Infinity test Auto Miranda 50mm f/1.4 (8 element version)

caspert79 · Joined: 31 Oct 2010 Posts: 3224 Location: The Netherlands

First of all, I normally wouldn't take a very old 50/1.4 lens as my go-to landscape lens. But, still I'm always curious how my lenses do in this department. And sometimes, there's a huge surprise (like the Petri CC 55/1.8 which has perfect corners @ f/4).

Click on images for full size:

AutoMiranda5014infinity by devoscasper, on Flickr

There's strong vignetting at wide apertures. Image quality makes a huge jump between f/1.4 and f/2.
Closed down a few stops, image quality becomes very good in most parts of the frame. At f/11, image quality is pretty much perfect into the far corners.

Here's a full image @ f/4, to give a better idea of the image quality at moderate aperture setting.

AutoMiranda5014@f/4 by devoscasper, on Flickr

calvin83 · Joined: 12 Apr 2009 Posts: 7584 Location: Hong Kong

May I know how do you adapter it to E mount? I know that this lens has more vignetting compared to other 50/1.4s but the amount is more than I expected.

caspert79 · Joined: 31 Oct 2010 Posts: 3224 Location: The Netherlands

stevemark · Joined: 29 Apr 2011 Posts: 4085 Location: Switzerland

I wouldn't be surprised if the vignetting was indeed from the lens itself. The front lens of the 8L Miranda 1.4/50mm is surprisingly small indeed, and the lens section makes me feel uncomfortable about the vignetting too:

Compare this to the lens section of e. g. the Konica AR 1.4/50mm - its front lens is MUCH bigger:

That said, one cannot judge the image quality of the corner crops at f1.4 to about f2.8. It might be useful to re-shoot them using an EV correction of at least +1EV, mabe even +1.5-2 EV.

Thanks for testing this slightly unusual lens - I have one as well, but never bothered to get the special Miranda adapter. Makes me wonder how the other ones would perform, e. g. the 2.8/28mm versions, the 2.8/35, the 1.4/50 7L, the 2.8/105 and the 2.8/135 ...

S

calvin83 · Joined: 12 Apr 2009 Posts: 7584 Location: Hong Kong

SimonOL · Joined: 28 Aug 2023 Posts: 19

I recently got hold of one of these lenses myself, a Sensorex type with a little window showing the chosen aperture.

Vignetting is noticeable as expected. Viewing the image as a whole, it doesn't seem too intrusive.

I haven't tried it at infinity beyond a few test shots to confirm my homemade adapter was thin enough before bonding the two parts together with JB Weld. I used part of a Miranda extension tube set and the back part of an M42 Adaptall adapter and filed down both parts until the combination focused to infinity using a 'too short' 17-31mm M42 helicoid adapter. The resulting MIR to M42 adapter is very thin and a slot had to be filed out from the M42 threads to accomodate the stop down lever at the back of the lens.

Resolution is way better at f2 than it is wide open. Given the 6 mostly straight aperture blades, the oof highlights at f2 remain surprisingly circular other than right in the centre of the image; the small front element seems to effectively (mostly) mask the shape of the aperture blades. Quite unexpected.

koji · Expire: 2012-12-27

A little more info for guys who want to make Miranda-> Sony E mount adapter:

https://pbase.com/kkawakami/lens_mods_miranda_lens_adapter_for_e