NikonGear'23

Gear Talk => Lens Talk => Topic started by: Dr Klaus Schmitt on August 02, 2015, 00:26:58

Title: Is that a crappy lens?
Post by: Dr Klaus Schmitt on August 02, 2015, 00:26:58
Got that lens, made a few tests. What do you think? Crappy?

(https://farm1.staticflickr.com/521/19693677719_a84f414e2d_o.jpg)

(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3757/19872417262_83f2b14774_o.jpg)

(https://farm1.staticflickr.com/471/19693690549_d70a248401_o.jpg)

(https://farm1.staticflickr.com/544/19259399613_d0e95f014c_o.jpg)

Title: Re: Is that a crappy lens?
Post by: Dr Klaus Schmitt on August 02, 2015, 00:28:36
forgot, it also does that...

(https://farm1.staticflickr.com/527/19885323271_0c6efd5245_o.jpg)
Title: Re: Is that a crappy lens?
Post by: rosko on August 02, 2015, 01:24:35
.

Not crappy at all, just different... :D

The bokeh seems to come from a lens with very wide aperture.

Or from one of these Russian old lenses ?

 :)

Title: Re: Is that a crappy lens?
Post by: Dr Klaus Schmitt on August 02, 2015, 01:45:13
.

Not crappy at all, just different... :D

The bokeh seems to come from a lens with very wide aperture.

Or from one of these Russian old lenses ?

 :)

Merci bien. But it is as German as it can possibly be, and indeed it is f2....
Title: Re: Is that a crappy lens?
Post by: Frank Fremerey on August 02, 2015, 02:17:25
Klaus. These are stunning images. The flowers are wide open I guess? The toad is f=4 or f=5.6?

German means Zeiss or Leica? or is it but a GDR "crappy lens"...?
Title: Re: Is that a crappy lens?
Post by: Andrea B. on August 02, 2015, 02:34:41
The first two look like watercolour paintings. Lovely!
Title: Re: Is that a crappy lens?
Post by: Airy on August 02, 2015, 05:05:20
Not crappy, but perverse. It is certainly no APO lens (lots of CA on the toad pic too), but "enjoyable" and "perfect" are two moderately overlapping concepts. Now, what's that lens?
Title: Re: Is that a crappy lens?
Post by: Andrew on August 02, 2015, 10:53:58
One of Heligons?
Title: Re: Is that a crappy lens?
Post by: KevinC on August 02, 2015, 12:40:56
The circular out-of-focus highlights in the fourth photo make me think this is a mirror lens, but I don't know what it might be.  I did a casual internet search. but didn't find any German mirror lenses.  I'm confused..no reason to make an f/2 mirror lens, since size and weight is usually the driving consideration for those.
Title: Re: Is that a crappy lens?
Post by: Frank Fremerey on August 02, 2015, 13:08:47
I know now, I guess this is Meyer Optics. Isn't it? They have these 15 blade aperture dream bokeh
Title: Re: Is that a crappy lens?
Post by: rosko on August 02, 2015, 14:28:06
I know now, I guess this is Meyer Optics. Isn't it? They have these 15 blade aperture dream bokeh

If I am not wrong, Hugo Meyer made only one lens with maximum aperture f/2 : the elusive 5cm f/2 Kino-plasma. Not sure you can find one now. if so, make sure you have $10 00 (minimum) available on your bank account...

There's now a ''purchase fever'' for these lenses : the Trioplan 100mm f/2.8 doubled his price in less than 2 years. :P

Title: Re: Is that a crappy lens?
Post by: Frank Fremerey on August 02, 2015, 15:45:42
Ok. 2.0 then it could be a Leitaxed R lens?
Title: Re: Is that a crappy lens?
Post by: John Geerts on August 02, 2015, 16:17:15
It could be a Pentacon.


(http://a.disquscdn.com/uploads/mediaembed/images/2166/4561/original.jpg)
Title: Re: Is that a crappy lens?
Post by: Frank Fremerey on August 02, 2015, 16:28:18
Will Klaus solve the riddle?
Title: Re: Is that a crappy lens?
Post by: Dr Klaus Schmitt on August 02, 2015, 17:05:07
Indeed, the frog shot was stopped down! This is it...

(http://forum.mflenses.com/userpix/20157/big_455_IMG_3173k_c_1.jpg)

Now just two are known to still exist....

Title: Re: Is that a crappy lens?
Post by: Airy on August 02, 2015, 22:38:53
Huh ? that was unexpected. Well, I have had an old, and rather small, 15mm Zeiss lens (F-mount, f/3.5 or f/4) in hands that could not even get sharp at any aperture, maybe a faulty copy. This one was even less expected.
Title: Re: Is that a crappy lens?
Post by: Dr Klaus Schmitt on August 02, 2015, 23:01:13
Huh ? that was unexpected. Well, I have had an old, and rather small, 15mm Zeiss lens (F-mount, f/3.5 or f/4) in hands that could not even get sharp at any aperture, maybe a faulty copy. This one was even less expected.

Well, what shall I say, comversion is not always straight forward and sometimes needs s lot of thinking and dinkering around ;-)
Title: Re: Is that a crappy lens?
Post by: Frank Fremerey on August 03, 2015, 00:31:26
OK. You posted a few very intriguing photos taken with a mystery lens. So what is the point?

Who in the first place said that the lens is crappy?

And: Who does  not know that a good photographer can take a good photo with any lens?
Title: Re: Is that a crappy lens?
Post by: Akira on August 03, 2015, 02:25:00
The flower shots are rather pretty.  The rainbow-colored bokeh fringe of the toad shot looks peculiar.

