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Can I say, Thats a nice piece of glass? Vintage Russian Lenses

Photo Moment - February 23, 2017

Have you explored the world of vintage glass? I'm just opening that door, and this could be fun!

 

PhotoJoseph acquired some vintage Russian lenses, and he's trying to figure out how to use them with his GX85. He bought an adapter for this…so let's see if this works.

PRODUCTS MENTIONED IN TODAY'S PHOTO MOMENT (MANY ARE AFFILIATE LINKS):
Fotasy AM39 Copper Leica LTM M39 39mm Screw Lens to Micro Four Thirds M43 MFT System Camera Mount Adapter: [Amazon - http://amzn.to/2mcrLcr]

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Это самые скучные по рисунку стёкла в обзоре. есть гораздо интереснее экземпляры
Тогда как насчет того, чтобы быть полезным и предложить что-то вместо того, чтобы просто жаловаться на то, что это скучно?
trevor flaked
FD like I use r/n is a pretty good place to start for adapted vintage glass.
50mm or 5cm is obviously 50mm, independent if you are using full frame or APS-C or micro four thirds. These lenses are 50mm and were made for full frame film cameras, which have the same format as a full frame digital camera i.e. 24x36mm.
I hope you figured from the comments below that some of the M39 lenses you were trying to use are Range Finder and some are Zenit. The 2 types require different adapters with place the lens a different distance from the camera sensor. I have been tempted but have not bought any Range Finder lenses because a different adapter is needed. I already have enough old lenses in M42 mount to keep me happy. If I find a great deal I may purchase a Zenit mount to try using a $1 M39 to M42 adapter ring I have. Enjoy your photography as I enjoy mine.
Why does this speaker speak so fast. Rushing against time swallowing words slur etc.. Tiresome pass 30 seconds into video
Why do people make rude comments about “the speaker”, assuming the creator won’t see comments on his own video? I talk fast — YouTube has a slow feature. Play back at 0.75x speed. Maybe it won’t be so “tiresome”.
I would try those lenses with a helicoid that would grant me more flange distance. That wey it should focus. Old cameras had a little bit more room for the mirror so I expect a litte bit more distance between the sensor and the closest lens. Also I would expect those lenses to work better on a full frame camera since they come from 35mm film cameras. with a MFT you would have a crop factor of 2x for the aperture and the focal distance. So it should feel like a 100mm f7 lens that is soft and with character.
@@photojoseph ​ also a very nice subject to research and it doesn't take much time is about the difference between Rangefinder lenses and SLR lenses. You can find tons of videos on youtube about this
I'm vary familiar with the difference between flange and focal length; if I said anything here that made it seem otherwise, I don't know what that as. So a helicoid is a variable flange distance adjustable adapter? That's amazing. Never heard of that before. Thanks!
@@photojoseph Don't be fooled by the size that a lens got. It's still, it's still a lens from the old sovietic block :)))
@@photojoseph Please do not confuse flange distance and focal distance. They're 2 different lengths. A helicoid is like a variable adapter that gives you the ability to adjust the flange distance (the distance from the sensor/film to the first glass of the lens). I use a helicoid when I don't know exactly this flange distance and I don't wanna buy a very specific tube extension to achive the flange distance and be able to focus. I sugest you research the difference between rangefinder lens and SLR lenses. With mirrorless cameras you have a big advantage because you can bring the lens quite close to the sensor because there is no mirror to occupy space, but each lens, according to the body mounting system will have a specific flange distance. The focal distance is the measurement on the lens: 50mm, 85mm etc.
