Lens 37 mm F/1.0 from night vision goggles PNV-57E (LZOS), adapted for mirrorless cameras. Review by Rodion Eshmakov

Material on this lens especially for Radozhiva prepared Rodion Eshmakov.

View of the lens block before adaptation.

View of the lens block before adaptation.

Night vision devices are usually equipped with the fastest and most compact lenses. Electro-optical converters of devices often have dimensions similar to camera matrices, therefore, NVD optics look very attractive for use in photography. The most significant limitation of the use of these lenses - a very small back focal length - is practically overcome by eliminating the mirror in the design of modern cameras.

It is authentically known that in Soviet and Russian night vision devices they were used as specially designed lenses (for example - 1, 2), and special versions of photographic ones (Jupiter-3, Helios-40-2).

Engineers paid special attention to the Zonnar scheme, which made it possible to design high-quality and compact super-aperture lenses. I have already met 4 varieties of this scheme among night vision optics. This article presents one of the variants of the super-aperture "Zonnar", intended for night vision goggles PNV-57E, belonging to the 1st generation of night vision goggles. This device was originally intended for the crews of helicopters and armored vehicles, but it also had civilian versions. Producer - Lytkarinsky plant of optical glass. These devices can be found in the museum at the plant.

PNV-57E and its modifications are one of the most common and affordable night vision devices on the secondary market, today it is often used and modify airsoft players, hunters.

Specifications:

Optical design - 9 lenses in 5 groups, "Zonnar";
37mm-f-1-0-lens-review-10
Focal length - 37 mm;
Relative aperture - F / 1.0;
Field of view angle (calculated) — not less than 35°;
Coated frame - 16x21 mm (APS-C 4:3);
Working spectral range — near IR (up to 850 nm);
Rear focal segment - ~ 1.5-2 mm;
Features: does not have a focusing mechanism and aperture.

Modification of the PNV-57E lens to work with mirrorless cameras

The lens block of the lens has rather modest dimensions and is made based on the requirements of compactness. But its full adaptation is an incredibly difficult task. Firstly, the lens block does not have a diaphragm. Its installation is complicated precisely by the fact that the lens block has a small diameter and, in general, there is rather nowhere to put it. Even disassembling the lens is difficult: for some reason, there is a lot of non-volatile lubricant inside it, even on the rings between the lenses, so everything is stuck and does not separate from the body.

Lens block PNV-57E before adaptation.

Lens block PNV-57E before adaptation.

Secondly, this extreme lens has an extremely small rear focal length of approximately 1.5-2 mm. This completely eliminates the use of a mechanical curtain shutter: my Sony A7s has a shutter at a distance of ~ 3 mm from the sensor. And, of course, the lens must be sunk directly into the shutter shaft, which is impossible / to be done with cameras of a format smaller than 36x24 mm: the rear group of lenses will not fit at all (absolutely, absolutely!) If the smallest side of the matrix shaft is <24 mm.

The back of an unadapted lens block. The frame of the rear lens should be as sharp as possible for adaptation.

The back of an unadapted lens block. The frame of the rear lens should be as sharp as possible for adaptation.

For the above reasons, I decided to forego the very complicated full lens adaptation procedure that also includes aperture setting. But I definitely wanted to bring it into a state suitable for shooting.

Of the two available lens blocks, I chose the damaged one for the installation experiment on the camera - with several scuffs on the front lens. The rear part of the frame of the rear lens was almost completely ground off, the walls of the rear part of the lens block were ground off so that it would fit into the shaft of the camera shutter. Then the lens block was placed in a macrohelicoid with an M42 mounting thread, onto which a thin M42-NEX adapter was screwed.

37 / 1.0 lens PNV-57E requires even more space in the sensor shaft and camera shutter than the well-known Jupiter-12 (in the photo - modification Zorkiy BK 35 / 2.8

37 / 1.0 lens PNV-57E requires even more space in the sensor shaft and camera shutter than the well-known Jupiter-12 (in the photo - modification Zorky BK 35 / 2.8)

I did not try to blacken the surface of the lens block, since the paint can crumble from accidental contact with the insides of the camera. The lens turned out to be a real "shutter killer": permanent damage to the shutters is inevitable if, for some reason, the camera is not put into electronic shutter mode. And even this is not a guarantee that the shutters will not work: Sony cameras have a stupid habit for some reason when they turn off without asking to click the shutter, even if it is turned off. This issue has already been raised on Radozhiv, but the exact reason for this behavior of the camera is still unknown to me.

