For the opportunity to review the Pancolar 1.8 / 50 ausJena lens, many thanks to Dyachuk Roman.
Review Pancolar 50mm 1.8 ausJena
The lens presented in this review is Pancolar 1.8 / 50 ausJena numbered 8551345. Coming out of the lens number, most likely the lens was released between 1967-1970. They say the Pancolar is not a real Cazl Zeiss, the reason for such thoughts is this lens, on which there is no inscription Cazl zeiss, but only ausJena. The prefix "aus" in German means "from". It turns out “Pancolar from Jena”. You will find interesting thoughts about the collapse of production in the blog Dmitry Evtifeev.
Pancolar 50mm 1.8 ausJena - view from different sides
I already have a review Carl Zeiss Jena MC Pancolar 1.8 / 50 DDR - this is a newer version of the lens, therefore, I will not re-paint about Pancolar. Basic information is in the overview Carl Zeiss Jena MC Pancolar 1.8 / 50 DDR, and here I will try to describe the differences between the old and the new version.
Pancolar 50mm 1.8 ausJena - view on Nikon D40
My Pancolar 1.8 / 50 ausJena, unlike the new version, does not have multi-enlightenment. At Pancolar 1.8 / 50 ausJena there is a simple enlightenment. Because of this, the lens gives a strong yellowness in the image, it seems that the lens is wearing a yellow filter, therefore, the color rendering of the lens is warm. On my digital SLR camera, automatic white balance copes well with yellowness and makes a very nice color rendition of the lens. To some extent, yellowness is only a plus.
Pancolar 1.8 50 ausJena. bokeh
But Pancolar 1.8 / 50 ausJena It does not have multi-enlightenment, but it normally tolerates backlight, can catch hares, but the hood helps to avoid unnecessary flare.
Sample photo on Pancolar 1.8 50 ausJena
Another major difference between the old version is the 8-blade aperture, which allows you to form a more even bokeh than the 6-blade in new versions of the lens. Diaphragm Pancolar 1.8 / 50 ausJena matte, has a nice ring of switching values. The values themselves on the ring: 1.8, 2.8, 4, 5.6, 8, 11, 16, 22 with one intermediate value between the designated.
Attention: old versions with a color like "zebra" are of several types: with a 6 or 8-blade diaphragm. I also used the version with a “zebra” with 6 aperture blades - optically and externally, the lens does not differ in any way from the one presented in this review.
Sample photo on Pancolar 1.8 50 ausJena
The lens barrel also differs from the new one. Pancolar 1.8 / 50 ausJena - classic "zebra". Zebra is most often used to mean old Cazl Zeiss lenses in which the focus ring and aperture ring have a black and white striped color that resembles a “zebra”. Older zebra lenses are legendary among photographers. And in fact, the lens is very old, but it gives out just gorgeous image quality.
Sample photo on Pancolar 1.8 50mm ausJena
On my Pancolar 1.8 / 50 ausJena there is a strange switch, its destination could not be determined. The lens does not have a jumping aperture, because the switch cannot be responsible for the aperture control mode.
Sample photo on a Pancolar F1.8 50mm ausJena
How to use on modern cameras
У Pancolar 1.8 / 50 ausJena There is a thread for attaching to the M42 camera. In order to install on a modern SLR camera, just find the right adapter. I used Pancolar 1.8 / 50 ausJena with a camera Nikon D200 and an adapter KP-42 / N with the loss of the ability to focus at infinity. About adapters and compatibility with Nikon cameras, I painted everything in an article about Soviet lenses, some of which, too, have an M42 mount. Canon needs the M42 / Canon EOS adapter, for more information see the article on old lenses at canon.
Sample photo on a Pancolar F1.8 50mm ausJena
Sample photos on Pancolar 1.8 / 50 ausJena
All photos were shot on Nikon D200without processing. The size 2048*1536impressed data from EXIF, RAW -> JPEG, auto BB,Q80%.
For what purposes is it suitable
Pancolar 1.8 / 50 ausJena will serve as an excellent portrait lens, especially on cropped cameras. On the crop EGF The lens will be 75mm for Nikon and 80mm for Canon. At full aperture, the lens blurs the background and foreground very nicely, which is important for a good portrait. And also, Pancolar 1.8 / 50 ausJena Is a fast prime lens that can help you deal with poor lighting without raising your ISO or slowing your shutter speed. All fifty dollars are very similar to each other, but Pankolar stands out for its design.
I could not detect significant vignetting or distortion on my cropped camera. HA very small. On the fully open aperture of F1.8, the images are quite sharp (even very sharp).
Example photo on a Pancolar F1.8 50mm ausJena
Personal experience
The lens is very easy to take. Pancolar 1.8 / 50 ausJena small, with a smooth focusing ring. The front element extends 1 cm when focusing, the lenses do not rotate. The ring itself rotates about 220 degrees. The kit comes with a wonderful hood, with which the lens looks very vintage. The hood is screwed into place of the light filter. Also, the kit comes with two light filters.
