I was searching for vintage wide angle lenses, and this search brought me to this video. Such a breath of fresh air, to see someone like me in skin color, looking so good, living a fulfilled life, and so knowledgeable about imaging (video and stills). I also like his visual aesthetic, or what you may call style. Good colors great contrast and while a lot of RUclips cbannels talk about imaging, in this case the video itself demonstrates a high quality application of the knowledge - very very clear and easy on the eye, not going for some out of reality look. I really enjoyed the video and learned a lot from his accurate detailing of all the gear including what was used to film this video itself, well specified in the description. It gave me such a respect for Panasonic M43 cameras and their lenses. If I ever have spare cash, I am now encouraged to take a bit more interest in them, having seen the results he obtained in this video. At least it got my attention, that I wanted to know what gear he used to film this. His diction was excellent, and well paced. Great content. I would only suggest he uses a microphone closer to his face, either lapel or off camera mic pointed at his mouth, cos there was too much of the room sound. A minor issue, easily fixed. Just out of interest. Ray, which NLE do you use, and is this on PC or Mac?
Hello thanks so much for your kind comment. I also realize there is not enough of us on RUclips dealing with camera gear. I'm not sure what an NL is but the editor I use is called movavi and I'm using a Windows 10 PC. Yes the micro four thirds is almost perfect for video because it doesn't need a full frame sensor to get good video. But for photography a full frame is ideal for vintage lenses because it doesn't crop any of it. You are correct about the microphone, I shot this video at a time when I didn't understand the importance, my recent video I did a detailed video of how to get best sound using a unidirectional microphone. If you're looking for a wide vintage length definitely check out my Pentax 28 mm review here, let me know what you think it is also in m42 Mount. ruclips.net/video/sqlkp7T59AI/видео.html
@@Raychristofer NLE is Non linear Editor, pretty much all video editors are now NLE's. Once upon a time NLE was a big deal, a feature which allows you to specify edits and video effects without having to resort to an offline, pre processing. With the advent of faster processors and proxy's most video editors are now NLE's. When I watched the video, you inspired me, not so much to do what you do, but in general - I saw a wonderful person doing such a wonderful video, and it encouraged me to aspire again to be excellent at what I do, in all aspects of my life. Photography for me is still a hobby, but one I take seriously to achieve a high standard, video is an interest, but I really have not much in terms of content, to focus too much on that area - for now its private videos for family viewing only. I was certain that by the time I see your more recent videos you would have become aware of this and fixed it. I look forward to spending time on your more recent videos. I salute all of your achievements - you make our people look really good, and I am sure you make all people look good also. Thank you Although you mentioned it. you did not discuss in the video how you modified the vintage lens to improve the minimum focusing distance !. Is this covered in another video. - It is such an important issue, that lots of people will be interested in this, Do you clean your own lenses and if so what tools do you use, to open them up and clean them up ? I use a Sony NEX-F3 - APS-C camera and Pentax K mount 50 mm lenses - Pentax M 50mm 1.7, and a long awaited Canon nFD 50mm 1.4 is still on it slow way to me in the UK from an exotic country in the Far East - hopefully soon it will be here.... I was interested in wide angle which led me to your video... Will check out the Pentax video you mentioned... Cheers.
@@okay1904 great to meet you my brother. Definitely keep in touch and feel free to share your social media because I would like to see your work as well. I'm glad I was able to fire you up to increase your creativity. Many of us don't get the chance or freedom to reach our full potential
@@Raychristofer www.flickr.com/photos/190799136@N08/ I really just started getting serious about photography in early 2020, as something to do to make the best of the excess time I had, in the lockdown period. Live in the UK. Link to flickr is above, I have not posted much to flickr, cos that is pretty recent, when I discovered that Facebook degrades photos, with its compression. Although I have since worked out how to get the Facebook photos about as good as what I see in my photo editor - darktable - great open source and free app, My Sony NeX-F3 was bought (used) and delivered about two weeks ago, so only one photo from recent tests with this camera is on flickr. As time permits I will post more of recent and future photos to flickr. Most of my photos are with a 13 year old bridge camera - Fuji s6500fd. not bad but the Sony is definitely better. I will definitely keep in touch.
