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XR Rikenon vs Yashica ML 50mm f2
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PostPosted: Mon Mar 20, 2023 12:03 pm    Post subject: XR Rikenon vs Yashica ML 50mm f2 Reply with quote
Here is a comparison between two similar lenses that could be among the top choices for newish 50mm f2 lenses.

It turns out there are some differences.


A small size difference and reversed focus and aperture ring direction. Both have the front cap on.

The ML has very smooth focus, the XR a bit stiff.

The ML also doesn't fit the adapter without pressing on parts with a screwdriver inside the adapter while mounting.




Image quality.

The XR has less contrast wide open. More bokeh character (busyness). And according to me more crisp sharpness wide open.

The ML is a bit harder to identify focus location. It might have affected the test shots.

These were taken hand held in a sloppy manner.

Sony a7.


First scene overview (XR)




#2 XR f2



#3 ML f2



#4 XR f5.6



#5 ML f5.6



Bokeh.

Here we see some interesting differences in character.

#6 XR bokeh



#7 ML Bokeh



#8 XR crop



#9 ML crop



#10 XR bokeh 2



#11 ML bokeh 2



Both are good and viable. But my personal favorite is the XR Rikenon.


PostPosted: Mon Mar 20, 2023 2:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
It always amazes me how little actual difference you see with these head to head tests. Especially the Yashica is a Planar 6/4 and the Rikenon an Ultron 6/5.


PostPosted: Mon Mar 20, 2023 4:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
blotafton wrote:

Image quality.

The XR has less contrast wide open. More bokeh character (busyness). And according to me more crisp sharpness wide open.
...
Both are good and viable.


Confirms what I had written earlier in another thread, after a two careful tests (not handheld !):

stevemark wrote:

Yesterday I've been looking at the Rikenon again. It's a good "modern" 2/50mm, but pretty much indistiguishable from other well known 2/50mm lenses such as Minolta MD-III or the Nikkor 2/50mm. Bokeh of these three is absolutely identical. Bokeh of the Yashica ML 2/50mm is slightly smoother (the latter is a [6/4] design).

S




D1N0 wrote:
It always amazes me how little actual difference you see with these head to head tests. Especially the Yashica is a Planar 6/4 and the Rikenon an Ultron 6/5.


... and there are even less differences between the Rikenon and the Minolta MD-III ...

S


PostPosted: Mon Mar 20, 2023 5:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
The tree bark looks more contrasty to me from the Yashica. In a more urban environment I would probably prefer the bokeh of the Rikenon that reminds me of paint strokes. I find it too busy though in this situation. The Yashica's bokeh is also not very soft under these conditions, but a bit less busy. So I think I would prefer the Yashica for landscapes, and the Rikenon for streets/ houses, interior etc.


PostPosted: Mon Mar 20, 2023 5:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
As observed in my test of the lens, Sony tends to slightly overexpose images taken with Rikenon XR. If you compensate the overexposure, the similarity in landscape shots might get even more evident.


PostPosted: Mon Mar 20, 2023 5:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Thanks to this test I could probably identify the lenses in a blind test by the small bokeh differences. The bokeh shape is slightly rounder on the Rikenon.




Quote:
The tree bark looks more contrasty to me from the Yashica. In a more urban environment I would probably prefer the bokeh of the Rikenon that reminds me of paint strokes. I find it too busy though in this situation. The Yashica's bokeh is also not very soft under these conditions, but a bit less busy. So I think I would prefer the Yashica for landscapes, and the Rikenon for streets/ houses, interior etc.



When looking closely the Yashica tree does seems to stand out more in the bokeh scene #2. That is a good image quality trait.


PostPosted: Mon Mar 20, 2023 6:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
For what its worth, a little comparison I did 5 years ago. http://forum.mflenses.com/new-comparison-50mm-and-55mm-lenses-t78854.html

As Alex ph says, it seems to overexpose somehow compared to other lenses, although this was on an Oly.


PostPosted: Mon Mar 20, 2023 8:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
alex ph wrote:
As observed in my test of the lens, Sony tends to slightly overexpose images taken with Rikenon XR. If you compensate the overexposure, the similarity in landscape shots might get even more evident.


Nice shots! Mine were a bit dark so I have increased exposure in Adobe Camera Raw to make it easier to pixelpeep. The metering mode was set to "Multi".


PostPosted: Mon Mar 20, 2023 8:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
caspert79 wrote:
For what its worth, a little comparison I did 5 years ago. http://forum.mflenses.com/new-comparison-50mm-and-55mm-lenses-t78854.html

As Alex ph says, it seems to overexpose somehow compared to other lenses, although this was on an Oly.


That is a good test that also shows color differences. I think I have seen it while researching lenses.


PostPosted: Wed Mar 22, 2023 8:46 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
I have a Rikenon XR 50/2 coming my way next week. I'm planning to test it against a few other 50mm lenses.


PostPosted: Wed Mar 22, 2023 9:29 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
I did a test a few years ago. I don't know if he showed it or not.
https://disk.yandex.ru/d/iFA8PlxdPgOQ3g


PostPosted: Wed Mar 22, 2023 4:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
@D1N0
Quote:
It always amazes me how little actual difference you see with these head to head tests.


.. and it does not really matter the brand in the end ..

I come to the next conclusion of having lenses at a certain length:
- 1 good modern lens,
- 1 ' vintage character' lens,
- and maybe 1 really small-compact-light for walks / cities / street, if the camera body is suited for such action.

