Porst Color Reflex 55/1.2 [135USD]

yalcinaydin · Joined: 20 May 2008 Posts: 825 Location: Izmir, Turkey

Takumar is clearly better.

yalcinaydin · Joined: 20 May 2008 Posts: 825 Location: Izmir, Turkey

Here is the sample that is enough to curse the lens:
1-Porst 1.2/55@1.2, center 100% crop
2-Porst 1.2/55@1.8 (roughly), center 100% crop
3-Porst 1.2/55@2, center 100% crop
4-Canon Ef 1.8/50 II@1.8, center 100% crop

the suspicious thing is I see from the image much more cleaner on the optical visor but there is something else messing around. I'll try it with K100D super before judging the seller. If it's faulty then I'll give it back to the seller and request my money back.

F16SUNSHINE · Expire: 2011-11-18

It could be copy variation or it could be the simple personality of the lens or even a potential problem.
If it does become sharp eventually. Likely it is not a mis-aligned element.
The internal reflection problem is not usually so pronounced in low light.
Anytime you have a big flat rear element you can get reflections from it.
When I use the 1.4/55 Tomioka or 1.2/55 Tomioka this can come up.
It rarely is so troublesome as your samples.
I think this is simply the personality of the lens.
Fast f.1.2 lenses can be like this. The shots remind me of the Canon 50mm .95 that I had a few years ago.
It gathered lots of light but was glowing until f2.
My honest advise is. Try using the lens on a real subject in the way it is intended.
Go out tonight and shoot at some subject in minimal light and with varying distances.
Don't be too disappointed Yalcin. It will be easy to sell if you don't love it. Cool

People love fast lenses.

no-X · Posted: Mon Oct 27, 2008 9:19 pm Post subject:

Attila · Expire: 2025-11-18

My copy was excellent.
http://www.mflenses.com/gallery/v/japenese/othermaker/ports_55mm_f1_2/

no-X · Posted: Mon Oct 27, 2008 10:13 pm Post subject:

What body did you use?

Attila · Expire: 2025-11-18

Olympus E-1 or Olympus E-300

yalcinaydin · Joined: 20 May 2008 Posts: 825 Location: Izmir, Turkey

patrickh · Expire: 2011-11-18

Works for me - I would keep it

patrickh

yalcinaydin · Joined: 20 May 2008 Posts: 825 Location: Izmir, Turkey

http://www.flickr.com/photos/yalcinaydin/sets/72157608422358642/

no-X · Posted: Tue Oct 28, 2008 10:01 am Post subject:

Very pleasant bokeh.

Anyway, is there any comparision test between Tomioka 55/1.2 (M42), Porst 55/1.2 (PK, Cosina made) and Revueonon 55/1.2 (PK, Cosina made)? Or at least their optical designs?

As for Tomioka 55/1.2 (Yashinon pre-DS-M):

(Ultron with specific rear-part?)

yalcinaydin · Joined: 20 May 2008 Posts: 825 Location: Izmir, Turkey

And I'm selling it Smile

I guess this one will perform better on a Pentax body.

koji · Expire: 2012-12-27

I have the exactly same lens, and got adapter PK->EF. But EOS_5D mirrors
hits the rear of the lens (I have not done the shaving of 5D mirror yet).

I am going to use it with 350D for the time being. I will put up the results
if there is any presentable in here. Laughing

Pancolart · Expire: 2013-11-18

I have a theory about this lens. I have 6 samples. There are two versions: GOLD and BLUE coated. I made comparable tests and will submit results soon. I can already say that the small difference exists. Both are beautiful lenses for sure.

But what i wanted to point here is this: it seems to me that Pentax K10D when it automatically presses the lens aperture pin it also moves focusing mechanism a bit. So it plays with your adjustment physically. I didn't remove that pin yet. Does anyone have similar experience?

Anyway, Yaltsin there has a lemon.

Here is is sample photo, but the aparture i think was on 1:2. Colors adjusted of course and some other corrections too.

Ashley Pomeroy · Joined: 07 Jun 2009 Posts: 9

Ancient thread, but Google likes it. I have to say that when I read "I can finance it by selling my 2nd Rollei Planar 50/1.8 and Super Takumar 50/1.4" I thought that the original poster had made a horrible mistake; I have a Takumar 50 f/1.4 and a Porst Color Reflex, and the former is far better than the latter. The only fly in the ointment is that the Takumar cannot be modified to work properly on a Canon 5D, whereas the Porst can.

The problem is that the Porst is too characterful at f/1.2 for general use, and at f/2.0 it is no sharper than the Takumar (or my Yashinon 50mm f/1.4) at f/1.4, which means that it is essentially pointless except for the novelty of having an f/1.2 lens. It reminds me of the things I have read about Canon's EF 50mm f/1.0, which was very expensive but soft wide open and no sharper than the f/1.4 stopped down.

The extra light sensitivity and narrower depth of field are lost in the softness and haze. It would only be useful in low light if you could not get the shot at f/1.4 and ISO 3200 with an f/1.4 lens, at a slow shutter speed, braced against something.

"Too characterful" is a euphemism.

Having said that, I have found that at f/2.0 it is a useful soft focus portrait lens, e.g:

The soft effect is nice, and I keep the lens for that reason. It is my secret weapon. However the effect can be duplicated easily with Photoshop, and it is good form to start with a plain image and add effects later on, rather than start with an image that already has an effect built-in.

In practice I tend to use my Takumar 55 f/2.0 rather than any of the above, because it works fine on a Canon 5D and it's small and sharp.

Peterrr · Joined: 25 Jun 2008 Posts: 6

I got this lens for EUR 78 and converted it to fit to my EOS 40D. Didn't get infinity focus but at 1.2 it is sharp until about 7 meters and at 5.6 infinity focus works. Performance is impressive!