Nice review and shots. Just inherited this lens from my late Father and for sentimentality's sake I bought an adapter to use it on my a6000, I was blown away by it. Found a industar 50mm and Jupiter 135mm in his stuff as well and they're equally surprising.
1000sofusernames how you doing I really appreciate that, bless your father. Only one of my children has a passing interest in photography but maybe I can nurture that. I heard about the end of Starr that cute little pancake lens, I really love reviewing these old lenses because there's so much to talk about and interesting things to show that you don't have with a clinical modern lens. When you start taking photos feel free to share them I'd like to see the results you're getting also. Thanks for taking the time to comment
I've been using this MiR for years, my copy is the 1V. There isn't much love for this lens, thanx to the pixel peepers and iPhone generation. But whenever I start using the MiR, people are actually loving the results. I own a lot of m42 lenses, Mamiya-Sekor, (S) Takumar, ISCO Göttingen, Steinheill-Cassarit, and so on. It's just beautifull working with these odd and forgotten lenses. Thank you for sharing my passion!!!!!!
Hello David how are you? Good to meet you for sure it seems we're on the same mission. If you like this lens check out my voigtlander color Ultron review I think you would be interested in that one also and all of my vintage lenses are m42 Mount as well. You have good taste
I love your videos. You have a very practical approach to photography that is very awesome and rare, and it lacks a lot of the snobbery we associate with the majority of the camera world, but at the same time you have the knowledge to back it up. Keep it up! :)
Man Soren you just got me feeling all warm inside lol. I appreciate it. I love old school lenses I cant help it. also theres so much I need to learn about photography and editing and gear that I couldnt be a snob if I tried lol. right now Im working on a review of the Voigtlander color ultron 50mm 1.8, most of the imagery is shot I just gotta find time to edit it. by the way if youre bad call some names of snobbish channels lol, Im curious If we will agree. oh but leave out Camera store tv, those are my boys. thanks for taking the time to comment.
Geraldo Alvarez Lol hey thanks Geraldo that's deep man. Do you know what it is, I try not to read off a script and just be myself and most importantly I try to do the review in a way that I would want to listen to it. I appreciate it. Stay tuned I have three more reviews coming up in the next few months
Very likable guy. I’ve tried to build a matching set around the amazing Helios 44-2. This same 37mm at the bottom and the Jupiter-8 85mm at the top. Still working on building it up. They’re not a perfect match but it works. I do recommend the super-Takumar 50mm if you haven’t tried it, it’s a fast 1.4. Thanks for sharing!
Hey thanks for checking it out my man, yeah those old lenses are perfect but they swear in a beautiful way that you can't get in a modern lens. I've known about those super lenses for a long time but because of the radiation I've always shied away from trying them. I know they say it has the same amount as a banana but I don't know. If you like vintage lenses you might want to check out my voigtlander Ultron review it is extremely high-performing
@@Raychristofer I have both Helios and Takumars. They are all funky in their own right. Takumars are probably a tad less juicy than the Helios but they have the japanese classiness that I like a lot, too.
@@pascaldeshayes5459 hey check out a short film I made a few months ago on the channel called power outage it was shot almost completely by candlelight using the Mir 37 mm wide open. The way it flares is something I could never have gotten with a modern lens
I enjoyed this review. Well organised, detailed & with good illustrations of the features & capabilities of the lens. I particularly liked your black & white shots. I have an early silver M39 version of the Mir-1 & a couple of versions of the Helios-44-2; a late 1950s silver version (I have an M39 Zenit-C SLR) & an early 1970s unit in M42. I am now off to check out your Helios reviews. I gather from what you said in this review that there may be a few... ciao, ;-)
FoxtrotMikefm what's up Fox trot? Thanks for your kind words, yes this is one of my fav lenses to review. It's legit. Sounds like you have more old school lenses than I do lol. theyre definitely not a fad. When I'm doing product Photography and technical things I always choose the modern lenses because of the sharpness corner to corner but when I'm trying to make beautiful images the old lenses have a majic that the new ones lack.
