For the ability to write a review Pentacon Auto 1.8 / 50 Multi Coating many thanks Volodymir gulchuk.
Lens view Pentacon 50 1.8
My copy Pentacon Auto 1.8 / 50 Multi Coating was taken from a Praktica camera. The lens was available in different versions. There were 3 more versions of the lens before Multi Coating. Pentacon auto 1.8 / 50. In fact, they all differed only in a light redesign of the frame and the method of controlling the diaphragm and enlightenment. In total, as far as I know, there were 4 versions, the model presented in this review is the last of its generation. This is evidenced by the green color of the feet on the focus distance scale.
The difference in size Pentacon auto 1.8 50 Multi coating and Helios-81N
TTX Pentacon auto 1.8 / 50 Multi coating
Focal length: 50mm
Structure: 6 elements in 4 groups
Number of aperture blades: 6 pieces
MDF: 0.33m (indicated on the scale)
Aperture Limits: F1.8-F16
Front Filter Diameter: 49 mm
The weight: 250g
The optical design is very similar to the design of Helios (Biotar). Most likely, the lens circuits are identical. The lens itself is very similar to the Helios-77m-4, which also has 6 elements in 4 groups and a 50mm focal length.
View of Pentacon auto 1.8 50 Multi coating from different angles
Highlights you need to know about Pentacon Auto 1.8 / 50 Multi Coating
- Manual lens. The designation Auto in this case only means that the diaphragm can be controlled semi-automatically.
- The lens has a dedicated MA aperture control switch. In the M position, the diaphragm is manually controlled. In position A, the diaphragm is controlled in a semi-automatic mode. You can focus on the fully open, and at the time of release, the camera through a special diaphragm pusher will close it to the value set using the aperture ring. Many Soviet lenses, like Helios-44 and Helios-77m-4, lack such an M-A switch, they have to manually block the diaphragm pusher when used on digital-SLR cameras.
Sample photo on Pentacon auto 50 1.8 multi coating
- The maximum aperture value is F1.8- This is a really fast lens. If you have a whale lens, then the maximum aperture on it is only F3.5, which is 3.7 times weaker than that of the Pentacon. Actually big aperture and old optics are famous for their low price.
Example photo on Pentacon auto 50 1.8 multi coating
- The lens is made of glass and iron. It stopped being released back in 1978, and it still works. This suggests that the German quality still makes itself felt.
Photo at Pentacon auto 50 1.8 multi coating
- The lens is not standard front filter diameter 49mm. I wanted to put my own on him protective filter 52mm, but it did not fit, it turned out to be a little larger.
Photo at Pentacon auto 50 1.8 multi coating
- The lens has multi-enlightenment. This is an important point when using the old manual optics. Multi-enlightenment helps this Pentacon to tolerate back and side light, as well as give a contrast picture
Photo at Pentacon auto 50 F1.8 multi coating
- Like any old manual lens, the Pentacon auto 1.8 / 50 Multi coating has depth of field scale for such aperture values: 4, 8, 16.
Photo at Pentacon auto 50 F1.8 multi coating
- Focus ring rotates almost 360 degreesand the Pentacon auto 1.8 / 50 Multi coating lens has 33cm minimum focus distance limit. A large and smooth focuser movement allows you to accurately and easily focus. A minimum distance of 33cm helps to remove small objects.
Photo at Pentacon auto 50 F1.8 multi coating
- Lens from full frame cameras. When used on a crop, the field of view will be narrower, and EGF for crop factor 1.5 will correspond to 75mm. Pentacon auto 1.8 / 50 Multi coating is a classic fifty dollars, and fifty dollars on a crop are very often used for portraits. If you want to choose a good Soviet portrait painter, then look at the section “The best Soviet portrait lens"
Due to watercolor blur, the overall picture does not look sharp
- The number of aperture blades is only 6 pieces... They have a metallic sheen and can seriously interfere and add "hares" when shooting. Closed diaphragm values produce standard nuts.
