It's HUGE! - Porst 135/1.8

JWH · Joined: 26 Aug 2009 Posts: 120 Location: Netherlands

Today the Porst 135 f/1.8 arrived which I had recently bought from a forum member. My first impressions were WOW, what a piece of glass!

First experiences were quite alright and wide open it performs just about what was expected. Lots of CA and softness but no wonder with such opening! But I tried it a low light situation and there it really shines.

However it is quite a hard one to use when you have to stop it down a few. The shutter time together with the lack of stabilization makes it tricky, any tips on this?

Here's some photo's of the lens itself. I'd rate it R for the huge exposure Rolling Eyes

Spotmatic · Joined: 18 Aug 2008 Posts: 4045 Location: Netherlands

That's certainly a nice lens! I had one but I had to return it to the seller as the front element was full of scratches. I will find another one someday...

As for your stabilization problem: that's why they invented Pentax. Stabilization with ALL lenses, even manual ones (and also focus confirmation with ALL lenses).

JWH · Joined: 26 Aug 2009 Posts: 120 Location: Netherlands

I am aware of the Pentax stabilization indeed! 'Sadly' when I bought my DSLR, I never thought or knew about re-mounting old lenses with adapters and such. Who knows if I ever see a nice Pentax DSLR fly by in a bargain I might go for one, for now this will do. I'm just a student afterall Rolling Eyes

.

supahmario · Joined: 18 Mar 2009 Posts: 615 Location: Berlin, Germany

congrats! i also have this lens and i recommend to use a lens hood with this one.

Karhallarn · Joined: 26 May 2009 Posts: 577

Hi,

nice to hear that you like it! So the shipping went well!

Tried the lens hood?

martinsmith99 · Expire: 2013-11-18

Keep the shutter speed at or above `focal length x crop factor'. Around 1/250 may do it depending on your ability to hand hold.

Otherwise invest in a monopod. I don't like IS as it seems to me an excuse to avoid correct technique.

rbelyell · Expire: 2014-01-31

i have a porst, that i think was cosina made, a 35-105mm that is like a tank! i love the rendition of the images on it though, quite unique. do you find the same?

estudleon · Joined: 15 May 2008 Posts: 3754 Location: Argentina

I assumed that the lens isn't the sharpest 135 mm, but I like it a lot.

I love the potential of the 1,8 aperture in the 135 mm focal. In low light (for what the F/1,8 is) must be very nice to use. Another to my list, someday....

Congratulations!! Rino.

JWH · Joined: 26 Aug 2009 Posts: 120 Location: Netherlands

Paul · Joined: 07 Mar 2007 Posts: 173 Location: Hamburg-Germany

I once had this lens myself and compared it with some Pentax 135mm lenses.
For the 1.8 isn't really that sharp you have to stop it down to 2.8 to get it really sharp (that is conformed by an old 135m-lens-test of the german ColorFoto about 1980: At 2.8 really sharp as the rest of the bunch, the fall-off to corners isn't visible with crop-dslr).
BUT:
Because the Pentax 2.5/135 and 2.8/135 are better in sharpness and contrast, I sold it again.
If you really need the 1.8 (for concerts, theatre ...) it is better to have it than not to get a sharp shot.
BUT:
If you have a camera with good low-light-performnace and/or image stabilizer (Olympus, Pentax, Sony) you can get the same resuluts with the more lightweight and more compact 2.x-lenses.

I found the Pentax K 2.5/135 to be the best compromise (yes: The Pentax A* 1.8/135 was a bit better at 2.8, but not that much...).

For a cheaper and nontheless very good 135mm I recommend a Pentacon MC 2.8/135 or the russian 3.5/135 (lovely bokeh...)

fatdeeman · Joined: 13 Jun 2009 Posts: 780 Location: UK

I really want one of these!

ZoneV · Expire: 2011-12-02

I have a Porst 135 / 1.8 too.
My lens has a big (~40 mm) scratch on the front lens, and I think it was the last lens where a fungus lived inside. That one I removed without traces.