An excellent video which played a factor in my getting this lens. Also, best explanation of what the aperture preset ring does among the many videos that attempt to do so.
What's up my man thanks for checking it out I really appreciate it. as much as I love the look the images give from this lens I don't like the ergonomics so muchbut I definitely want to use it on a full frame camera to get the most effect as the micro four-thirds is somewhat of a crop even with the focal reducer
@@Raychristofer I love its "controlled flare" as you so rightly mention in the video. I get orange tint flares that are so typical of Soviet era lenses.
MAN THIS IS AWESOME! Im so glad this was in my recommended, I was in the market for a 35mm and i was actually hoping to find one similar to the Helios! I picked up a Helios 44 about a month or so ago and I instantly fell inlove! It actually became one of my go to lenses! Immediately after this video i zoomed to Ebay and picked up this lens. Seeing your pictures has me beyond excited to receive it! Thank you sooo much for this video!! You earned yourself a new sub! :)))
Rames James Hello Rames bro you brought joy to my heart with your comment. The way you feel was what I hoped viewers would get from this review. Feel free to check out these images in full res on my Flickr link, I also have a Helios album also. I'd like to see your photos as well. Appreciate you taking the time to comment it makes the days of shooting and editing this not a waste. Respect
Raychristofer I appreciate the response! I loved the photo with the caterpillar! I can’t believe how sharp that was, that just makes me 10x more excited to receive this lens! Also I don’t post much to Flickr :( but if you have an Instagram you can check out my pictures there @ramesjames!
This is an outstanding review! Well done my friend. I just ordered an L39 version earlier this evening. I am looking forward to putting it to use. Your thoughtful review undoubtedly eased that learning curve.
leonche64 what's up my man, hey you're welcome.. I'm trying to get better and better at putting together review so that they don't bore people too much. I'm working on a review now of the Meyer gorlitz trioplan. and also a Carl Zeiss. Thanks for taking the time to comment
Wait a minute, what type sensor camera are you using it on? M39 is best for rangefinders. M42 is more useful because you can use focal reducers and it will work on slr cams also.
Hahaha thanks so much, you're only the third person to catch that mistake. I think it has a great rendering, I don't like the way the aperture turns so easily though and I wish I had a full frame camera to use it on
I have wanted a Mir 1 for a while but the prices seem to be going up. Something I have noticed is Konica Hexanon lenses are often cheaper in the states than elsewhere, I can recommend the 28mm, 35, and 135mm on M4/3. The 135 is pretty long but produces great bokeh and is crystal clear.
chris osh the morning should be still under 100 bucks I hope. For me the problem with the Konica hexanon Lin is there is no focal reducer that I could use This my micro four-thirds. I actually bought a 50 mm at a yard sale for 10 bucks to sell but no one bid on it on eBay that's when I realized they don't make focal reducer is that must have something to do with the flange distance
Hi Ray.I use my Hexanons on a G3and a GF3, mostly I use a 28mm and a 35m lens as I like the look of the pics they produce, plus the 28 and 35 are only equivalent to 56 and 70 in FF, ( I know you know this better than I do) The other larger Hexanons I have would definitely be better with a focal reducer but as you say so far nobody makes them but they still produce interesting results for me so I hang on to them. The mu-43.com forum has a load of stuff about Hexanons. I am interested in trying out video with my 4/3s can you recommend a vintage CF zoom that works well with them?
