Home

Please support mflenses.com if you need any graphic related work order it from us, click on above banner to order!
SearchSearch MemberlistMemberlist RegisterRegister ProfileProfile Log in to check your private messagesLog in to check your private messages Log inLog in

Best m42 100/135mm lens
Post new topic   Reply to topic
Home   Manual Focus Lenses
View previous topic :: View next topic  


PostPosted: Fri Nov 27, 2009 3:59 pm    Post subject: Best m42 100/135mm lens Reply with quote
Hi,i want to ask you what is the best 100/135mm m42(or m39)lens in the market with an affordable price.

I saw this lens in order of price:

- Jupiter 37A (30-60€)
- Super Takumar 135/3.5 (50-80€) <---(corrected)
- Tair 11A (50-80€)

Please specify if it's better on flare,MTF,colors,CA or boken.

I found also a Eyemik SMC 135/2.8 very very cheap(10+12€)is a worth buy?

Thanks(i found some of this lens very cheap but i must be quick so please if you can reply quickly Very Happy )

Last edited by Plokko on Fri Nov 27, 2009 6:11 pm; edited 2 times in total


PostPosted: Fri Nov 27, 2009 4:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Easy easy , slow down. Using MF lenses is all about calm and patience Cool

First introduce yourself a bit, so we can know you better secondly there's one lens that is much talked about, its the CZJ Sonnar 135mm. Maybe the best for the money.


PostPosted: Fri Nov 27, 2009 4:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I don't know a Super Takumar with f/2,8 of maximum aperture, the only one is a takumar K mount, and is poor; you can consider the SMC takumar 135 f/3,5, it's about 70-90€ on the market and is a wonderful lens


PostPosted: Fri Nov 27, 2009 4:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Pentacon 135/2.8 or carl zeiss 135/3.5 for me with the preset pentacon more desirable than the auto version, although all are excellent.


PostPosted: Fri Nov 27, 2009 4:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
For someone starting off in the world of MF lenses, the Carl Zeiss 135mm F3.5 is one that shouldn't disappoint.


PostPosted: Fri Nov 27, 2009 4:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
The Jupiter-37A is definitely the best for the money. Same quality as CZJ Sonnar (or perhaps even a bit better), and costing three times less.


PostPosted: Fri Nov 27, 2009 4:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Orio wrote:
The Jupiter-37A is definitely the best for the money. Same quality as CZJ Sonnar (or perhaps even a bit better), and costing three times less.


+1

Cheers
Henry


PostPosted: Fri Nov 27, 2009 5:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Even if you had a big budget, CZJ 135/3,5 would be very hard lens to beat (other than aperturewise). Excellent corner to corner sharpness wide open (on full frame too), excellent bokeh and excellent minimum focus distance. Also light weight, easy to operate and built in lens hood. A fun lens to use.


PostPosted: Fri Nov 27, 2009 5:31 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Orio wrote:
The Jupiter-37A is definitely the best for the money. Same quality as CZJ Sonnar (or perhaps even a bit better), and costing three times less.


According to rugift, it's sharpness is not equal, or even close to that of CZJ 135/3.5.


PostPosted: Fri Nov 27, 2009 5:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
hexi wrote:
Easy easy , slow down. Using MF lenses is all about calm and patience Cool

First introduce yourself a bit, so we can know you better secondly there's one lens that is much talked about, its the CZJ Sonnar 135mm. Maybe the best for the money.
sorry for no introduction,i'll make one in the right section with my personal collection! Very Happy

Zeiss is know to be the best lens in the market but also the most hard to find at low prices and i don't want to spend more than 50-80€ max(i'll put it on the best lens that i can't afford).

I can found the super takumar easly at 80€(maybe at 50€ or less if i seach well).

i found a great offer of a tair-11a at 50€(it's very hard to find in italy or europe at less than 80€)and it's 20 blades are tempting me!

i also found the jupiter 37A(i have the jupiter 9,it's my preferred lens,i clean every day,it's my beauty! Very Happy Embarassed ) at 15(the user is not responding anymore,damn! Sad ) or on other location at 30-40€ and i know it's a good lens(best 135mm jupiter).

