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Domiron 50mm f/2
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PostPosted: Mon Sep 09, 2019 10:59 pm    Post subject: Domiron 50mm f/2 Reply with quote

I found a very cheap Domiron lens with fungus. Even with the fungus I'm very impressed with it. It has a bit of 3d pop and really good sharpness stopped down.
See what you think.


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PostPosted: Tue Sep 10, 2019 6:51 am    Post subject: Re: Domiron 50mm f/2 Reply with quote

blotafton wrote:
I found a very cheap Domiron lens with fungus. Even with the fungus I'm very impressed with it. It has a bit of 3d pop and really good sharpness stopped down.
See what you think.


Your results wide open reminded me of the Helios-44, I see both lenses have similar optical construction Wink

Very nice Smile


PostPosted: Tue Sep 10, 2019 7:20 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Like 1


PostPosted: Tue Sep 10, 2019 11:09 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

looks like a Domiplan on steroids


PostPosted: Tue Sep 10, 2019 9:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Looks excellent!

This is a lens I'd love to own, but I'm not paying collector prices. Congrats on your find.


PostPosted: Wed Sep 11, 2019 10:51 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Like 1 Complete underestemated lens


PostPosted: Wed Sep 11, 2019 1:31 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks guys. Compared to the Helios 44 this lens has more "character" at f/2. I'm not sure about stopped down but I think the Domiron might have better edge sharpness.

Yes haha, a very beefed up Domiplan. The size was actually a surprise, the barrel is a lot bigger than the optics. Like a 1.2 lens.

I wonder how Meyer-Optik Görlitz could make so many special lenses.


PostPosted: Wed Sep 11, 2019 2:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Like 1 Like 1


PostPosted: Wed Sep 11, 2019 7:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

blotafton wrote:
Thanks guys. Compared to the Helios 44 this lens has more "character" at f/2. I'm not sure about stopped down but I think the Domiron might have better edge sharpness.

Yes haha, a very beefed up Domiplan. The size was actually a surprise, the barrel is a lot bigger than the optics. Like a 1.2 lens.

I wonder how Meyer-Optik Görlitz could make so many special lenses.


According to http://zeissikonveb.de, the Domiron 2/50 was manufactured as a "high quality lens for the international market" - which was seen by Zeiss Jena as an unfriendly act: Soon, Meyer Görlitz was deprived of the high quality JENA Glass used for the Domiron, and had to stop its production.

Here's the glass used for the Domiron 2/50mm, taken from patent literature:


Stephan


PostPosted: Wed Sep 11, 2019 11:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Very nice sample pictures. Does have the 3d pop up effect.


PostPosted: Thu Sep 12, 2019 9:45 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

stevemark wrote:
blotafton wrote:
Thanks guys. Compared to the Helios 44 this lens has more "character" at f/2. I'm not sure about stopped down but I think the Domiron might have better edge sharpness.

Yes haha, a very beefed up Domiplan. The size was actually a surprise, the barrel is a lot bigger than the optics. Like a 1.2 lens.

I wonder how Meyer-Optik Görlitz could make so many special lenses.


According to http://zeissikonveb.de, the Domiron 2/50 was manufactured as a "high quality lens for the international market" - which was seen by Zeiss Jena as an unfriendly act: Soon, Meyer Görlitz was deprived of the high quality JENA Glass used for the Domiron, and had to stop its production.

Here's the glass used for the Domiron 2/50mm, taken from patent literature:


Stephan


Nice bit of history there, thanks.


PostPosted: Fri Sep 13, 2019 9:31 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yes that piece of history is interesting. So when they developed the Oreston 50mm f/1.8 were they still forced to use lower quality glass?


PostPosted: Fri Sep 13, 2019 1:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

blotafton wrote:
Yes that piece of history is interesting. So when they developed the Oreston 50mm f/1.8 were they still forced to use lower quality glass?


