What are the legends? The sleepers?

vinzer · 07-16-2007, 06:35 PM

Originally posted by FotoPete

Check out the russian lenses :P

Yup, I'm looking into those. Supposedly they're Zeiss knock-offs. I've had my eye on a Jupiter 85 f/2 (Pentax 85s for sale are very hard to find, or very expensive for my tastes), but I always get outbid near the end of the auction. Might have to go through the Buy Now option to secure one.

carpents · 07-16-2007, 06:47 PM

Originally posted by vinzer

Yup, I'm looking into those. Supposedly they're Zeiss knock-offs. I've had my eye on a Jupiter 85 f/2 (Pentax 85s for sale are very hard to find, or very expensive for my tastes), but I always get outbid near the end of the auction. Might have to go through the Buy Now option to secure one.

I have both the Jupiter-9 85/2 and the Jupiter-6 180/2.8. IMO they are both exceptional. The Jupiter-9 is a soft-focus lens at f/2 (just picture vaseline smeared over the front element) but by f/4 it shines. The Jupiter-6 lives at f/2.8 and doesn't really move from that spot. It is sharp and has great bokeh wide open.

One caveat - the Jupiter-9 isn't built to Pentax tolerances so the M42 mount can be fiddly. The Jupiter-6 weighs a TON and just barely fits the K10.

My Krasnogorsk Mechanical Plant JUPITER-6 2.8/180 Gallery
My Lytkarino Optical Glass Factory JUPITER-9 2/85 Gallery

FotoPete · 07-16-2007, 07:12 PM

haha very nice! I have the Mir-1 and the Helios-44K4. The 44 is amazing! (Zeiss Biotar copy + a few generations of russian modification).

Very sharp wide open and the bokeh is great. Haha imma have to look into that Jupiter-6!

carpents · 07-16-2007, 07:17 PM

Originally posted by FotoPete

haha very nice! I have the Mir-1 and the Helios-44K4. The 44 is amazing! (Zeiss Biotar copy + a few generations of russian modification).

Very sharp wide open and the bokeh is great. Haha imma have to look into that Jupiter-6!

Man, how did I forget about the Helios 44M-4 that I have?!? It is a good lens, too.

kjao · 07-17-2007, 12:19 AM

I can't justify the cost of any of the * lenses and still saving money for the limited so my sleepers are all K or M lenses. From my own collection, I would say K85/1.8, K135/2.5, M28/3.5, M50/1.7, M100/2.8 and M200/4.

I have heard that K105/2.8 and K30/2.8 are excellent lenses but quite rare.

roentarre · 07-17-2007, 02:14 AM

There were a few occasions that I came across the auctions of A* 135 f1.8 ... The major concern I have read and heard about were its propensity to have CA even stopping down to f5.6

The lens is quoted to be unsharp til f2.8 as well. There were mixed opinions regarding this lens and I wondered whether this was going to be worth the bidding up to US 1350 dollars or so (I love to shoot wide open)

Monza76 · 07-17-2007, 04:57 AM

My lens collection contains mostly inexpensive but high quality glass. First in the M-series: M 50mm f1.7, M 100mm f4 macro, M 200mm f4, and unfortunately an M 28mm f2.8 that has a very badly scratched rear element.
My Rikenon XR lenses, a 28mm f2.8 and a 135mm f2.8.
My A 70-210mm f4 (a real gem)
And strangely the FA 100-300mm f4.7-5.8, very cheap with no respect but takes excellent pictures on the DSLR where its corner softness is no longer an issue due to the small sensor.

These are not my only lenses but I think they may meet the "sleeper" or "legend" criteria. My Sigma 24-135mm f2.8-4.5 is my most used lens, many buyers have had electronic issues with this lens on DSLR Pentaxes but mine works fine on both my DS and DL.

Ira

Last edited by Monza76; 07-17-2007 at 05:05 AM.

TaoMaas · 07-17-2007, 06:42 AM

Originally posted by d.bradley

I ask because I had the 200/2.8 G lens on two different occasions, but my award winning photographs were shot @200mm with a 100-200/4.5, a lens costing 35 TIMES less than the white minolta!

So you already know the importance of the question you're asking. A pop bottle on a tripod can out-perform the most expensive glass Pentax ever produced when that expensive glass is handheld.

**NaClH2O** · 07-17-2007, 09:46 AM

Originally posted by vinzer

I've been meaning to build a collection of inexpensive lenses and make a small site showcasing the capabilities of those lenses. I have no money for the likes of * lenses (if I even find one on eBay).

Of course, I'd love to own some of those legends one day, but for now, I'm content with trying to find underdogs.