Example photo on a Pancolar F1.8 50mm ausJena
Catalog of modern Carl Zeiss lenses can look at this link.
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Conclusions
Pancolar 1.8 / 50 ausJena - an excellent fifty dollars. Gives good bokeh, nice color rendering. Bokeh is slightly curled around the edges of the frame. Sharp already from the maximum open aperture. Ergonomics on top. Cons of Pancolar 1.8 / 50 ausJena very little. I recommend to use on the crop as a good portrait.
Material prepared Arkady Shapoval. Training/Consultations | Youtube | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Telegram
What is the difference and remarkable radioactive version of this lens? With yellow glass?
Good afternoon! Today I bought myself such a lens with yellow coating. I immediately took it to the background check. The measurements were carried out with a DRG-01T device (the device has passed all the checks and has all the necessary certificates). Five measurements were taken. The maximum value was 0.419 mR / h (the device was located directly on the objective). At a distance of 5-6 cm from the device, the value was 0.172 mR / h. at a distance of about 80 cm, the background radiation did not exceed its natural value (for our area, 0.015 mR / h). Now I sit and think, do I need him….
if you don’t need it, then sell it to me :) I’ll take it with pleasure, write to soap besvovan@yandex.ru
and what is the diameter of the filters? who is in the know?
filter diameter: 49 mm
Thank you!
The lens is really very interesting in terms of drawing, with a pronounced portrait bias. I use the second month, I really like it. My F1.8 instance is working. The drawing is soft, but at the same time clear.
I got such a copy, yellow and radioactive :) smeared / cleaned .. what can I say ?? better than this manual I didn’t have anything, although there are a few owl optics, helios-jupiters .. (1D-mark2 camera) very superb pictures from it, I won’t sell them for any money :)
by the way yellowness that gives open, only a plus.
and thanks to Arkady for a wonderful site, carefully reading, you can get a really high-quality and interesting optics;)
Where to buy lanthanum Pancolar with yellow glasses, which fonit?
I will buy thorium (yellow) Pankolar in excellent condition for 15 thousand.
I will sell thorium (yellow) Pankolar in excellent condition for 15 thousand.
I took a yellow ausJena today (number from 80 ...) I do not regret it. Before that there was a zebra CZJ (number from 89 ..), but the diaphragm was stuck. I consider one of the best fifty dollars
I will sell thorium (yellow) Pankolar in excellent condition for 15 thousand.
I will buy urgently, money right away, write in PM, mail is indicated. Sasha
I discovered Thorium Pankolar, which with yellowness and terrible radiation. It turned out to be not at all scary, there is nothing at 15cm and it is completely blocked by a butt in a sheet of paper, only alpha radiation, the most harmless, but what BOKE !!! A SHARPNESS !!! I can’t tear myself away, thanks to the author for the review of this wonderful kind of lens!
Good afternoon .. I took myself such a pancolar, I liked it very much. But on Nikon, you can’t take pictures beyond the belt. I’m tormented .. whether to change it to Arsat N or not? ..
we take a whale of nikon we take a shtangel we measure distance we take a zeiss and a minus one we twist for infinity the sharpest lens which I had
I took a thorium Pancolar for sixty thousand rubles from scratch. I wanted to be over thirty, but did not have time, everything went up along with the dollar rate. A lot of emotions, great thanks to the expert who wrote the article. Before that, there was everything - now nothing else is needed, I found “my” lens. Thank you, Arkady!
PS I recommend calm down for those who are afraid of radiation, there is a background, but if you do not add a lens to tea, then there will be no problems. Everything is designed by Carl Zeiss engineers! All creative success!
Are you living in Belarus or is this price so unrealistic?
I've seen so much takumar, 50 / 1.4. Almost a stop lighter is a weighty argument.
Also, by the way, thorium - the dosimeter showed an excess of several times at the front lens. But there alpha is extinguished even with a piece of paper.
Thanks for the review. Inspires!
Radioactive Pankolar cannot cost less than a thousand dollars in our area and the price is growing - it is impossible to import it, now there is radiation control everywhere at any border. Immediately for destruction. Accordingly, all parcels by mail are also checked for the background, you will also pay a huge fine, if at all, the time is not soldered for the smuggling of radioactive materials. There are many ads where the usual blue Pancolar is issued for lanthanum, you need to look at the numbers, from series 80 to 85 approximately, plus a different number of diaphragm blades, a strong difference in weight. If you compare them, then the difference is immediately striking, far from in favor of the usual, of course. The lens was abandoned due to the high cost of consumables and incompatibility with the socialist plan in the GDR. In the USSR, it was appreciated above Japanese glasses for its sharpness in low light conditions, an open aperture, unlike the Takumars, is fully operational. I was then still a young correspondent in Smolensk, and I remember how he was sent to reporters in the editorial offices of central news outlets, applied for, but given out to the most honored and those who were fond of the city committee apparatus. At current prices, it was much more expensive, the approximate equivalent of exchanging a Dnepr motorcycle with a sidecar, which was considered the most prestigious and could only be afforded by collective farmers and miners, where the industries were subsidized and salaries were inadequate. Only Leikas were more expensive, but this is only for Soviet pop and movie stars. The common people dreamed of “Zenith”.