Great review good range of info. I've been using this lens for years with film and digital and video. Al though the focus throw is long as you point out, if you use scale focusing you can reduce that. For instance aperture at f/16 and on the focus ring set infinity to 16 and you will have everything from 1 meter to infinity in focus. Even at f/5.6 you can get from 2.5 meters to infinity which might pretty much cover all the ranges of street photography without further focusing. One way to get around the focus throw.
Hello thanks so much. Yes that's the whole point. I don't know if they would turn out that way if I shot it on an iPhone for example though. My Lumix camera even has a film simulation where it adds grain texture. Too good to use all the tools you have to get the look you want
Was interesting to hear you opinion. Nice presentation and thoughtful review. Sold all my vintage lenses, but this is the only one I keep. There is something in its color fidelity and contrast that can match Zeiss classic lenses. Also it is just a beautiful piece of engineering. Little beautiful lens.
Great review of a great lens - very thorough, with useful hints. I carried out the removal of the limiting pin for the focusing mechanism a couple of years ago and it really does extend the lens' usefulness - one of my favorites.
Followed up on your recommendation and went through your review of this lens. Good job again. Adding this lens to my hit list, I've been in the market for some wider vintage lens for some time now.
calahad thanks. Yes wider is hard to find in old lenses. I think the widest I've seen is 20mm. The only thing that limits this lens for me is I'm always trying to separate the subject and get shallower depth of field and the 2.8 aperture means I have to be up close
Good stuff. Thanks for going into so much detail. I was going back and forth between this and the Super Takumar 35mm, but now I may pick them both up and sell whichever I like less. That’s the great thing about these old lenses. If one isn’t what you’re looking for, it’s still worth the price you bought it for.
That's a good idea. The takumar will be very sharp and accurate, more modern images. This will have more swirly character and flare a bit more. I have both also.
Another good find along with good info on the lens. Like that these lens allow you to show your personality and at a smart price. This lens fits my style, original, well-built and classic (at least like to think so). Need to add this lens to my "Hit-List".....Thanks
Greg Campbell you're welcome Greg no problem, I have a feeling you might feel the same about the voigtlander when I get around to finishing the edit. It's one of those rare vintage lenses you can actually shoot wide open and whatever is in the center is still sharp
Nathan Abbott yeah man and there are so many different models in versions of this Lens that are supposed to have slightly different characters, I saw the front lens flip idea but I thought it was limited to the Helios. I don't know it makes the image in my opinion too soft but I'm sure there are applications that would fit that look
Hey bro thanks so much. There's no reason not to get it. A few months ago I shot a short film on it almost entirely by candlelight entitled power outage you can see it on the channel. I specifically chose it because of the way it flares. Yeah man do it
Nice review. Pop an elastic band on the lens next to the aperture ring. Work your way through the aperture settings closing it down each time and marking the position of the red dot against the elastic band to give you an idea as to which f stop you are at.
Thank you how are you? You know I reviewed the Helios as well as this lens and they both have the same system but over these few years you're the only person who recommended way to figure that out. I much respect. Hey if you like this lens you may want to check out my voigtlander color Ultron review also. Good looking out
@@Raychristofer Thanks. I've got a couple of the Helios 44-2s as well as the Mir - both nice vintage lenses. If you can't get the rubber band to stay on you could try paint or white out first then mark that.
I love your videos! I bump into your videos searching different things about photo and video here on RUclips. I love you passion that you put into each video that you create. You're very charismatic on camera and you are very likable. I pressed the bell to get a notification when you will post a new videos. PLEASE keep posting because you are VERY GOOD! Thank you for all the time and efforts that you put into those videos, thank you for the knowledge that you share with us!
Victor Trintea Senior Victor I really appreciate you taking the time to leave that heartfelt comment. Yes this particular vid probably took 3 weeks to put together. I'm glad it helped. The only thing holding me back is finding time out my busy life to so more. Good looking out and don't hesitate to try a photo gear review yourself, we all have different viewpoints. Camera store tv is what got me fired up about trying.
