Overview of the Tair 3FS F4.5 300 mm lens

Lens Tair 3, which is described in this review, was taken from a photo gun, it contains identification data:  Tair-3-Phs 4.5 / 300 N3783 Lens made in USSR. As soon as the lens fell into my hands, once again I felt all the “power” of Soviet optics, because the lens weighs more than a kilogram.

Review Tair-3 300mm F4.5

Review Tair-3 300mm F4.5

The first thing that catches your eye is the tremendous front lens with a diameter of 72 mm, and indeed - the general view of the lens - it is all painted with white paint, instead of the usual black. Tair-3 is made in the style of those times - no plastic (except for the front and back cover), only metal and glass.

TTH:
Focal length: 300 mm
Resolution according to technical specifications (center / region): 36/30 lines / mm
Diaphragm: F4.5 to F22, 16 petals
The weight: 1400gram
Year: exact information is not available, but from about 1950 to 2005
Front Lens Diameter: 72mm
Landing thread: interchangeable shanks, usually a tail with M42 thread

History: In 1958, at the Brussels World Exhibition, the lens received the Grand Prix award. It was produced in different versions, with a different design of the case and with different enlightenment. Additionally you can see review and video review MC TAIR-3S 4,5 / 300 in a black frame и TAIR-3-FS 4,5 / 300 in a black frame. Also, the lens has a medium format brother Tair-33 4.5/300.

Features of my model - since the lens was removed from a photographic gun, the design of its controls is quite interesting. Firstly, the diaphragm is set using a cocking mechanism - this means that the diaphragm is fully opened (by maximizing the ring with a red arrow), the desired value is set, and then it is lowered to the desired value using the 'trigger' installed from below lens. There is a feeling of a real camera gun. Trigger trigger it works very easily, just press the mechanism a little, after which the aperture closes to the desired value, this is done in order to focus on the fully open aperture, and take a picture at the desired value to ensure the desired depth of field and correct exposure.

I worked with several Tair-3 lenses, and all of them did not have an instantaneous aperture release, but smooth, which took about one second, which is not good. Perhaps the mechanism has simply worn out during operation.

Aperture lens Tair 3

Aperture lens Tair 3

Secondly, it is focus method. It is different from all the lenses I've worked with. At the end of the tube along which the lens unit with front lenses travels, below is a metal focus control flywheel. The disk rotates 270 degrees in the plane perpendicular to the hyperfocal plane of the lens. On the focusing disk there are designations for the limits of focusing from 3 meters to 80 meters and infinity.

Focus Flywheel Tair 3

Focus Flywheel Tair 3

How did I use it with a modern digital SLR camera?

The lens can use interchangeable shanks, although there is no 'A' in its name. On Nikon cameras I used MC TAIR-3S 4,5 / 300 with interchangeable shank KP-A / Nor using the adapter ring M42-Nikon (with loss of focus to infinity).

You can find out how to use the Tair-3 lens on Canon in my article Old Canon Lenses. When used with other systems, corresponding adapters are also available.

It should also be borne in mind that the lens is quite heavy and, if handled carelessly, it may well tear out the camera mount. On my Nikon D90 the lens and the camera feel fine, I even held the camera itself, while not holding the lens with my left hand, but I repeat - this is at your own peril and risk.

Very use of a tripod is advisable - firstly, to install a lens on it, and secondly, hand shake at 300mm can blur the picture.

An example of focusing and using Tair 3 FS

An example of focusing and using Tair 3 FS

Features worth paying attention to:

  1. Focal length in 300mm. It's real fixed telephoto, which is rarely seen in our time. Usually now they make zoom televisions like 55-300, 70-300, 80-400 and the like. On the cropped matrix of mine Nikon D90 (Yes, and any cropped camera) we get the same viewing angle as 450mm for a full-frame sensor (i.e. 35mm film). And 450mm at aperture ratio in F4.5 is already the dream of many amateur photographers.
  2. Aperture F4.5 - an excellent indicator. Current televisions mainly use F5.6. The most interesting thing is that the lens is “working” already with a maximum aperture.
  3. Weight - The lens, as already mentioned, is quite heavy. This is a kind of 'Soviet image stabilizer'. The heavy weight helps to increase the inertia of the lens and reduce shake of hands or camera on a tripod. But, also, after working with such a technique, hands fall off within an hour (verified by personal experience).
  4. Scheme - 3 lenses in 3 groups. In fact, you are very pleased when shooting with this kind of lens. Our scientists have shown themselves here to the maximum and created a lens of only 3 lenses (Ray is happy) During the transition of light at the intervals between glass-air and air-glass, a part of the flow is lost and different distortions are added, so the less of them, the better.
  5. The number of aperture blades 16 pieces. The diaphragm is perfectly round. Ideal for portraiture - no “nuts”. Anyway - such a large number of petals is very rare. The photographs show how much a round hole is obtained. True, the aperture blades are not blackened, this adds distortion in counter and side light.
  6. Possibility of installation on a full-frame camera. It is a pity there is no way to test on Nikon Full Frame DLSR APS cameras.
  7. Excellent picture quality.
General appearance of my tair 3 fs in my hand