You are totally right in regards to the focal length. I'm using these now on full frame and it's even more fun. But what do you mean by using them with a helicoid?
These are great little lenses. I shoot with a Sony full frame and have no issues adapting them. These lenses were made for a range finder camera which also used a 35mm film which is equivalent to a full frame sensor. I highly recommend vintage lenses and personally don't shoot with modern lenses.
You may find the distance between the lens back and the sensor is wrong....the thread may be m39 but you have to change the rear distance by adjusting the focus for infinity....lots of info on the net how to do it.
nice Video. I found a Leica III from my grand uncle and search for a wide angle lens for it. It would be a nice travel camera.
No doubt!
To anyone looking to speedboost these lenses, you should read a bit more about the specific lens you own or you're about to buy; M39 is a screw mount for 35mm rangefinder cameras, but some of these lenses were made for a weird half-frame Russian camera and will result in vignetting if speedboosted on Micro4/3. One of these lenses is the Industar 69 (28mm f2.8)
The fogging was probably the glare on the front element from the light that was just above. The lens coatings in the era of m39, and especially in Russia were probably not near what they are today
Old LTM lenses weren’t close focusing lenses by and large, like 1 meter minimum. The lens was focusing on the back wall, it’s just minimum focusing distance issues.
Russian 39mm lenses have 2 standards for flange distance. One is the Leica rangefinder standard distance. the other is actually the M42 standard distance (Pentax universal) but with 39mm thread found only on russian lenses. The ones designed to fit Leica 39mm (old rangefinders) thread cameras having a short flange distance and those that had a m42 flange distance but still used the m39 thread had the standard m42 flange distance. As the Chinese adapter makers use the wrong naming it has become a mine field. But simply, non Leica m39 russian lenses need a m39 to M42 ring (sold by Russian ebay sites) and a standard M42 to whatever you need adapter. Not a m39 adapter which is different again. Older leica compatible (rangefinder) m39 lenses are not compatible with m42 and require Leica/voightlander 39mm adapters. The universal m39 adapters for non russian lenses will not work as they are near the M42 flange distance but different.
I hope you got round to the problem ...? I have about 52 vintage lenses and use them in my GX7, GH5, Sony A7 III and even Canon 80D, Canon AE-1, Canon EOS-1n and Zenit 11.
The L39 is a complex problem (there is M39 and L39 and they are different focal plaines), best is getting M42 lenses. They are the easiest to adapt. My flow is adapt all to Canon EOS, than use a EOS->M4/3 adapter. The M42->EOS are so cheap and small; you can keep the adapters on the lenses. All other vintage lenses, like Contaxt, Exa, etc can also adapt to the EOS/EF adapter; than i again use the EOS to M4/3.
"Live" on Youtube...
I hope in the future there will be channels offered by Youtube specifically for "live" broadcast and other more specific types of Youtubing.
(the rest of this comment was removed by the author due to unintended meaning)
The whole point of live is audience interaction. Without it there’s no purpose. I do a live show three times a week. Things usually go very well but sometimes they don’t and most viewers appreciate seeing the mistakes. It’s how we all learn.
PhotoJoseph, (“How’s your live broadcast going?”) I take your point, and will remove my poorly phrased comment.

