Sonnar2
Well-known
I dont have a Helios-40 but this is my heaviest and longest so called short telephoto lens.
Great example of a classic Gaussian design - one element more than the Classic Carl Zeiss Jena Biotar or Helios-40 - that adds to the length.
The Ernostar type Komura 100/1.8 - see this thread -is much shorter (both are preset lenses).
It came to me totally disaligned (infinity and aperture index at 5 o'clock position) but if you unscrew some of the screws visible from outside the lens comes apart. Strange! Apart from this, everything works fine with this lens. It looks to be sharp in the Spotmatic finder, and even a bit more contrasty than the Komura.
Even the faster Zeiss Planar 84/1.4 is much shorter than the Soligor - in fact it has more Ernostar than Planar attributes - and of course, when compared to the Soligor a much advanced mounting.
SOLIGOR was the main lens maker for MIRANDA in the 60's under the same roof of AIC. In the late 60's they eventually started to make lenses in other mounts like M42. The 85/1.5 is considered rare and was (AFAIK) never made for Miranda. Other fast lenses were the 135/1.8 (probably the same lense was branded as Vivitar and Porst). It isn't sure what company made the Vivitar 135/1.5 but this could be also Soligor/AIC.
Great example of a classic Gaussian design - one element more than the Classic Carl Zeiss Jena Biotar or Helios-40 - that adds to the length.
The Ernostar type Komura 100/1.8 - see this thread -is much shorter (both are preset lenses).
It came to me totally disaligned (infinity and aperture index at 5 o'clock position) but if you unscrew some of the screws visible from outside the lens comes apart. Strange! Apart from this, everything works fine with this lens. It looks to be sharp in the Spotmatic finder, and even a bit more contrasty than the Komura.
Even the faster Zeiss Planar 84/1.4 is much shorter than the Soligor - in fact it has more Ernostar than Planar attributes - and of course, when compared to the Soligor a much advanced mounting.
SOLIGOR was the main lens maker for MIRANDA in the 60's under the same roof of AIC. In the late 60's they eventually started to make lenses in other mounts like M42. The 85/1.5 is considered rare and was (AFAIK) never made for Miranda. Other fast lenses were the 135/1.8 (probably the same lense was branded as Vivitar and Porst). It isn't sure what company made the Vivitar 135/1.5 but this could be also Soligor/AIC.
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bmattock
Veteran
I always love playing with oddball lenses like yours. Cool! Post some photos taken with it!
Avotius
Some guy
they dont make em like they used to.....sigh....
Roger Hicks
Veteran
I had the 135/1.8 Soligor in F-mount and foolishly sold it, and now I have the Porst in M42. I'm pretty sure it's the same lens. Soft wide open; lacking contrast; but still rather fun.
Cheers,
Roger
Cheers,
Roger