~esp/mxr-remontti.jpg

There was also the earlier M39 mount Industar used on the Zenit C which is the lens Helios was referring to.

Ian

 

[onre]

That would be Industar-50. Industar-50-2 also exists in M42, it was common on Zenit-E.

 

[Dan Fromm]

Hmm. Most of the posts in this thread are about old east-bloc lenses. Why?

 

[Neil Grant]

Hmm. Most of the posts in this thread are about old east-bloc lenses. Why?

...probably my fault (but don't worry its not a 'Kommi' plot). The post was inspired by an inexpensive East German lens (Domiplan) bought for a camera found in a dustbin. Owing to it's origin, it seemed only right to spend very little on lenses for it - but also use it as a vehicle to explore some of the unique properties of vintage kit - including it seems falling apart, failing or being incompatible in some way or other.

 

[dynachrome]

I have an example of the Industar-61 L/Z and also consider it to be sharp. It was purchased from an eBay seller in Pskov, Russia. It took two payment attempts and months to get here. Why the mention of so may east-bloc lenses? In the years after WWII, many countries in and near Europe were struggling with rebuilding their economies and had import duties. The idea was to keep currency in these countries. The duties had the effect of making Japanese camera equipment more expensive than in the U.S. As a result, many east-bloc cameras and lenses were sold in these countries and not nearly as many in the U.S. Exakta had a distributor in the U.S. and had modest success for some years. Praktica and Pentacon cameras were much more popular in England than in the U.S. There may also have been U.S. import restrictions on certain east-bloc goods. While the Pentax 55mm M42 lenses are easily found and deserving of their good reputation, there is not much of a mystique surrounding them. There seems to be more of a mystique surrounding German (German, East German, West German) and FSU lenses. I am not qualified to say whether there should be such a mystique. It just seems like it's there. It is my impression, from reading his posts, that Dan is more of a user than a collector and is a minimalist compared to user/collectors like me. This isn't a criticism by any means. Every person has different interests. If I think about the many different M42 standard lenses I have which are faster than f/2 but slower than f/1.4, they all seem to work reasonably well. They have names like Sears, Ricoh, Chinon, Yashinon, Vivitar, Alpa (the 50/1.7 made by Chinon), Mamiya etc. Once you get past basic standards for sharpness, contrast and distortion you get into the more artistic (even if still scientifically measurable) areas of light fall-off, bokeh, coating, roundness, flatness of field etc. For some people, finding the right lens for a certain look, even with a standard lens, is like finding the right wine to go with a certain dish.

 

[Helios 1984]

I've never heard of such issue. Sounds like this may be a problem on some single camera, but most cameras can accommodate all Helios-44 variants just fine. The one exception would be the original Helios-44 which is M39.

+1