[vanchaz2002]

Just acquired a Spiratone 85mm lens. It's YS telephoto lens coming with m42 adapter.

Here is the weird part. First, it suppose to be f1.7 as you can find on internet. However, my copy says 1:1.8. There is no aperture blade in the lens, but has a piece of metal in the between of lens groups with some round-shaped holes. The only similar thing I saw before is Fujica 85mm soft focus. The lens looks exactly like the F1.7 one.

Anyone ever came across such a lens?

Thanks.

[RawheaD]

Just acquired a Spiratone 85mm lens. It's YS telephoto lens coming with m42 adapter.

Here is the weird part. First, it suppose to be f1.7 as you can find on internet. However, my copy says 1:1.8. There is no aperture blade in the lens, but has a piece of metal in the between of lens groups with some round-shaped holes. The only similar thing I saw before is Fujica 85mm soft focus. The lens looks exactly like the F1.7 one.

Anyone ever came across such a lens?

Thanks.

You know there's this thing called "photographs" that really help getting the point across in posts like this. Have you ever tried it? It's really good stuff.

[vanchaz2002]

I posted from my work laptop that does not read any memory card. I will do it at home.

[Canada_Rockies]

Just acquired a Spiratone 85mm lens. It's YS telephoto lens coming with m42 adapter.

Here is the weird part. First, it suppose to be f1.7 as you can find on internet. However, my copy says 1:1.8. There is no aperture blade in the lens, but has a piece of metal in the between of lens groups with some round-shaped holes. The only similar thing I saw before is Fujica 85mm soft focus. The lens looks exactly like the F1.7 one.

Anyone ever came across such a lens?

Thanks.

If you have that aperture plate, it IS a soft focus lens.

[Mechan1k]

Interesting to see the internals of this lens ... as I have never seen anything like it in short time with photography.

[vanchaz2002]

Attached a few pics.

[Steinback]

Is there any indication that you can easily take the lens apart to change aperture plates?

[vanchaz2002]

At least it will involve screw driver.

[vanchaz2002]

Nobody has seen this lens before??

[omega leader]

I've heard of though not seen a series of lenses from the 70's with a slot in the side like a filter drawer that was designed to put strange shaped apature plates in to create weird effects.

This may be one.

[Ira]

Spiratone offered some very weird stuff manufactured by others and sold under their name. I have an 18 3.5 by them, and the best way to describe a lot of it is garbage.

Growing up in NYC, they also had a few retail stores. One in Flushing, Queens, which I frequented often.

It was all Grade B crap, and although there might be a gem to be found here and there, I still doubt it.

[Blue]

. . .
It was all Grade B crap, and although there might be a gem to be found here and there, I still doubt it.

Not all . . .

[Blue]

Nobody has seen this lens before??

Its interesting that it has an A-M switch on it if it uses aperture plates.

[Ben_Edict]

Its interesting that it has an A-M switch on it if it uses aperture plates.

That's true. Perhaps they made only a small production run of those soft focus lenses and simply used the barell assembly they already had?

BUT it could also be a later one-off modification. See the silver ring. There is the infinity indicator and the DOF indicators missing. SO the tube was disassembled and and that black ring with the indicators was omitted. Perhaps the person also got rid of the original aperture assembly and inserted the imagon-like diaphragm instead?

Ben

[vanchaz2002]

Close look of the lens discovered a few holes on the aperture ring, seems missing screws. The pin at the bottom of the mount like those auto M42 lenses have is missing too. Taking a few shots and does not seems to have soft focus effect.