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
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
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
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
Features worth paying attention to:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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).
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Excellent picture quality.
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
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.
Comments on this post do not require registration. Anyone can leave a comment. Many different photographic equipment can be found on AliExpress.
Conclusions:
Tair-3-Phs 4.5 / 300 - big, heavy, interesting.
Material prepared Arkady Shapoval. Training/Consultations | Youtube | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Telegram
NIKON D-90 made friends with TAIR-3 .... (at first I didn’t like the quality of the pictures, it’s a little soapy, then it’s dark, then it’s light, then there’s no sharpness) “JUPITER-36B” 3.5 / 250… TAIR-3 draws more beautifully in comparison with JUPITER-36B… I think so.
both lenses are good)
I agree, Arkady, both are good, but in Jupiter-36B it is more difficult to mount the bayonet mount to Nikon, I use two adapters:
1st) from the bayonet mount (lens) to the M42 thread.
2nd) from M42 to Nikon mount.
and there’s a catch, the focal length is lost. And JUPITER is heavier.
please tell me which adapter ring is suitable to attach Tair-3 to Nikon D3100? due to my location, only an order through the Internet is possible, but I would not want to make a mistake.
The review indicates the type of adapter and information on use, this is an adapter KP-42 \ N (M42-Nikon), be careful. More details in the section on Soviet lenses.
thank you
I used a KP-A / N adapter for the D-90 ... you have to look at the TAIR-3 shank.
FS-12 set
Arkady, didn’t you do tests of Soviet teleconverters?
No.
I want to buy myself such a glass. I’ve found a cinema version. The photo does not show the thread for the camera. Tell me, can I connect this device to the camera? Can anyone come across such a problem? They say that the cinema version was of excellent quality
Hello! You do not know where you can buy lenses with shipping in Ukraine? Something like online commissioning?
And a question about Tair: 3FS and 3C lenses meet - what's the difference there?
As far as I know, FS and C do not have a fundamental difference, both of them from PhotoSniper.
thanks. I did not find differences that were not even fundamental.
Feedback from one user of this lens with http://vk.com/radojuva
I got myself one. What Arkady wrote is true.
I got a copy of 82 years old, complete with a photo sniper12. Mounted on Nikon D7000 through adapter ring.
Perhaps I'll start with ergonomics. Guys. 1.5kg is no joke. The balance of the camera goes to the "nose" and the second hand is needed not only to maintain / stabilize, but also in order not to load the mount. In my case, the lens is black and the kit looks convincing. As already written in the article, it is made to last. Metal, glass ... There are also minor drawbacks, however conditional: a non-standard screw for a tripod and a slightly dangling aperture trigger mechanism. It does not interfere or annoy at all, just in such a monolith it would be possible to make it tighter. Note that to change the focal length, a special ring is used that pushes the lens unit. And it is set in motion through! Plastic! guide with risks.
Features of work with D7000.
In my case, in the settings of manual lenses, the focal length was 300mm, the maximum aperture was 4.5. Metering started right away, and in my opinion it was quite correct, offering shutter speeds from 1/100 to 1/600 depending on the scene. ISO is around 200-800 on a cloudy day. At apertures of 4.5 / 5.6, focus confirmation worked (“Green Point”), however, since I was shooting handheld, it was difficult to pay attention to it in the viewfinder, I was trying to focus on a relatively (for this lens) rapidly changing scene. As already said - there is no infinity, it is really possible to focus on 40-45 meters (approximately). Focusing on this (al (tahir)) is an interesting thing. However, you can get used to the tight little ring.
The picture also corresponds to what is written in the article.
HA. Yes they are, you can see them. Cropped vignetting: either it is not there, or I don’t see it ... The picture is dense, without ringing sharpness (Nikkor 1.8D 50mm 5.6), but nevertheless it “delivers”. It is foolish to compare “fifty kopecks” and a telemonster, but still I note that the diaphragm does its job. Namely: the bokeh from light sources is really round, and not “nuts” from fifty dollars. But the general background for some reason reminded me of a gauss. It floats softly, erasing the micro-contrast, which remains at the same fifty dollars. The bokeh is peculiar, but I will give it its due - not flat. I would say individual. I saw similar at 4.5 / 5.6 at 105mm (Nikon 18-105 DX). In fact, in good weather it will manifest itself more strongly, and in general the glass will “come to life”. I considered it insufficiently contrasting, bright ... However, it is difficult to understand something in 30 minutes.