Sharpness Pentacon auto 50mm 1.8 mc
Personal impressions
The lens is very compact, sits well on a small SLR camera. It reminds me very much Helios-77m-4. It works fine, the picture is excellent, every photographer should have such a fifty dollars. The main competitor can be considered the Soviet Zenitar 50 / 1.7.
Bokeh on Pentacon auto 50mm 1.8 mc
How to use with modern cameras?
Lenses with mounting thread M42 (M42 X 1 / 45.5), such as the lens from this review, are very easy to use on almost any modern digital camera (both SLR and mirrorless), for this it is enough to choose the right adapter (adapter). You do not need to carry out any additional steps to modify the lens.
The cheapest adapters can be found at Aliexpress.com... There are adapters (adapters) with a chip that provide more convenience during shooting, usually chips are used to confirm focus and / or metering exposure, and form the correct EXIF. The chip does not affect the image quality in any way.
For some SLR cameras (for example, with the Nikon F-mount), you need to use adapters with a corrective lens, which allows you to focus correctly at all focusing distances. For any mirrorless cameras, such a lens is not needed, and the adapter is a simple decorated hollow metal tube with an appropriate mount.
For SLR cameras
- Canon: For cameras Canon EOS with bayonet mount EF / EF-S need an M42-Canon EOS adapter, such an adapter with a chip can be found herewithout chip here.
- NIKON: For cameras Nikon DX / FXas well as for cameras Fujifilm и Kodak with a Nikon F mount, you need an M42-Nikon F adapter, you can buy such an adapter without a lens and a chip here, with a lens without a chip herewith chip without lens here, with lens and chip here. Why a lens? Why chip?
- PENTAX: For Pentax cameras with K mount, you need an M42-Pentax K adapter, you can buy such an adapter here.
- SONY/MINOLTA: For cameras with a Sony / Minolta A mount, you need the M42-Sony A adapter, you can find such an adapter without a chip at this linkwith a chip at this link.
- OLYMPUS/PANASONIC/LEICA: For cameras with a 4/3 bayonet mount (not to be confused with Micro 4/3!) You need an M42-4 / 3 adapter, you can buy such an adapter here.
For mirrorless cameras
- SONY: For cameras with 'E'/'FE' mount series SonyNEX и Sony Alpha you need an adapter M42-Sony E (aka M42-Sony Nex), you can find it at this link. An autofocus adapter is also available for these cameras. Techart PRO Leica M - Sony E Autofocus Adapterwhich can be found at this link.
- OLYMPUS / PANASONIC / KODAK / XIAOMI: For cameras with a bayonet mount Micro 4/3 (Micro 4:3) you need an adapter M42-Micro 4/3, you can find it at this link.
- CANON M: For cameras with Canon EF-M mount need adapter M42-Canon M, it can be found at this link.
- CANON R and RF-S: For cameras with Canon RF mount need adapter M42-Canon R, it can be found at this link.
- Nikon 1: For cameras Nikon 1 Series need adapter M42-Nikon 1, you can find it at this link.
- Nikon Z: For cameras Nikon Z series (FX/DX) need an adapter M42-Nikon Z, it can be found at this link.
- FUJIFILM X: For cameras with mount X need an M42-Fuji X adapter, you can find it at this link.
- FUJIFILM GFX: For medium format cameras G-mount need M42-Fuji GFX adapter, you can find it at this link.
- SAMSUNG: For cameras with NX mount, you need an M42-Samsung NX adapter, you can find it at this link. There are no adapters for the NX mini camera yet.
- PENTAX: For Q-mount cameras, you need an M42-Pentax Q adapter, you can find it at this link.
- SIGMA / PANASONIC / LEICA: For cameras with L mount you need an M42-Leica L adapter, you can find it at this link.
- LEICA: For cameras with a bayonet mount Leica M need adapter M42-L / M, you can find it at this link.
If you have any questions on compatibility and adapters - ask in the comments (comments do not require any registration at all).
