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Volna or Vega?
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PostPosted: Fri Nov 26, 2010 6:07 pm    Post subject: Volna or Vega? Reply with quote

As per subject: to (cheaply) satisfy some absolutely unjustified desire for a P-six/Kiev lens in the portrait focal length, which between Volna 3 and Vega 12B is better?

Thanks.


PostPosted: Fri Nov 26, 2010 7:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Vega should be better.. but the 'B' in Cyrillic (actually it reads as V in English) means it is Kiev/Salyut mount not P6.


PostPosted: Fri Nov 26, 2010 8:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Volna has a very different bokeh rendering.
I like my Vega.

If you are chasing a P6 mount, then the russian B is like a 6.


PostPosted: Fri Nov 26, 2010 9:28 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'm partial to the Vega as well. Both of mine are in Kiev 88 mount. One is an earlier make from 1975. It has copper blades (beautiful!), a lacquered black finish, and full click stops. The later version from '81 has your more typical aluminum grey blades, matte black finish, and half click stops.

Although the Vega is single coated I've found it to be much better with flare than the MC Volna, which is counter-intuitive. I suspect because the front element of the Vega is more recessed into the body and the Volna has a DOF lever and that opening allows light to spill into the lens. They are variations on the same optical design (biometar): Vega - http://araxfoto.com/lenses/vega-12/ Volna - http://araxfoto.com/lenses/arsat-standard/

Remember also that the Vega is a 90mm lens vs. the Volna which is 80mm. Both focus to 0.6m but because the Vega is slightly longer it will give you an edge in close focusing.


PostPosted: Fri Nov 26, 2010 9:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I had Vega only, very good lens.


PostPosted: Sat Nov 27, 2010 5:46 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thank you. I'll try to focus on Vega. As additional info, how much I lose in quality vs. the praised Jupiter 85/2 (obviously speed)?


PostPosted: Sat Nov 27, 2010 11:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

How much you'll lose?

Probably not a great deal. That being said, medium format lenses typically do not offer the highest resolution on smaller formats because they were simply designed for a bigger film which would deliver much better detail regardless. Though truthfully the difference would not be THAT striking.

Here are some examples from member Joosep: http://forum.mflenses.com/vega-12b-t26064,highlight,vega+12b.html
These are some of the best examples that I've seen from this lens (used on a smaller than designed format). Really amazing IMHO.

There are some other aspects to consider: The Vega 12 has a 6 bladed aperture, the Jupiter has 16. When stopped down, highlights will take these shapes. The Jupiter is a Sonnar design and the Vega is a double-gauss biometar design. These each carry their own set of optical characteristics.


PostPosted: Wed Dec 01, 2010 9:46 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

So, I'm hunting for a Vega, thanks.
By the way, in almost the same price category I also crossed Kaleinar 100 2.8 (Nikon mount): is it any good?


PostPosted: Wed Dec 01, 2010 12:31 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

enzodm wrote:
So, I'm hunting for a Vega, thanks.
By the way, in almost the same price category I also crossed Kaleinar 100 2.8 (Nikon mount): is it any good?


It's a damn nice portrait lens with perfect colors and rendering, but prone to flare in contra-light. Unfortunately, it's hard to come by in pristine condition as many (most?) samples were disassembled and vigorously cleaned, which left lots of tiny scratches on internal lens surfaces. I had four (4) samples, and only one was scratch free (it was also the only New In Box sample I had). Most Russian/Ukrainian sellers will never mention the scratches.