The eyemik is a noname japanese brand but i found it at 10€(+15€ shipping) and it's SMC(for a brand like this can be nothing)and in a great shape.

So what of this 4 lens is the best?(also if you have some other cheap lens to add please do!)

the takumar can't compete on the blade number or price but it's SMC,the tair is one of the most know lens for the boken,but can't compete with the price of the Jupiter.

What do you think?


please rate each lens with 1 to 5 stars for example

Name Sharpness boken ca-flare price/value
CZJ 135/3.5 ***** **** ***** **

(it's an example)

Thanks a lot! Very Happy


PostPosted: Fri Nov 27, 2009 5:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
martinsmith99 wrote:
For someone starting off in the world of MF lenses, the Carl Zeiss 135mm F3.5 is one that shouldn't disappoint.


well, there`s only one problem whit this lens, as a first MF...

one can be 100% sure it will get the lens lust disease, and in a couple of weeks you find yourself whit three lenses
Very Happy


PostPosted: Fri Nov 27, 2009 6:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Welcome to the forum, Plokko!

Since you mentioned that M39 is also a possibility, I figured I would add to the list. I've owned a couple of M39 135s and they were decent performers, although I don't know how well they compare to the other ones mentioned here: the Leitz 135mm f/4 Hector and the Kyoei Super Acall 135mm f/3.5. Clean examples typically sell for more than you've budgeted, but if you can find one in "user" condition, then you might be able to pick it up for a good price.


PostPosted: Fri Nov 27, 2009 6:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
The CZJ 3,5 , the 37-A, the tair, the apozenitar, all very good lenses.

But if you use b&w or like to PP, another option is the mamiya SX or DTL version of 2,8/135 lens. Very sharp. Contrast at PP if you need it. The TL or DTL version are very cheap.


PostPosted: Fri Nov 27, 2009 6:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
estudleon wrote:
The CZJ 3,5 , the 37-A, the tair, the apozenitar, all very good lenses.

But if you use b&w or like to PP, another option is the mamiya SX or DTL version of 2,8/135 lens. Very sharp. Contrast at PP if you need it. The TL or DTL version are very cheap.
so is the Tair better than the 37A?
and in what performs better(sharpness,boken,CA or flare)?
The tair is harder to find(a lot)and lesse cheaper so if it's the same i'll go for the jupiter but the difference in price isn't so much so if it's really better i can go for the tair.

Looks like the takumar can't stand a chanse against this two.

I'll use all of them on my a200 so i'll do a little of PP,but i don't want to go heavy on PP and the 98% of my photos are on colors.

I'm sure i'll use them also for macro photography with the macro tubes or a bellows(when i'll find one cheap!)!

Thanks to all of you and sorry if i'm hasty but it's the only tair i've found on italy cheap! Very Happy


PostPosted: Fri Nov 27, 2009 6:38 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
So as a CZJ owner and user i can say that the lens is awfully sharp, which is nice in some cases, but in portraits you better unfocus a bit or use a soft filter.

Best aperture is f5.6 and above, but wide open ... well this lens is great. Blur/bokeh : amazing, no vignetting, flare proofed Wink and as i said above, very good value for its money. Lightweight, has mid stops which is useful. Foundable between 50 and 70 €.


PostPosted: Fri Nov 27, 2009 6:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
The Tair-11A is probably the best of those listed. Personally I'd take the CZJ MC Sonnar 135mm f/3.5 instead, and it is possible to find it for a reasonable price with a bit of hunting. Even if it costs a bit more, it's worth it: 1m minimum focusing distance, compact size (49mm filter threads), good handling, wonderful colours, contrast, bokeh, and it's extremely sharp. One of my favourite 135mm lenses; its only real "fault" is that it's only f/3.5.