View of Pentacon auto 1.8 50 Multi coating on a modern camera
Pentacon auto 1.8 / 50 Multi coating
Image sharp with F1.8. Depth of field is very small at F1.8, it is very, very difficult to get in one's eye. Very good sharpness comes at F2.8. From F2.8 to F11.0, the sharpness is very high. At F16.0, the diffraction on my cropped matrix takes its toll. The most interesting - chromatic aberration very well fixed and they are very small even at 1.8, also, I do not observe the frigging, which on my Nikon 50mm F1.8D AF just awful on F1.8. Distortions and vignetting on crop are also not visible at all. Great color reproduction. The contrast is excellent, the side light Pentacon auto 1.8 / 50 Multi coating tolerates well, in the back it catches a few hares and a noticeable drop in contrast. Bokeh interesting, for an amateur, a little double, somewhat reminiscent of a light watercolor. Unlike Biotars (including Helios-77m-4) it does not twist the background.
Sample photo on Pentacon auto 50mm 1.8 multi coating
Sample Photos on Pentacon F1.8 50mm Multi Coating
All photos in this review are made on Nikon D40 without any processing, only converting from RAW -> JPEG, resizing to 1600 * 1200, data from EXIF.
UPDATED
Photographer shared examples of photos on PENTACON auto 1.8 / 50 MULTI COATING with readers of Radozhiva Lilia Nemykina:
Conclusions about Pentacon auto F1.8 50mm Multi Coating
Good manual fifty dollars. Excellent color reproduction, sharpness even at a fully open aperture. The manual control mode and the huge stroke of the focusing ring allow using it on modern digital-mirror cameras without any special difficulties.
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Material prepared Arkady Shapoval. Training/Consultations | Youtube | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Telegram
But in general, the best fifty dollars, which, in my opinion, is between the Karl Zeiss lens and all the other fifty dollars in image quality, is Oreston 50mm 1: 1,8
I'm waiting for proofs - how does it differ from the pentacon?
Today I take a picture with both of them, but for now see how they are evaluated at the Pentax forum: This is Oreston
And this is the Pentacon
But, as the photos promised, all the photos were taken in RAW and transferred without processing to Lightrum .jpg then each photo was reduced in size by 4 times by reducing the number of pixels on the side of the photo by 2 times. This one was made by the Pentacon.
This photo was taken by Oreston, as for me, it turned out a little sharper
Yes, but no more. The picture is identical. I don’t see the point of overpaying. They evaluate it differently stupidly because of the nameplate effect, no more.
Slightly not considered.
And this was done with a 55mm Super Reflex lens from Kozina, which I’m taking pictures of now, as I consider it more preferable for portraits (pay attention to the blur of the red car in the background). I hope it is not necessary to add that all 3 photos were taken from a tripod and at the same aperture of 2,0. Z.Y. For the third photo, I slightly pushed the tripod back, for the same scale, t, k, 55mm lens
Well, for the sake of interest, I took another photo of the same teapot with an Enna Munchen Tele-Ennalyt 135mm 1: 2,8 lens on an open aperture. I hope you are satisfied with the response to your request.
Well, in general, of course, 2.0 is not everywhere ice. But that is not what the pentacon is strong. In general, the main thing should be noted - that for those interested in these half-lines, it is worth looking for exactly M42 and it is in this latest mechversion with color scales as in the photo of the acrobats above. For portraits, it's easier to turn right away at 85 105 135, but that's another story. ATP Karen * for a mini-reviewer and photos.
And by the way about Zeiss - holding in my hands the latest fur half a carl zeiss 50 f / 1.4 planar for Boot and Nikon and having driven a certain number of pictures through them at one time, for some reason I was not inspired enough to want to spend 800 on them as they cost then. Yes metal yes brand yes petals yes probably a good picture. But if in straight hands on adjacent diaphragms, practitioners give out about the same thing with an eye on the price and age, then why should we mold a hunchback? The MAIN THING is that at the time of its release in 2007, no one even thought about HD and even more so about 4k, so the question is how this optics will behave abroad 24-40 or more megapixels ... So that's it. And the practitioner on fulk 10-12 confidently conceals respect and respect to him!
