Overview of the MS Kaleinar-5N lens

MC Kaleinar-5H is an excellent short telephoto lens with f / 2.8-22 aperture and 100mm focal length. His double meets ARSAT H 100 F2.8 - they are the same lens. After the collapse of the USSR, the optics of the Arsenal plant began to be produced under the brand name “Arsat“. They say that this is a Soviet copy Nikon 2.8 / 100 Series Ebut this is not so, Nikon and Kaleinar have different optical schemes.

Overview of the lens Kaleinar-5N 2.8 100mm

Overview of the lens Kaleinar-5N 2.8 100mm

Lens MC Kaleinar-5N 2.8 / 100 is a legendary lens. MC Kaleinar-5N 2.8 / 100 was produced for 'Kiev' cameras with 'H' mount. Now the lens MC Kaleinar-5N 2.8 / 100 is very popular lens due to its relative cheapness and high quality of the resulting photos. He is rightfully considered one of the best Soviet portrait lenses.

view of the MS Kaleinar-5N 2.8 100 lens from the back and from the side with MDF with an elongated hood

view of the MS Kaleinar-5N 2.8 100 lens from the back and from the side with MDF with an elongated hood

The current popularity of the MC Kaleinar-5H 2.8 / 100 lens is due to the fact that Nikon cameras have not changed their mount type for more than 50 years. Some of the 'Kiev' cameras have the same mount as Nikon, this allows you to use lenses with the 'H' designation on modern Niko SLR camerasn without any adapters. In more detail about the use of old Soviet lenses in the article about Soviet lenses... For those who want to use the MC Kaleinar-5H 2.8 / 10 on a Canon system, an article about old lenses at canon.

Type of lens enlightenment MS Kaleinar-5N 2.8 100

Type of lens enlightenment MS Kaleinar-5N 2.8 100

When using the MC Kaleinar-5N 2.8 / 100 lens (the letter 'H' in the name means the mount type), there will be no problems with focusing to infinity, as well as with aperture presetting. Once installed on Nikon cameras, the aperture will be at its maximum open position and will only close at the time of shooting - just like with modern Nikon lenses. It is very easy to find out the year of manufacture of a lens - the first two digits in its serial number are responsible for this.

Sample photo on MS Kaleinar 5-n

Sample photo on MS Kaleinar 5-n

The first thing that catches your eye, but rather in the hands - massiveness of MS Kaleinar-5N 2.8 / 10... The lens weighs over 300 grams with its small appearance. MC Kaleinar-5N 2.8 / 10 is made in the good old traditions - glass and metal. Actually, my copy is over 20 years old, but the quality remains at the same high level.

View of the aperture of the lens diaphragm MS Kaleinar-5N 2.8 100

View of the aperture of the lens diaphragm MS Kaleinar-5N 2.8 100

Focusing:

The lens has only manual focus. The focus ring is rubberized. When focusing, the trunk of the lens lengthens by about 2 centimeters. The focus ring rotates 270 degrees, so the Kaleinar-5N 2.8 / 100 MC has very large stroke of the focus ring. When focusing, the front lens does not rotate. Focusing on the lens is nice enough. The minimum focusing distance is 80 centimeters.

Diaphragm

The lens aperture has only 6 blades - this is one of the strong disadvantages of this lens. The aperture blades are black, the light in the middle of the lens does not reflect back. F / 2.8 maximum allows easy control of DOF and taking photos with blurry background. The aperture can range from F / 2.8 to F / 22. Please note that when using the lens on Nikon cameras, automatic iris control is possible using the aperture ring on the lens, this is due to the fact that the lens is AI-S compatible lens for Nikon. If you use the lens on other cameras, then the usual manual iris control will be available.

I use or used this lens on cameras without any problems Nikon D90, Nikon D40, D80 и D700.

Sample photo on MS Kaleinar 5-n

Sample photo on MS Kaleinar 5-n

When using the lens on cameras Nikon DX EGF lens will fit 150mm. On cropped cameras, the MC Kaleinar-5N 2.8 / 100 is a real telephoto lens. Due to the excellent ratio of focal length and aperture, the MC Kaleinar-5N 2.8/100 lens is perfect for portrait and creative shooting.

I have more here one shot at Kaleinar = 5N in the studio.

Attention!

This lens can work in full automatic aperture control mode through the camera and with confirmation of focus... How to do it - read in my article Dandelion Lushnikova.

Dimensions of two portrait lenses

Dimensions of two portrait lenses

Addition to the article:

Recently I got my hands on a Kaleinar-5H lens with an interesting name written through the letter 'C' - 'MC Cbut byjnar-5H 2.8 / 100 '. In the literature, there is an export version with a name through the letter 'K' - Kalejnar-5H (see here) Visually, it is no different from a lens with a name in Cyrillic and looks like this:

The lens has good image quality. First of all, I want to note the excellent sharpness over the entire field of the frame, good contrast, color reproduction. MS Kaleinar-5N 2.8 / 100 well tolerates backlight, has no distortion. The vignetting of the lens is minimal, especially when using the lens on cropped cameras.

view of the lens MS Kaleinar-5N 2.8 100 on the Nikon D80

view of the lens MS Kaleinar-5N 2.8 100 on the Nikon D80

Beginning photographers can feel the old days with the Kaleinar-5N 2.8 / 100 MC and appreciate the importance of each shot they receive, as well as increase their level of dexterity and knowledge of photographing methods and techniques. There is even a joke that a novice photographer usually buys the simplest camera Nikon D40 and one of the Helios-81N or Kaleinar-5N lenses.

Dimensions of two lenses

Dimensions of two lenses

Catalog modern brand lenses 'Zenitar' и 'Helios' can look at this link.