took it by mail in another city with a transfer slip. êàî sell potamu hit that glass fonit and covered in transit and in Russia I think chaos. His district officer called, finally from another region he asked why I bought it. And I have not bought it yet. If I paid at the post office then another call. There they would have immediately accepted. I didn’t like, I didn’t know, I read on the forum such a sharp glass without the point of reselling it or making fawn there. It seems like they’ve gone off, I think I’ll take it or not take it in Moscow
I read the comments, I am surprised at people - everyone wants to buy something of which he has no idea, being a complete amateur. Only a professional with more than a dozen years of experience can assess the quality of low-dispersion glass. Why would a lover of Thorium Dioxide Pancolar? There are very funny talks about prices, etc. confirmation of this, some idiotic reasoning, comparisons, complete nonsense!
The lens belongs to the Ultra-Low dispersion glass class, this is the highest category where the difference in chromatic aberrations with the next Extra-low Dispersion glass level differs by about 5-7%, and the price by 50%. Those. to create glass with such a quality of refraction is twice as expensive, and the result is only slightly better. Who will appreciate it here? Here is at least one person?
Tip: master the basic level. Any normal LD class lens (Low Dispersion), mass produced or selected from the SLD (Special Low Dispersion) category covers 110% of any of the highest demands of amateur photography. Do not pursue sharpness if you have nothing to reproduce it on, if you are not an advertising photographer, do not print on the banner. There are completely different tasks and financial opportunities. It makes sense to invest in premium optics only when there is an external budget for this that needs to be mastered. At the factory in the German Democratic Republic, they understood this perfectly and didn’t make more mistakes with small-lot lots, the usual blue Pancolar LD class for 2000 rubles fully satisfies the amateur. Climbing somewhere is unclear where, comparing and proving something with optics for $ 1000 can only be a person for whom it really tastes and the color is the same, he just does not see the difference in emphasis. Such a still shoot and shoot, and better for Industar, an excellent Soviet lens made according to the Tessar scheme.
I don't care I WANT THIS GLASS
Today I called the Ministry of Emergencies in order to finally dispel all doubts about the ownership and transportation of this lens. Attention, the official’s response: the exchange, transportation, possession, sale or transfer of radioactive materials is a publicly dangerous crime and is qualified according to Article 220 of the Criminal Code with a punishment of up to 2 years in prison if the crime is not serious and up to seven years under aggravating circumstances. Any source of radioactive radiation above normal is subject to forced removal and destruction.
a country of paranoids ... you yourself say “higher than normalized”, the industry has not yet produced nuclear lenses, alpha radiation completely reflects a sheet of paper and in the air it is scattered already 10 cm from the lens. The radiation is comparable in strength to an iPad or a Wi-Fi router, and so far no one has seized or imprisoned them. In addition, practically all Zeiss lenses "fade" to one degree or another.
I have linoleum in my apartment phonite, is it storage or transportation (I go on it)? Sorry for the flood, ready to exchange nuclear linoleum for lanthanum pancolar!
Thank you to the author for the excellent publication and contribution to the coverage of lenses of the classical era, this is a great and thankless job!
In addition to the very funny comments of compatriots, I can only add that I have this lens without any problems, I am definitely ready to include it in the top five, with regard to prices and other things, our people generally like to whine and try to buy a good cheap - a national sport ... Unfortunately, this is counter-intuitive. The miser always pay twice.
Arkady, thanks for posting. I used to shoot with autofocus lenses, but switched to manual lenses and chose this one.
He took a yellow glass. Phonite did not check the phonite. An additional diaphragm blade gives the bowl a sympathetic. He stood in the area of Soroket re Malek bargained. In principle, I am satisfied, according to the sharpness of all the rules, jaundice left the frames when I re-set WB on the camera. If I choose between let's say Planar and this, I would take both, but shoot under a different mood. I recommend taking those who after autofocus, there is generally a big difference.
we shot a video like this until we went to Cyprus, where the border guards requisitioned it. Fine, payment of destruction, visa warning. In Thailand they wouldn’t do it, there is the death penalty for smuggling radioactive materials. The lens ahuh .. but only inside the country and in a spacesuit.
I was very lucky ... 40 and more, in fact, now the average price
There is one for sale, who is interested - write https://vk.com/id28670830
is available in idial (yellow glass) 0671211087
I'm talking about this patient. how much can it cost? Does it make sense to invest in cleaning the diaphragm (walking tight)?
about 40-50 thousand rubles, in contrast to the usual without thorium for 2-3.