Animals, observation, “tele-portraits” (pardon the pun), architecture. It is in no hurry, it does not have a lightning-fast autofocus, it has an unusual design, a lethal (430mm at 1.5 crop) focal length. I don't think it can be used as a second or even third working lens in a backpack. The wrong approach. The role of a telephoto camera on a tripod for leisurely creative shooting is quite suitable for him. There are only three reasons to buy: 300mm F4.5 5000 rubles. Is it worth the money? Yes, because for amateur shooting the 300mm F4.5 will allow you to look where 50 / 105mm would not be enough ... For the same money. I feel it will take a long time to reveal my potential.
Question to Igor Dyomin, aka Dyomof. (Of course, if anyone else is in the know - wellcome!)
And can you elaborate on the symbiosis of the tail M39 and KP-A / H?
I attached one to the other and their diameters are, to put it mildly, different!
On the Tair-3 shank there are three tongue screws, they are unscrewed and the shank is separated from the lens body. The diameters of the lens and adapter are different and therefore KP-A / N is put on the lens body, rather than inserted inside like a native shank ... but at the shank beforehand, it is also necessary to let in three tongue-and-groove screws, which in the future will allow fixing the adapter on the Tair-3 case.
Finally I bought version A i.e. with the usual adjustments. My age is 68 years old. Satisfied with all 100
Continuing the review of what was written just above:
As it turned out, it is quite easy to return infinity to the TAIR-3: on the front lens unit, the frame with the inscription “TAIR” and the serial number is fixed on three small bolts. It is enough to unscrew them and unscrew this ring a little, which will allow the front lens unit to go deeper inside. Thus, you can set infinity on Nikon, and, as I think, on other systems, without losing the picture quality. Also, when using adapters on the thread, there is a similar ring, which will allow you to correctly fix the lens on the ring and the camera, as they say, without distortions.
Please note that after these manipulations, the indications on the focusing ring change. That is, you will have a "run away" for infinity. It can be (but not at all necessary) also returned to its place by weakening and correctly exposing the newly arrived infinity
Thanks for the good advice.
thanks for the information, the method works well, yesterday I noticed that the recently purchased tair from FS3 does not have infinity (camera - canon 50D) remembered you with a kind word, took out a screwdriver and now everything is normal, thanks again
This lens has one more feature: the tripod mount has a different (slightly larger) thread diameter than modern ones, incl. The tripod pad cannot be simply fixed on a tripod. For these purposes, they say, there are adapters, but only where are they sold ...
http://cs421418.userapi.com/v421418348/274/dWkuWJsEXjw.jpg
There is a Soviet one, 150 rubles. Metal) very cool thing) The price of the adapter is 4.90 like ...
Sorry for the possibly stupid question, but is it necessary to put a dandelion on this lens, does it make sense? Perhaps someone tried already?
Dandelion is for convenience only. More details in the Dandelion Lushnikov section.
If your camera supports manual lenses (on Nikon this is the “Lens without CPU” menu item), then it is much more convenient to create preset settings in this menu, assign it to be called from the function key. Thus, for example, I quickly change the aperture “driven” into the camera, so that the metering would work correctly.
Good afternoon!
Tell me, please, which adapter is needed for the TAIR3-PhS 0743 Lens lens on a Sony alpha with a Minolta A mount?
And how do you know the diameter of the thread for the ferrule (42 or 39) and the diameter of the thread for the filter?
Tair-3 did not go to m39, so there should be an M42 thread. Adapter M42-Sony Apha
Good day. Arkady, please tell me which is better: Tair 3 or Tair 33. If possible in more detail. Thanks.
Tair-33 is a medium format lens, if you use it on a medium format camera, then it is better. Tair-3 is a lens for a narrow film, it is lighter, if you use it on a regular 35mm SLR or digital crop, it is better.
