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A giant Soviet lens for sale
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PostPosted: Mon Nov 11, 2019 11:15 pm    Post subject: A giant Soviet lens for sale Reply with quote



https://auction.catawiki.com/kavels/29979177


PostPosted: Mon Nov 11, 2019 11:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I presume, it is not big enough for this forum! Laugh 1 Here we were discussing some bigger ones.


PostPosted: Tue Nov 12, 2019 5:52 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Cheers, this will integrate perfectly with my future missile guidance system for when the world goes to $h1t. Like 1


PostPosted: Tue Nov 12, 2019 7:40 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Well, once upon the time Russia had the Czar Cannon and the Czar Bell. Why not to have the Czar Lens?


PostPosted: Tue Nov 12, 2019 2:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

It would work very well in my new parlor, a conversation piece and a seat by the coffee table if need be.


PostPosted: Tue Nov 12, 2019 2:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

What's the minimum focussing distance on that beast? Australia?


PostPosted: Tue Nov 12, 2019 3:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The lens barrel appears to be a reused outer tub from a Soviet front-loading washing machine. Laugh 1


PostPosted: Tue Nov 12, 2019 3:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Gerald wrote:
The lens barrel appears to be a reused outer tub from a Soviet front-loading washing machine

There were no Soviet front-loading washing machines.
Well, there was one, but it was a licensed copy of Italian Merloni (now Indesit), so probably no Rolling Eyes


PostPosted: Tue Nov 12, 2019 5:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

You could mount this to a cubevan in a camera obscura arrangement.


Or turn it into a spotting scope or telescope.
I wonder what the image circle and back focus distance are....

Quote:
This concerns a lens carried by a YANTAR-2K (Fenix) satellite of the Soviet Union. The Yantar project started in 1964 to replace the Zenith satellite. The Yantar satellite was used for espionage during the Cold War.

Thirty Yantar-2K satellites have been launched, each with a flying time of thirty days. Two launches failed, amongst others, the ‘Fenix no. 1’.

It consisted of three parts, of which one, the ‘landing and camera system module OSA’ was recuperated and could be recycled three times. The camera system that was in the OSA was titled ‘Zhemchung 4’ and this is what this lens was used in.

This lens was used three times and was sent for storage afterwards.

The case is 66 x 66 x 147 cm and the lens has a 42 cm diameter, a 132 cm length. It weighs 158 kilograms. The combined weight of lens and case is 188 kilograms.

The lens consists of various parts. The front part has a 40 cm diameter and the last has a 23 cm diameter. It contains three collimator modules. The middle has a diaphragm that can be adjusted with the use of the red rotary knob.

All pictured in the photos and documents.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yantar-2K
http://www.milsatmagazine.com/story.php?number=30747315
Quote:
The first version was Zenit 2 (there was no Zenit 1) and it carried an SA-10 camera, an SA-20 camera, a Kust 12M electronic intelligence gathering radio package as well as the Baikal photo-television device. Following the poor performance of the Baikal device, the Ftor-2P package was installed, which incorporated the camera equipment and provided 60x60km images with a resolution of 10 to 15m.

The Zenit 4MKT version, also known as Fram, carried the Priroda 3 Earth resources camera system which took multi-spectral photographs on black and white and spectro-zonal film with a resolution of 20 to 30m.


https://kosmofoto.com/2019/11/soviet-spy-satellite-lens-for-sale/
Quote:
Zhemchug-4 lens – a lens sent into space in the Soviet Union’s Yantar-2K spy satellites, which were used from the mid 1970s until the later years of the Cold War.

The Zemchug-4 comes in its original storage case. It measures 4.5ft long and around 1.5ft wide and – bear this in mind if you’re planning to take it up the stairs – weighs in at 348lb (158kg). The focal length is believed to be between 3000mm and 4000mm.


http://www.astronautix.com/y/yantar-2k.html
http://www.svengrahn.pp.se/histind/Recces/fourth.htm

Sadly, I couldn't find any details on the camera WRT back focus and image circle.


Last edited by Lightshow on Tue Nov 12, 2019 5:36 pm; edited 1 time in total


PostPosted: Tue Nov 12, 2019 5:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Go big or go home?


PostPosted: Tue Nov 12, 2019 5:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Was there a factory adapter to my Olympus Pen F? /j


PostPosted: Tue Nov 12, 2019 6:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The Zhemchug-4 lens is smaller (the terms smaller is relative, yes?)