Victor Trintea hello Victor, one thing I learned to get comfortable on camera is talk about something you love or something you're passionate about that way you don't need to write down a script or be fake. What you don't see is sometimes I have to do 7 or 8 takes before I get my words right. As long as you're reviewing something you know well you will be comfortable and the good thing is if you don't like the way you performed you can always delete it and do it over and over LOL. I recommend getting a good lapel microphone as well.
Great hands-on review, thanks. Thanks to mirrorless cameras, I'm rediscovering my favorite old lenses from the past, and I love the good old Helios 44-2. I have to get me a Mir now!
Hello you're welcome I love them also. If you like these lenses you definitely want to check out my voigtlander color Ultron review it is a higher-performing version of these with the same character
great review, convinced me to pick one up from russia, a couple weeks later and it arrived, perfect companion to the helios 44-2, i love it, works great on full frame and also with a speedbooster onto m43rd cameras :) thanks man
Alex Butler thank you Alex, I'm glad you like this review, I put a lot of effort into it. And your taste in lenses is only exceeded by your ability to locate one of the best reviewers of lenses in the game. Lol . Don't pay me no mind I'm in a silly mood today. Thanks for taking the time to comment, it makes all of the time and effort to shoot and edit these videos worth it. Oh by the way I'm working on a voigtlander 50mm 1.8 color Ultron review coming up in a few weeks . peace
First time looking at one of your reviews and Man you are fantastic. Very well done. I am growing a deep feeling for this MIR lens and you covered a lot of areas I wanted to hear or see. BTW your third image of girl in swing, then the dynamic range as seen on your cloud, contrast as seen on your own video with garden background are all marvelous and delight to watch, to admire the product and person. Thanks for your great job. You have one more subscriber.
Sam Sen Hello Sam I really appreciate your words. I put alot of time in shooting and editing this review as you noticed. You know as time goes by I'm drawn to the older lenses and gear for my personal work. I actually just got a rolleiflex 2 weeks ago and can't put it down. Feel free to check out the full res images of this lens on my Flickr. I actually have been working on a voigtlander 50mm lens Review for 3 months and can't find time to complete it. Thanks for the comment I'm glad this helped.
There are couple of different versions of this lens one even has incorporated shift mechanism and can be shifted by 10 degrees, havent seen this one in real life but according to the list (at allphotolenses com) it is available as Mir - 67N. And also there is another version of this particular 37mm 2,8f lens. It is called Mir - 1A and the difference between these two is that Mir-1A has a minimum focusing distance of only 24cm. As you mentioned in the video you have modified your lens, so probably you did something similar to how the 1A version is designed. I got Mir-1 and my version is soft and flares a lot. I do not like it very much although it has the swirly bokeh and a wider perspective compared to Helios 44. I think this lens is better for video rather than photography.
Linas Vaičiukynas I'm curious if your lens is just a bad copy. The glass on mine is crystal clear. I bought a Carl Zeiss pancolar a while back and for some reason it was soft even when stopped down I was sure I had a bad copy and I ended up selling it. Yes this lens in my opinion is advanced in the sense that to get the most out of it you have to understand its limitations and be able to work around them
Great review and tips, just FYI the paperwork is for Industar lens (Индустар-61Л/З) stamped in May 1980 priced at 50R. So it is for a completely different lens, yet the case seems to be original and the sticker is for Mir-1 priced at 45R. Those are the two lenses I have got, Helios 44-2 and (white) Mir-1 that I use with my Olympus PEN and Canon EOS. I haven't actually thought of using them for video, i should give that a go.