I don’t get the concept, of “Live”
As an example, “Lens” I go to Youtube, to find someone with experience using this lens in a variety of conditions. They share pros and cons, helpful tips and suggestions, show and compare photos, etc., you know what I'm talking about.
“Live” by contrast appears to have little structure or expectations of what you’ll learn in the end.
We all sit in “real time” waiting (usually with little being shown) for the “typed” questions to be read one at time “live”. Its seems like a very slow process to learn anything, but perhaps I’m missing the point and it’s more like a group meeting with individuals contributing.

Sense the concept eludes me so far, I’ll butt out and keep my two-cents to myself.
Good luck
Chris, it’s a live show. Things don’t always go as planned. How’s your live broadcast going?
hey nice vid a question i went to one in NYC and got 2 jupiter lens, one 50mm and 85mm... BUT confused on how to adapt them to a canon t6i.. could u help me out on that ?
Sorry I can’t; not a Canon user anymore.
The FFD is off.
Lots of misinformation. Viewers should check the comments for accurate information.
That’s not misinformation… it’s called discovery. Sheesh
The Russian lenses are L39 and the Leica screw lenses are M39 and there is a variation in distance to the film plane/sensor.
It's great that these old lenses are being utilised on mirrorless cameras.
I had the 50mm 3.5 on my first camera, a Zenith C L39 mount back in 1959 when I was 15. The colour rendition on Kodachrome was lovely and the contrast and sharpness was good too.
I have the self same camera and lens now.
I might get a mirrorless camera and use it on there too.
You should try the Jupiter 8 f2 50mm which I use on my Zorki 4k. It's really sharp and contrasty.
Thank Neil. Check out this test film I did with one of these lenses: Example of How to Optimize iPhone X Video Design! ► Shot on GH5 w/ Vintage Russian Industar Lens https://youtu.be/BIbf96kPoo4
I think that's your problem.
I think you have the m39 lens made for an early zenit reflex camera. I has a different throw to the m39 lenses made for rangefinder lenses.
and an m39 adapter as well.
I had this 50mm Industar 3.5 lens on my first camera in 1959 when I was 14.
My next camera was a Pentax with a 50mm 1.8 lens. Both of these lenses are radioactive.
I have no physical defects and I am 72 now.
I use these lenses on their original cameras.
I have 3 Zenit 2 Fed and 1 Zorki.
It's good to see these lenses being used again, albeit on digital cameras.
I have been thinking of getting a Fuji X pro 1 with an M42 adapter.
Any comments?
Radioactive!! That’s crazy. Sounds like you’ve had a great camera history. I saw you posted several comments but they don’t get time stamped to the video so I really don’t know what most of them were in response to, but thanks for watching and I have managed to get some of these fitted and working now. They’re super fun to shoot with.
These's are all 50mm lenses, which are equivalent in fov to a 100mm lens on mft. Focal lengths don't change for different systems, just the field of view. Also, these are all full frame lenses. As long as the flange distance is right, it will work.
It was for the zenith slr which was m39 and then became m42. This is the industar.
nyadakap is Industar
Could I use these for an e mount camera
Yup. M42 and M39 lenses work great on APS-C e-mount cameras. Just get an adapter for either to 'NEX.' Keep in mind they are all manual and quite old so they will have their own character.
You gotta search for adapters. There’s definitely some trial and error involved
On Soviet (not just Russian) the symbol on the front tells you the factory it was made in. See http://cameras.alfredklomp.com/logos/. Your first lens would seem to have been made by KMZ (Krasnogorskiy Mechanicheskiy Zavod, near Moscow) and I think is an Industar 50 or 50-2 as are the others but they are pancake versions. My favourite M39 Soviet lens is the slightly later Industar 61 and 26m, which like the 50s you have are non folding versions of the Industar 22, itself a copy of the German Leica Summicron. They will work on APS-C as they are fine on my Canon EOS-M. You have an Industar 69 coming? Beware. They were for a camera where the lens was slightly closer to the lens. You have to get 1.5mm or so shaved from the adapter.
Lenses can be adapted to sensors up to the original size of there intended image. These were originally designed for 35mm so should be able to be used on full frame as long as the distance from the image sensor can match the distance from the film. With rangefinders lenses, this would commonly be a shorter distance, however with mirrorless cameras that can be possible.
+Nathan del Rio I finally got some new adapters and yeah it really is all about distance to sensor isn’t it. I’ll do a follow-up show on this soon. I just started shooting with the lenses today!
On one of my lenses, it would not focus with a m39 adapter, but did with a m42 adapter - so you have to put a m39 to 42mm adapter on the lens first.
+pzarc Funny you say that now. I just got a new adapter and the lenses still needed to be adapted… I’m confused but closer. And some lenses work now!
aney way i like its kind of lens because i dont like bring a bag far lens
I had excactly the same problem with focus on some of my M39 screw mount lenses. Some old russian lenses had the camera register distance different than other M39 lenses. What I found out was that I had to first mount a M39 to M42 adapter on my lenses and than go from M42 to the system I was using (Sony E and Fuji X). After that the focus worked just great.
M39 to M42 adapter are easy to find on different sell pages on the Interne, try Amazon.
*Maby someone already has mention this to you in comment below, just had not read all comments.
Actually these lenses work on full frame cameras
I 2nd that I have it on my Sony a7ii
@@afonsosaes9994 these work on mirrorless full frame not dslrs
Stay tuned… I gave an M42 to L mount arriving today to test these on the S1. Seems crazy but I can’t wait to try!
MarcChep do they ??? i have a braun 50mm 2.8 .. And i’ve bought an adapter for my canon 6d .. do you think it’ll work?
Actually, Russia / USSR got Contax factory for reparations, not Leica. However as far as I know both Leica and Contax shared the same screw mount...
PhotoJoseph All these information are well documented in print and online; say for instance, a search for "Operation Paperclip" would turn up some interesting information. Amittedly there are a lot of red herrings around, especially in forum posts, by less-informed people, but they are easy to spot. The Zeiss Historica Society also has rather authoritative articles on the subject as well.
Wow. Some serious information. Please explain your sources… I may want to talk to you more, on air.
The USSR did not take all of Carl Zeiss Jena; the Americans got there first, and Operation Paperclip basically took out most of Jena, along with more than a hundred staff members, and brought them to the US occupied zone to establish a new Carl Zeiss operation, eventually in Oberkochen. There were very little left in Jena for the Soviets to take there, but the main Zeiss-Ikon factory (formerly Ernemann) in Dresden was where the Contax was built, and the parts and tooling were taken and transported to Kiev. Please note that the Contax used a bayonet mount while the Leica used the M39 X 26TPI screw.

