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Explore the world of vintage lenses through repair notes, real test shots, and detailed archive threads packed with images.

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Mir 47
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Posted: Sat Jan 30, 2010 6:29 am
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Posted: Sat Jan 30, 2010 6:29 am
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Now I've been happily working the last few months and sorted a few bills LBA funds are growing but not quite to the extent that I can justify a CZ Flektagon. I spotted a MIR 47 20mm f2.5 in M42 mount on one of my bookmarked trusted Russian sellers and am curious about how they perform. Are they heaps of crap and to be avoided, or do they produce the goods and perhaps worth adding to the collection? Also, should I decide on taking the plunge what would be a fair and reasonable price versus insanely cheap or ridiculously expensive if they are worth grabbing?


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Posted: Sat Jan 30, 2010 11:15 am
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Posted: Sat Jan 30, 2010 11:15 am
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They're good.
Not as Fleks, but good enough to make you happy.


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Posted: Sat Jan 30, 2010 11:20 am
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Posted: Sat Jan 30, 2010 11:20 am
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Thanks for the response Orio, best I pounce pay day then if it's not gone.


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Posted: Sat Jan 30, 2010 11:21 am
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Posted: Sat Jan 30, 2010 11:21 am
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Is the MIR 47 (20/2.5) model better than MIR 20 (20/3.5)?


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Posted: Sat Jan 30, 2010 11:28 am
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Posted: Sat Jan 30, 2010 11:28 am
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I only tried the 47 shortly because it had a problem with the aperture so i returned it to the seller.
The impression was that it was better than the 20. The 20 has an unrivalled colour saturation - great for sea pictures etc. but awful distortion, plus my copy had a terrible flare in the corners which was impossible to eliminate.
Visible only with full frame.
Whereas the 47 is a more balanced, more traditional lens.
So to recap
The 20 is good if you have a crop camera and you don't photograph buildings but nature (where distortion is not much important). Great for holidays for the strong colours - kind of specialeffect lens
The 47 is a more well balanced and traditional lens, better suited to replace traditional wides like the Fleks.


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Posted: Sat Jan 30, 2010 11:58 am
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Posted: Sat Jan 30, 2010 11:58 am
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Thank you.


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Posted: Sat Jan 30, 2010 12:08 pm
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Posted: Sat Jan 30, 2010 12:08 pm
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In 20mm, there's also Arsat-H 20/2.8 (Nikon mount), easily available new off eBay for about $130-160. I ordered one, still waiting for it to arrive. We'll see, we'll see...


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Posted: Sat Jan 30, 2010 12:38 pm
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Posted: Sat Jan 30, 2010 12:38 pm
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aoleg wrote:
In 20mm, there's also Arsat-H 20/2.8 (Nikon mount), easily available new off eBay for about $130-160. I ordered one, still waiting for it to arrive. We'll see, we'll see...


Yes a nice lens. Complex (moustache) disortion on FF reducing to barrel on crop. Nice and sharp with good colours. Good for close-ups it has CRC. Some say that it's a copy of the Nikkor 2.8/20 Ais.

BTW - it was known as the MIR 73N in an earlier life.


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Posted: Sat Jan 30, 2010 9:48 pm
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Posted: Sat Jan 30, 2010 9:48 pm
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sichko wrote:
aoleg wrote:
In 20mm, there's also Arsat-H 20/2.8 (Nikon mount), easily available new off eBay for about $130-160. I ordered one, still waiting for it to arrive. We'll see, we'll see...


Yes a nice lens. Complex (moustache) disortion on FF reducing to barrel on crop. Nice and sharp with good colours. Good for close-ups it has CRC. Some say that it's a copy of the Nikkor 2.8/20 Ais.

BTW - it was known as the MIR 73N in an earlier life.


I couldn't find its optical diagram, do you know where to see one? I'll be using it on a full frame body.

As to its distortion, if it starts bothering me, I'll email the developer of PTLens (a very nice tool for correcting distortions that I bought BTW), send him a few pictures taken with the lens with straight parallel lines, and most probably he'll be able to add it to PTLens database for automatic correction.


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Posted: Sat Jan 30, 2010 9:59 pm
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Posted: Sat Jan 30, 2010 9:59 pm
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I've only used it on a crop camera so that I've only seen the barrel distortion. There was (is?) a Flickr group which showed examples of the complex distortion on FF. I tried one of the lenses already in the PTLens database. I can't remember which one but it reduced the distortion significantly. Of course it probably wouldn't work on FF.

I've never seen an optical diagram and I can't remember where I read about it having CRC. However if you watch the front and rear elements while focusing one of them rotates and the other one doesn't.


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Posted: Sun Jan 31, 2010 4:17 am
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Posted: Sun Jan 31, 2010 4:17 am
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sichko wrote:
I've never seen an optical diagram and I can't remember where I read about it having CRC. However if you watch the front and rear elements while focusing one of them rotates and the other one doesn't.


That's extremely interesting - I wouldn't have thought that such an inexpensive lens (remember, it's just $130 brand new and is still being made) has such a complex design. I am waiting impatiently for my sample to arrive - will definitely post my report on it and 5DmkII here.


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Posted: Sun Jan 31, 2010 5:13 am
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Posted: Sun Jan 31, 2010 5:13 am
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I am quite happy with my Mir 47, and great that it is rel. fast.
see my samples here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kuuan/sets/72157620334141135/
( note that there are some, specially B&W photos with some IQ issues which mostly had gone away after had this very much used lens cleaned off it's fungus )


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Posted: Fri Feb 12, 2010 11:23 am
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Posted: Fri Feb 12, 2010 11:23 am
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Well I went and bought the MIR 47in PK mount. Here's some of the try out pics.






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Posted: Fri Feb 12, 2010 12:58 pm
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Posted: Fri Feb 12, 2010 12:58 pm
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Can you add some shot data? If you have some. I'd appreciate some another pics. Thanks.


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Posted: Fri Feb 12, 2010 2:07 pm
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Posted: Fri Feb 12, 2010 2:07 pm
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Mir-47 on film (ff) . f/8 konica superia




Flektogon 2,8/20 mm on film , full frame konica




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Posted: Fri Feb 12, 2010 2:41 pm
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Posted: Fri Feb 12, 2010 2:41 pm
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Helios wrote:
Mir-47 on film (ff) . f/8 konica superia

Flektogon 2,8/20 mm on film , full frame konica


Great!
Doesn't matter which aperture was flek it has superb sharpness compared to mir. Really is not cheap to buy good wide lens.


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Posted: Fri Feb 12, 2010 7:31 pm
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Posted: Fri Feb 12, 2010 7:31 pm
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All pics were wide open @ f2.5, ISO 200, daylight pics 1/4000 shutter speed and the sky/cloud pic was 1/125 shutter speed.


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Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2013 6:03 pm
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Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2013 6:03 pm
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Helios wrote:
Mir-47 on film (ff) . f/8 konica superia




Flektogon 2,8/20 mm on film , full frame konica




Did you use filter, I really love the color of the sky. I want this lens and saving money to buy it, so just do some research, thank you Smile
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