Good day! There is d5100. Which would be better suited - Helios 81H or Pentacon 50 1.8 ?? It seems like the first one should stand up without adapters and have infinity? On the other hand, there is still the question of which picture will be valued higher?
On Nikon - Helios 81H of course. The site has articles about both Helios and the Pentacon.
Good afternoon. There was such a problem, focus up to 1,5 m. The same problem with Indstar 50-2. Nikon camera. Has anyone else come across?
If you want a focus to infinity - buy Canon / Sony / Pentax. If you don't want to change your camera, look for optics with Nikon mounts or fully compatible optics through a ring (Soviet H mount, adapter A, medium format B and C mounts, for example).
Kira different rear working segments. None of the technology for m42 thread on Nikon does not fit without alterations. Read the focus on infinity will not. Look for nikkors.
I have a pentacon electric 1.8, the background twists steeper than the Helics 77e (I have three versions of them Valdai, Vologda and just 77m) I specifically compared ... in general, my favorite lens, Oreston is also there, but it is not very to me ..
Hello. Can I have some examples? Thanks in advance. post office alexboroda90@gmail.com
The swirling background is an optical defect, a consequence of trying to pull an owl onto a globe, read - to get the aperture ratio of 2,0 ++ on a tiny front element. There is nothing magical about it, and it looks pathetic. To broaden your horizons, see how the same 50 / 1,7 minolta removes or a banal industry 61 l / s
This has nothing to do with the diameter of the front element.
I specially made a smaller hole out of cardboard at half a length of kenon and applied it, then it started to twist
I inherited this from my father's practice. Really green, very soft on an open hole, but on f4 yesterday I shot a video for a music video in 4k VIA A CHINESE BOOSTER FOR $ 100 and was very pleased with the result - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKMsyCzffUE
The only interesting thing about this glass is bokeshka. Everything else is a staff and a staff. On the open for everybody, but at f / 8 all the glasses are the same.
And yes: Oreston differs from this pentacon only in name ...
Bokeh reminds me a lot of Trioplan. I have a newer version. Black with green and red designations
Hello ! I have such a lens, but for some reason the aperture is blocked. Tell me how to unlock?
I have the same problem, have you solved your problem?
It is solved by disassembling, cleaning, lubricating and if necessary adjustment))).
The simplest scheme, for the first time if at all from 0 spend hours 3. To figure it out to the screw. Then with closed eyes. There is nothing to break there. Disassembled all series of the model. Favorite glasses!) Therefore, do not be afraid of handles ...
And I need caps on my lens Pentagon 1.8 / 50 mm, tell me which ones are suitable and where you can order., Thanks!
There, by default, plastic on the face and M42 are a stub on the tail. If it’s easier to buy an inexpensive uvshnik at 49 before a ban. So you’ll keep your optics and you won’t sow any other food.
Arkady, what can you say about this lens in comparison with the SMC takumar 55 1.8. Which of them gives an interesting picture?
Arkady, thanks for your work!
Will such a lens focus on infinity on the Nikon 5100 with the M42?
will not be
Pentacon 50mm 1.8MC
Does the MS version differ in contrast and backlight from the non-MS version?
boring bokeh blur
A detailed test and sample photos from this lens on Sony full-frame mirrorless cameras have been published.
https://phillipreeve.net/blog/pentacon-auto-50-mm-f-1-8-multi-coating/
Tell me, please, the MA diaphragm control method switch is only in the Auto model? Or does Electric also have a MA switch?
I got this lens, which participated in the review above. Who will tell you how to choose the backlash of the focusing ring?
He really has 49mm.
Tell me who has experience using it on SONY NEX 5N. And is it worth trying it with this type of mirrorless.
In my opinion, there is no difference with which camera to use the lens, as long as it fits the camera. Except, perhaps, mega-multipixel ones.
The difference will be if used on a full frame
Of course it will be)