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Samyang 85mm f1.4: Impressive stopped down aswell as at f1.4
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PostPosted: Tue Oct 22, 2013 1:53 pm    Post subject: Samyang 85mm f1.4: Impressive stopped down aswell as at f1.4 Reply with quote
I normally shoot my Samyang 85mm f1.4 lens on my Nikon D800 at f1.4 for 99% of photos however stopped down it can also create some amazing images.

Here is a sample with model Nella


Samyang 85mm f1.4 Portrait by MatthewOsbornePhotography_, on Flickr

See my blog for more examples.

..I wish they made a Samyang 85mm f1.4 Leica M mount version for my M9! Smile


PostPosted: Tue Oct 22, 2013 2:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
That lens is one of the best lens money can buy! So cheap for what deliver! I love it too Wink


PostPosted: Tue Oct 22, 2013 2:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
While it's not as sharp as the Samyang, the good old Jupiter-9 2/85 in M39 will work very well on the M9. It has that special Sonnar character, it's a bit soft and glowy wide open but at f4 it really shines, you want one from the 1950s or early 1960s.


PostPosted: Tue Oct 22, 2013 2:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
iangreenhalgh1 wrote:
While it's not as sharp as the Samyang, the good old Jupiter-9 2/85 in M39 will work very well on the M9. It has that special Sonnar character, it's a bit soft and glowy wide open but at f4 it really shines, you want one from the 1950s or early 1960s.


I have one in m42. Lovely organic look, I use it more for video (to cut the super sharp images from the digital video look) Wink


PostPosted: Tue Oct 22, 2013 5:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Awesome lens!


PostPosted: Tue Oct 22, 2013 6:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
wow!!!


PostPosted: Tue Oct 22, 2013 6:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Stunning shot!


PostPosted: Wed Oct 23, 2013 7:53 am    Post subject: Jupiter Lenses Reply with quote
iangreenhalgh1 wrote:
While it's not as sharp as the Samyang, the good old Jupiter-9 2/85 in M39 will work very well on the M9. It has that special Sonnar character, it's a bit soft and glowy wide open but at f4 it really shines, you want one from the 1950s or early 1960s.


Yes I have a Jupiter 3 (Sonnar 50/1.5) and will get a 85mm when I next head out to Ukraine. Russian lenses can be very hit and miss so I rather try before I buy than get via ebay like I normally do. The Jupiter lenses do give a really nice vintage look and the colours from the old glass can be nice too.


PostPosted: Wed Oct 23, 2013 10:49 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
They only became hit and miss from the mid 60s when the central planners specified much increased production numbers, hence I said get a 50s or early 60s one, then the chances of a miss are pretty low.


PostPosted: Sat Oct 26, 2013 8:54 am    Post subject: Re: Jupiter Lenses Reply with quote
[quote="MatthewOsbornePhotography"]
iangreenhalgh1 wrote:
Russian lenses can be very hit and miss so I rather try before I buy than get via ebay like I normally do.


I do not think it is a manufacturing issue. Many have been abused, disassembled and either reassembled badly or were reassembled from mixed parts producing Frankenstein lenses. Some are even used to counterfeit other lenses. I was lucky to get some of mine from people who had been their original owners and I am very happy with them. My stuff tends to be from all decades: 60s, 70s, 80s - I have not noticed any difference in quality; if they were not abused, they will work great. Their operation is not as smooth as that of Takumars, but they last forever if they are treated decently - they are best described as military grade gear.


PostPosted: Sat Oct 26, 2013 11:15 am    Post subject: Re: Jupiter Lenses Reply with quote
Laurentiu Cristofor wrote:

I do not think it is a manufacturing issue. Many have been abused, disassembled and either reassembled badly or were reassembled from mixed parts producing Frankenstein lenses. Some are even used to counterfeit other lenses.


This contradicts my personal experience, *all* copies of soviet aluminium lenses that I bought, made between the 50s and early 60s,
were all good. I wish I could say the same of the later versions, but I can't. There's muuch more copy variation issues in later soviet lenses than in earlier ones.
If your theory was true, older lenses should be the more disassembled/reassembled thus the more problematic. But that is not true in my personal experience.


PostPosted: Sat Oct 26, 2013 6:08 pm    Post subject: Re: Jupiter Lenses Reply with quote
Orio wrote:

If your theory was true, older lenses should be the more disassembled/reassembled thus the more problematic. But that is not true in my personal experience.


What can I say, none of the lenses that went through my hands had any problems optically. One of them had been disassembled, but the impact was mechanical. Another one was disassembled, but it was a good thing as they changed focusing to allow infinity on digital cameras. None of them is a silver SLR version - the only silver ones I have are all rangefinder lenses. I got through 4+ Helios 44, and the only issue I found was fungus in one of them. But many of my lenses came from people that were first owners - they either had the original papers or I knew the seller. I never ordered a lens on ebay from the former Soviet block. Here in US, you can also order from fedka if you are concerned about quality. I discovered that option too late, but others vouch for it.

Personally, I feel more confident about the outcome of buying a Russian lens than the outcome of buying a Japanese one that may often be over-hyped and not that competent optically even if it is in tip-top shape mechanically.


PostPosted: Sat Oct 26, 2013 6:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I'm sorry Laurentiu, but I think you're wrong. A little study of the history of lens and camera production in the USSR reveals the reasons why earlier products are better.

Until the mid 1960s, the volume of production was modest, the machine tools and equipment was still in good shape.

Due to the centrally planned economy, it was decreed that the production volume must be increased. This meant a drop in quality due to an increase in quantity. Within a few years, the machine tools and equipment was wearing out because it was getting old and was being used very hard to meet the ever increasing quantity demands, this meant tolerances became ever looser; also, they were being ever less stringent about QC in order to meet their quotas, lenses that would have been rejected in the 1950s o early 60s made it out of the factory because they simply had to maximise production volume, and when the gulag awaits, you can understand the motivation to do whatever you can to meet your quotas.

Also, I don't think your theory about abused or frankensteined lenses is very valid, I've yet to see a Soviet lens that had been messed with and I've owned at least 50 of them.


PostPosted: Mon Oct 28, 2013 7:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
iangreenhalgh1 wrote:
I'm sorry Laurentiu, but I think you're wrong. A little study of the history of lens and camera production in the USSR reveals the reasons why earlier products are better.


Yes, I heard this theory. If it was true in practice, maybe I was just lucky to not be affected. Our experiences are clearly different. Can you (Orio/Ian) share more specific details about your negative experiences? Which Russian lenses have you had issues with when trying more recent builds and what kind of problems were those?

As for Frankensteins, there are Industars with weird designs that are the result of combining parts from different Industar lens models. Many FED cameras and their lenses were also used to fake Leicas. Here's one sample: http://www.cameraquest.com/leica_II_fake.htm. You can find plenty of evidence of such operations - I didn't encounter one personally either, but I came across stories of these combinations online.
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