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Industar-50 50mm F3.5 Review RSS Feed

Industar-50 50mm F3.5

Sharpness 
 9.0
Aberrations 
 8.2
Bokeh 
 7.5
Handling 
 7.7
Value 
 9.5
Reviews Views Date of last review
24 123,462 Sat November 5, 2022
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Recommended By Average Price Average User Rating
100% of reviewers $18.88 8.67
Industar-50 50mm F3.5

Industar-50 50mm F3.5
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Industar-50 50mm F3.5
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Description:
There are several versions of this lens: a silver and a black version, and both are available in M39 and M42 mount. It is a Russian copy of the famous Zeiss Tessar lens. It has 4 elements in 3 groups.
Mount Type: M42 Screwmount
Price History:



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Veteran Member

Registered: February, 2007
Location: Phoenix
Posts: 1,056
Review Date: January 11, 2013 Recommended | Price: $20.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: Tiny, image quality, it's a conversation starter
Cons: Speed (the flip side of positive aspect #1), aperture ring

Amazing value lens. Image quality is terrific and since it is M42 you can use it in Av mode on a dslr. Very, very small -- I actually stash it in a small outside pocket on my bag. The only downside is the continuous aperture adjustment. I find that I sometimes turn it along with the (very long throw) focus ring when focusing, which is kind of irritating.

With the number that show up on eBay and the PF marketplace, there is little reason not to buy one, even as a novelty.
   
Forum Member

Registered: May, 2012
Location: New York
Posts: 52
Review Date: October 12, 2012 Recommended | Price: $30.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: Sharp, Cheap, Small Good IQ
Cons: Aperture Adjustment, Flare
Sharpness: 10    Aberrations: 9    Bokeh: 8    Handling: 7    Value: 10   

Definitely underrated, odd looking little fellow. Sharp at F3.5, razor sharp stepped down. Adjusting aperture is pain, especially post focus. Flare prone. Other than that - very impressive results.
   
New Member

Registered: June, 2011
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Posts: 31
Review Date: May 15, 2012 Recommended | Price: None indicated | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: IQ is very good, sharp, nice colors
Cons: aperture adjustment is pain in the ass
Sharpness: 10    Handling: 6   

I like this lens very much, but after 'conveniences' of modern photography, it is so difficult to go back to the click-less diaphragm. Maybe I need to be more patient.

Also, this lens is not that inexpensive these days.

I used this on Zenit 3M with black and white film and it was great. My version is from 1967.

On K7 I use it with M39-M42 adapter attached to M42-PK adapter without flange, so infinity focusing is possible. Here is some more information
   
Veteran Member

Registered: February, 2012
Location: Fredericton, New Brunswick
Posts: 632
Review Date: April 24, 2012 Recommended | Price: $15.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: Sharp, Light, Strange Looking, Pleasant Bokeh
Cons: Seems flare prone.
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 8    Bokeh: 9    Handling: 10    Value: 10   

Got this in the mail finally(Actually forgot I ordered it) today, went out for a sample run and I must say, quite a good lens - Looks interesting for sure...went to find a front lens cap for mine at the local camera shop, and the shop owner *swore* it was an enlarger lens.

Well worth it if you can land one for under 30$(Not too hard, there's hundreds up for sale on ebay) - Fairly sharp wide open, will cut you at F5+, Bokeh is just...well, blurry? Sort of natural - See the pictures others have uploaded for reference. As mentioned though, a hood might be a good idea, seems like flaring will be an issue near any astonishingly bright lights.
   
Pentaxian

Registered: January, 2011
Location: Skåne, Sweden
Posts: 482

1 user found this helpful
Review Date: April 29, 2011 Recommended | Price: $40.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: Cheap, very small, lightweight, sharp, pleasant bokeh
Cons: None at this price

This is a very fun and cheap lens!

I have the M42 version, black and with documents and casing. Made in 1981.

Here is some information from the manual (I have the original box and papers):

Made for: 36x24mm film
Focal length: 50 mm
Focus distance: 65 cm to infinity
Aperture: 1:3.5 to 1:16
Fit: M42x1
Filter size: M35,5x0,5
Size: 50mm diameter x 28mm length
Weight: 75 g (although my copy weights in at 67 g without front & rear caps)
Aperture blades: 7 (counted, not specified in manual)

The small size was its selling point for me, and to get such a great performance from that small size and simple construction makes it very fun to use. Weighs only 120g, but has a good build quality, glass and metal! Aperture-setting a bit strange, but since it is sharp at 3.5 just use it wide open It looks a bit small on the K-x, so I guess that makes it look tiny on the larger Pentax cameras, not even thinking about if you are using a battery grip.

