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I'm feeling an itch
#11
(04-25-2022, 10:46 AM)Klaus Wrote: I contacted a seller in Ukraine and, surprisingly, he seems to be able to ship a mint Helios 44 (a later variant) so I went for it.
If it gets lost on the way, the transaction will help him a little bit in the current situation at least.

As far as ultra-fast primes are concerned - yes, certainly interesting, but I don't want to invest a fortune really.
If the price tag approaches new Voigtlander lenses, the limits of sanity have been overstepped really.

Nice find for that ukrainian lens.

The two 55mm f1.2's I have are not that expensive. The Canon FL 55mm f1.2 can be found in good condition for under $200 USD from Japan (eBay for instance) and the Nikkor-S•C (better coatings than the "S") for $190 USD https://www.ebay.com/itm/175236993714?ha...SwS2ZiU-Uo , which even includes the original hood.

Especially the latter one should be easy to resell after you are done playing with it (because of its F-mount). Those priced certainly beat the Tomioka lenses..

Other relatively price not gone bonkers oldies (sorry for the wonky grammar, Dave) include the Pentax 50mm f1.2 and Minolta 58mm f1.2 versions.

(04-25-2022, 01:18 PM)Klaus Wrote: I'm currently discovering the wonderful world of radioactive lenses LOL

https://www.robertallenkautzphoto.com/radioactivelenses

From that list of lenses I want the Yashica (Tomioka) 55mm f1.2 (but they are way too rare and expensive) and Nikkor 35mm f1.4. That early Nikkor variant is said to render nicer than the later 35mm f1.4 without the thorium glass-element and was the first fast 35mm, which makes it "special", and that Tomioka 55mm f1.2 in all its guises is said to render very nicely. I have used a Tomioka (forgot what brandname it was) 55mm f1.4, which indeed rendered "smooth".
#12
That's going to be tested on a 5DSR / R5? Wow. Talk about a curbstomp battle.
#13
the lens with swirly bokeh is Helios 58f2 Helios 44m2 the 44m4 has coating has more contrast but less swirly, had it fr a week or something
I have 2X helios 44m2 both in not that great shape. Dunno how helpful they would be for testing but will be glad to donate one for the tests.
#14
Thx, Tony. But the 44 is already on the way.

FWIW, this guy here seems to be the (western) Helios guru - and according to him there's no real difference between the versions in terms of swirl:
* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=al_HnZKXtXw&t=900s

He suggests that there may subtle differences in the bokeh due to the more or less recessed front element but in the real world, he didn't find it to be of relevance.

I settled on a 44m-4 because of the build quality and condition.

I'm not a huge fan of filthy lenses ... which will probably be my investment doom in this vintage adventure. lol

FWIW, at the moment I'm more interested in mild tele lenses. I'm addicted to corner sharpness with wider lenses and I think I couldn't stand wide vintage lenses. ;-)

After having spent hours on ebay, I'm amazed by the price levels of some lenses. IMHO no degree of lens character can explain price tags near new lenses but then it's not just about users but also collectors.
Chief Editor - opticallimits.com

Doing all things Canon, MFT, Sony and Fuji
#15
(04-25-2022, 10:21 PM)Klaus Wrote: Thx, Tony. But the 44 is already on the way.

FWIW, this guy here seems to be the (western) Helios guru - and according to him there's no real difference between the versions in terms of swirl:
* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=al_HnZKXtXw&t=900s

He suggests that there may subtle differences in the bokeh due to the more or less recessed front element but in the real world, he didn't find it to be of relevance.

I settled on a 44m-4 because of the build quality and condition.

I'm not a huge fan of filthy lenses ... which will probably be my investment doom in this vintage adventure. lol

FWIW, at the moment I'm more interested in mild tele lenses. I'm addicted to corner sharpness with wider lenses and I think I couldn't stand wide vintage lenses. ;-)

After having spent hours on ebay, I'm amazed by the price levels of some lenses. IMHO no degree of lens character can explain price tags near new lenses but then it's not just about users but also collectors.

    I watched that video before and questioned his findings  (inwardly) .... he seems to only look at "glowing bokeh balls" from a perspective of their roundness/ovality uniquely ....... and we know from OL's recent tests that all/most/some lenses do that anyway especially when they are wide open.
  swirly bokeh lenses do more than that ......... they also swirl standard backgrounds like bushes and busy stuff that my not have much in the way of highlights ...... it's not all just about highlights !!

 ......... so I would recommend doing test shots with and without highlights in the background ........... 
 
  just my thoughts .........

Here's a couple of images from the reversed front element Helios 44M 4 lens:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/

"I'm not a huge fan of filthy lenses" ........ looks like spellcheck got the better of you there ........... Smile
#16
Hold it ;-) I will still do the MTFs - so a reversed front element isn't going to happen.
Chief Editor - opticallimits.com

Doing all things Canon, MFT, Sony and Fuji
#17
I have the impression that Klaus did mean filthy, as in lenses which need cleaning (like the fungus mentioned in a post)?
#18
Yes, correct. If a lens appears to be worn out because of optical and mechanical wear and tear, I won't look at it.
While vintage lenses tend to be simple, reviewing a sample suffering from haze, fungus, or decentering is pointless.
It's quite a gamble with 40 years old lenses anyway ...

I'm currently considering a Minolta MC Rokkor 100mm f/2.5 but more than half of these lenses at eBay are ... filthy.
FWIW, this one ... https://phillipreeve.net/blog/minolta-mc...-5-review/
Chief Editor - opticallimits.com

Doing all things Canon, MFT, Sony and Fuji
#19
Ok, found a non-filthy Minolta MC Rokkor 100mm f/2.5 in great condition ( I hope ) for a reasonable price in JP.
Chief Editor - opticallimits.com

Doing all things Canon, MFT, Sony and Fuji
#20
(04-26-2022, 11:00 AM)Klaus Wrote: Hold it ;-) I will still do the MTFs - so a reversed front element isn't going to happen.
 
Are I see ...... I thought we were talking fifty as in millimetres focal length ..............

      I was in no way expecting you to test a reversed front lens element Klaus ....... (although it might have been amusing) ...... the MTF graph would have looked like a short spike in the center with no border readings at all, much less the corners ......

   however, there is something I find endearing about those Helios range of lenses ........ so, while we were both drawn to scratch our itches .......  I posted a couple of shots that I scratched earlier  !! ......... Smile
  


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