Adapted lens next to the original lens block.

Adapted lens next to the original lens block.

Either way, I highly recommend parking the lens when focusing on the MDF after use. You can also remove the lens from the camera only when focusing at close range, since when you turn the lens in the mount, the tail of the lens block can damage the shutter shaft. By the way, this happened to me once - and I bent the outer frame of the camera shutter when trying on the lens, which, fortunately, had no consequences.

Adapted lens next to the original lens block.

Adapted lens next to the original lens block.

An interesting feature of the PNV-57E lenses is the coating of the optics. It is not at all like what is used in 50 / 1.5 lenses. TVNO-2B. In fact, this is a typical coating for work in the visible light region: the lens through the lens looks just like a regular old photo optic.

Lens PNV-57E 37/1.0, view through.

Lens PNV-57E 37/1.0, view through.

I recorded the transmission spectrum profile of the lens and did not find any anomalies - the maximum light transmission lies in the green region. The given spectrum, due to the shooting conditions, has a shifted value of light transmission by a constant (unlike those spectra that I cited earlier in my articles) and cannot be used to calculate the transmittance.

Light transmission profile 37/1.0 of the PNV-57E lens. The abscissa shows the wavelength scale in nanometers.

Light transmission profile 37/1.0 of the PNV-57E lens. The abscissa shows the wavelength scale in nanometers.

What justifies the use of conventional enlightenment in this lens is not entirely clear. Most likely, this is due to the calculation for the use of the device in natural light without the use of IR illumination (lanterns, searchlights). And this greatly simplifies the use of the lens for photography. Although there are already so many obstacles that it begs the question - was it worth it?

Optical properties

It's funny that this lens barely covers APS-C, but due to its design, it only works with full-frame cameras. But the manufacturer made an honest relative aperture of F / 1.0, unlike the Chinese, who mold the lens (by the way, also cropped) with ~ F / 1.2 "F / 0.95» . Thus, a 37/1.0 PNV-57E lens is equivalent to a full-frame 55/1.5 when using an APS-C format frame. In 3:2 mode, when focusing at distances from 3 m, black corners are observed, but in 4:3 format they are not there at infinity either.

As for image quality, for a lens from the 50s with such parameters, it is quite adequate: from an open aperture, it is already quite sharp in the center of the frame, although spherical aberration is noticeable. At the edges of the field, of course, the influence of field aberrations is very large (even more astigmatism, rather than coma). Present chromatic aberrationvisible on contrasting objects (spherochromatism) in areas adjacent to the focal plane, as well as in the corners of the frame (field aberration chromatism).

The image contrast is good under normal lighting conditions, but in backlight it drops very much - the presence of as many as 10 air-glass surfaces affects in the absence of a multilayer anti-reflective coating. Color reproduction due to the characteristic light transmission profile of the lens is somewhat reminiscent of an interesting 16KP-1,4 / 65 , produced in Izyum (Ukraine).

I really liked the bokeh of the lens. It compares favorably with the comatose pictures from old super-aperture planars and quite strongly resembles the bokeh of other zonnar-like lenses: Jupiter 3, 7artisans 50 / 1.1.

Surprisingly, these lenses are used by amateur astronomers as eyepieces. This lens provides a field of ~55 degrees at a focal length of 37 mm, making it a valuable survey eyepiece for viewing extended deep-sky objects.

After using this lens for some time, I realized that this optical design has a huge potential for upgrading to create fast portrait lenses for mirrorless cameras. The fact that LZOS has such a backlog may in the future help to get off the needle of a military order and develop the production of unique “peaceful” optics for photography.

Below are sample photos taken with the Sony A7s in APS-C mode. Part of the photo is cropped to 4:3 proportions. All shots were taken in Silent shooting mode (electronic shutter only).