Also worth noting is that the Soviets never got anywhere near Wetzlar; before the war the work organization named after Felix E. Dzerzhinsky was established to reverse engineer products such as Black & Decker drills etc. The Leica was one of the products they tried, the earliest versions were marked VOOMP, but later as FED after Dzerzhinsky. Krasnogorsk also made FED cameras under license (in a figure of speech) and they were called Zorki, and eventually the Zorki was modified to become a SLR, the Zenit. The earliest Zenit (or Zenith) cameras also used the M39 screw but to clear the mirror, the register (i.e. flange to focal plane distance) is much greater than that on the Leica/FED/Zorki. It is possible that the shorter lenses are for Zenith, so the lens is held far too close to the focal plane to get anything in focus. Besides, adapters tend to be shorter than what they need to be, so even if they are correct, they mess up the focussing scale by focussing beyond infinity at the minimum extension, and that further cuts down the ability to go close. The only way to be sure is to use infinity subject instead of a close-up one.
First time here, nice crowd , good story , pity for the hassle with that lens but stuff like that can happen.
I was wondering (in the begin of the video) why there were so many thumbs down but I got it at the end hehehe however everybody has the right to an off day. Thanks for sharing. I'll be BACK
The lenses were made for 35mm, and therefore the coverage is greater than APSC.

I use Pentax K, M42, Mamiya lenses on APSC, full frame DSLRs and my Canon M10 .... no problem.

