Auto Yashinon - DX 2/50

Oldhand · Posted: Wed May 14, 2014 5:36 am Post subject: Auto Yashinon - DX 2/50

It has been three years since this lens was mentioned, and then it was a slightly different rendition of the Yashinon 2/50 series.
See here:
http://forum.mflenses.com/auto-yashinon-50mm-f2-t42136,highlight,%2Byashinon+%2B50mm.html

I have been lucky enough to find one and would like to share it with you.
The lens:

Some images - some wide open and some are shut down a little:

kenetik · Joined: 02 Mar 2014 Posts: 521

Beautiful set OH. I love it. #3 and #4 knock me out. Congrats!

I just picked up an auto Yashinon 55 1.8, was thrown in for free with some other lenses and looks pristine. Only issue is, it looks like a Yashinon proprietary bayonet mount. It's not C/Y, I think it predates it. I don't know what kind of adapter to get. What mount is yours, M42?

Oldhand · Posted: Wed May 14, 2014 6:22 am Post subject:

kenetik · Joined: 02 Mar 2014 Posts: 521

Ah, didn't catch the DX designation. I really like the photos. Below are some shots of the Yashinon (non-dx) auto I picked up recently. If anyone has any insight into what the mount is, I'd love to know. It's wider than any of the adapters I currently own.

casualcollector · Posted: Wed May 14, 2014 6:49 am Post subject:

For the Yashica Pentamatic series, before the changed to M-42.

mo · Expire: 2016-07-30

I find it funny reading this thread, as I just picked up the one in the MF lenses Link,The Auto Yashinon 2/50 in M42 on a Penta J camera. I hope to receive it within a week or so....happily I got it for less than the postage. I don't know the condition of it just yet....and expect loads of images when it arrives.

Anyway back to your lovely images, if my lens performs as good as yours does I will be very happy.

Oldhand · Posted: Wed May 14, 2014 7:31 am Post subject:

mo · Expire: 2016-07-30

All are great images but the orange colour of that second shot is just lovely! I can feel the sun with the hint of winter Laughing

calvin83 · Joined: 12 Apr 2009 Posts: 7576 Location: Hong Kong

I had the Auto Yashinon 2/50 in the past. It is a very good lens IMHO. Sadly, I had too many 50s and I had to let it go.

The Yashica DX 2/50 was made later Auto Yashinon 2/50 and it is a very good lens too. There is even a myth connect it to Germany
http://forum.mflenses.com/extremely-rare-german-lens-edixagon-t59626.html .

mo · Expire: 2016-07-30

Calvin, I just read that post and it "nearly did my head in". So much information and speculation!

The early Yashica lenses are certainly interesting in regards to who made the glass,especially with the Tomioka connection with the earliest pentamatic lenses. I am not sure if that connection stretches to the early Penta J camera lenses that came out in 1962.

The Yashica wiki mentions the 1.8/50 yashinon on the Pentamatic, so I don't know where Kenetiks lens fits in?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yashica

Oldhand · Posted: Wed May 14, 2014 9:12 am Post subject:

It is interesting that Yashinon lenses get such a mixed reception (on the web generally)
I have read previously of numerous posters decrying the softness of the Yashinons, and there is very little in the internet databases of Yashinon lens' performance.
I am convinced that these are a little like Mamiya Sekors - much under-rated.
Of the five images from my first post, the last is the least dramatic.
Here is a 100% crop of the grevillia flower from that last image.
It is OK I think.
OH

tromboads · Expire: 2015-10-01

yeeeeeeeeeah there is enough resolution there.

Plus they look snazzy in there silver! Smile

Oldhand · Posted: Wed May 14, 2014 9:30 am Post subject:

mo · Expire: 2016-07-30

What can I say, but don't believe all that you read on the internet,My motto is try the lenses for yourself and then make a judgement Cool

...buying them at a bargain price helps.

iangreenhalgh1 · Expire: 2014-01-07

Old Yashinons are a mixed bag, for the simple reason that they are rebadged from a number of sources.

The DX ones tend to be very good, I had the DX 1.4/50, I removed it from a broken Lynx 14 and adapted it to NEX, very good lens, sharp wide open, but I sold it, just didn't need it.

dimitrygo · Joined: 01 Apr 2009 Posts: 561

memetph · Joined: 01 Dec 2013 Posts: 940 Location: Poland

I have the DX 1.7 50mm. It is a very good lens optically and mechanicly and works well with the A7.
It tends to loose some contrast and give slightly cold colours.
This can be fine in some circumstances but it can be also easily corrected in LR.

uddhava · Expire: 2021-06-21

kenetik · Joined: 02 Mar 2014 Posts: 521

Oldhand · Posted: Wed May 14, 2014 9:36 pm Post subject: Re: Auto Yashinon - DX 2/50

Mos6502 · Joined: 20 Jun 2011 Posts: 960 Location: Austin

The Yashinon 2/50 is one of my favorite lenses. I've posted lots of photos here made with that lens, surprised you didn't find any of them.
I have a Mamiya/Sekor 2/50 too but although it is very sharp I don't think it renders as pleasantly, and mechanically it is less smooth and has a longer minimum focus distance.

Oldhand · Posted: Wed May 14, 2014 10:16 pm Post subject:

Oldhand · Posted: Wed May 21, 2014 1:59 am Post subject:

Not from the same Yashinon but its wider sibling the 1.7/50.
I will start a new thread for this lens when I get to it, but here is one shot (100% cropped) from a very busy original.
OH

kenetik · Joined: 02 Mar 2014 Posts: 521

Look at all those pretty green circles. Nice shot OH.

Oldhand · Posted: Fri Apr 01, 2016 12:59 am Post subject:

I had an amble in the garden with this old friend this morning.
Just a few pix
OH

#1

#2

#3