Conclusions

Despite a very interesting picture, the extreme 37 / 1.0 Zonnar from PNV-57E is not of great value as a photo lens in itself due to the short back focal length and the associated limitations in use. However, the lens can be successfully used in systems with a <16x22 mm photodetector format that do not have a mechanical shutter (for example, a video camera). The optical scheme of the PNV-57E lens is promising for the development of artistic super-aperture lenses based on it.

You will find more reviews from readers of Radozhiva here... All Rodion reviews in one place here.

Add a comment: Jea reth

 

 

Comments: 29, on the topic: Lens 37 mm F/1.0 from night vision goggles PNV-57E (LZOS), adapted for mirrorless cameras. Review by Rodion Eshmakov

  • Mr noe

    What's up with the group https://vk.com/radojuva ?

    • Rodion

      Looks like it's temporarily closed.

    • Arkady Shapoval

      Yes, the group is closed.

  • Nicholas

    Rodion, what is known about Arkady, I hope everyone is alive?

    • Rodion

      Periodically I ask, everyone is alive.

      • spitzer

        Rodion, is he still outside the palette? Don't you know..

        • Arkady Shapoval

          What does out of politics mean? I have always had and have a clear political position, but here in Radozhiv there is no place for this. I pointed out the general happening here. Want to chat with me - please, everyone there are contacts on Radozhiv.

          • spitzer

            There is no way to communicate, but the only question is - why is it not written in the title that it was the Russian Federation that attacked Ukraine? The only place where Russia is mentioned in passing is aaazh at the end of the video, although in theory it should be at the beginning.

            In a sense, a foreigner comes from somewhere in Colombia to rejoice, gets on an article about the war, reads everything and stupidly does not understand who attacked Ukraine ..

            • Arkady Shapoval

              It's clear, the whole world knows

              • Albert

                UA is a place of luminosity! It turned out cool (I'm talking about a hat)

            • after all

              But the Russian Federation did not attack, the army attacked, but the Russian Federation did not. all residents are sitting at home, some have lost their jobs, some have doubled their salaries, some have a house, because they can no longer pay the mortgage due to the loss of work. Do you want ordinary citizens to stop the army? Bold…

              • Seladir

                Poor residents of the Russian Federation, how sorry they are (no).
                It turns out that the authorities and the army from another planet flew to Russia and then attacked Ukraine? For 20 years people were happy with everything, they fed this government with their passivity. And given the percentage of support for the war among the population, then there is simply no chance to get through to these zombies through the brains, it remains through the stomach.

              • spitzer

                So it wasn’t the army, that weapon fired, but the army was like that, it was just next to machine guns and tanks, the army was innocent, only the weapon was to blame .. where is the evidence that it didn’t fire itself? yes, yes, the largest crossbow in history is already in the Russian book of records.

              • Andrew

                I agree. Only a narrow-minded person will say: you didn't stop it. Let's hang the children from the Alley of Angels, as well as the sacrifices in Odessa, on all Ukrainians. And on ordinary Americans we will hang Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and Syria and Libya too.
                Only a fool does not understand that a handful of people are always in charge, and ordinary citizens suffer.

  • after all

    Seladir
    26.03.2022 in 20: 36

    Mind chamber. Only an idiot can support a war if he himself is not in power. Any war is a write-off of debts, and a lot of debts have accumulated. Have you noticed that absolutely everything in the world and in any currency is becoming more expensive? This is a conspiracy of the elites. The beginning of 2014, in 2020 the pandemic was supposed to solve everything, but there was no proper effect, now they are solving the issue through the war. The task is simple. Write off 60 trillion debt of the oligarchs through ordinary people.

    • B. R. P.

      + 1!

  • Specialist

    Which oligarchs and who owe? If we assume that the BB (and the State Duma with it) did not go crazy, it turns out that they were afraid of a bad development of events (worse than now?) in connection with the course of Ukraine. Eh, I remember the time when Rotor played with the Lviv Carpathians and Spartak (Iv.-Frankivsk) and there was no hatred and hostility. Woe from the mind and grief from freedom?

    • Seladir

      In fact, this is just a war of conquest with “you are to blame for the fact that I want to eat.” And then everyone already has a rationalization to taste - from official to conspiracy theories.