I'm in the same boat. I've found the older glass to be pretty darned good tho. Try looking for the Pentax SMC 135 F2.5; the Pentax SMC 300 F4; the Zenitar 16mm fisheye, (actually the Zenitar is a new lens, but is totally manual and great bang for the buck) Pentax SMC 35 F2. All of these lenses are surprisingly good and all are 300 or less usd.

NaCl(I can feed my LBA but not with new glass)H2O

FotoPete · 07-17-2007, 09:53 AM

Originally posted by NaClH2O

I'm in the same boat. I've found the older glass to be pretty darned good tho. Try looking for the Pentax SMC 135 F2.5; the Pentax SMC 300 F4; the Zenitar 16mm fisheye, (actually the Zenitar is a new lens, but is totally manual and great bang for the buck) Pentax SMC 35 F2. All of these lenses are surprisingly good and all are 300 or less usd.

NaCl(I can feed my LBA but not with new glass)H2O

SMC 35mm f2 cost too much haha. Try the Mir-24M. Same deal. 35mm f2. However you'll find Mir-24s much more common in Nikon F/Kiev 19 mounts. the Mir-1 is a good choice too and drops into the $25 range. its a 37mm 2.8.

vinzer · 07-17-2007, 09:08 PM

Originally posted by FotoPete

SMC 35mm f2 cost too much haha. Try the Mir-24M. Same deal. 35mm f2. However you'll find Mir-24s much more common in Nikon F/Kiev 19 mounts. the Mir-1 is a good choice too and drops into the $25 range. its a 37mm 2.8.

Now you REALLY got me thinking about those Russkie lenses!

carpents:
I haven't seen that Jupiter-6 on eBay yet. People who have it must be holding on to it, which says a lot about it's quality.

Thanks for the links, too. Seems to me it's something I should look out for.

Salty:
Yup, we are in the same boat! I've seen some of your work with the Zenitar, and it looks to be a sleeper keeper! Of course, that's also a function of the good photographer behind the lens

kjao:
Lucky you, you've got a K85 1.8. It's rare that I find one on eBay and even then, bids for that lens are way out of my league, that's why I'm looking at the Jupiter-9 85.

To my surprise, I've found an original Pentax screwmount adapter lying around unnoticed in a local camera store here (Philippines). I immediately scooped up the adapter and now there's no stopping me from buying Russkie lenses and Takumars! Bwahahahahaha!

I'd probably start building up a collection of Russian lenses for now. The good Takumars are getting to be more expensive thanks to Pentax's surging market.

Deni · 07-18-2007, 12:14 AM

Are there any good russian/soviet lenses that are shorter than 50mm, at least f/2 and under $60

?

andrei46 · 07-18-2007, 06:11 AM

Deni,
Instead of looking after Russian lenses, I suggest to directly to the source: I mean leses made in former Comunist Germany (as FotoPete mentioned "Russian M42 Lenses (almost all are based/derived/copied off of German lenses like Zeiss most notably").
Depending on the period of time the lenses are made under manufacturers like Meyer, Pentacon, Praktica or Carl Zeiss Jena
You could find information on in:
42mm screw lenses - Camerapedia.org
or in
M42 is a site dedicated to M42 adaptator lenses. You will find here tests, from argentic to numeric cameras and oldest to newest M42 lenses. Members described their work and the used lens. Oldies, but goldies!
or in
PRAKTICA-USERS.COM - M42 Lens list
Most of them are still valuable lenses, believe me.
Regards!

Deni · 07-18-2007, 02:30 PM

Originally posted by andrei46

Deni,
Instead of looking after Russian lenses, I suggest to directly to the source: I mean leses made in former Comunist Germany (as FotoPete mentioned "Russian M42 Lenses (almost all are based/derived/copied off of German lenses like Zeiss most notably").
Depending on the period of time the lenses are made under manufacturers like Meyer, Pentacon, Praktica or Carl Zeiss Jena
You could find information on in:
42mm screw lenses - Camerapedia.org
or in
M42 is a site dedicated to M42 adaptator lenses. You will find here tests, from argentic to numeric cameras and oldest to newest M42 lenses. Members described their work and the used lens. Oldies, but goldies!
or in
PRAKTICA-USERS.COM - M42 Lens list
Most of them are still valuable lenses, believe me.
Regards!

Cheers

. Will look into that

.

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07-16-2007, 06:35 PM	#16
vinzer Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Philippines Posts: 1,399	Originally posted by FotoPete Check out the russian lenses :P Yup, I'm looking into those. Supposedly they're Zeiss knock-offs. I've had my eye on a Jupiter 85 f/2 (Pentax 85s for sale are very hard to find, or very expensive for my tastes), but I always get outbid near the end of the auction. Might have to go through the Buy Now option to secure one.

