Carl Zeiss Jena Biotar 58mm f/2 (picture heavy!)

[richardHaw]

Jakovian opinion on the creamy and delightful out of focus areas is Jakovian

this lens excdeeded my expectations in every way!

[richardHaw]

Richard, nice.  As someone who shoots quite a bit of Street, I really like the last two.  Nice angle on the last.   I use zone with the MF lenses on the Sony since I can use higher ISO and shoot at f8.  Were you sitting, crouching or hip shot? 

The Nikon 58 1.4G is always mounted on the Df from late afternoon into the night.
Thanks for posting.
Tom

Thanks! I was shooting from my hips  i just guestimated the distance

[Nasos Kosmas]

Thanks! how similar is the performance?

Nice rendering
I only have CJ Biometar 80 2.8 never use it on digital
I have this lens an old version with a stop down ring I may use it for you

[Jack Dahlgren]

This is an amazing lens! I will make an article on how I am going to convert mine to F-mount!!!! 

Richard,

Your subjects often look inquisitive or even worried. Are they visitors to that location? They don't seem confident where they are. Is that by selection or are most people like that?

[Thomas Stellwag]

Thanks! how similar is the performance?

they are very similiar, I´ll show pics in another thread - do not want to interfere here

[Petr sheepeck Jůza]

Also my favourite lens. My only gripe is that having it on D700 I cannot focust past about an meter or so. But for portraits and even some product photography its lovely.

[MEPER]

The lens design some similarities with 58/2 Helios 44?
I have a nice one in M39 so I think if I get a M39 to M42 ring and use it on a M42 to Z adapter it should work on a Z-camera. May be worth to try….

[Petr sheepeck Jůza]

The Helios is copy of this Biotar, AFAIK. I do not know how exactly Russins made the copy, though.
I have both and Helios can focus bit more further in my case.

[MEPER]

My Helios 44 is quite old but still a 58mm version (not 5.8cm). I was told that the quality control was better at that time. Later came black Helios 44-2 and among these I think there are some sample variations.
I have yet to try my for taking pictures. I had a short period many years ago where I collected Russian cameras and lenses. So I have many lenses to try out on my Z50. Many Russian lenses seems to be Zeiss copies.

[Petr sheepeck Jůza]

42-2 is the one I have. Definitely give it a try. Many people enjoy shooting with Helioses, including me.

[richardHaw]

i prefer the biotar

there's something missing on the russian lens' images on my samples. the german one is more saturated.

its a great lens. that happened after ww2, as war reparations and booty. that really killed zeiss, leica had it easier because of geography

[MEPER]

The old Helios 44 version looks like this.
I had the chance to use Z50 with kit lens 16-50 at 50/6.3 (wide open :-) ) at ISO 12800 in dull indoor lightning.
For purpose like this just showing something it is useful.

Look forward to try it out even that it may not be on par with Zeiss version.

[Matthew Currie]

I'll be interested in the Nikon mount conversion for this.  I have a couple of these, one a screw mount, and one a Praktina.  I'm currently using them as macros.  The Praktina is in the remains of the mount for a zoom lens, and manages to focus out to a few feet away, making it not so bad for outdoor bugs and flowers.  The mount fouls the semi-auto button just enough so that you can use the aperture reset as a preset.  The screw mount, I found, fit onto a screw-thread extension tube that's so sloppy that the tube screws well into a T adapter, making a pretty nice close macro.  This one is fully manual. 

I tend to forget sometimes what I've taken with what, so here are a couple from tonight.  Hand held, so the focus isn't super-duper.  The cactus flower was with the Praktina mount and the Peugeot with the screw mount.  That's a Dinky toy 203 I got when I was about 3 in France. 

[richardHaw]

some russian sellers sell them on ebay

[MEPER]

I'll be interested in the Nikon mount conversion for this.  I have a couple of these, one a screw mount, and one a Praktina.  I'm currently using them as macros.  The Praktina is in the remains of the mount for a zoom lens, and manages to focus out to a few feet away, making it not so bad for outdoor bugs and flowers.  The mount fouls the semi-auto button just enough so that you can use the aperture reset as a preset.  The screw mount, I found, fit onto a screw-thread extension tube that's so sloppy that the tube screws well into a T adapter, making a pretty nice close macro.  This one is fully manual. 

I tend to forget sometimes what I've taken with what, so here are a couple from tonight.  Hand held, so the focus isn't super-duper.  The cactus flower was with the Praktina mount and the Peugeot with the screw mount.  That's a Dinky toy 203 I got when I was about 3 in France.

If your lenses are M39 thread and made for Russian SLR like my version they can only be used for close distance on a F-mount body. But using a M39 to M42 ring (it is a ring without any flange) and then a M42 adapter for Z-mount it can focus to about 10m or so. So for portraits and "bokeh" images this combination works. I just tried it on both Helios-40 and 44 on Z50. But it could be nice with a dedicated adapter that can makes these lenses infinity focus. Maybe using a M39 to Z  (for Leica LTM) and then some dedicated Z extension rings it would be possible to hit the correct distance.