Praktikar 200mm f2.8 samples.. Is it a keeper?

manntax · 06-24-2013, 02:20 AM

Hello.
I was looking for something longer than 135mm lens for quite some time. I have sigma 70-210mm but this one has some issues ( not fast - 5.6 at long end and above ~180mm not really usable). So I was hunting for some time and finally I found an interesting Praktikar 200mm f2.8 M42 screw lens from local Sunday market for mere £15. It is a very heavy lens - weights with a hood attached over 1260g. It had bad fungus inside which I cleaned - but sadly also the aperture ring appears to be very stiff and not smooth at all - I am however unable to find a way to disassemble the mechanisms so can't even try to fix it. Anyway after I cleaned it it and tried with my K-01 it came out quite nice - I was surprised to see this good results with it at full aperture. Below are samples with full 100% crop inserts for you to judge.

Is it good enough for good results in low light situations if compared to modern lenses - or shall I dump it and I should shell out the cash for something modern in this range?

Thanks for all responses - samples of similar telephoto lenses are welcomed for comparison

The image below was taken with my K-01 handheld and F 2.8 - I only look for comparison of similar or faster lenses.

Last edited by manntax; 07-12-2013 at 11:26 PM. Reason: Title changed

Kozlok · 06-24-2013, 10:51 AM

Photography is about happiness. If you are happy, keep it.

How much would you have to pay for a better lens, and what else could you do with that money?

**Lowell Goudge** · 06-24-2013, 12:28 PM

can you please rename the title of the thread to

Praktikar 200mm f2.8
so that it is consistent with the normal indexing format we use in this archive

thanks, once you have done that I will include this in the index of lenses.

manntax · 06-24-2013, 12:33 PM

Originally posted by Kozlok

Photography is about happiness. If you are happy, keep it.

How much would you have to pay for a better lens, and what else could you do with that money?

Sure you are right about it - I got it almost free so can't complain about it. The lens looks to be fun to use - but I was asking some more experiences users who perhaps have/ had some experience with other/modern lenses. For example I need to criticize the *very* stiff aperture ring - which makes me unable to adjust the aperture while composing the image. Also the lens itself is heavy. But if someone would tell me that IQ wise it performs for example on pair with lenses for £xxx - I perhaps wont be looking at them then.
I will use this lens for taking low light photos at some events I plan to be on this Summer - some outdoor until dark - some indoor with stage lit. So autofocus is not needed - only MF allowed for quiet focusing.

We wouldn't be having this forum if we all were listening only to ourselves - hence the thread

Thanks for posting!

manntax · 06-24-2013, 12:34 PM

Originally posted by Lowell Goudge

can you please rename the title of the thread to

Praktikar 200mm f2.8
so that it is consistent with the normal indexing format we use in this archive

thanks, once you have done that I will include this in the index of lenses.

How shall I rename the thread ?

JinDesu · 06-24-2013, 12:41 PM

If these are truly shot at F2.8 as you say, I find it to be a keeper. It is sharp and the purple fringing is mild compared to some other lenses.

Jean Poitiers · 06-24-2013, 12:46 PM

IQ that nice for fifteen pounds at that length and aperture ... it's a keeper in my books for a M42 ... J

manntax · 06-24-2013, 12:47 PM

Originally posted by JinDesu

If these are truly shot at F2.8 as you say, I find it to be a keeper. It is sharp and the purple fringing is mild compared to some other lenses.

Yes ,they are all shot at 2.8 - they get much better when stopped down but I am mostly interested in full open wide shooting due to low light and focal length. These where shoot on a dull day but when the sun comes finally out I will take it on a walk and try on sunny day. I already know that it performs very bad in terms of flare - need to do some test shots but seems to be not coated at all.

Originally posted by Jean Poitiers

IQ that nice for fifteen pounds at that length and aperture ... it's a keeper in my books for a M42 ... J

yea! I got it nearly free but the fungs was bad and has left some marks on coating ( if there was any ). But obviously cant complain for the price. However I don't have any experience with this focal length so looking for some samples at 2.8 or brighter.

If any of you has any samples of similar bright lens - I would be happy to see true 100% crops - same as the one I posted.
Thanks for posting!

Schmidlapper · 06-24-2013, 02:34 PM

Originally posted by manntax

How shall I rename the thread ?