General appearance of my tair 3 fs in my hand

About quality Images:

A completely open aperture produces a sharp picture. That is, the lens is quite high quality. With the naked eye, quite strong HA on the open diaphragm. I do not observe distortion. The color rendition is littered in the direction of green colors, it is treated by setting the correct BB... The picture is very flexible, the bokeh is excellent (as on me, everyone has different tastes). The transition from the zone of sharpness to the zone of unsharpness is very smooth, and not abrupt, as is usual with high-aperture lenses. Vignetting, in principle, should not be on the crop matrix. Also, the lens is very afraid of backlight and side light (in the examples there is one photo in backlight - the photo is covered with a kind of veil). Also, the picture has green outlines (aberrations) out of focus and purple outlines in front of the image.

Personal impressions:

there is no need to fear the weight of the Tair-3 lens, half an hour can be removed without a tripod, there are no problems with a tripod. My girlfriend shot Tair without any problems holding him in her arms, strong guys will be able to hold him all the more. Regarding the shooting - I really liked its sharpness, plasticity and its 300mm, the girl fell in love with this lens so much that it is possible to photograph distant objects without attracting attention. Below, actually the photo.

Refined Use of Tahir 3

Refined Use of Tahir 3

Ниже приведены sample photosmade on this lens and camera Nikon D90. The photographs are imprinted shooting options with EXIF module.


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


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Conclusions:

Tair-3-Phs 4.5 / 300 - big, heavy, interesting.

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

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Comments: 211, on the topic: Overview of the Tair 3FS F4.5 300 mm lens

  • Andrei

    but please tell me, with the adapter 42-nikon how much do we lose infinity?
    (specifically for taira)

    • KalekseyG

      On generally. No her. No. Meters to 20 will be the focus.

    • Andrei

      I got myself a complete set of photo guns with a butt, Tair, in a suitcase, with two more Helios 44 lenses, and color filters.
      I wanted to talk more closely with you about shooting this glass on Nikon, do you have an email?
      interested in

    • Alex

      There is a replaceable shank, on nikon kp-a / n
      It seems so called laziness to get to watch)

  • George

    What does its name mean - TAIR ???

    • Tetramaddon

      Altair (α Aql / Alpha Eagle) is the brightest star in the constellation Eagle and the 12th brightest star in the sky. Visible gloss - 0,77m. The name comes from the Arabic "an-nasr at-tair" (Arabic. النسر الطائر), meaning "soaring eagle."

    • mAlex

      Quite artless - EAGLE. Just an eagle. In Arabic.
      When he is also an-nasr at-tair, then he is soaring, but otherwise he is just an eagle.

      • Peter Sh.

        - Hey, Vasyok, but what do you have for the lens?
        - This, an-nasr at-tair!
        - The very fool.

    • Leonid

      This is the development of military enterprises, which were full in the Republic of Mari El (then the Mari ASSR). Lake "Tair" - that's what it is called there.

      • Rodion

        Taira Volosov was counting. It seems that he had nothing to do with Mari El.

        • Sergei

          GOI during the Great Patriotic War was evacuated from Leningrad to Yoshkar-Ola (now Mari El).
          And the respected D.S. Volosov worked there for quite a long time.

  • Michael

    Piotobrel TAIR -3 Phs 4,5 / 300. It turned out to be a defect: someone = rummaged = in the OKP1-35-1 F-35 eyepiece, having mixed up the lens arrangement during assembly. I can not find anywhere = optical = circuit of this node. Who will help.

  • Kostjan

    Got tair3, two aperture setting scales on one ring, why? Brussels 001547

    • Alexey

      One ring sets the aperture to the desired reading, and the second ring closes the aperture just before the shutter is released.

  • Igor

    For me it was very interesting - I replaced the facade with the same achromatic meopt.

  • Sergei

    At the last foreign auction, the predecessor of this photogun from 1943-44 was sold for 200000 Euros!

    • Arkady

      name of the auction

  • Sergei

    Good afternoon.
    Those. infinity not to receive?

    • Andrei

      Where did you read in the article that you cannot get infinity?

  • Konstantin

    Tell me what kind of wire with a plug is sticking out of the lens?

  • Konstantin

    here is the one from the back end.

    • Arkady Shapoval

      wire for the exposure meter, remove and nothing will change

  • Nicolai

    Release date of your lens July 3, 1983

    • B. R. P.

      ?

  • Viktorv

    I use Nikon D 700 and D 3000 digital cameras. I put any manual lenses on the D 700 without any problems. On Nikon D 3000 I can't fix it. In the menu, there is no sign for an object without a chip, and there is no sign for an object without a lens. Who knows for 3000, tell me. Bazhano at Viber 0631067822 such a faraway ...

    • B, R, P.

      It’s good that you call your manuals “love”, that you love them) Ale, you need to be more respectful and quick to read this site, to get to know, and not to check the vibes. On the 3rd and 5th thousandth series, it is necessary to switch it off in the “M” mode, all the adjustments are made by hand, vitrimka, aperture ... about a million times it has been written, powered and confirmed.

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