semiautomatic biotar!!!

[richardHaw]

https://richardhaw.com/2021/08/26/repair-carl-zeiss-jena-biotar-58mm-f-2-2/

the best biotar version ive tried

a better investment instead of the cheap chinese lenses (that look like buttplugs)

[Airy]

Better than Helios 58/2 ?

At first sight, the photos look similar (incl. the slight purple cast on out-of-focus areas)

[richardHaw]

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 very impressive. look at the sample photos.

[MEPER]

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/

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/

Can you get them cheap in Japan?

[richardHaw]

the oprema isnt cheap

i personally think the semiautomatic one is a better buy.
for the price of the oprema you can get something better

[MEPER]

It is also a heavy lens. 410g vs. 214g for the "semi-auto".
I guess chromed brass vs aluminium?

[richardHaw]

i am not sure, probably aluminum. 

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

[richardHaw]

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

[MEPER]

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?

[richardHaw]

depends. its kind of mixed actually

in general i find biotars to perform really well in terms of bokeh.