      • Specialist

        From 91 to 2014, no one thought to capture anyone. Action gives birth to reaction.

  • Jea reth

    Well, I finally waited!
    Rodion, grand merci for work. These are the machines I was talking about.
    And as for enlightenment and use without IR illuminators - yes, the PNV-57E, due to the greater sensitivity of the image intensifier tube, could also work in natural light without auxiliary emitting devices. As far as I know from the words of a friend who, at my insistence, revived that device, even a dubious moonlit night is completely fine for these units. Here is the younger brother - PNV-57 without the letter "E" - had a more meager image intensifier tube and optics in principle. There already only with spotlights with light filters.
    Well, it’s necessary to roam fiercely with them, as I see it ... I wouldn’t risk the shutter for the sake of this.

    • Rodion

      There is another option for their use: to add a more or less achromatic or even non-achromatic negative meniscus lens in front of a small magnification, thereby increasing not only the rear segment to a more acceptable one, but also the lens field. Well, that is, in fact, it can be turned into the same near-fifty dollars. But this is not necessary. And why - you will see for yourself later, I will tell)

  • Dmitriy

    The shutter on shutdown is clicked by the camera to produce a dark frame to update the map of hot pixels, which are then eliminated. This happens once a day, when the camera is turned off again on the same day, there will be no clicking. Everything is simple.

    • Rodion

      Thank you) But she does it quite unpredictably)

  • Human

    Does it make sense to open your own lens production? It somehow looks very doubtful that all sorts of LZOSs there will suddenly suddenly start producing something suitable, all they can do is rent out existing premises for warehouses or sell them to build a new business center or some kind of PIK anthill. The fate of the Muscovite factory awaits all of them, as we see so far, they can only open their Soviet schemes and somehow reluctantly establish their production xèp knows for whom

  • Human

    Does it make sense to open your own lens production? It somehow looks very doubtful that all sorts of LZOSs there will suddenly suddenly start producing something suitable, all they can do is rent out existing premises for warehouses or sell them to build a new business center or some kind of PIK anthill. All of them are waiting for the fate of the Muscovite plant, as we see so far, they can only open their Soviet schemes and somehow reluctantly establish their production x * r knows for whom

    • Rodion

      Do you know what it means to “open your own lens production”? Especially considering that only LZOS makes optical glass in the Russian Federation. In Ukraine, only Raisins made it, by the way. LZOS is not going anywhere, if only for the reason that they are on the needle of the defense order, and the defense order is on the needle of Lytkarino glass. Another thing is that civilian photo optics so far really do not shine with any originality and are ancient Soviet developments. So far, this is the only possible option for the plant. And only the presence of sales in the civilian optics market can make it possible to develop a new product from scratch, and then completely reduce the share of military orders in favor of civilian optics.

  • Jea reth

    Rodion, I ask for advice. Regarding the topic of the review.
    I was threatened here with a working night vision device of the NZT-1 type from the Cyclops-1 civilian complex. We dug up the whole set, but there is no standard lens. The connecting size for optics there is M42. As for the working distance, I'm not sure yet, but most likely, plus or minus the standard mirror (the device works in IR). But as you know, night vision devices have no restrictions on the proximity of the rear optics element, at least put it back to back.

    Advise which lens with ultra-high aperture could be put there?

    Aperture is not needed there, so technical and projection glasses will probably suit me. While I'm looking at RO-109-1a, which in our city lies on Avito for a penny. Can you suggest any other options? You need something with an aperture ratio of 1,5 and faster.

    Native Cyclops for the sake of playing with night vision to buy a toad strangles - I do not need it.

    • Rodion

      I would just suggest trying 16KP 50 / 1.2 or KO-120. Carving there with a standard cut.

      • Jea reth

        Well, the 120th will obviously be too long for me - it will already be a 3-4x night vision monocular. Although I'll write it down as an option.
        I'll try to buy 1,2/50 and adapt. If only the entrance pupil of the image intensifier tube covered. Aperture is what you need, compactness is on the level and there is hope that the overall image quality will be digestible. But no - I'll plug the hole with Helios 44m. I just wanted more aperture, it rolls there

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