Another excellent alternative (but possibly hard to find at a decent price) is the Mamiya/Sekor 135mm f/2.8. Or the Pentacon 135mm f/2.8 (cheapest of these); it's a very nice lens, but the only problem is that it's much larger, heavier, and “clunkier” than the sleek CZJ or Mamiya/Sekor (or Fujinon or … =).

In any case, there are plenty of good 135mm's, so I'd just look for a good price rather than one specific lens. (But of course research the lens beforehand; e.g. I'd personally avoid the Takumar 135mm f/3.5 like the plague but many other people love it…) Most of them can be found under 50 EUR with some diligence, especially bundled with a camera body and sold as “camera and lens”.


PostPosted: Fri Nov 27, 2009 7:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Just checked ebay prices for the Sonnar : two have gone @ respectively 38 and 39€ , average price for a full working one seems to be between 60 - 70€ higher price is the RED version 122€ ( stil22 ).


PostPosted: Fri Nov 27, 2009 7:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Vivitar (T4 or fixed mount) 135/2.8 with serial # 37...


PostPosted: Fri Nov 27, 2009 9:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
All are good what you can find, 100,135mm hard to find bad one.

I have some favorites, but this not means others are not same good.

Pentacon, Meyer, 100mm, 135mm
Carl Zeiss Jena Sonnar 135mm


PostPosted: Fri Nov 27, 2009 10:00 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
hexi wrote:
So as a CZJ owner and user i can say that the lens is awfully sharp, which is nice in some cases, but in portraits you better unfocus a bit or use a soft filter.

Best aperture is f5.6 and above, but wide open ... well this lens is great. Blur/bokeh : amazing, no vignetting, flare proofed Wink and as i said above, very good value for its money. Lightweight, has mid stops which is useful. Foundable between 50 and 70 €.

i think SMC takumar is sharper
http://oomz.net/135/

also takumar is know to use the same multicoating as zeiss(zeiss maybe use some other chemicals but they developed the multicoating together).

and i can't find the zeiss cheap,in UE i can find some copy but they're not so cheap.


PostPosted: Fri Nov 27, 2009 11:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Sharper or not it depends of the subjects you plan to shoot. For the few experience ( so far with slr ) i and surely other owners of the Sonnar had, most will tell you that it is sharp.

At least it is sharp enough for me, plus its not the whole issue, you need to also took in mind built quality, focusing quality, weight , a lens is a whole package.

Just watched my beautiful Sonnar .. woot Cool


PostPosted: Sat Nov 28, 2009 12:08 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
hexi wrote:
Sharper or not it depends of the subjects you plan to shoot. For the few experience ( so far with slr ) i and surely other owners of the Sonnar had, most will tell you that it is sharp.

At least it is sharp enough for me, plus its not the whole issue, you need to also took in mind built quality, focusing quality, weight , a lens is a whole package.

Just watched my beautiful Sonnar .. woot Cool
totally agree with that,also the photographer is the most important thing and it's not sold,also photograpy is an art,art don't relay only on numbers and performance but on feelings! Very Happy

I looked other samples of the lens(i see samples from various sources to remove the "photographer skill factor")and the pentacon is very sharp,more than i expected,i prefer the jupiter boken a lot but the pentacon looks a little sharper.

i found also a jupiter 11a cheap,damn i want allo of them!!! Crying or Very sad

in the end the boken/sharpness i like the most is the tair-11a,i don't know if it's really sharper but i'm stunned!!!
it's so sharp it can actually slice the CCD! Very Happy
also the boken is awesoome,i think i'll buy it,it cost 30€ more of the jupiter or 20€ more than the pentacon but it have a boken better than the jupiter(i love the name because of my jupiter 9)and sharper than the pentacon;also(thanks to this awwesome forum)i'm sure it's not CA or flare affected,my 28-105 for example it's very sharp and have a low CA but have a lot of flare,it can even flare with A LAMP !!!

