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55/58mm comparison: incredible Petri surprise!
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PostPosted: Fri Oct 06, 2023 2:13 pm    Post subject: 55/58mm comparison: incredible Petri surprise! Reply with quote
OK, I decided to compare my Mamiya 58/1.7 against a few 55mm lenses (I don't have other 58mm lenses currently).
Let's see how they do as a landscape lens @ infinity. Let me say upfront, that I believe that my Super Takumar has some issues. The opposite corners looked sharper than the corners in the comparison. Also, in the bokeh test, the contrast at wider apertures is worse than it should be IMO.

comparisonA by devoscasper, on Flickr
comparisonB by devoscasper, on Flickr

The Petri has about the best corner performance of any standard lens I've ever tested. It's at a similar level as the last version of the Zuiko 50/1.4, Wide open already very good resolution in the corners. @f/2.8 corners would probably look perfect on a 24mp camera. @f4, the corners look as sharp as the center on the Sony A7R2 (42+ mp), which is frankly incredible. It easily beats the Mamiya 55/1.8 in the corners, which is a very sharp lens.

Then, a bokeh test:
bokehcomparison by devoscasper, on Flickr

Bokeh looks quite attractive to me of all lenses. The Mamiya 58mm has a bit of a benefit, having a slightly longer focal length; it's also pretty fast. Softest bokeh to my eyes (or most boring as some may call it Wink) comes from the slowest lens of the bunch: the Minolta Rokkor-PF 55mm f/2. I find this lens incredibly well rounded: it's not the very best at everything, but it always delivers amazing images; and with great bokeh! Decide for yourself which one you like most. The issue is, that bokeh acts differently under different circumstances.

Let's look at the crops, which give an idea how the lenses perform at 60cm from the subject:
centercropcomparison60cm by devoscasper, on Flickr

The Mamiya lenses deliver the most punchy images wide open; this is a bit of a weaker point of the Petri. As stated before, I believe there's something wrong with my particular Takumar.
For some reason, focus seems to be a bit of with the Rokkor-PF @ f/5.6 (probably my mistake).


PostPosted: Fri Oct 06, 2023 3:00 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Thanks for doing that comparison @caspert79, I must take some more pics with my petri 55mm.


PostPosted: Fri Oct 06, 2023 3:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Price of the Petri will rise shortly Laugh 1

Thanks for sharing


PostPosted: Fri Oct 06, 2023 6:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Ultrapix wrote:
Price of the Petri will rise shortly Laugh 1

Thanks for sharing

Luckily there are plenty of Carenar and Exaktar rebrands available.


PostPosted: Fri Oct 06, 2023 6:31 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
caspert79 wrote:
OK, I decided to compare my Mamiya 58/1.7 against a few 55mm lenses (I don't have other 58mm lenses currently).
...

As stated before, I believe there's something wrong with my particular Takumar.


Not necessarily. I have made similar bad experiences with the Super Takumar 1.4/50mm. Two samples tested, with identical low performance. And, BTW, a third 1.4/50mm [8L] tested with almost identical performance too (apart from the yellowing of course which is unique to the radioactive 7L version).

S


PostPosted: Fri Oct 06, 2023 7:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
All Petris with the exception of the 55/1.8 bayonet mounts have become scarce, at least on the auction site.
Same with Carenar and Exaktar versions.


PostPosted: Fri Oct 06, 2023 7:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Good comparison, whats different?

I assume most of these lenses are planars or derivatives? what is the petri?

Would love to see a Contax / Zeiss Planar in there.......


PostPosted: Fri Oct 06, 2023 8:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Advaita wrote:
All Petris with the exception of the 55/1.8 bayonet mounts have become scarce, at least on the auction site.
Same with Carenar and Exaktar versions.
F1.7 is supposed to be the same optics.


PostPosted: Fri Oct 06, 2023 8:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
fwiw.....

https://35hunter.blog/2020/07/10/petri-cc-auto-55mm-f-1-8-m42-lens-first-thoughts/

Came back with a different conclusion with the tak winning. Here the Tak may have had some issues.


PostPosted: Fri Oct 06, 2023 9:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
A good result for the Petri lens, and maybe the price will rise haha. I have dozens of them, being a Petri fan for reasons unrelated to popularfity. I am surprised at the poor result for the Takumar lens, other online (modern) testing has shown very good results, such that I have treated it as a known quantity and not examined it too closely myself.


PostPosted: Sat Oct 07, 2023 4:49 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Alun Thomas wrote:
A good result for the Petri lens, and maybe the price will rise haha. I have dozens of them, being a Petri fan for reasons unrelated to popularfity. I am surprised at the poor result for the Takumar lens, other online (modern) testing has shown very good results, such that I have treated it as a known quantity and not examined it too closely myself.