The Domiron 2/50mm had been built only for a few months during 1961.

The Oreston 1.8/50mm, presented 1965 in at the Leipzig fair, was made for the Praktica Nova. This SLR was the first Praktica SLR to be built in high numbers (up to 50 cameras per hour), and therefore lots of normal lenses were needed. Suddenly Meyer was part of the game again. I have never used or tested a Domiron nor an Oreston, but it seems that the first 1965 version of the Oreston 1.8/50mm was fairly well made (somehow inferior to the Zeiss Jena Pancolar 1.8/50mm). The later version of the Oreston 1.8/50mm (1969) was changed; two of the lenses now had a more pronounced curvature. This may indicate the use of glass with lower index (=cheaper), but i haven't found any detailed information about these lenses yet.

Later, the Meyer Oreston 1.8/50mm was re-named to "Pentacon Prakticar 1.8/50mm", while the Zeiss Jena Pancolar was renamed to "Zeiss Jena Prakticar 1.8/50mm". Slightly confusing, for sure.

S


PostPosted: Sat Sep 14, 2019 6:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I have an early Oreston 50 and a couple Pentacon 50s, and they are slightly different.

I'll have to examine them more closely now to see just how much different.

I've always thought the Oreston was better in a general sense, but I was never sure whether it was merely my own bias. The Oreston is certainly a much nicer looking lens.


PostPosted: Tue Nov 01, 2022 3:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

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PostPosted: Tue Nov 01, 2022 3:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Like 1 Like 1 small


PostPosted: Tue Nov 01, 2022 4:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Every time I see pictures from this lens I really like them.


PostPosted: Tue Nov 01, 2022 7:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Very nice bokeh and ditto rendering.


PostPosted: Tue Nov 01, 2022 8:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I was looking which adjective to use to describe your photos. Exquisite.


PostPosted: Wed Nov 02, 2022 1:30 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thank you very much, friends.
Another piece of summer:


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PostPosted: Wed Nov 02, 2022 2:05 am    Post subject: Re: Domiron 50mm f/2 Reply with quote

[quote="blotafton"]I found a very cheap Domiron lens with fungus. Even with the fungus I'm very impressed with it. It has a bit of 3d pop and really good sharpness stopped down.
See what you think.


Like 1


PostPosted: Wed Nov 02, 2022 7:59 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Do not know this lens but sure it shines in your hands. Like 1


PostPosted: Wed Nov 02, 2022 8:18 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

lumens pixel wrote:
Do not know this lens but sure it shines in your hands. Like 1


Thanks, that's great to hear


PostPosted: Wed Nov 02, 2022 11:50 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Great shots! Love the bokeh. Like 1


PostPosted: Wed Nov 02, 2022 12:19 pm    Post subject: Re: Domiron 50mm f/2 Reply with quote

kypfer wrote:
blotafton wrote:
I found a very cheap Domiron lens with fungus. Even with the fungus I'm very impressed with it. It has a bit of 3d pop and really good sharpness stopped down.
See what you think.


Your results wide open reminded me of the Helios-44, I see both lenses have similar optical construction Wink

Very nice Smile


Many, many lenses of that focal length and aperture are the same double gauss 6/4 formula. But the Helios and the Domiron are very different beasties in terms of rendering. The Domiron uses a very highly refractive glass, and therefore has different element parameters. Other lenses which use this 6/4 configuration are all the Biotars, the Kodak Ektar 47mm f2, 50mm f2 Nikkor, Pentacon 50mm f1.8, Zeiss Pancolar 50mm f1.8 and f2, Xenon f2 and f1.9, and on and on and on. These lenses can and do render very differently, depending on the element glasses, curvatures, thicknesses and spacings. The Domiron is pretty unique, in that it is spherically overcorrected at distance, giving very brightly ringed OOF elements. The Helios is much smoother and because of field curvature has swirly bokeh, which the Domiron absolutely lacks.