He meant because you posted this in the lens sample category of the forum and because this is a new lens to the forum, you should change your subject to the subject convention of this forum category which is; lens brand, focal length, and widest aperture. I.e. Praktikar 200mm f2.8 instead of your "is this lens a keeper". That way it will be included in the database of lenses here.

manntax · 06-24-2013, 03:58 PM

Originally posted by Schmidlapper

He meant because you posted this in the lens sample category of the forum and because this is a new lens to the forum, you should change your subject to the subject convention of this forum category which is; lens brand, focal length, and widest aperture. I.e. Praktikar 200mm f2.8 instead of your "is this lens a keeper". That way it will be included in the database of lenses here.

I got it! I think I managed to change the title - strangely I don't see this change on the threads list - but that might be my browser cache.

Schmidlapper · 06-24-2013, 04:12 PM

Yes you did. Hope you sort out the remaining lens issues jut as easily too, it appears to be a sleeper fast 200mm.

**Lowell Goudge** · 06-24-2013, 04:52 PM

Originally posted by manntax

I got it! I think I managed to change the title - strangely I don't see this change on the threads list - but that might be my browser cache.

Thanks. In the index

normhead · 06-24-2013, 05:09 PM

IF there is something to complain about with these images I'm not sure what it might be. I would happily add that lens to my line up for twice as much as you paid.

manntax · 06-25-2013, 09:53 AM

After cleaning done I played this afternoon with the lens and I took various photos of the same subject. This time on tripod and with 2sec. timer - so no camera shake or SR involved. Below are results - not processed at all - only scaled down - and not sharpened at all.
f2.8

f3.2 ( about half way between 2.8 and 4.0 )

f4.0

f5.6

-manntax

06-24-2013, 02:20 AM	#1
manntax Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Photos: Albums Posts: 1,972	Praktikar 200mm f2.8 Hello. I was looking for something longer than 135mm lens for quite some time. I have sigma 70-210mm but this one has some issues ( not fast - 5.6 at long end and above ~180mm not really usable). So I was hunting for some time and finally I found an interesting Praktikar 200mm f2.8 M42 screw lens from local Sunday market for mere £15. It is a very heavy lens - weights with a hood attached over 1260g. It had bad fungus inside which I cleaned - but sadly also the aperture ring appears to be very stiff and not smooth at all - I am however unable to find a way to disassemble the mechanisms so can't even try to fix it. Anyway after I cleaned it it and tried with my K-01 it came out quite nice - I was surprised to see this good results with it at full aperture. Below are samples with full 100% crop inserts for you to judge. Is it good enough for good results in low light situations if compared to modern lenses - or shall I dump it and I should shell out the cash for something modern in this range? Thanks for all responses - samples of similar telephoto lenses are welcomed for comparison The image below was taken with my K-01 handheld and F 2.8 - I only look for comparison of similar or faster lenses. Last edited by manntax; 07-12-2013 at 11:26 PM. Reason: Title changed

06-24-2013, 12:47 PM	#8
manntax Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Photos: Albums Posts: 1,972 Original Poster	Originally posted by JinDesu If these are truly shot at F2.8 as you say, I find it to be a keeper. It is sharp and the purple fringing is mild compared to some other lenses. Yes ,they are all shot at 2.8 - they get much better when stopped down but I am mostly interested in full open wide shooting due to low light and focal length. These where shoot on a dull day but when the sun comes finally out I will take it on a walk and try on sunny day. I already know that it performs very bad in terms of flare - need to do some test shots but seems to be not coated at all. Originally posted by Jean Poitiers IQ that nice for fifteen pounds at that length and aperture ... it's a keeper in my books for a M42 ... J yea! I got it nearly free but the fungs was bad and has left some marks on coating ( if there was any ). But obviously cant complain for the price. However I don't have any experience with this focal length so looking for some samples at 2.8 or brighter. If any of you has any samples of similar bright lens - I would be happy to see true 100% crops - same as the one I posted. Thanks for posting! Last edited by manntax; 06-24-2013 at 01:00 PM.