I’m pretty sure the Tak should perform better. I recently took out the older Takumar 55/2, which is optically the same I believe, with better (and quite satisfying) results imo: https://www.flickr.com/gp/55691955@N05/P0S14q3hr1

Also, see Christopher Frost’s review:

https://youtu.be/OOtELtI2U50?si=XISDoVDqu-pbLnJT

My Super Takumar showed asymmetrical performance, which is an indicator that something’s off.


PostPosted: Sat Oct 07, 2023 10:25 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
The super-takumar is likely decentered. That corner should have cleared up much more and much faster.


PostPosted: Sun Oct 08, 2023 2:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Pancolart wrote:
Advaita wrote:
All Petris with the exception of the 55/1.8 bayonet mounts have become scarce, at least on the auction site.
Same with Carenar and Exaktar versions.
F1.7 is supposed to be the same optics.


On the other hand the original Petri 55mm 1.8 has some optical design versions so what to get?

https://spiral-m42.blogspot.com/2017/04/petri-camera-petri-55mm-f18.html


PostPosted: Sun Oct 08, 2023 2:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Ernst Dinkla wrote:
Pancolart wrote:
Advaita wrote:
All Petris with the exception of the 55/1.8 bayonet mounts have become scarce, at least on the auction site.
Same with Carenar and Exaktar versions.
F1.7 is supposed to be the same optics.


On the other hand the original Petri 55mm 1.8 has some optical design versions so what to get?

https://spiral-m42.blogspot.com/2017/04/petri-camera-petri-55mm-f18.html


Interesting. The one I’ve tested is excaclty like the one on the top picture, following your link. I guess it’s a newer model and mine is M42.


PostPosted: Sun Oct 08, 2023 4:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Funny how someone have compared different Petri lenses, and her copy of that Petri (with the white focusing ring) was terrible in comparison to the all black variant. I figured it must be copy variation, and this proves it. Good to know.


PostPosted: Sun Oct 08, 2023 11:02 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
That's some sharpness performance. I think you're right about the bokeh being softest on Rokkor PF f/2. In my limited experience, I have found my share of vintage 50mm SLR lenses at this FL having similar enough 'rough' appearance - nervousness, outlining, swirl to some extent.


PostPosted: Mon Oct 09, 2023 1:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
caspert79 wrote:
Ernst Dinkla wrote:
Pancolart wrote:
Advaita wrote:
All Petris with the exception of the 55/1.8 bayonet mounts have become scarce, at least on the auction site.
Same with Carenar and Exaktar versions.
F1.7 is supposed to be the same optics.


On the other hand the original Petri 55mm 1.8 has some optical design versions so what to get?

https://spiral-m42.blogspot.com/2017/04/petri-camera-petri-55mm-f18.html


Interesting. The one I’ve tested is excaclty like the one on the top picture, following your link. I guess it’s a newer model and mine is M42.


So the 'early' new model of the 1.8. According the page there it should contain Thorium traces in the glass. Did you clean it with UV light?

Another page on the Petri 55mm 2.0 versions indicates that they are optically identical to the 1.8 versions, old-new, but the apertures were limited to 2.0 on Petri cameras while adapted the 1.8 opening is possible but not with the 'Auto' model.
https://spiral-m42.blogspot.com/search/label/PETRI?updated-max=2020-05-03T18:38:00%2B09:00&max-results=20&start=4&by-date=false

I have only one Petri lens, a salvaged 45mm 1.8 of a Petri 7 rangefinder. Horrible 8 blades aperture construction that seems to get in disorder on more cameras. Made me a bit reluctant to acquire more Petri stuff. But the company made some odd optical designs that are interesting.

Last edited by Ernst Dinkla on Wed Oct 11, 2023 7:48 am; edited 1 time in total


PostPosted: Mon Oct 09, 2023 4:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Ernst Dinkla wrote:

So the 'early' new model of the 1.8. According the page there it should contain Thorium traces in the glass. Did you clean it with UV light?


No, I didn’t, there seems to be no yellowing. Maybe this is another lens featuring lanthanum glass with some trace amounts of thorium in it.


PostPosted: Tue Oct 10, 2023 10:51 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Managed to adapt it Nikon with infinity. Just about everything needed to be modified internally. Especially aperture use was problematic since connection interferes with new mount moved closer to optical system. But after all a possible mod.




PostPosted: Tue Oct 10, 2023 11:36 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Nice job 👍


PostPosted: Wed Oct 11, 2023 7:40 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Pancolart wrote:
Managed to adapt it Nikon with infinity. Just about everything needed to be modified internally. Especially aperture use was problematic since connection interferes with new mount moved closer to optical system. But after all a possible mod.


So far there is one indication that there are just two optical versions within all the '55mm 1.8' lenses with a 'Petri' brand name. Their widest apertures ranging over 1.7-1.8-2.0 they still are considered to be identical, not to mention the Carena etc rebrands. Four or five exterior designs, two mount types, AFAIK.
I find it hard to believe that, though I have no evidence to the contrary.
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