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Russian Summicron?
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PostPosted: Tue Sep 25, 2012 12:18 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Several months ago, I bought a Helios 103 with adaptor (camera block attached to L39>NEX adaptor) for $49 for both from ebay and it works well. I even bought a J8 lens from 1950 that I love. I prefer the J8 to the H103, which is soft wide open. I wouldn't have considered buying the J8 without having the Kiev>NEX adapter. I find focusing with both is easy on a 5N.


PostPosted: Tue Sep 25, 2012 12:56 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
CBokeh wrote:
Several months ago, I bought a Helios 103 with adaptor (camera block attached to L39>NEX adaptor) for $49 for both from ebay and it works well. I even bought a J8 lens from 1950 that I love. I prefer the J8 to the H103, which is soft wide open. I wouldn't have considered buying the J8 without having the Kiev>NEX adapter. I find focusing with both is easy on a 5N.


I like using my Kiev J8 and J8M on the NEX too, I have an adapter made from a broken Kiev, the focusing is much smoother and easier than with my M39 J8s.


PostPosted: Tue Sep 25, 2012 10:31 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
For me converting the helios-103 to l39 is just not worthed.
The latest Jupiter 8m has similar sharpness and contrast and way better in background rendering.


PostPosted: Tue Sep 25, 2012 10:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
The reputation of the Helios-103 seems to be very mixed
Some guys on the RFF said that it's somwhat better than J8M while others like here say that the J-8 is better
A quality spreading problem? I guess yes
http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=29482
(they are also arguing a lot about the Helios-103 bokeh but actually the bokeh isn't thaaat bad from all the example I've seen and the Jupiter-8 Sonnar bokeh can be in fact also very distracting wide open)

iangreenhalgh1 wrote:
I like using my Kiev J8 and J8M on the NEX too, I have an adapter made from a broken Kiev, the focusing is much smoother and easier than with my M39 J8s.

Cool! Did you build it on your own. Sound very interesting. Please could you post a pic of your adapter?


PostPosted: Wed Sep 26, 2012 7:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Found that interesting thread about Contax --> LTM convesion:
http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=99587


PostPosted: Wed Sep 26, 2012 7:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Quote:
Cool! Did you build it on your own. Sound very interesting. Please could you post a pic of your adapter?


Someone already explained and showed photos here :
http://forum.mflenses.com/diy-adapter-for-contax-rf-inner-mount-t49091.html
(well, that's for 4/3, but it's quite the same for Nex, just use adapter Pen(F) -> Nex like kuuan did)

Quote:
The reputation of the Helios-103 seems to be very mixed
Some guys on the RFF said that it's somwhat better than J8M while others like here say that the J-8 is better


I think it's the case for almost all soviet lenses.


And like Ian, I'm owning such adapter, and it's very pleasant to use it, focusing is very smooth.


PostPosted: Wed Sep 26, 2012 8:20 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
My adapter is the one Attila is selling, he posted a thread about it with pics.

You know, I've never found the Jupiters to have harsh bokeh at all, wide open they are always creamy smooth, even at f4 they are still smooth as a baby's bum. Industars however can look a bit busy.

J8 wide open, super smooooooth... Smile



PostPosted: Wed Sep 26, 2012 11:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
As I had very bad luck the last 3 times with the J-8 (1x broken, 1x fungus, 1x bad haptics), maybe I will have luck with this time with the H-103 Smile
The helicoid-tube of this one: http://www.ebay.de/itm/M42-M39-L39-X13-5mm-Helicoid-tube-M39-L39-NEX-Mount-Flange-/251157224892?pt=US_Filter_Rings_Holders&hash=item3a7a231dbc might work very nice as a base to make an LTM version with RF coupling!


PostPosted: Wed Sep 26, 2012 11:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Click here to see on Ebay

I sell this adapter made by a local professional repair man. Looks expensive, but if count cost of parts + labor not expensive at all, especially if you count how many cheaper and many times better lenses you able to use than Leica screw mount one.

I am very happy with my investment I can use many less expensive Contax lenses like Sonnar 5cm lenses + whole scale of Russians except J12 on NEX.


PostPosted: Thu Sep 27, 2012 12:08 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
ForenSeil wrote:
The helicoid-tube of this one: http://www.ebay.de/itm/M42-M39-L39-X13-5mm-Helicoid-tube-M39-L39-NEX-Mount-Flange-/251157224892?pt=US_Filter_Rings_Holders&hash=item3a7a231dbc might work very nice as a base to make an LTM version with RF coupling!


