Mir 47

xjjohnno · Expire: 2011-11-18

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?

Orio · Expire: 2012-12-04

They're good.
Not as Fleks, but good enough to make you happy.

xjjohnno · Expire: 2011-11-18

Thanks for the response Orio, best I pounce pay day then if it's not gone.

no-X · Posted: Sat Jan 30, 2010 11:21 am Post subject:

Is the MIR 47 (20/2.5) model better than MIR 20 (20/3.5)?

Orio · Expire: 2012-12-04

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.

no-X · Posted: Sat Jan 30, 2010 11:58 am Post subject:

Thank you.

aoleg · Joined: 22 Feb 2008 Posts: 1387 Location: Berlin, DE

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...

sichko · Joined: 20 Jun 2008 Posts: 2475 Location: South West UK

aoleg · Joined: 22 Feb 2008 Posts: 1387 Location: Berlin, DE

sichko · Joined: 20 Jun 2008 Posts: 2475 Location: South West UK

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.

aoleg · Joined: 22 Feb 2008 Posts: 1387 Location: Berlin, DE

kuuan · Expire: 2014-12-26

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 )

xjjohnno · Expire: 2011-11-18

Well I went and bought the MIR 47in PK mount. Here's some of the try out pics.

spleenone · Joined: 26 Dec 2009 Posts: 1130 Location: Slovakia

Can you add some shot data? If you have some. I'd appreciate some another pics. Thanks.

Helios · Joined: 05 Jan 2008 Posts: 537 Location: East of France

Mir-47 on film (ff) . f/8 konica superia

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

spleenone · Joined: 26 Dec 2009 Posts: 1130 Location: Slovakia

xjjohnno · Expire: 2011-11-18

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.

yatafa_hi · Joined: 07 Jan 2013 Posts: 33 Location: Vietnam