Andrew Trofimov what's up Andrew? You're a king among Kings, that's what I need on this channel viewers from other countries who can tighten up my specs. Dude thanks, do you realize how many people viewed this video and was not able to pick up on that?. If your Olympus has an electronic viewfinder definitely tried for video it really helps with critical focusing. Thanks for taking the time to comment it's good to know what viewers think. Feel free to share your online album if you have one. Thanks
Hi. Nice review. Happy to find somebody using Mir1. I have set of lenses Mir1V, Helios44 and Jupiter37A since 1992, already adapted them to Nikon and using when I need photo with character. I used almost all Nikon and OM-Zuiko lenses, that technically much better, but missing some magic of old stuff. By the way, just for fun. Mir1 was used in Soviet space program.
Hello my man thanks for stopping by and sharing that history. I fully agree with the character part. When I do product photography or on vacation I use the modern lenses for accuracy but for personal work or portraits I have to use the older lenses. If. You like this. Definitely check out my voigtlander color Ultron review I made about two years ago. And also my Meyer optik trioplan review. I didn't know you could use them on Nikon without infinity focus issues.
Very interesting video about the MIR-1, I have the same lens but in the aluminium color version, it’s a nice lens to work with, but I need fix the stiff focus ring so it will run smooth (I will make a video about how I do that). Keep up your good work.
donov mayer your welcome sir I take camera reviews serious and I try to be as meticulous as possible this took me almost a month to compile. I'm glad it helped because modern lenses are accurate and sharp but their rendering isn't as beautiful and abstract as these vintage ones in my opinion.
I know what you are talking about! I'm a vintage glass lover, I'm studying and experimenting a couple of lenses right now. Most people just buy them, learn some main features of those lenses but don't go deeper than that. I love studying about the optics and the reasons why they produce those kind of images, what's behind the character of that lens. Unfortunately, I'm a Spanish speaker and in my country this kind of topics are irrelevant to most of people, some day I would love to do reviews like yours but in my native language. Sorry for my english, I'm a self-taught person.
Hi there.. I bought one of these and I am using it on an analog pentax camera. brilliant lens, very sharp but charismatic. Flares very easy though. But that can add to the charm.
Hello thank you I really appreciate you taking the time to check it out. You might also like my voitlander color Ultron review and the Meyer optik trioplan review both from about 2 years ago in my feed
Thank you for making a very interesting video on these lenses - I am thinning to purchase both lenses and your video has been invaluable to me - keep up the great work.
Thank you, I'm really glad it helps because when I was researching this lens I couldn't find any throw videos either. Let me know how it goes when you get them
Hay Ray!!! I'm sold, man. I've been noticing for a few months this Helios and I came across several on Ebay. Now based on your review, I'll be collecting a few because you're right. The old skool lenses give the shooter something the modern lenses can't stand on. Build quality, glass, all hardcore metal body, and the DOF. Last, can't for get the price of the old skool lens is the best. Thanks for sharing your POV and I hope to have a review for you on my experience with your recommendation. Salute Sir.
MeDallion Motion Pictures what's up big medallion? You're talking the truth like a black stallion. Hey man I appreciate you checking out this review it's one I'm proud of compared to the rest. We do need modern lenses though because I shot my talking head scenes with my 25mm 1.7 wide open and as you can see it's sharp even in the corners so I use the new lenses times I need full accuracy but yeah they have no character or style. feel free to check out my other lens reviews if interested in those. Respect
great rendering, and I really like the way you color correct. nice. Shame about the minimum focus distance, but could be solved with those screw filter mount close up lenses.
Hello my man thank you that's awesome. if you like this lens I suggest you also look at my voigtlander color Ultron review I did about 2 years ago, it has the same beautiful swirly character but it's more advanced and modern.
Thanks for your review, I've seen it a couple of times while searching for a MIR. Finally I was able to get a MIR1-B yesterday. It seems to be a very recent build? N930xxx, no inscription on the front barrel like Brussels Grand prix 1958 ... Although I'm used to Helios 44x-y and Biotar, I got confused by the aperture ring behaviour, go figure! I solved the close focus problem by using an helicoid adapter (19-31 mm) M42-M42+ slim M42-NEX flange (1 mm). Seems to reduce focus distance to less than 25 cm and partially catches the long focusing throw as well, depending. Lens works a marvel both on crop (Sony A6000) and on FF (Sony A7II).