Sharp already wide open, pretty nice felling when focusing. Bokeh is not fantastic, but very pleasant. Handles CA pretty well, which sometimes are an issue on older lenses. Contrast is a bit on the low-side compared to new lenses, but not that bad. Personally I want that look from an older lens, that is a bit of the feeling.

All in all a fun, small, useful and sharp lens. Perfect if you want to travel light!

Pentax K-x ISO200 F3.5 12mm extension tube
   
Senior Member

Registered: May, 2010
Location: Coloroado
Posts: 271
Review Date: December 10, 2010 Recommended | Price: $9.99 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: small, inexpensive, fun to experiment with
Cons: stop down metering on smaller apertures not very accurate.

As many already know, these lenses were produced for Zenit SLRs in the Soviet Union from the late 50s through the late 70s, possibly even into the 80s. They are screw mount, and can be found - some in new condition - by the score on ebay. They were also mounted to rangefinders such as the Zorkii, but those variants have an extension tube attached and cannot be used on SLRs.

I feel I have to justify the rating I gave this lens - the quality of these can vary dramatically. Especially with the older units, you will find that they can have somewhat of a flawed image... but you use it because you LIKE it that way! You will definitely achieve a unique "look" in your photos with the Industar 50, and that's what makes them so much fun to use.

I bought two of these from Ukraine (okay, I have three, but one of them is seized and sits on the shelf mounted to my Zorkii rangefinder...). Of the two usable units, one is from 1964 (an M39 mount) and the other from 1979 (an Industar 50-2 with an M42 mount). The '64 seems to either be uncoated or single coated. It is not very contrasty, but the highlights positively GLOW! It definitely produces a vintage looking image - gorgeous. The '79 was NIB when I got it. It is definitely coated, if not multi-coated. It has a nice contrasty image, and is sharper than the '64, but it still delivers some of the vintage look I like.

I have had strange problems using stop down metering on these. Wide open, it meters fine, but the images always seem to come out dark when I stop down. Not sure why, and I don't think I care. This lens is best used (for me) wide open all the time - that way you get the funky bokeh that these lenses produce. It's a clockwise swirl that is very unique. I've read that the resolution at the edges is half of that at the center, and I would say that's probably accurate (that's a good thing).

You have to be careful shooting these in the sun, as they are very susceptible to flare - unless that's what you're looking for, and you won't be disappointed! I have mounted the '64 to a Canon 5D to check the vignetting it produces full frame, and it was extreme! it was like I was looking at a negative from a camera with a lot of light leaks.

These are great lenses for those shooters who like to experiment. The resulting images can be magical - moody and vintage - especially when the images have been converted to black and white.
   
Review Date: June 29, 2010 Recommended | Price: None indicated | Rating: 8 

 
Pros: Small, Sharp, Light,
Cons: Contrast, Prone to flare

I own the black version Industar 50-2 , after a long research on the net i found out that there are hoods compatible with this lense.
2 ways of doing it :
Either a step up ring 40.5 to a more standard 49
or a hood from the Leica Elmarit M series .
In both cases it is not very expensive.
In my opinion it is one of the most underestimated 50 mm lense , as it could be found for nearly nothing and the quality is good. I honestly prefer the Helios 44 but nevertheless it is amazing what this little thing can do.
   
Veteran Member

Registered: March, 2009
Location: Maine, USA
Posts: 424
Review Date: May 30, 2010 Recommended | Price: $35.00 | Rating: 8 

 
Pros: Sharp, tiny, affordable, super, wonderful, fun
Cons: Aperture ring is small therefore time consuming to operate, but if you are not in a hurry it's no big deal.

What a super lens, I take excellent pictures with it stopped down. It's a small wonder!

Get one in M42 mount for your Pentax camera It will surprise you.

Here is a film pic at ISO/400, F/16,1/500

   
Site Supporter

Registered: December, 2008
Location: Zetten - The Netherlands
Posts: 9,050
Review Date: November 8, 2009 Recommended | Price: $5.00 | Rating: 8 

 
Pros: very sharp, very light, and very cheap
Cons: quite small aperture ring, prone to flare without hood

This lens is one of the most remarkable lenses I own. I have the silver M39-version, the photo is actually my lens. It is tiny, only about 1 inch long, and 2 inches wide. On my K20d it is somewhat weird looking, but I like to work with it!

Image quality is very good: colour rendering is great, it is very sharp, and to me it has a pleasant bokeh, even when the maximum aperture is only f/3.5. The only downside of this lens - as far as I can see - is the sensitivity to flare. Without hood, the photos can get completely or partially washed-out. Hoods are very cheap though, and easily to get on ebay.

My copy came with a very stiff focussing ring, but this was easy to fix. Explanatory pics can be found on my blog in this post

Pictures made with this lens can be found here, and in this Soviet Lens Club post.

I would recommend this lens: it's very cheap (VERY!), and IQ is very good.
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