Lens User Reviews (450)

• Sharp
• pleasing colour rendering
• good flare control
• bokeh

Weaknesses:

• Singapore made lenses are prone to mechanical defects
• bokeh on photos taken from close distance on cloudy day with no light points may be ugly.

Comments:

Optically, it is the same lens as Carl Zeiss Planar 50mm f1.8 and Rollei Planar 50mm f1.8 in QBM mount. That means very nice rendering, sharpness, centre sharpness even wide open. Bokeh is a very subjective affair. I personally like planar bokeh, but a lot of reviewers are not pleased with it. To get good results, one needs to know the lens and use it according to its strengths. That means that in some situations Ultron (planar) will create ugly background, but it is easy to avoid it.

Optical quality!!!

Bokeh!!!! The best of 2 dozens of 135s that I've tried on Sony A7ii/iii

Build

Weaknesses:

Heavy and bulky

Comments:

I've tried many highly praised manual Nikkors on FF Sony A7ii/iii, didn't like the images they produced and swore to stay away from NIkon. That is until I found a clean copy of this lens at local shop with 2 weeks return policy. Well, this one stayed in my stable. Color rendering/transitions and BOKEH!!!

https://www.flickr.com/photos/127536411@N03/50858619447/in/dateposted-public/

sharp

10+ blades

MFD 1.35m

Weaknesses:

Filter diameter 54mm. it has a rather uncommon 54mm filter thread I used the hood of a Steinheil tele-quinar 135mm f/2.8.

Comments:

http://forum.mflenses.com/isco-gttingen-tele-iscaron-135mm-f-2-8-test-t78622.html

‐-

Weaknesses:

---

Comments:

In searching for a lenscollar  for the Samyang AF 135mm F1.8 FE I found this one: the iShoot IS-S24240FE. It fits perfect. This lenscollar has the 61.5mm diameter like the Samyang at the lensmount.

Excellent build
Very smooth focus
Ultra long focus trow - about 600° degrees!
Useful integrated lens hood

Nice clean colors, good sharpness, strong 3D-pop.

Weaknesses:

Weight a lot
Some fringing in extreme contrast situation 

Comments:

Still learning how to get best of this lens.

KMZ 5cm F1.5 with German glass can match a Wartime Sonnar for performance, and the LTM focus mount is q better/more relable design than the Zeiss Original Typically performance improves if adjusted for the camera to be used on.

Weaknesses:

Far edge performance is soft, some of this due to field curvature.

Comments:

KMZ produced two main versions of this lens: the original using Schott glass, the second using a reformulated design with Russian glass. Production of the two versions ran concurrently through 1956. The easiest way to identify the different version is the fixture for the rear triplet. The V2 lens has a guide ring machined into the fixture, the original version has threads as the back of the fixture. The Schott glass is superior in perfomance, my lens from 1956 matches the Wartime Zeiss Sonnar that it is based on.

• a beauty
• great build, fully metal
• sharp, neven in the corners and fro f/3.5 on
• very less aberrations
• little crazy but nevertheless smooth bokeh
• paints very smooth in the background
• surprisingly good against bright light
• less weight

Weaknesses:

• only f/3.5

Comments:

This is a fantastic lens, esp. regarding its age and its simplicity of construction. Optically much better than the over-hyped Trioplan, bokeh imho even better, but, okay, a little less crazy.

Additionally it works fantastic in the close-up range in addition with a helicoid.

Been in Eastern Europe for a long time I just read about this lens been one surprise, and I found one in one vintage store stupidly cheap, when you take it in hand it's light and plastic nothing good promising build quality but because I read about this lens I bought it. And it is a great lens :))

Weaknesses:

Build quality and not so fast focus like a modern lens.

Comments:

I am hunting night street moments and for this, I need the first sharp lens, for a while, I shoot night with this lens and the results for me are satisfying.

Compact for f1.2
Very nice mechanical build - pleasure to use.
Very special rendering and bokeh

Weaknesses:

Mine has haze (lens separation), that can't be removed, so i have very low contrast. 

Comments:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/adisx/albums/72157709069559042

Small lens and compact m39 mount adapter.
Nice rendition, good contrast and sharpness. 
Round interesting bokeh. 

Weaknesses:

Sometimes flares

Mechanical wores

Comments:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/adisx/47945213577/in/photolist-2mabLss-2mickxt-2maoWmY-2in6cHu-2g3KKBp/

• Cheap
• Light
• Small
• Handy f/2.8 aperture
• DOF marks for f/5.6, f/11 and f/16
• Metall mount gasket

Weaknesses:

• Unpleased manual focus ring, small and wrongly placed
• Noisy and slow autofocus motor
• Missing f/8 DOF mark

Comments:

Don't understand me wrong, it is a nice, bright and cheap 28mm which it includes autofocus in the price.

But things are worse when using this lens manually, the focus ring is very thin, if you use the DOF marks as frecuently as me you will notice that they should have included f/8 marks.

Regarding performance, this lens need to be stopped at f/5.6 or f/8 in order to get the best out of it, extreme corners will be still unsharp, but who looks there?

Wide open it is sharp and shows good contrast in the center of the frame. Corners are other story.

I used it a lot with an APS-C camerabody like the Canon EOS 50D, on such cropped sensors this lens works pretty good as poor corners are not shown. On such ASP-C cameras it covers the viewing angle of an equivalent 45mm full frame lens.