Understood thanks. I have Nikon D7000, there was a desire to take a Soviet telephoto camera, but when I read “I would take Tair-33” in one of your comments above, I got confused.
I myself would really take 33th, as the full frame will have a minimal vignette.
Good afternoon. I got myself a fosniper with Tair-3FS. The main question is how to use the diaphragm? As far as I understand, you need to cock the aperture with the lever with the red arrow, and then set the desired value with the ring. But I can't do it - if I cock it all the way, and then try to set the values, the cocking handle returns to its original position. If I first set the value with the ring, and then I cock the diaphragm, it remains in place. Is it a breakdown? By the way, the ring does not quite coincide with the index - the open one turns out to be less than 4,5, and the closed one does not reach 22 (can I fix this?) I have not installed it on my Nikon yet, since I need to rearrange the shank - and suddenly it will need to be returned (although I'm not sure what happens)
Good evening, Arkady. Please answer the question - there is no one else to turn to. Thanks.
There are various modifications of the frame and control of the Tair-3 aperture; mine is implemented as described in the review. Most likely you just do not lock the handle.
Most likely it is. Can this be fixed or not?
I can not tell.
Sorry, thanks for the reply. Happy holidays to you!
I have Nikon D7000
show what optics the advice will go with d7000
I took Helius 81N ms before 3 days after reading you reviews
thank you
Recommendations on choosing optics can be found at the end of this article - https://radojuva.com.ua/2011/04/optika-na-nikon/
Good evening, Arkady. I'm all about my Tair, more precisely about the problem with the cocking lever - I found that if you slightly pull the lever that resets the cocking lever to the desired value when you pull the trigger (white at the bottom), the cocking lever stays in place. That is, it is there that something does not work properly. Maybe there are some thoughts or someone was analyzing such a Tair - I don’t dare to disassemble it myself, all of a sudden I’ll ruin everything? Maybe there is a detailed disassembly diagram? Thanks.
Unfortunately, I do not have such a scheme. I would gladly suggest something, but the Tair-3 lens could not be disassembled.
in general, I got a relatively cheap FS-12, the tair of which had the following peculiarity - the plastic toothed plate, according to the owner, was broken and replaced with a bronze (brass?), turned on a lathe, in general, to examine it, I unscrewed the focus to the minimum distance and unscrewed the focusing knob, in general, the shutter flew off, since I plan to sell this tair (there is one more - from the export FS3), I had to disassemble the lens, photographing each step, in general, to remove the lens unit (the diaphragm springs are fixed on it) it is necessary: to unscrew the focusing handle (4 screws), remove the plate covering the part of the slot in which the toothed surface is located (4 screws), remove and carefully pull out the trigger lever (4 screws), then set the aperture value on the control ring at which the shutter travel Moving the shutter to the lowest position as much as possible, remove the toothed plate (2 screws) and carefully pull out the lens unit,
There is no need to disassemble the tail to remove the lens unit, the assembly is carried out in the following order: without changing the position of the diaphragm, move the cocking lever to the lowest (bottom is the point to which the plate with the tripod socket is attached) position, carefully insert the lens unit, check the adequacy of the shutter operation, screw on place the toothed plate, insert the trigger (it is also the aperture lock), the focus knob is put in place last, pay attention that with the lens unit retracted as much as possible (the lens length is minimal) opposite the arrow is infinity, otherwise the focusing will not work as it should, in total kind
That is OK. Will seek.
That is OK. Will seek.
Hello! I have Tair 3s and Nikon d5000. The photos are interesting, but yours are "fat", and mine are dull and grainy on ISO 400 and 200. What to reconfigure?)))
I put it on d40, the colors are more fun, but there is graininess!)))
I will sell the Soviet Tair 3 fs lens with an installed and aligned (infinity is present!) Adapter for Nikon.
800 UAH Urgently need money.
http://vk.com/id27486220
Hello Arkady, Tair-3 4.5300A will this lens fit Nikond90, I can’t find a detailed description of its fostovik anywhere?
Through the adapter will do. The adapter is needed KP-A \ N