Without a big hood the quality is very bad! I use a adapted hood of a Zeiss 180/2.8 medium format lens.
With hood I got some nice shots @ 1.8 in low light locations, great bokeh. Furthermore I got some nice pictures at 1.8 from some leaves with the sun shining through.
All with a EOS 5D, i think for smaller pixel the sharpness would not be enough - for 100% viewing.

ZoneV · Expire: 2011-12-02

Some photos from my Porst 135/1.8 with EOS 5D, fully open @1.8

karabud · Joined: 11 Apr 2009 Posts: 843 Location: Lodz

Looks good!What a DoF...

mflex-on · Posted: Tue Jan 26, 2010 8:32 pm Post subject:

I had one. This is one of the lenses where the idea goes behind feasibility. I do not know any other lens that is so much prone to halos and koma.

MF-addicted · Posted: Tue Jan 26, 2010 8:33 pm Post subject:

#1 is great.

I have got a silimar lens Sigma XQ 1,8/135 for sale in the marketplace section.

Mal1905 · Expire: 2011-11-18

I have this lens in the Accura / Mitake brand - it's a real weapon Smile

no-X · Posted: Tue Jan 26, 2010 9:09 pm Post subject:

ZoneV · Expire: 2011-12-02

Furthermore my lens was even cheaper than the Canon FD 135/2.0 today. I don´t remember the price I payed for that lens, but in those times I didn´t spent that much on photo equipment with dubious quality, and that scratch on the front lens was an good point to deal on the flea market.

AMDBill · Joined: 09 Feb 2010 Posts: 109

hello

i have buy the carbonR's beroflex 135/1.8 witch is exactly the same as samigon listed here http://www.pbase.com/pganzel/samigon_135mm_f18_on_maxxum_7d
same color ,exact copy

but ,after a lot of search on the web ,i find ,in an asian forum ,there s different optical shemes
sigma YS has it s own design 6/5
after there s the soligor type ,this is the one dismantle by P Ganzel whith the big triplet .it s a 5/3
certainly same optical sheme under different names
and the 3rd version ,the spiratone ,whit 6/4 optical design

all of them are sonnar type i think

mine ,when i look trought whith a light source seems to be very similar with the spiratone first a doublet and after a single element

it will be interesting to know who have best quality/resolution ,and who made what

Attila · Expire: 2025-11-18

Beautiful sample Jiri!

no-X · Posted: Mon Apr 12, 2010 2:34 pm Post subject:

Attila: Thanks!

AMDBill: Nice find. Thank you.

True (or typical) Sonnar is the one in the Ganzels drawing. The other two are heavily modified Ernostars (the Sigma has slight gaussian touch).

I took my Spiratone, flashlight and... voila, we have 4th 135/1.8 design in list...

My Spiratone isn't like the pictured one, I have the older model, which has different look, is native M42, doesn't state "Auto" word in it's name, but:

"1:1.8 f=135mm No.532xxx lens made in Japan SPIRATONE PLURA-COAT By Mitake"

this one has 3 elements in front group (none is cemented) and rear group consists of cemented doublet... seems to be Ernostar with rear element replaced by cemented doublet... something like:

http://kmp.bdimitrov.de/

estudleon · Joined: 15 May 2008 Posts: 3754 Location: Argentina

cooltouch · Joined: 15 Jan 2009 Posts: 9096 Location: Houston, Texas

I owned one under a different brand name a couple of decades ago. It was impressive in size and weight, but it was rather soft wide open. At about this same time, I acquired one of Vivitar's legendary 135mm f/1.5 "Professional" lenses. Talk about soft wide open! Anyway, I didn't see much use to keep the 135/1.8 when I had the Vivitar monster so I sold it.

There's a fellow on Flickr who has a Spiratone 135mm f/1.8, and who's taken a bunch of shots with it and his 5D. Here's his '135mm' set:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mattbenn8/tags/135mm/

It'll give you a pretty good idea what the capabilities of the lens are. Me, I think it works better with a DSLR than it did with the old film cameras I used mine on -- if mine was even the same optical formula of the Spiratone, which it may not have been.

AMDBill · Joined: 09 Feb 2010 Posts: 109

@ No-X can you post a pic of youre's ?

i m pleased to know mine is a ernostar modified

@estudleon : thank s a lot