Comments on this post do not require registration. Anyone can leave a comment. Many different photographic equipment can be found on AliExpress.


Conclusions:

MS Kaleinar-5n - a unique lens with fabulous sharpness. The lens is in the top five best portrait soviet lenses.

Material prepared Arkady Shapoval. Training/Consultations | Youtube | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Telegram

Add a comment: Sergei

 

 

Comments: 680 on the topic: Overview of the lens Kaleinar-5N MS

  • Andrei

    Good day. Today I was looking for it on Avito. I ask the seller what and how. Honestly said that the rear lens was turned upside down. And showed an example of photos with interesting bokeh, as if the distortion of space in a circle. The lens was turned over, so I'm thinking of taking it this way or not ?
    The photo seems to be normal now, everything is working. But I wonder who was playing with the lens so much, at the factory there cannot be such a marriage?

    • B. R. P.

      The seller apparently dabbled. Let him turn it back.

    • Andrii

      Better to look for a normal lens, into which no one climbed with crooked hands. Let it be more expensive by a couple of hundred rubles or whatever you have, but in good condition. This is if you are going to shoot them, not resell them.

    • Victor

      There, turn the lens back for 3 minutes. Looks like he was cleaning the rear lens, he unscrewed the rear ring and did not remember how the lens was. It's not a trifle about anything. I myself used to insert it a couple of times with the wrong side, but immediately untwisted the retaining ring and returned it back as it was.
      The main thing to look at is the state.
      I have a whole set of glasses with the letter H, but there is no calenar 5n yet. But nowhere can I look at a photo of a full-length portrait and see how he washes the background for full growth. If I don’t take anything, if it’s decent, I’ll take it ..

  • Andrei

    Good afternoon. But how to put on Nikon F. Is there a part missing or what?

    • Andrei

      Included with the sale was a replaceable shank for M42. Apparently he's in the photo.

  • Andrei

    I thought that it was not collapsible, purely with a Nikon mount

    • Alexander

      In Soviet times, complete with Kaleinar, they gave a shank for M42 thread, while the diaphragm drive, of course, did not work.

  • R'RёS,R ° F "RёR№

    Hello! There is already a Yongnuo 100mm. Does it make sense to buy Kaleinar-5H?

    • Rodion

      Of course not)

      • Kostiantyn

        In terms of picture quality, which is better than the Yongnuo 100mm chi Kaleinar 5-N?
        I want to try out Kaleinar 5-H for autofocus and choose between them.

      • Kostiantyn

        Another option I look at is to convert Jupiter 37a to aft focus .. I have a Nikon 5100 camera

        • Amit

          Good afternoon. How are you going to remake it? I'm thinking of buying it myself for my nikon z7 II

          • Andrii

            Ask yourself what food is right for you?
            Jupiter-37a is easy to view on Z7II and without autofocus. І є difference between mirror D5100 and mirrorless Z7II.

  • Alexey

    I choose this Kaleinar on Avito. So, on some lenses, the serial number is on the front rim, and on the other on the side. Who can say what this feature is? And what is the difference between them?

    • B. R. P.

      There is hardly any difference. Maybe different years.

      • Alexey

        maybe yes. 84 year serial on the ring, 87 on the side. and the color of enlightenment is different.

  • Neustrdm

    It's time for Arkady to make a strong-willed decision about the need for visitors from the aggressor country on the site. Otherwise, they will turn the site into a garbage dump.

    • B. R. P.

      I think this is a forced decision by Arkady, who for many years insisted on the absence of politics on his site. Too few people will be left without visitors from the aggressor country. Most citizens of Ukraine now have other concerns. The rasseyanyam have nothing to do but to mischief here.

    • Amit

      We are all photo lovers here. Nationalism should not be brought into our love of photography. P S. I am from Cherkassy, ​​Ukraine

    • Vinchi

      Do not turn the site into politics, only amateur photographers are here.

      • Andrii

        Go don't turn the site into a palette for photography, you're grazing there.

  • Victor

    I use different lenses on Nikon D 700, both Russian and foreign. With the right approach, the results are miracles on both. Taking the Nikon D 3000 camera, don’t scatter radians, I’m irrational as to make it. Having read here what is in the menu, it is necessary to adjust the knowledge without the object. Ale in the menu of which I can not know. Who can tell. Phone chi SMS 0631067822.

    • Arkady Shapoval

      no way, the d3000 does not know how to work with manual lenses. Installation may help. dandelion lushnikov.

    • Oleg

      Nikon 3000d decommunized camera, it does not see Soviet optics

    • B. R. P.

      Don't bother, because there are no electronics in them. Activate in M ​​mode, adjust everything manually.

  • Sergei

    If you put it on Nikon Z50, will infinity remain?

    • Arkady Shapoval

      Will be preserved

  • Gregory

    Kaleinar - what does this word mean?

    • Rodion

      Hard to tell. The scheme, apparently, is very old: a lens with that name has a card from 1934 in the GOI catalog. At the same time, there is a patent by the iconic Robert Richter for a lens with a similar choice of glasses and generally approximately the same circuit, but in 1938. In general, it is no secret that the circuit was licensed from the Germans in the early 30s, but was widely used in photographic equipment after how more highly refractive glasses have become available in the catalogue.

Add a comment

Copyright © Radojuva.com. Blog author - Photographer in Kiev Arkady Shapoval. 2009-2023

English-version of this article https://radojuva.com/en/2011/02/obzor-kaleynar-5-h-otzuvu/?replytocom=1745

Versión en español de este artículo https://radojuva.com/es/2011/02/obzor-kaleynar-5-h-otzuvu/?replytocom=1745