Review of the lens Industar-50 3,5 / 50 (LZOS, 1969) specially for Radozhiva prepared Rodion Eshmakov (instagram).
Cheap Industar-50 50 / 3.5 - "Soviet whale" for many rangefinder and SLR cameras has replaced its predecessor - Industar-22 in 1953. The Industar-50 lenses were produced not only at the Krasnogorsk plant, but also at enterprises in Lytkarino, Kazan and Feodosia, and in various versions. The review presents the Industar-50 lens produced by LZOS for rangefinder cameras of the FED and Zorky families.
List of modifications of Industar-50:
- Industar-50 1: 3,5 F = 5 cm P (KMZ) in the case from Industar-22 for Zenit cameras - a rare early version
- Industar-50 1: 3,5 F = 5cm P (KMZ) in a new type of silver housing for rangefinder and SLR cameras (M39)
- Industar-50 3,5 / 50 (KMZ) in a new type of silver housing for rangefinder and SLR cameras (M39)
- Industar-50 3,5 / 50 (KMZ) in black housing for rangefinder and SLR cameras (M39)
- Industar-50-2 (Industar-50-2, KMZ) in a black housing for SLR cameras (M42)
- Industar-50MT (KMZ) for the Zenit-Surprise medical chamber
- Industar-50 3,5 / 50 (KOMZ) in a folding case for rangefinder cameras
- Industar-50 3,5 / 50 (LZOS) in a folding case for rangefinder cameras. This article
- I50U-3,5 / 50 (FOZ), photographic
- I50U 3.5 / 50 (NPO "Optics"), photographic
- I50U 3,5 / 50 (LZOS), magnifying
- I50U-1 3,5 / 50 (LZOS), magnifying
- I50U-1 1: 3,5 F = 50mm P (LZOS), magnifying
- I-50R, 60/8, reproduction
Technical specifications
Optical design - 4 lenses in 3 groups, "Tessar";
Focal length - 52,48 mm;
Relative aperture - 1: 3,5;
Field of view - 45 °;
The number of aperture blades - 8;
Aperture limits - 1: 3,5-1 / 16;
The minimum focusing distance is 1 m;
Mount to the camera - M39 thread with p / o 28,8 mm;
Design features
Folding rangefinder lenses of the Industar family are made in the image and likeness of their German cousin - Leitz Elmar. The body of Lytkarinsky Industar-50 is made of nickel-plated brass. Apparently, no one has used the lens for a long time, so the coating, which is not very resistant to mechanical damage, looks great.
You can find distance scales and depth of field on the lens, although using them has probably never been convenient due to their location.
Distinctive features of the lens are two chips that are in vogue today - a spring-loaded focus position lock at infinity and, of course, a "lens parking system" - the ability to reduce the size of the lens by moving the lens unit deep into the camera for ease of wearing. It should be noted that on modern cameras it is worth being very careful when folding the lens: you can damage the mirror (on SLR cameras) or the frame of the matrix shaft (on mirrorless cameras).
This version of Industar-50, unlike Krasnogorsk, has an eight-blade diaphragm. Its control is realized much better than that of the early Industar-22, but you cannot call it the standard of ergonomics. It is important to note that, unlike the early Industar-22, this lens does not need to be disassembled almost completely to service the lens unit.
Lytkarinsky Industar-50 has blue and yellow antireflection, the lens has an almost neutral transmission spectrum.
Like any rangefinder lens for cameras with M39 mount, Industar-50 has a very large minimum focusing distance for a fifty-kopeck lens - 1 meter. This is very inconvenient, but with folding lenses it is easily corrected. To do this, it is enough to unscrew the MDF stopper and replace the infinity position stopper with a longer one (I used the I-23U diaphragm drive screw). In this case, the stroke of the lens unit is doubled and an MDF of ~ 0,65 m is achieved.
When focusing, the entire lens unit rotates. I would like to say that this is an obstacle to the use of filters, but only this lens has no thread for them. In addition, working with Industar-50 is complicated by the infinity lock, which interferes with fast focusing at long distances due to the need to apply additional force to compress the lock spring.
I can't say that Industar-50 is very convenient to use, but in comparison with the early Industar-22 Moscow, it is really better in ergonomics and easier to maintain. You also need to be careful, however - this small lens can damage the inside of the camera with its rear end, so it is not worth making efforts when folding. Outwardly and tactilely, this lens is quite pleasant.
Optical properties
Industar-50 is an optically very modest lens. It does not have any outstanding performance and image quality. At an open aperture, acceptable sharpness is observed only in the center of the frame. The edges of the image on a full frame bounce back only to F / 8-F / 11 due to strong field distortions. In this regard, it is somewhat inferior even to its predecessor - Industar-22m (later Industar-22).
The contrast of the lens is pretty good. Even in the backlight, the situation is not so bad: Industar-50 does not catch rabbits, but a white veil and a rainbow "sunny rain" appear.
Industar-50 suffers from vignetting, which is noticeable in the full frame, which, together with field aberrations, makes its bokeh twisted.
Below are sample photos on Sony A7s (shooting in RAW, processing in Imaging Edge).
Conclusions
Although I'm not a big fan of the 50 / 3.5 Tessars, this lens left a positive impression of itself. Unusual stylish appearance and acceptable optical properties, together with modest dimensions, allow this lens to claim the role of an everyday lens on a mirrorless camera. If you like the drawing of the tesars, I advise you to also pay attention to the rather interesting Industar-26m.
You will find more reviews from readers of Radozhiva here.
Nice sharp lens, looks funny on a mirrorless camera.
I liked the fact that with it the camera fits into the jacket pocket, although somehow uncertainly. And the fact that it touches the matrix shaft is not very good.
That is, if you put such a folding lens on a mirrorless camera, you get the following: even if the flange distance is correct (17,7 mm + 11,1 = 28,8), the lens ass will still be larger than the matrix window, and will rest against it the edges. Did I understand correctly?
When folded, it will rest, when unfolded, obviously, everything is OK.
Well, it's clear that I'm talking about a recessed position. Pichalka :(
And on a full-frame matrix, it looks like it will remove chips from the matrix when folded.
In principle, he will not reach the matrix in any way, even if it fits into the mine.
There is a risk of catching the matrix with this lens in the folded position, but only if you put it on a mirrorless camera without an adapter / adapter.
Which in the case of the Sony E should have a thickness of 10,8 mm.
Another inconvenience when using with an adapter - to install and infinity will require additional manipulations - you will need to slightly unscrew the lens from the adapter so that the adapter can be pressed and locked into the latch at infinity.
I didn't have such problems with him.
There is such a side of the adapter interferes, but they can be different.
It seems that you can put a light filter, the diameter is 32.5mm, on canon rf cameras it folds normally and does not scratch anything.