m42 135mm lenses

kyrcy · Joined: 23 Feb 2015 Posts: 124

How do these following m42 135mm lenses compare?

1) Jupiter 135mm f/3.5
2) Vivitar 135mm f/2.8
3) Sankyo Komura 135mm f/3.5

Do they all suffer from chromatic aberration when fully open?

sergtum · Joined: 14 Nov 2016 Posts: 735

I have Jupiter-37a (non MC). It has chromatic aberration:

blotafton · Joined: 08 Aug 2013 Posts: 1552 Location: Sweden

I don't have any of these, but there are probably several Vivitar 135mm f/2.8 versions by different makers.

Oldhand · Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2017 8:58 am Post subject: Re: m42 135mm lenses

Oldhand · Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2017 8:58 am Post subject:

Excalibur · Expire: 2014-04-21

Well I don't know if the Vivitar 135mm f2.8 was the sharpest lens ever made, but I like it on a film camera as it seems to give more chance\luck of pop in depth...a similar lens that gives similar chance\luck (for me) is the CZJ 135 sonnar.

Lloydy · Expire: 2022-01-01

The Vivitar 135 / 2.8 is a good lens, mine is a 28........ Komine. It had some slight fungus on the front element and recently I cleaned it, I'd used it a lot on my Pentax K10 because it's a PK mount, and the fungus wasn't bad enough to make a difference. But I cleaned it, and used it on my Sony A6000 just a few days ago, and it's as good as I remember it always was on the K10.

This picture of the worlds first iron bridge was taken on a foggy day that was still quite bright, so I was expecting loads of CA when I deliberately took this picture as a test.
ISO 400. 1/2506 Sec f2.8 No PP, just resize.

100% crop @ f2.8

100% CROP @ F5.6

the picture is a bit underexposed, it was brighter than it shows, but I really expected a lot of CA - and it's not bad at all.

I have Jupiter 11 in M42 and M39, and a 11A with M42 mount, - they are great lenses, I use the 11A a lot. I'll look for some examples of CA from them, I'm thinking they might be slightly worse than the Vivitar, not 100% sure without looking though.

blotafton · Joined: 08 Aug 2013 Posts: 1552 Location: Sweden

kyrcy · Joined: 23 Feb 2015 Posts: 124

I have read conflicting reviews about the Vivitar probably because there are several versions of the lens and to clarify things I am asking about the one made by Komine (AUTO Vivitar TELEPHOTO) having a S/N starting with 28. I have found little information about the Sankyo Komura, but mostly positive reviews. I am wondering which of the two is "best" (less aberrations near full aperture) and if performance is similar whether I should pay more for any of the two.

Oldhand · Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2017 9:30 pm Post subject:

TAo2 · Joined: 09 Mar 2012 Posts: 319 Location: Scotland

woodrim · Joined: 14 Jan 2010 Posts: 4060 Location: Charleston

I have had the Vivitar, Komura, and 4/135 Jupiter. The Jupiter just didn't feel right to me, but I can't knock the image quality. I don't use it at all. The Komura has a nice rendering and is sharp, but I have (2) the faster f/2.8 version, so don't use it. The Vivitar I had - one of very few lenses I've sold (almost regret) - was surprisingly good. If it had been closer focusing I may have kept it. It is Komine made and looked like this:

It really was quite good. I took my favorite dragonfly picture with it using a short extension tube.
[img]http://www.pbase.com/mdlempert/image/127095359/original.jpg [/img]

I paid $10 for the Vivitar back in the day when that cell phone was new. The Komura typically goes for more. However, like many other people, I acquired many (too many) 135mm lenses. It seems we all keep searching for something special. I had come to realize some time back that most will rarely get used. I have four 135s that I use much more regularly. In the end, I would have saved a lot of money by just spending a little more for the really good ones. The ones I very much favor are Vivitar Series 1 f/2.3, Tair-11, Tair-11A, and Minolta Rokkor f/2.8. All will have some amount of CA in the worst of conditions and all CA can be fixed in a snap. These lenses give me sharpness, bokeh, good color, and shorter focusing.

Lloydy · Expire: 2022-01-01

There's a LOT of M42 135's out there, and I guess most are good, some are very good, and a few are bad.

I've got 13 different M42 135's, and the only bad one is the Japanese Helios, which I've got 2 copies of and both are rubbish.

There's a very old Isco Gottingen Isconar which is a lens of its time, on a generous day I'd say it has a certain charm. I actually quite like it. But of the same era I've got pre set Takumar and Yashinon which are very good indeed. They have great character and are still sharp enough to compete with much newer glass.

There's a bunch of Soligors, mostly rebadged early Tokina's or Tamron, that are good to excellent. The 2.8 that is made by Tamron, and is the same as the 135mm part of the Twin Tele, is fabulous - despite it also being a 'lens of its time'.

How about a Cimko 135 / 2.8 that's branded as Super Paragon, it's a very nice compact lens, sharp enough with no vices that Photoshop wont fix. A reall sleeper.

I adore my Pentacon 2.8, as I do my Jupiter 11 and 11A. But are they in a different league to the others? I think they are the best of my very random selection, and I would add my later Takumar 3.5 to the list of favourites. They are very good, but most of the other 135's aren't far behind. Except the Helios....don't go there.

tb_a · Expire: 2019-08-28

Lloydy · Expire: 2022-01-01

Big Dawg · Joined: 28 Jan 2009 Posts: 2530 Location: Thach Alabama

The Vivitar series 1 135mm f2.3 is notorious for PF wide open but disappears by f/8.

F2.3

F5.6

F8

Big Dawg · Joined: 28 Jan 2009 Posts: 2530 Location: Thach Alabama

Vivitar 135mm f/3.5 Tokina made Fixed mount lens

Big Dawg · Joined: 28 Jan 2009 Posts: 2530 Location: Thach Alabama

The 135mm f2.8 Chrome Nose lens M42 mount.
The Vivitar 135mm f/2.8 Chrome Nose lens is the oldest fixed mount Vivitar 135mm, dating to around 1967. The earlier lens families were T mounts. Chrome Nose lenses were available for several common camera mounts of the era including M42, Nikon F, and Canon FL. Quite a good little shooter if you can find one. Not that many were made. The Manual Auto slide button is fragile so be careful with it. Still good 50 years later.

Big Dawg · Joined: 28 Jan 2009 Posts: 2530 Location: Thach Alabama

Vivitar 135mm f2.5 TX mount lens. By Tokina here is an odd ball 2.5. The 2.5 is really a 2.8 in use.