06-25-2013, 09:53 AM	#14
manntax Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Photos: Albums Posts: 1,972 Original Poster	After cleaning done I played this afternoon with the lens and I took various photos of the same subject. This time on tripod and with 2sec. timer - so no camera shake or SR involved. Below are results - not processed at all - only scaled down - and not sharpened at all. f2.8 f3.2 ( about half way between 2.8 and 4.0 ) f4.0 f5.6 -manntax Last edited by manntax; 07-12-2013 at 11:27 PM.

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06-24-2013, 10:51 AM	#2
Kozlok Pentaxian Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Albuquerque Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,148	Photography is about happiness. If you are happy, keep it. How much would you have to pay for a better lens, and what else could you do with that money?

06-24-2013, 12:28 PM	#3
Lowell Goudge Site Supporter Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Toronto Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 17,886	can you please rename the title of the thread to *Praktikar 200mm f2.8* so that it is consistent with the normal indexing format we use in this archive thanks, once you have done that I will include this in the index of lenses.

06-24-2013, 12:33 PM	#4
manntax Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Photos: Albums Posts: 1,972 Original Poster	Originally posted by Kozlok Photography is about happiness. If you are happy, keep it. How much would you have to pay for a better lens, and what else could you do with that money? Sure you are right about it - I got it almost free so can't complain about it. The lens looks to be fun to use - but I was asking some more experiences users who perhaps have/ had some experience with other/modern lenses. For example I need to criticize the very stiff aperture ring - which makes me unable to adjust the aperture while composing the image. Also the lens itself is heavy. But if someone would tell me that IQ wise it performs for example on pair with lenses for £xxx - I perhaps wont be looking at them then. I will use this lens for taking low light photos at some events I plan to be on this Summer - some outdoor until dark - some indoor with stage lit. So autofocus is not needed - only MF allowed for quiet focusing. We wouldn't be having this forum if we all were listening only to ourselves - hence the thread Thanks for posting!

06-24-2013, 12:34 PM	#5
manntax Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Photos: Albums Posts: 1,972 Original Poster	Originally posted by Lowell Goudge can you please rename the title of the thread to *Praktikar 200mm f2.8* so that it is consistent with the normal indexing format we use in this archive thanks, once you have done that I will include this in the index of lenses. How shall I rename the thread ?

06-24-2013, 12:41 PM	#6
JinDesu Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: New York City Photos: Gallery Posts: 5,638	If these are truly shot at F2.8 as you say, I find it to be a keeper. It is sharp and the purple fringing is mild compared to some other lenses.

06-24-2013, 12:46 PM	#7
Jean Poitiers Pentaxian Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Lost in translation ... Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 18,076	IQ that nice for fifteen pounds at that length and aperture ... it's a keeper in my books for a M42 ... J

06-24-2013, 02:34 PM	#9
Schmidlapper Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Pennsylvania Photos: Gallery Posts: 534	Originally posted by manntax How shall I rename the thread ? He meant because you posted this in the lens sample category of the forum and because this is a new lens to the forum, you should change your subject to the subject convention of this forum category which is; lens brand, focal length, and widest aperture. I.e. Praktikar 200mm f2.8 instead of your "is this lens a keeper". That way it will be included in the database of lenses here.

06-24-2013, 03:58 PM	#10
manntax Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Photos: Albums Posts: 1,972 Original Poster	Originally posted by Schmidlapper He meant because you posted this in the lens sample category of the forum and because this is a new lens to the forum, you should change your subject to the subject convention of this forum category which is; lens brand, focal length, and widest aperture. I.e. Praktikar 200mm f2.8 instead of your "is this lens a keeper". That way it will be included in the database of lenses here. I got it! I think I managed to change the title - strangely I don't see this change on the threads list - but that might be my browser cache.

06-24-2013, 04:12 PM	#11
Schmidlapper Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Pennsylvania Photos: Gallery Posts: 534	Yes you did. Hope you sort out the remaining lens issues jut as easily too, it appears to be a sleeper fast 200mm.

06-24-2013, 04:52 PM	#12
Lowell Goudge Site Supporter Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Toronto Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 17,886	Originally posted by manntax I got it! I think I managed to change the title - strangely I don't see this change on the threads list - but that might be my browser cache. Thanks. In the index

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06-24-2013, 05:09 PM	#13
normhead Pentaxian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Near Algonquin Park Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 40,451	IF there is something to complain about with these images I'm not sure what it might be. I would happily add that lens to my line up for twice as much as you paid.