I had looked at this adapter before I bought the Kiev>Nex and decided against the one in your link because with all of those surfaces, the liklihood of an attached lens sitting perfectly parrallel to the focal plane would have to be almost nothing-- IMO. Though there is a lot of flexibility with all of those bits and pieces, the less surfaces, the better your chances of having your lens in focus, I suspect.

Also, you can buy an M42>NEX helicoid and an L39>m42 from ebay for substantially cheaper than the cost of the one you've linked. I went that route myself.


PostPosted: Thu Sep 27, 2012 9:02 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
And what about the little brother of the H103 ?

Given for 46 lp/mm in the center,


(all these lens are untested yet, due to the lack of an adapter)

6/4





PostPosted: Tue Oct 02, 2012 10:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Isn't the Helios-94 the standard lens for the Kiev 5 and won't fit other Kievs?

My Helios arrived today. Did a quick test in so-so light, samples have no sharpening and only PP was auto contrast in photoshop, necessary due to the gray overcast conditions.

It's how I expected - a sharp lens with strong contrast, has a modern look to it, whereas the J8 has a vintage look.

I just bought a 1.5/50 Sonnar so I expect the J-8 and H-103 will not get much use anymore.


#1

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Last edited by iangreenhalgh1 on Wed Oct 03, 2012 12:29 am; edited 2 times in total


PostPosted: Tue Oct 02, 2012 10:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I like result Ian good as than Summicron.


PostPosted: Tue Oct 02, 2012 11:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Cheers. I think it's very good stopped down, I had a few soft shots wide open, but also a couple of sharp wide open ones too.

I bought this to use on film with my Kiev, I will try it for that tomorrow, weather allowing.


PostPosted: Wed Oct 03, 2012 8:00 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
So here is mine contribution, straight convert from RAW to JPG NO PP.

Processed images are here

Click on each images to get 1600px wide images.

WIDE OPEN

#1

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F8


#1

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PostPosted: Wed Oct 03, 2012 10:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
You did better with yours than I did with mine, congrats. Smile

I need some of your sunlight to play with! Sad


PostPosted: Wed Oct 03, 2012 10:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
iangreenhalgh1 wrote:
You did better with yours than I did with mine, congrats. Smile

I need some of your sunlight to play with! Sad


Light is strongest factor Sad


PostPosted: Wed Oct 03, 2012 10:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
You are very modest my friend, skill also helps Wink


PostPosted: Fri Oct 05, 2012 7:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I tried this lens again today, still no sunlight to work with, just dull overcast.

It's incredibly sharp at f2.8, f4 and f8. Bokeh at f2.8 and f4 is very nice, contrast is always strong apart from wide open.

I'm really liking this lens.

f1.8:

#1

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f2.8:

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#7 100% crop

#8 100% crop sharpened, scary sharp

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f4:

#11

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f8:

#15

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#20 100% crop:

#21


PostPosted: Fri Oct 05, 2012 7:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Amazing lens , right. With PP even crap light can perform very well.


PostPosted: Fri Oct 05, 2012 7:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Capable in crap light is big thing for me, due to scarcity of good light here.


PostPosted: Fri Oct 05, 2012 9:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
You copy seems to have a pretty high resolution indeed.

My copy arrived today, it has some particles inside but it's in great cosmetical shape. An broken Kiev for slaughtering for making an adapter is still on the way.


iangreenhalgh1 wrote:
Capable in crap light is big thing for me, due to scarcity of good light here.


I truly feel with you, my city, as on the coast and trapped between baltic sea and north sea, has also less then 1500h sun during the whole year and only a grey sky most of the time and a very wet, dull and grey winter (very similar to London etc.)

The answers I found so far are black&white conversion with silver efex, ISO400 film wich is not very sensitive to blue, sky filters, contrasty lenses, warm tone paper developer, measuring ambient light with lightmeter, or my favourite solution is simply shooting indoors Wink

Last edited by ForenSeil on Sat Oct 06, 2012 3:22 am; edited 1 time in total


PostPosted: Sat Oct 06, 2012 12:25 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
BW film seems to be the best solution in bad light, but even that has it's limits. Sad

I think the 55lp/mm figure quoted for this lens is probably accurate, it's certainly sharper than many other 50mm lenses I've tried.

Also, the supposedly lower distortion from a symmetrical lens design seems to be true too, I made this shot from 13 exposures stitched together, the distortion in the stitched result was less than I have seen from most other lenses and I had to do only minor correction in photoshop of the remaining distortion.



PostPosted: Tue Oct 09, 2012 5:06 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Some more shots with the Helios, mostly stitched panos. Really liking the sharpness at f8 and the lack of distortion, makes it a really good lens for doing stitched shots.

http://forum.mflenses.com/a-walk-before-sunset-with-helios-103-and-nex-3-t53424.html
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