They just have different properties ... just turn of the lens recognition and shoot like we used to on 35mm and 6x6.
Hi Joseph, wanted to ask do you think panasonic will make some updated version with better build and faster focus for less money than Leica, like 20mm 1.7 Mark II, 7-14 F4 Mark II light but build is to plastic and better focus in video =) maybe 10mm , 12mm for people on a budget ?
+VIKTOR ARCH I see. I only know what's already public.
No, I think they should make new updated version lenses more for budget price, there old lense are not specifically up to date and for video optimized. Like Olympus has old budget lenses but they are night and day vs new versions =)
+VIKTOR ARCH so you want a lens that's better than the Leica ones but cost less?
I personally would recommend the 135mm f2.8 soligor lens (M42 mount)
Its cheap and has a nice bokeh regarless of how far away the subject is
So cool Joseph. Thank you. Coincidentally, a friend of mine is giving me
a whole bunch of old lenses, one being the first nikon 50mm F mount
lens. I can't wait to see how it performs. Great, refreshing topic.
Thanks!
+novak miler nice!
Good morning!
On website; sovietcams.com you will find
all specs about the russian made lenses.
Regards Ulf
Awesome!
These old lenses can't focus anywhere near as close as modern lenses.
Exactly. And I love them!!
That's the point. You aren't purchasing the lenses to get tact sharp images. You are getting them because they give you a completely different look to your images. They provide a more "vintage' look, and when used in different situations, can provide some interesting effects.
Closest focusing distance is 1 meter!
@@photojoseph you need m42 to m4/3 adapter to get a focus, same mistake happened with my Olympus when i tried to use MIR1 37 mm with m39 adapter.
+Ulf Jönsson That would explain a lot :-)
The LTM mount lenses were designed for rangefinders so aren't suited to DSLRs with mirrors and longer flange distance - you wont be able to focus on infinity. Those type work well on mirrorless however. But if the old lens was designed for a reflex camera they can be adapted to a DSLR.
Good point Al Green, the tricky thing with them though is you can't use them with a focal reducer unfortunately . I have a Jupiter a 8 Rangefinder lens and that was my issue.
+Al Green I'm gonna have to go back and compile all the incredible info and do some more shopping. I'm super excited to play!
The adapter is not the issue, it is focussing distance. LTM lenses focus down to 1m or 0.7m, and you are too close with your setup. And only the larger lens will work without an additional adapter. The smaller ones don’t have the right flange distance (I guess they are not made for use at a Leica-mount camera, but something else with larger flange distance); with some additional rings they might work just fine. And there were coated M39 russian lenses (later models).
+Christian Augustin Thank you!
+Patrick Franssen Yep it was distance for the big lens but apparently the wrong mount for the smaller ones. The "fog" was explained to me that the lenses are uncoated so are susceptible to glare. The studio lights were too much for it. Outdoors it does just fine.
agree; seems to be the min focus distance is beyond your little set up; just think which photo (and distance to subject) did work earlier (at 20:50 you did focus on subject further away)?
with regard to 'fog' my guess is dust inside lens (so more light, more fog)
LTM (39mm Screw Mount) lenses can be used on all mirrorless cameras, e.g. on the Sony A7 models with full frame. But you might have problems to the edges with sharpness (vignetting depends on the aperture used). With MFT or APS-C you are always in the sweet spot of the lens, and this gives these old russian lenses their good look on MFT (often not that good on full frame or film, depending on the individual lens). M42 lenses also work with the appropriate adapter, but they are bigger. Lenses with Leica M bayonet mount also work great on MFT with the right adapter (but are more expensive, even if not from Leica).
+Christian Augustin Thanks. I don't expect edge to edge sharp; I appreciate the funkiness of these lenses. Thank you for the knowledge.
I used to have M39 and M43 collection of Russian cameras and lenses. This is Industar 50 FF lens, the tall one is for leica rangefinder M39 and two short ones for old Pentax M43 mount. They have same optic design (Tessar 50mm f3.5). It was simple and chip lens back in days. Joseph send me a message if you need more info on that.
+Cap Boroda Thanks Cap, I may take you up on it!
For anyone seriously interested in these types of lenses there are a few caveats, which a lot of people including me see as benefits. 1. For older lenses, particularly 1950s and older, these are primarily uncoated glass meaning direct light sources will either wash out images or produce beautiful flares and leaks. 2. the grease in the focusing helicoids can easily be changed. most used lenses will arrive with stiff focusing. 3. these ideal for tinkering - most will simply twist apart or require very very simple tools.

Go for m42 lenses. Just do an ebay search for 'vintage m42 lenses'. By far the preference is for three major makers, Helios,MIR and Jupiter. Industar are a 'budget' brand. Then get yourself an m42 to 'whatever' adapter.

