| Author: | | New Member Registered: November, 2013 Posts: 14 | | Review Date: June 7, 2022 | Recommended | Price: $20.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | very sharp lens | | Cons: | some flare and wide open visible CAs | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 9
Value: 10
Camera Used: spotmatic
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Yashinon lenses are often copies of ZEISS lenses - because of a former joint venture
between ZEISS and Kyocera.
*************************PAY ATTENTION***********************
The old 1.9/50 version named YASHICA, not yet YASHINON ist still a few better than this one.
because of its optical design 6/4 instead 6/5 elements.(double Gauss like PLANAR)
++ robust metall-glass construction
++ very good sharpness (1.9 version +++ excellent)
++ very good color rendition
+/++ nice bokeh
+ good correction of CAs (1.9 version ++ very good) - wide open visible, disappearing at f 5.6
+/O wide open some flare, nearly no flare stopped down
great value
full recommendation with 8.5 points
| | | | | | | Junior Member Registered: April, 2021 Location: Madison Wisconsin Posts: 26 | | Review Date: May 21, 2021 | Recommended | Price: $25.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Bokeh, build, | | Cons: | None | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 10
Camera Used: Canon M6 MII with 0.71 focal reducer
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I purchased this lens in a $100 lot with three cameras, one of which was functional, plus two other usable lenses. Focus and aperture work smoothly. 1.7 is a nice aperture--plenty fast but a bit more usable DoF than a 1.4, for example. I really like the images that come from this lens. At times it makes swirly bokeh, other times bubble bokeh, and also it does painterly bokeh. Highly recommend this lens.
[IMG] Lodi_Ice_Age_Trail by Dave's Dogma, on Flickr[/IMG]
[IMG] Yashinon Painterly Bokeh by Dave's Dogma, on Flickr[/IMG]
Update March 2023
I ran a test of various vintage normal lenses that I have. This is one of my sharpest, so I changed my sharpness rating from 8 to 10. One other thing, it has better light transmission than nearly all of my Super-Tak and SMC Takumar normal lenses. It also has a more neutral color rendition, where most of my Takumar lenses have a warm color, perhaps related to slight yellowing from radioactive coatings. The only downside for using on film cameras is that the aperture only moves between full stops, whereas my Takumars typically have clicks at the mid-point, which I like on film cameras, because there's less adjustability on the other legs of the exposure triangle than you get with a modern digital camera.
| | | | | New Member Registered: August, 2019 Posts: 1 | | Review Date: August 1, 2019 | Recommended | Price: $30.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Color rendition, decent bokeh, 3D, good for portrait, sharp stopped down, well built. | | Cons: | Soft wide open, flare. | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 10
Value: 10
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Really underrated lens. Like other users have said, it's a bit soft wide open, but from f2.8 it performs really well.
Has very good sharpness stopped down and is quite solidly built.
Yashica have some absolute gems that can be found at bargain prices second hand and this is one of them.
By no means the fastest or the sharpest, but definitely has its own character. I used it on digital with an adapter and really liked the experience.
One of my first manual focus lenses.
| | | | | New Member Registered: May, 2016 Posts: 2
3 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: May 18, 2016 | Recommended | Price: $45.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | sharpness, bokeh, construction | | Cons: | At 1.7 is soft and hard to get the right point on focus, FLARE | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 9
Camera Used: NX20
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- Portraits
This lens is absolute fantastic for portraits, shooted wide opened you can get decent pictures. All photos that I've uploaded here are at f1.7.
- Macro
I have spend 10$ for a adaptor ring to use this lens reversed for macro. Results:
1.
2.
Or you can just put it on the ground and use the minimum focus distance (0,5m) without reverse the lens.
1.
- Flare
The only downside that I found to this lens. So you will need a hood for this lens. It has bigger flare circles and more colorful than SMC Takumar 55 f2, Helios 44-2 KMZ 58/2, Helios 44 MMZ 58/2.
- Comparisons
It's far way better than:
1.Super-Takumar 50 f1.4
2.Carl Zeiss Tessar 50mm f2.8
Reason: it has a better bokeh rendering and more beatiful colors;
3.Chinon/Revuenon 55 f1.4 (as I asked from several people that have my lens and this 2 others)
It's far weaker than:
1. SMC Takumar 55 f2
Reason: Yashica has huge flare- Takumar don't (so coating is different) ; Takumar has great sharpness wide opened and great character- Yashica don't.
2. Helios 44-2 KMZ 58/2
3. Helios 44 MMZ 58/2
Reason: Helios has preset ring, better construction, better flare resist, unique bokeh, better colors.
CONCLUSION:
- For 45$ it worth having this lens and you will not be disappointed. It's a bit more expensive than a Helios 44-2 but you get for sure a great piece of glass. Not all Helios are the same, so you can go wrong when choosing a russian lens. (this thing apply to Jupiter-9 as well). Be carefull to buy a hood and try not to take photos in direct sun light. The flaring for me it's annoying so I would put 30-50$ more and buy a Takumar (SMC version will be great) 55 f1.8 or the cheaper one 55 f2 ! Attention ! Don't look for the Takumar 50 1.4, it's radioactive and it's not the best choice at 50mm focal lenght.
| | | | | | | New Member Registered: June, 2015 Posts: 1
3 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: June 25, 2015 | Recommended | Price: $11.50
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Value, 3D, Bokeh, Portrait | | Cons: | Contrast, Sharpness wide open | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 7
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 9
Value: 10
Camera Used: NEX-5R
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You can find these lenses dirt cheap if you're patient. I paid less than $20 with shipping for mine in almost new condition. Build quality is tremendous. Aperture ring is narrow but protrudes for easy feel. Focus ring is solid metal.
Sharpness is a bit soft wide open but sharpens nicely stopped down. Contrast is not great raw, and temperature is cooler, but the lens has better than average 3D pop and bokeh for a 50. Makes for a great portrait lens on a crop sensor.
Glass has a yellow tint, not sure if radioactive. For less than $20 shipped, it's an absolute no brainer. 8.5 or 9 score when price is taken into consideration.
Wide open:
 | | | | | Forum Member Registered: December, 2012 Posts: 94
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: December 29, 2012 | Recommended | Price: None indicated
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Image, build quality and great feel | | Cons: | | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 7
Handling: 10
Value: 10
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Image quality filming
 | | | | | New Member Registered: November, 2012 Posts: 1 | | Review Date: November 30, 2012 | Recommended | Price: $55.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Sharp, great color, bokeh | | Cons: | soft at wide open, CA, prone to flare | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 7
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 9
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Overall, i like this lens. little bit soft at wide open but excellent from f2.8. Sharpness is excellent. sturdy.
| | | | | Forum Member Registered: May, 2012 Location: New York Posts: 52 | | Review Date: October 12, 2012 | Recommended | Price: $60.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Can be sharp, Natural Colors, IQ | | Cons: | Bit Soft at F1.7, Non MC | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 10
Value: 10
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Overall very good, sturdy, solidly built lens (just like any other Yashica product from that period). Handles great. Produces natural colors, nice bokeh. Low aberrations. Excels at B&W photography. A bit soft wide open, but sharp from 5.6.
Underrated - definitely.
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