• Cheap
• All metal construction
• Small and Light
• f/2.5  max aperture
• Smooth focus ring

Weaknesses:

• Soft corners at f/2.5, close it two stops ot improve
• No autofocus (it is a manual focus lens)

Comments:

This is a nice and small manual focus lens. My copy was bought around 2015.

You will get similar results with the more expensive Canon EF 28mm f/2.8, but the latter includes autofocus and is made of plastic.

The Nikon Nikkor 28mm f/2.8 Ai-S is better at any aperture, of course, it is also more expensive, big and heavier.

If you are on a budget consider this lens.

• Useful focal range
• Costant f/4 max aperture across teh focal range
• Minimum focus distance is 45 cm
• Has optical image stabilization
• Fast USM focus motor
• Best performance from 35 to 50mm
• Weather sealed

Weaknesses:

• Hard vignetting at 24mm
• Soft corners at 24mm from f/4
• Barrel distorsion at 24mm
• A bit soft at f/4 from 70mm to 105mm

Comments:

My copy was bought in 2009.

It focused fast, precise and quiet, has a very handy focal range. Very well made, externally plastic (a good one), feels not cheap made in any case, metal mount gasket, it is also not a very heavy lens.

But its performance at 24mm is weak, not better than an old Canon EF 28mm f/2.8. At 24mm you will have a lot of vignetting, still present at f/8. Corners at 24mm are also unsharp wide open, closing two stops the diaphragm will help but will still behind my beloved Nikkor 28mm f/2.8 Ai-S. Regarding distortion at 24mm you will notice some barrel distortion, there is also some amount of chromatic aberration visible in high contrast areas.

This lens performs best from 35mm to 50mm.

Starting at 70mm you will notice some softness across the frame.

The optical image stabilization works pretty good. This lens is weather sealed.

Keep in mind that this is a walk-all-around zoom with a wide focal range (24 to 105mm). If you want a top performer you need primes or a pro lens with a shorter focal range.

• On a full frame 35mm camera, this lens is sharp all the way out to the edges. 
• The lens as a slightly different color shift to it. Sort of a blue look.
• The images, even with the color shift, are stunning and I really like the look.
• The bokeh is creamy and smooth. No real bubble or circle bokeh.

Weaknesses:

• It is heavy. Especially when you add in the helicoid with it.
• It is easily affected by side flares. I use a really long hood to help.

Comments:

It is one of my most unique lenses. It really shines in a foggy photography environment.

  Solid build, intuitive use, price,and creative "character" of the lens make it stand out.

Weaknesses:

  No lens cap possible, strong and direct light sources can overwhelm it and there is a tendancy to get some fingers in the angle of view if you aren't paying attention and your hand "thinks" it wants to grip the focus ring.

Comments:

  You might consider it a "toy" or "novelty" lens, but it delivers very usable imagery. Think "pinhole lens on steroids" as a referenece point. Not purely lomo, but lomo-esque in use to capture and throughput to the final edited work. I found the lens both motivational and very productive when matched to shoot perameters. I got a high acceptable rate among images captured during an urban decay shoot.

  I have no problem seeing use for this lens in many applications from street shoots to lanscapes, portraiture, still lifes, or any general use.

• Sharp wide open in center, at f/5.6 it is sharp accross the frame.
• Compact design with a 52mm diamenter front filter thread
• Seven aperture blades
• All made of metal but not heavy
• CRC - Close Range Correction, it is corrected for close focusing
• DOF scale

Weaknesses:

• Manual focus lens
• Full stop aperture clicks
• Some amount of vignetting wide open, goes away at f/5.6

Comments:

A nice 28mm lens.

Mine is in good shape.

It is the ideal companion for a 50mm lens. Sharp wide open, at f/5.6 it rocks, with good contrast and color rendition.

The coatings on these new Meyer-Optik lenses, including this one, are much better and allow me to shoot directly into the early morning sun without being washed out. The older version of this lens will flare and wash out such that you cannot even see to focus.

The minimum focus has been shortened on this new lens.

Weaknesses:

It pretty much has the same optical characteristics as the previous versions.

Comments:

I see no reason to ever use my older Trioplan 100mm now.

Fast and silent autofocus,good image stabilization,super optical capabilities (colors+contrast),good zoom range 55-200mm,no zoom creep,lightweight

Weaknesses:

Mechanical zoom operation its slow, hard to get quick zoom, no inner zoom operation like Canon 70-200mm f4,no weather sealed, aperture ring without f marks, 62mm filter size, close focus only 1.1m , hight price.

Comments:

Good zoom lens, but for action photography get the 50-150mm f2,8 version.

I think one of the best ever made APS-C kit lens in the market. Small and compact,lightweigt,sharp image+good contrast,natural splendid colors, full metal construction,4 fe image stabilization,fast maximum aperture of f/2.8,smooth linear motor-fast autofocus,very good close focus, 58mm filter size,good for video work,best travel and family lens.

Weaknesses:

No weather sealed,continues apeture ring function without f scale on the ring,in the corner on 18mm f11 not so sharp,little bit distorsion appear,price. Overall lens rating in this site not correct,real point for me is 4,30 !!!

Comments:

In many situation go to lens for everyday use.

One of the best ever made portrait lens! Sharp on f1.2,precise inner auto focus,compact size,full metal construction,lightweight,excelent colors,very good bokeh,made in Japan.

Weaknesses:

Close focus only 70cm, little bit slow autofocus,not so large usability,no weater sealed,price.

Comments:

When I shot portrait, only this lens its on my Fuji X-H1!