NikonGear'23
Gear Talk => What the Nerds Do => Topic started by: richardHaw on August 26, 2021, 12:38:55
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https://richardhaw.com/2021/08/26/repair-carl-zeiss-jena-biotar-58mm-f-2-2/
the best biotar version ive tried :o :o :o
a better investment instead of the cheap chinese lenses (that look like buttplugs) ::)
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Better than Helios 58/2 ?
At first sight, the photos look similar (incl. the slight purple cast on out-of-focus areas)
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very similar but according to what i recall from the helios, this one should be better. its already very good wide-open. better than nikkors of its time :o :o :o very impressive. look at the sample photos. ::)
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This gives a good overview of different generations of Biotars?
https://casualphotophile.com/2019/02/13/carl-zeiss-jena-biotar-58mm-f-2-lens-review/ (https://casualphotophile.com/2019/02/13/carl-zeiss-jena-biotar-58mm-f-2-lens-review/)
There is also a 17-blade aperture version. I did not know that.
And also a modern Japanese copy? Oprema from 2018?
This one:
https://petapixel.com/2017/09/19/opremas-new-biotar-58mm-f2-0-lens-record-17-blade-aperture/ (https://petapixel.com/2017/09/19/opremas-new-biotar-58mm-f2-0-lens-record-17-blade-aperture/)
Can you get them cheap in Japan?
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the oprema isnt cheap :o :o :o
i personally think the semiautomatic one is a better buy.
for the price of the oprema you can get something better ::)
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It is also a heavy lens. 410g vs. 214g for the "semi-auto".
I guess chromed brass vs aluminium?
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i am not sure, probably aluminum. :o :o :o
the optics between the oprema and the classic ones seem similar.
i dont know what was the point in making this lens because the older biotars that have many blades were already good enough. i doubt making the blades to 17 from 10 or 12 helps much ::)
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i just looked at the oprema photos. nothing too different to warrant the price. the bokeh still looks ugly to me, maybe even uglier ::)
for that money they should have been able to add AF and CPU contacts to it, now that would have been a better deal instead of the 17 blades.
BUT if one is enterprising it is possible to adapt it to AF like what I did :o :o :o
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Yes, the bokeh is very "busy". A bit like a mirror-lens.
The Helios 40 has a bit of the same but much more "gentle" or "relaxed".
If there are no high-lights in the background bokeh is quite nice?
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depends. its kind of mixed actually :o :o :o
in general i find biotars to perform really well in terms of bokeh.