07-16-2007, 06:47 PM	#17
carpents Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: West Chester, PA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,420	Originally posted by vinzer Yup, I'm looking into those. Supposedly they're Zeiss knock-offs. I've had my eye on a Jupiter 85 f/2 (Pentax 85s for sale are very hard to find, or very expensive for my tastes), but I always get outbid near the end of the auction. Might have to go through the Buy Now option to secure one. I have both the Jupiter-9 85/2 and the Jupiter-6 180/2.8. IMO they are both exceptional. The Jupiter-9 is a soft-focus lens at f/2 (just picture vaseline smeared over the front element) but by f/4 it shines. The Jupiter-6 lives at f/2.8 and doesn't really move from that spot. It is sharp and has great bokeh wide open. One caveat - the Jupiter-9 isn't built to Pentax tolerances so the M42 mount can be fiddly. The Jupiter-6 weighs a TON and just barely fits the K10. My Krasnogorsk Mechanical Plant JUPITER-6 2.8/180 Gallery My Lytkarino Optical Glass Factory JUPITER-9 2/85 Gallery

07-16-2007, 07:12 PM	#18
FotoPete Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Toronto Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,774	haha very nice! I have the Mir-1 and the Helios-44K4. The 44 is amazing! (Zeiss Biotar copy + a few generations of russian modification). Very sharp wide open and the bokeh is great. Haha imma have to look into that Jupiter-6!

07-16-2007, 07:17 PM	#19
carpents Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: West Chester, PA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,420	Originally posted by FotoPete haha very nice! I have the Mir-1 and the Helios-44K4. The 44 is amazing! (Zeiss Biotar copy + a few generations of russian modification). Very sharp wide open and the bokeh is great. Haha imma have to look into that Jupiter-6! Man, how did I forget about the Helios 44M-4 that I have?!? It is a good lens, too.

07-17-2007, 12:19 AM	#20
kjao Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Melbourne, Australia Posts: 423	I can't justify the cost of any of the * lenses and still saving money for the limited so my sleepers are all K or M lenses. From my own collection, I would say K85/1.8, K135/2.5, M28/3.5, M50/1.7, M100/2.8 and M200/4. I have heard that K105/2.8 and K30/2.8 are excellent lenses but quite rare.

07-17-2007, 02:14 AM	#21
roentarre Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Melbourne, Australia Posts: 11,783	There were a few occasions that I came across the auctions of A* 135 f1.8 ... The major concern I have read and heard about were its propensity to have CA even stopping down to f5.6 The lens is quoted to be unsharp til f2.8 as well. There were mixed opinions regarding this lens and I wondered whether this was going to be worth the bidding up to US 1350 dollars or so (I love to shoot wide open)

07-17-2007, 04:57 AM	#22
Monza76 Guest	My lens collection contains mostly inexpensive but high quality glass. First in the M-series: M 50mm f1.7, M 100mm f4 macro, M 200mm f4, and unfortunately an M 28mm f2.8 that has a very badly scratched rear element. My Rikenon XR lenses, a 28mm f2.8 and a 135mm f2.8. My A 70-210mm f4 (a real gem) And strangely the FA 100-300mm f4.7-5.8, very cheap with no respect but takes excellent pictures on the DSLR where its corner softness is no longer an issue due to the small sensor. These are not my only lenses but I think they may meet the "sleeper" or "legend" criteria. My Sigma 24-135mm f2.8-4.5 is my most used lens, many buyers have had electronic issues with this lens on DSLR Pentaxes but mine works fine on both my DS and DL. Ira Last edited by Monza76; 07-17-2007 at 05:05 AM.

07-17-2007, 06:42 AM	#23
TaoMaas Pentaxian Join Date: May 2007 Location: Oklahoma City Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 3,574	Originally posted by d.bradley I ask because I had the 200/2.8 G lens on two different occasions, but my award winning photographs were shot @200mm with a 100-200/4.5, a lens costing 35 TIMES less than the white minolta! So you already know the importance of the question you're asking. A pop bottle on a tripod can out-perform the most expensive glass Pentax ever produced when that expensive glass is handheld.