What's up my man thanks for that in depth technical info. Doesn't the helicoid make it too big and bulky though on the Sony? I use mine with a focal reducer on micro 4/3 to recover as much as possible. then again if you have a Sony A7 you don't need any of that. at first I didn't like the aperture behavior until I started shooting it on my film cameras and I realize how quick it can get me from wide open for the brightest viewfinder and quickly shut it down to the correct aperture. I would like if there was a model with the regular clicks though. If you like this review definitely check out my voigtlander color Ultron 50 mm 1.8 review. it has the same beautiful swirly character has the Helios but it's more civilized. Good looking out
Thanks PK big respect. in that case I dedicate this review to you. oh check out the my voigtlander color ultron and helios vid you may dig their look also.
Nice, detailed review. The bokeh is so swirly and creamy! (It seems to swirl more than a Helios, from the videos I've seen -- almost like a triple exposure in a way.) Allegedly the '70s version of this lens wasn't quite as good as the Grand Prix versions (though it is still really good...) Your reviews of Helios and Jupiter lenses inspired me to get a few!
Little Angel What's up LA? I'm glad my reviews got you fired up. I don't know , because these is a wide angle lense I've found I have to get closer to the subject to get the swirl. Build quality is incredible, only people doing that these days is voigtlander and Leica. Which lenses do you have ?
A bunch of Industars (52mm, 50mm, 28mm), a couple of Jupiters (50mm and 35mm), a couple of Helioses (44mm and 50mm), a couple of Fujinons (Aspheric Telephotos), and a Mir 1 37mm Grand Prix on the way (hopefully...). I have the Fujinons to fill the gaps before I get more primes for the higher numbers (which of course are more expensive... and considering how broke I am from all these darn lenses...)
Little Angel since you have so many with so little space I'll hold on to a couple of those industars and fujinons for you. After all you can only shoot one at a time LOL. 😂
Hello Max thanks for taking the time to check it out yes it took me about a month to put this together. If you like this lands do yourself a favor and check out my voigtlander color Ultron review as well as my Meyer Optik trioplan , I have a feeling you will dig those as well.
Hey Ray, thanks for the review. Really nice video and really nice pics you shot with the Mir! One thing though: After explaining exactly how the aperture preset system works, you say something I don’t really agree with. You can indeed know the f value you are shooting with, if it’s a full f-stop. If you preset the outer ring, say to f/8, you can move the middle ring knowing that one end is at f/2.8 and the other one at f/8. I doubt that the middle ring was actually meant for setting different apertures, as one would be doing it “blindly”, which doesn’t make much sense. That’s why the preset is for! To set the desired f-value, brighten the vf in order to help focusing, and when ready to click rotate the middle ring back exactly to the intended (preset) aperture, without having to remove the eye from the VF. As you mentioned, that would be irrelevant in a modern mirrorless camera, but it does make a big difference on a Zenit :) We can also “cheat” intermediate aperture values with it, but I don’t think that this was the designer’s actual intention. As for the second red dot, I’d say it is there so we can know when it is safe to rotate the outer ring; when the two red dots are next to each other. Otherwise one might force and break the mechanism.
Hello Harilaos, you know something you are totally correct. If I used it as the designers intended I would definitely know what aperature I was at. I guess I tend leave the preset at 2.8 and rotate it till I get the look I want then take the shot so in those cases I dont know what setting its at. I always shoot somewhere between wide open and 2.8. its funny that I never thought to use the lens preset in that way. thanks for the input and taking the time to comment. this lens has a special look, most times Im wishing it had more shallow DOF but thats what the fifties are for. by the way Im working on a Voigtlander color ultron 50mm 1.8 as well as a Zeiss Pancolar coming up. good looking out bro
Yeah it depends on the subject; you seem to use it more portrait oriented, while I had a wider DOF in mind. I definitely need to spend some time with the lens as I just received it a couple of days ago. I’ll subscribe and keep an eye on the Pancolar review you mentioned. Keep up the good work!