Also it's very rare,if i'll get more money i'll try also the others! Twisted Evil (i MUST stop for now at least,i've got all the lens in few weeks,if i continue i'll have too much lens and no money and i'm already low on money!!! Very Happy )

Do you know what lens(like jupiter 11/37a or the tair)have direct control of the diaphragm(don't ask to spell or write this word without the help of google lolz) like on my jupiter 9??

Thanks A LOT to everyone!!!!


PostPosted: Sat Nov 28, 2009 12:13 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
I'll throw in the f2.8/105 Takumar..
but many good 105 and 135 lenses indeed, one may find a jewel in a no name cheapy


PostPosted: Sat Nov 28, 2009 12:19 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
kuuan wrote:
I'll throw in the f2.8/105 Takumar..
but many good 105 and 135 lenses indeed, one may find a jewel in a no name cheapy
agree for the quality but takumar SMC is a big name so it's very hard to find one cheap!

Also see this test(it's not professional but it's STUNNING!!!)
http://www.lowcost4dslr.com/tests/lenses-match/30-135-jupiter-37a-vs-minolta-af-135-28-vs-beercan-vs-big-beercan-vs-d-kit-telezoom?start=1
the jupiter 37A PWNS the minolta 135mm(at least they're very similar)and it's a 30€ lens against a >300€ rare and acclaimed lens!!!!

At this level i can agree:
sharpness don't count,all of this lens are MORE THAN PERFECT!!!

P.S.:damn i MUST get another jupiter now!!! Crying or Very sad


PostPosted: Sat Nov 28, 2009 12:23 am    Post subject: Re: Best m42 100/135mm lens Reply with quote
Plokko wrote:
Hi,i want to ask you what is the best 100/135mm m42(or m39)lens in the market with an affordable price.

I saw this lens in order of price:

- Jupiter 37A (30-60€)
- Super Takumar 135/3.5 (50-80€) <---(corrected)
- Tair 11A (50-80€)

Tough question...

First, I would say that it is much more difficult to find a really bad 135mm than to find a really bad 20mm. 100-135mm is an easy focal length to do for designers, so you won't find much difference in optical quality between the lenses you listed. It's mainly a matter of personal preferences. For Russian and East Germany lenses, it might also be a matter of luck, as they are known to vary greatly in quality between samples.

I have a Carl Zeiss Jena 135/3.5 Sonnar and a 135/4 Jupiter-11A (exact same optical formula, the Jupiter is a Soviet clone of the Zeiss 135/4 Sonnar with a 4 element/3 group construction) and my Jupiter is much better than my Sonnar. Many users report than the Sonnar is better than the Jupiter, so I might have a bad Sonnar -- or an exceptional Jupiter. I also have a Jupiter-11 in Leica mount, which is a equally good.

The next lens is the 135/3.5 Jupiter-37A, which is another Sonnar clone. I slightly prefer the Jupiter-11A, maybe a matter of personal taste... or of sample variation.

The third Soviet lens I have is the 135/2.8 Tair-11A. It's not a Sonnar and it's the least interesting of the group in my humble opinion. It's a bit faster than the others, but it's also bigger and heavier -- quite heavy in fact. The bokeh is also inferior to the Sonnars'.

If you need the faster aperture, you'd better start saving for an Apo Telezenitar, a much better (and pricier) lens, almost as good my Voigtländer 125/2.5 (but without the smoother bokeh and macro capability).

As for the Takumar 135/3.5, I have never quite understood the cult lens status it has attained over the years. It's a good 135mm but then, as I stated above, most other 135mm lenses are good (among Japanese lenses, the Tamron 135/2.5 for example is at least as good, cheaper, and almost one full stop faster). The Takumar has too much longitudinal chromatic aberration for my taste and its bokeh is not exceptional.

I my opinion, if you are looking for a good, cheap 135mm, then the Jupiter-11 is the champion in that category. Be prepared though to try a few samples before finding a perfect one.

Cheers!

Abbazz
Post new topic   Reply to topic
Home   Manual Focus Lenses
Goto page 1, 2, 3  Next
Page 1 of 3