Big one is 42cm diameter, that's over 16 inches!!! A shirt-pocket lens...


PostPosted: Fri Nov 15, 2019 10:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Apart form the size rendering it practically almost unusable manually, the lens is, I suppose, calculated for operation in open space (in vacuum, different refractive index).
Maybe it went into orbit, so it is an object for a museum or collection.


PostPosted: Sat Nov 16, 2019 9:07 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

jamaeolus wrote:
Was there a factory adapter to my Olympus Pen F? /j



I think there was one for the Pentax Q.


PostPosted: Sat Nov 16, 2019 2:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

By my calculations it should fit in the back of my car & probably cover 5x4.
The big issue is finding a portable tripod that can hold it steady.
Friends


PostPosted: Tue Nov 19, 2019 1:03 pm    Post subject: Nearby alternative Reply with quote

For high resolution macro, this could be a huge solution too.
Probably more into UV spectrum though.

https://www.iveindhoven.com/article/nikon-semiconductor-lens


PostPosted: Thu Nov 21, 2019 10:00 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

macheck wrote:
Apart form the size rendering it practically almost unusable manually, the lens is, I suppose, calculated for operation in open space (in vacuum, different refractive index).
Maybe it went into orbit, so it is an object for a museum or collection.


The refractive index of air and vacuum are nearly the same. Vacuum exact 1. Air about 1.000292.
I think I read in lens design books or workshops that difference normaly does not matter.

The usability is mainly limited due to the weight, but remember that Zeiss 1700mm f/4 lens. This is more or less a longer focal version of that Smile


PostPosted: Thu Nov 21, 2019 5:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

ZoneV wrote:
macheck wrote:
Apart form the size rendering it practically almost unusable manually, the lens is, I suppose, calculated for operation in open space (in vacuum, different refractive index).
Maybe it went into orbit, so it is an object for a museum or collection.


The refractive index of air and vacuum are nearly the same. Vacuum exact 1. Air about 1.000292.
I think I read in lens design books or workshops that difference normaly does not matter.

The usability is mainly limited due to the weight, but remember that Zeiss 1700mm f/4 lens. This is more or less a longer focal version of that Smile


F/4 lens with 42cm front element is what focal length? Smile

Refractive index difference between air (and vacuum) and water is quite another story...


PostPosted: Thu Nov 21, 2019 6:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

visualopsins wrote:
ZoneV wrote:
macheck wrote:
Apart form the size rendering it practically almost unusable manually, the lens is, I suppose, calculated for operation in open space (in vacuum, different refractive index).
Maybe it went into orbit, so it is an object for a museum or collection.


The refractive index of air and vacuum are nearly the same. Vacuum exact 1. Air about 1.000292.
I think I read in lens design books or workshops that difference normaly does not matter.

The usability is mainly limited due to the weight, but remember that Zeiss 1700mm f/4 lens. This is more or less a longer focal version of that Smile


F/4 lens with 42cm front element is what focal length? Smile

Refractive index difference between air (and vacuum) and water is quite another story...


Pure water has a refractive index if 1.333 so the difference is only a little more than 1000x greater Smile


PostPosted: Thu Nov 21, 2019 8:02 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

This lens was designed to take, I say usable, pictures of very distant objects, I wonder if only a slight difference of refractive index (vacuum in comparison to air) does not matter.


PostPosted: Mon Nov 25, 2019 8:36 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

macheck wrote:
This lens was designed to take, I say usable, pictures of very distant objects, I wonder if only a slight difference of refractive index (vacuum in comparison to air) does not matter.


According to this Wikipedia it is estimated to have 3 to 4 meter focal length, so quite a slow lens with ~f/7.5 to 10.
It is possible, that the lens is very highly corrected, but I suppose the camera is not a multichannel one with extra infrared channel. As with the Zeiss Pinatar lens it could be that some special glass materials are not used due to shock, vibration, thermal considerations, so a more complex setup with more stable glass.
For very high end lenses the refractive index of the used glass is determined with that accuracy of the refractive indexes given above.
But still I think the refractive index difference will be likely less a problem than for example the use today with different film material or adaption issues.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yantar-2K
Interesting news there - seems the complete camera with lens normally reenters into the orbit to be reused! So there could be several of this lenses in used state around Smile