DO NOT overpay for older lenses. With the surge in popularity of mirrorless cameras a lot of sellers in eastern Russia have caught on and can grossly inflate prices. With the exception of some of the older Zeiss lenses, and truly rare lenses prices should be falling squarely in the $20-$150 range. Do your pricing homework. Once you get a better feel for the market you can look at newer m42 lenses which will be more expensive.

Again DO NOT overpay for these older lenses especially since it's rare that they are in optimal condition due to age. You can also find outfits that specialize in selling refurbished, clean, and tested lenses. It's worth a small premium.

GOOD LUCK!
How many photographers that originally used these lenses have had any effects from the radiation?
Also you have to be careful when looking for vintage lenses as there are quite a few vintage lenses that are radioactive because they have thorium oxide in the glass: http://camerapedia.wikia.com/wiki/Radioactive_lenses
+Denis Kornilov Cool!
Actually, Zenit is still producing and selling even new designed lenses =)
http://shop.zenit-foto.ru/ob-ektivy

like 50 1.2, 85 1.4, 85 1.5 =)
+trevorpinnocky W00t!! Thanks for all this, SO MUCH good info.
I came across vintage Russian lenses a while ago and read up on them, it is quite fascinating. As you have discovered, the m39 'Leica' screwmount became prominent with the popularity of early Leica, as everybody from the Japanese to the Russians made Leica knockoffs that used the same screwmount. After WWII, when the Russians invaded East Germany, they took control of the Zeiss factory located in Jena, which like everything else was abandoned in a hurry of the advancing Russian army. There was a lot of inventory left behind, so they started up production again, and after exhausting original supplies, they started making their own variants based on Zeiss designs, usually in m42 mount, and set up several large factories to pump out large quantities of lenses for the Zenit camera. The quality control was lax, and quality of lenses vary greatly between copies. The most sought after are from the KMZ factory (acronym of long convoluted Soviet name). Lenses form the original Zeiss factory in Jena, though I think they relocated it with all the workers to the Ukraine, became known in the West as Zeiss Jena, and some still command a fair bit of money on eBay. People like them for various reasons, from the novelty to the particular optical properties, like the swirly broken of the Helios 44, or because they are affordable knockoffs of classic Zeiss designs like the Sonnar and Planar, and some produce tak-sharp images if they are good copies. There are many types of Vintage lenses to explore, some weird and interesting, as long as you are happy with manual. The Japanese produced some fantastic lenses like the Super Takumar.
As I have a Canon SLR without focus peaking, it is difficult to use manual lenses, so I only tried a couple of 50/58mm lenses of various ages to satisfy my curiosity (Helios 44-2, 44-7, and Zenitar-M). While these lenses are a few dollars in shops in the former Eastern block countries, they are considerably more on eBay depending on trends. A fair few Zenits were sold into England, so buying an old Zenit camera with lens in a market or junk shop is often the cheapest way to get Helios lenses. One thing I learned from a forum is to be wary of fakes for certain lenses, and indeed once you know what to look for, you can spot them easily in photos on eBay. For my Helios lenses, one key is knowing when a certain lens was manufactured between, and how they looked, then look at the serial number engraved on the lens as the first two numbers of these correspond to the manufacturing year; that is true for a lot of Russian lenses save Fed lenses and some older ones. For my lenses, 0, 00, and 000 serials were special lenses for VIPs, especially the latter, so more care was made in their construction, and are rare. There is little official information on Russian lenses, and a lot is anecdotal by collectors and connoisseurs of Russian lenses.
Unfortunately it is unlikely Canon will upgrade the firmware of the Canon 80D to add features from the M5 like focus peaking, so I won't be buying any more manual lenses unless they are ultra-wide or fisheye.
Thanks great write up
+Martin Andersen wow such great info, thank you! I'm even more excited now to try out different lenses. Thanks!!
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