Anybody shoot a collapsible FSU lens?

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paulfish4570

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I much like my I-61 and I-50 rigid, but I might like to mess with a collapsible I-50 or I-22 for increased pocketability of my FED-2d.
Preferences?
 
You may want to try the collapsable Fed lens (I-10)with the non plunger type infinity lock, probably made for the Fed 2 camera as it does not jam on the camera body when depressed. The Fed 2 body does not have much clearance from the lens mounting flange.
 
Hey Brian. I have two I-50 rigids; one is old with a fresh optics unit from an I-50-2 that I installed. That optics unit could be used if the I-50 collapsible I pick up is a little rough front or back ...
 
Good to know. I've been thinking about picking up a collapsible lens as well. The same question was in my mind.

My only complication is that I'll be using the lens on a Leica IIIc. One of these days I'll figure out how to shim lenses effectively. I've been following Brians posts on the topic but I don't really have a way to easily test a lens without shooting and developing - which really slows down the iteration. I'm thinking about taking a scrap FED2s mount and trying to make something to test the lens with. Cheaper than buying a Periflex or other such device - $70+shipping from the UK adds up quickly.
 
I've used the I-22 and it's good for the money if you can find one without defects. At least 50% of those I've encountered have factory defects or have been badly abused since manufacture. My advice would be to save yourself some grief and try and find a coated Elmar 3.5cm F3.5 with good glass, but user cosmetics (to keep the price down)
 
I went for the I-22 (Both are dirt cheap...) I've heard there is some more sample variation on I-50s... Someone having used both versions and lots FSU gear recommended the 22 because it seems like Russian lenses (and cameras) from those days became less quality controlled as years passed by... The I-22 is coated, has the same I-50's aperture ring, and several owners say it's sharper and of course more flare resistant than the original Leica one... That's more than enough for sure! I'll start using my I-22 this next week. Users say the previous I-10 (also collapsible 50 3.5) has inferior optics and design. Another advice I got, was buying a mint I-22 directly from eastern sellers, because in the US market there are lots of bad ones having been bought and sold lots of times, and those are most of the ones offered inside the USA... As those lenses were produced in hundreds of thousands, they're cheap: but they're amazing... I even saw a very very beautiful bokeh image focused close with the I-22 at 3.5! I'll post images in a few days...

Cheers,

Juan
 
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David Murphy said:
I've used the I-22 and it's good for the money if you can find one without defects. At least 50% of those I've encountered have factory defects or have been badly abused since manufacture. My advice would be to save yourself some grief and try and find a coated Elmar 3.5cm F3.5 with good glass, but user cosmetics (to keep the price down)
Click to expand...

Ditto on all counts. I had a nice I-22 and as it so happened, a coated 3.5 Elmar at the same time. The I-22 was nice, but the difference in the two lenses was very apparent, as were the images from the two when you looked at them side by side. I am not saying the I-22 was bad, but clearly the Elmar was better, and not very expensive at all if you shop smartly.
 
I-22... I don't see any of my Elmar shots in the same series on line.


3015435867_5a53fce512_o.jpg
 
Yes that's the best way to get FSU glass, use the big eastern European dealers (many are on eBay). Most of these guys are quite reliable and they cull the better lenses for export. They will often combine shipping too on smaller items, or at least offer a discount - good deals to be had if one is on a budget or experimenting.

Juan Valdenebro said:
I went for the I-22 (Both are dirt cheap...) I've heard there is some more sample variation on I-50s... Someone having used both versions and lots FSU gear recommended the 22 because it seems like Russian lenses (and cameras) from those days became less quality controlled as years passed by... The I-22 is coated, has the same I-50's aperture ring, and several owners say it's sharper and of course more flare resistant than the original Leica one... That's more than enough for sure! I'll start using my I-22 this next week. Users say the previous I-10 (also collapsible 50 3.5) has inferior optics and design. Another advice I got, was buying a mint I-22 directly from eastern sellers, because in the US market there are lots of bad ones having been bought and sold lots of times, and those are most of the ones offered inside the USA... As those lenses were produced in hundreds of thousands, they're cheap: but they're amazing... I even saw a very very beautiful bokeh image focused close with the I-22 at 3.5! I'll post images in a few days...

Cheers,

Juan
Click to expand...
 
I did a quick test "pixel peeping" of my I-50 shimmed for the M8 and my 1947 Coated Elmar 50/3.5. I could not tell a difference between them.

The optics cell from the rigid and collapsible are identical, the aperture ring is different. It should convey when you change the module.
 
I-50 collapsible, on the M8, wide-open.

picture.php


100% crop:
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wide-open:
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Infinity wide-open. No IR cut filter.

picture.php
 
I'm regularly using a FED50/3.5 collapsible on my Bessa-T.

It's a very nice lens, very sharp in the center, and in the corners too when closed down a bit. The contrast is also good if you take care not to shoot against the light. That's one of its weaker points; it flares easily.

The biggest plus of this lens is of course its portability. When collapsed, it's almost flush with the camera, making it pocketable.. The mayor downside was the infinity lock; once engaged, it couldn't be released because of a ridge along the lens mount on the Bessa. As the lens is intended for use, and not for sitting in a cupboard, I just filed off the catch of the infinity lock on the lens to overcome this.

Focus is spot on if I don't forget to extend the lens :D
 
I have the collapsible I-10. I don't normally notice the difference in sharpness of lenses in the size of prints I view. I will say however, that the I-10 is definitely on the soft side compared to a Canon FD 50mm or even an Olympus XA.
 
I use an old single-coated I-22, and I think it is a great lens. It's hard to do a factual comparison between these lenses as many of the FSU lenses I come across are out of spec. They must be cleaned and properly adjusted before they can be judged.
 
Just by way of comparison, I've put the same scene enlargements here:



Comparison.jpg


The I-10 is on the left, A Yashica Electro 35 on the right. Both are shot on Tri-X and scanned at 2800dpi. The original FED photo is in my gallery, so you can get some idea of the degree of enlargement.

Regards

Nick
 
I went through a few I-22 and I-10 but couldn't find a good one. Then I bought a Zorki-1 with an I-22 attached to it which works beautifully. I think the lens is the original one for the body. I've heard that in the fifties they still paired lenses and bodies on the factory line.
 
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