07-17-2007, 09:46 AM	#24
NaClH2O Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Bronx NY Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 5,631	Originally posted by vinzer I've been meaning to build a collection of inexpensive lenses and make a small site showcasing the capabilities of those lenses. I have no money for the likes of * lenses (if I even find one on eBay). Of course, I'd love to own some of those legends one day, but for now, I'm content with trying to find underdogs. I'm in the same boat. I've found the older glass to be pretty darned good tho. Try looking for the Pentax SMC 135 F2.5; the Pentax SMC 300 F4; the Zenitar 16mm fisheye, (actually the Zenitar is a new lens, but is totally manual and great bang for the buck) Pentax SMC 35 F2. All of these lenses are surprisingly good and all are 300 or less usd. NaCl(I can feed my LBA but not with new glass)H2O

07-17-2007, 09:53 AM	#25
FotoPete Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Toronto Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,774	Originally posted by NaClH2O I'm in the same boat. I've found the older glass to be pretty darned good tho. Try looking for the Pentax SMC 135 F2.5; the Pentax SMC 300 F4; the Zenitar 16mm fisheye, (actually the Zenitar is a new lens, but is totally manual and great bang for the buck) Pentax SMC 35 F2. All of these lenses are surprisingly good and all are 300 or less usd. NaCl(I can feed my LBA but not with new glass)H2O SMC 35mm f2 cost too much haha. Try the Mir-24M. Same deal. 35mm f2. However you'll find Mir-24s much more common in Nikon F/Kiev 19 mounts. the Mir-1 is a good choice too and drops into the $25 range. its a 37mm 2.8.

07-17-2007, 09:08 PM	#26
vinzer Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Philippines Posts: 1,399	Originally posted by FotoPete SMC 35mm f2 cost too much haha. Try the Mir-24M. Same deal. 35mm f2. However you'll find Mir-24s much more common in Nikon F/Kiev 19 mounts. the Mir-1 is a good choice too and drops into the $25 range. its a 37mm 2.8. Now you REALLY got me thinking about those Russkie lenses! carpents: I haven't seen that Jupiter-6 on eBay yet. People who have it must be holding on to it, which says a lot about it's quality. Thanks for the links, too. Seems to me it's something I should look out for. Salty: Yup, we are in the same boat! I've seen some of your work with the Zenitar, and it looks to be a sleeper keeper! Of course, that's also a function of the good photographer behind the lens kjao: Lucky you, you've got a K85 1.8. It's rare that I find one on eBay and even then, bids for that lens are way out of my league, that's why I'm looking at the Jupiter-9 85. To my surprise, I've found an original Pentax screwmount adapter lying around unnoticed in a local camera store here (Philippines). I immediately scooped up the adapter and now there's no stopping me from buying Russkie lenses and Takumars! Bwahahahahaha! I'd probably start building up a collection of Russian lenses for now. The good Takumars are getting to be more expensive thanks to Pentax's surging market.

07-18-2007, 12:14 AM	#27
Deni Veteran Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Tirana, Albania, South Europe, Planet Earth Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 621	Are there any good russian/soviet lenses that are shorter than 50mm, at least f/2 and under $60 ?

07-18-2007, 06:11 AM	#28
andrei46 Inactive Account Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Bucharest, Romania Photos: Gallery Posts: 79	Deni, Instead of looking after Russian lenses, I suggest to directly to the source: I mean leses made in former Comunist Germany (as FotoPete mentioned "Russian M42 Lenses (almost all are based/derived/copied off of German lenses like Zeiss most notably"). Depending on the period of time the lenses are made under manufacturers like Meyer, Pentacon, Praktica or Carl Zeiss Jena You could find information on in: 42mm screw lenses - Camerapedia.org or in M42 is a site dedicated to M42 adaptator lenses. You will find here tests, from argentic to numeric cameras and oldest to newest M42 lenses. Members described their work and the used lens. Oldies, but goldies! or in PRAKTICA-USERS.COM - M42 Lens list Most of them are still valuable lenses, believe me. Regards!

07-18-2007, 02:30 PM	#29
Deni Veteran Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Tirana, Albania, South Europe, Planet Earth Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 621	Originally posted by andrei46 Deni, Instead of looking after Russian lenses, I suggest to directly to the source: I mean leses made in former Comunist Germany (as FotoPete mentioned "Russian M42 Lenses (almost all are based/derived/copied off of German lenses like Zeiss most notably"). Depending on the period of time the lenses are made under manufacturers like Meyer, Pentacon, Praktica or Carl Zeiss Jena You could find information on in: 42mm screw lenses - Camerapedia.org or in M42 is a site dedicated to M42 adaptator lenses. You will find here tests, from argentic to numeric cameras and oldest to newest M42 lenses. Members described their work and the used lens. Oldies, but goldies! or in PRAKTICA-USERS.COM - M42 Lens list Most of them are still valuable lenses, believe me. Regards! Cheers . Will look into that .