Is it only color corrected for UV?  Apparently the lens has no aperture.
Title: Re: Is that a crappy lens?
Post by: Akira on August 03, 2015, 02:29:38
Huh ? that was unexpected. Well, I have had an old, and rather small, 15mm Zeiss lens (F-mount, f/3.5 or f/4) in hands that could not even get sharp at any aperture, maybe a faulty copy. This one was even less expected.

If the 15mm is "small" and not like the Distagon 15mm for Yashica/Contax, it should be a rangefinder camera lens.  Then it wouldn't focus properly when mounted on a Nikon (D)SLR.  Maybe the focal point is "in" the lens.  You would have had to reverse-mount the lens for larger-than-life size shooting.
Title: Re: Is that a crappy lens?
Post by: Dr Klaus Schmitt on August 03, 2015, 07:29:13
The flower shots are rather pretty.  The rainbow-colored bokeh fringe of the toad shot looks peculiar.

Is it only color corrected for UV?  Apparently the lens has no aperture.

Well, the frog shot was mentioned to be stopped down, so it must have one and it does; to f11 actually.
And yes, it is color corrected UV-VIS.
Title: Re: Is that a crappy lens?
Post by: Dr Klaus Schmitt on August 03, 2015, 07:30:10
OK. You posted a few very intriguing photos taken with a mystery lens. So what is the point?

Who in the first place said that the lens is crappy?

And: Who does  not know that a good photographer can take a good photo with any lens?

Just bragging of course ;-) And I'm quite convinced you know what a "rhetorical question" is...  ;)
Title: Re: Is that a crappy lens?
Post by: Dr Klaus Schmitt on August 03, 2015, 07:33:50
A stopped down shot (f8), here science related... European Starling VIS (left) and UV (right) showing intense UV patterns of the full ornate male plumage. Focus difference: None

(http://m7.i.pbase.com/o9/08/747708/1/160897277.4YURk248.StarlingVISUVUVPlanar62mm4a_c_c.jpg)
Title: Re: Is that a crappy lens?
Post by: Airy on August 03, 2015, 08:57:08
I guess it is corrected for UV, not the visible range.
Title: Re: Is that a crappy lens?
Post by: Frank Fremerey on August 03, 2015, 09:01:33
As I do not know your style I did not see the irony.

Is that a Microscope lens or a stepper lens?

What was the original intent and mount?
Title: Re: Is that a crappy lens?
Post by: bobfriedman on August 03, 2015, 12:54:44
klaus-- could we see a better shot of the lens so we can read the lettering?
Title: Re: Is that a crappy lens?
Post by: Dr Klaus Schmitt on August 03, 2015, 14:17:19
I guess it is corrected for UV, not the visible range.

I mentioned that already above: "And yes, it is color corrected UV-VIS. "

klaus-- could we see a better shot of the lens so we can read the lettering?

It is all there Bob, nothing more (except the supressed serial number, as my lens pictures gets stolen for auctions at times)
Title: Re: Is that a crappy lens?
Post by: bobfriedman on August 03, 2015, 14:54:52
maybe its me.. but i can't see the FL=? also UV-PL  ?

i don't need the serial number.. just intellectual curiousity
Title: Re: Is that a crappy lens?
Post by: Frank Fremerey on August 03, 2015, 16:24:58
Planar = Pl

Focal Length is 62mm
Title: Re: Is that a crappy lens?
Post by: Dr Klaus Schmitt on August 03, 2015, 17:31:54
maybe its me.. but i can't see the FL=? also UV-PL  ?

i don't need the serial number.. just intellectual curiousity

For a certain time when Zeiss West was in legal battle with Zeiss East (Jena), they were not allowed to use the product names.
OPTON = ZEISS (West); UV-PL = UV-Planar; focal length f=62mm

That lens was made based on NASA requirements for extraterrestrial use (= space use), so it is an "extraterrestrial lens"  :)
It was intended to be used on Graflex and Hasselblad camera bodies. Mine is a prototype with a 67mm screw mount.
It has 11 lens elements in 11 groups (11e/11g), made purely out of synthetric CaF2 (calcium fluoride) and quartz (fused silica)
without glued elemnts to allow for flat transmission down to 200nm. So far I could find out about it until today...

Hope that satisfies your curiousity  - and also yours Frank  ;) ;) ;)

Title: Re: Is that a crappy lens?
Post by: Akira on August 03, 2015, 17:35:04
Kaus, thanks for the technical details.  So, the lens should be extremely sharp in UV focused at infinity!
Title: Re: Is that a crappy lens?
Post by: Dr Klaus Schmitt on August 03, 2015, 17:41:33
Kaus, thanks for the technical details.  So, the lens should be extremely sharp in UV focused at infinity!

Unders space conditions yes, as there won't be any Rayleigh scattering there. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rayleigh_scattering (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rayleigh_scattering)
Title: Re: Is that a crappy lens?
Post by: Gary on August 03, 2015, 17:42:56
Interesting stuff.
Title: Re: Is that a crappy lens?
Post by: Frank Fremerey on August 03, 2015, 19:32:41
The lens is so rare that this thread seems to be the first to discuss it. How did you find it? Space debris in your garden?

 LOL

The Material and make seem to be a all expenses covered no questions asked design so it could easily have cost 65.000 USD initially...

So I am not satisfied because I like to know your adaption to F bayonet I guess?
Title: Re: Is that a crappy lens?
Post by: Dr Klaus Schmitt on August 03, 2015, 21:46:50
Guys, that's all from me about that lens....

*** case closed ***
Title: Re: Is that a crappy lens?
Post by: bobfriedman on August 03, 2015, 21:49:31
thank you for the details... makes looking at the images all the much more interesting..