Everything else is less time taking pictures and being visually creative.

Or profe$$ional.


PostPosted: Wed Mar 22, 2023 4:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
alex_d wrote:
@D1N0
Quote:
It always amazes me how little actual difference you see with these head to head tests.


.. and it does not really matter the brand in the end ..



Lokking at f2 and f1.8 lenses from the 1970-1985 time frame: for sure.

Other vintage lenses, especially at short (=superwide) and longer (>200mm) focal lengths, have quite visible differences: Some outstanding, some utterly crap. And yeah, I have been shooting with about 1000 different lenses on 24 MP FF.

S


PostPosted: Wed Mar 22, 2023 4:31 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
@stevemark

.. yes that.

extra super ultra duper wide: im not having a lot of them. A lot of 1 ..

anything longer than 85-isch on my aps is only to collect the dust, have a sun bath, and with occasional wet dream of turning the focus left - right ..


PostPosted: Wed Mar 22, 2023 4:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Quote:
Lokking at f2 and f1.8 lenses from the 1970-1985 time frame: for sure.


and to add; for an indoor / studio work it does not really matter (almost) what brand

only for outdoor work with a busy background is possible to see some dof differences.

i would prefer a Pareto equation, but unfortunately, its kinda ~ 98 / 2 %


PostPosted: Wed Mar 22, 2023 5:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
alex_d wrote:
Quote:
Lokking at f2 and f1.8 lenses from the 1970-1985 time frame: for sure.


and to add; for an indoor / studio work it does not really matter (almost) what brand

only for outdoor work with a busy background is possible to see some dof differences.

i would prefer a Pareto equation, but unfortunately, its kinda ~ 98 / 2 %


Sure? Here are two 100% crops from two Japanese 300mm prime lenses from around 1985. Both at f8. Both nicely built, both full metal MF lenses with conventional focusing (no IF lenses).
No busy backgrounds here Wink







To me, such differences do matter Wink. I'm regularly shooting with one of these two lenses.


PostPosted: Wed Mar 22, 2023 7:23 pm    Post subject: Re: XR Rikenon vs Yashica ML 50mm f2 Reply with quote
blotafton wrote:


The ML also doesn't fit the adapter without pressing on parts with a screwdriver inside the adapter while mounting.





My experience with a Fotga K/AR - NEX adapter that came with a Hexanon lens I bought on ebay was not a happy one, either. Scratchy though rather loose on the lens side, and then it simply wouldn´t want to connect with the camera bayonet. I threw it away in resignation and went for an adapter of another brand. So it´s probably the adapter that is the bad egg, not the lens.


PostPosted: Wed Mar 22, 2023 7:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
caspert79 wrote:
I have a Rikenon XR 50/2 coming my way next week. I'm planning to test it against a few other 50mm lenses.



Like 1 We should make a common thread where all the users can post samples.

sergun wrote:
I did a test a few years ago. I don't know if he showed it or not.
https://disk.yandex.ru/d/iFA8PlxdPgOQ3g


The Topcor have a nice bokeh shape. I like the complete highlight encirclement compared to the incomplete Takumar.


PostPosted: Wed Mar 22, 2023 7:52 pm    Post subject: Re: XR Rikenon vs Yashica ML 50mm f2 Reply with quote
ZuikosHexanonsandVivitars wrote:
blotafton wrote:


The ML also doesn't fit the adapter without pressing on parts with a screwdriver inside the adapter while mounting.





My experience with a Fotga K/AR - NEX adapter that came with a Hexanon lens I bought on ebay was not a happy one, either. Scratchy though rather loose on the lens side, and then it simply wouldn´t want to connect with the camera bayonet. I threw it away in resignation and went for an adapter of another brand. So it´s probably the adapter that is the bad egg, not the lens.


Yeah crappy adapter. My Zeiss lenses will fit with no issues so it's probably a tolerance issue. I must have chosen those specific adapters because they were the cheapest on ebay.


PostPosted: Wed Mar 22, 2023 8:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I settled with K&F adapters for most of my lenses. Also a few Photodiox Pro. Quite happy with them. Cheap adapters gave me headaches often.


PostPosted: Wed Mar 22, 2023 9:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
@stevemark

yes, ~98% as I wrote. but in the case of those ~50-ish from '70-'80.

distance as for portraiture, studio/indoor and outside as a park / woods / sth busy in the background (read back, "DOF")- to be more precise about what I meant.


PostPosted: Thu Mar 23, 2023 5:05 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
I found my Rikenon 2/50, it's the little pancake one, half the size of the XR version:

https://www.pentaxforums.com/userreviews/ricoh-rikenon-50mm-f-2.html

[img]https://www.pentaxforums.com/userreviews/showfull.php?product=1192&bigimage=IMGP9548.jpg[/img]

Even wide open, it's a sharp little thing:




Bokeh is quite pleasant



PostPosted: Thu Mar 23, 2023 6:49 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
@Ian

Pretty good indeed!


PostPosted: Thu Mar 23, 2023 12:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Yeah, it's a good all-rounder, mfd is a bit long at 0.6m though. These are wide open on my OM-D E-M5 which is rather demanding of lens resolving power:


#1


#2


#3


PostPosted: Thu Mar 23, 2023 1:58 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Inspecting similarities between the Auto Rikenon and XR Rikenon.



#1


#2


#3


#4
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