Great video and beautiful photos! I love using these old lenses! I've recently got the Helios 44-2, 58mm f/2 and like it so far (haven't used it all that much yet). I have several old Takumar's and SMC Pentax's that I use all the time, I actually like a few of them better than my expensive modern lenses! They produce awesome results and are unique and FUN!!!
Jim Durfee Hey thanks Jim, you got that right. I use my modern lenses for product photography and talking head videos like this because they're sharp wide open but they are pretty much boring for artistic things. Check out my voigtlander review and the Trioplan. You may benefit from them also. Thanks for checking this out, I always put links to full res images in the description also. Peace
Rodrigo Díaz what's up Rodriguez, yeah man you will find many artistic uses for this lens. The day will come when full metal lenses like this will be sought after as all the modern ones become plastic and clinical looking.
Great video , your spot on with the review. I bought the early silver version and I have to say that although it was described as mint/ perfect; the stop down ring was really sloppy and the build quality is definitely not to a Zeiss standard more like a mix between a Jupiter 8/ Helios . Images from my lens are very good and surprisingly sharp, much sharper than my Jupiter 8 and purchased a filter to try and cut that lens flare. Under a hundred pounds it's worth it, great lens. Using it on a fuji XH1, this works well with no vignetting although I've noticed image sharpness doesn't go to infinity so will possibly need to change the focal distance at some stage.
Hello my man always like to hear from viewers who try these stuff I review also. I use a focal reducer on my micro four-thirds camera and what I found is I had to Lucinda set screw and adjust the optics slightly before I was able to get infinity. what I did was slightly adjusted past infinity so the variations in my other lenses I would still be able to reach. if you like this land you might also want to look at my voigtlander color Ultron review its the most civilized vintage lens I have and one that I can shoot wide open if I catch focus and it has the beautiful swirl that the Helios does. It is also a zeiss design that was rebranded. I think I did that reviewed two years ago in my feed
Very nice review my friend, and cool sample photos. I love the manual lenses. I've got a Nikon D750 and have a Helios 44-2 on the way. I really like this MIR-1B. Thanks for the video!
Christopher Jordan you're welcome Christopher, yeah man and it's a coincidence 10 minutes ago I was outside shooting film with this lens of my daughter riding her bicycle. Let me know how you get along with it if you get one.
I totally forgot i was subscribed to your channel. I'm glad you came up my feed today though! Your reviews are really awesome! Keep up the great work buddy :)
Apollo Mead what's up Apollo? thanks and no you're the one that's awesome LOL. Thanks for taking the time to comment. some RUclipsrs are able to do talking head videos and upload almost everyday but for these they take so long it's good to know somebody appreciates them. I think next I want to review the lens that comes with my Panasonic G7 there are some pros and cons to it that I think people don't really talk about.
HA! "One too many times!" Well, we can get nutty about our Helios. I subbed to your channel when I was watching reviews on the Helios and now I'm looking into this lens and your review showed up. I think this is my next vintage lens. Thanks for the complete overview.
Carl S. Big Carl I appreciate that. This is my most proper review I think so far. I recently got a Carl Zeiss pancolar 50mm 1.8 which I'm working on reviewing. Also be Meyer gorlitz trioplan 've had a few years and I'm starting to compile footage for that. I got issues buying these lenses man, somebody needs to slow me down LOL . What camera are you running yours on?
Yep. This was quite the proper review. Keep 'em comin'. I'm currently on a Panasonic G85. I came over from Canon after getting a G7 cheap and really enjoying the m43 system. And everything Panny gives us for the price. Especially for video. There's much to love about Canon but for us on a tighter budget, they kinda left us behind. I may grab a GH4 soon, now that they've dropped so much in price. Cheers.
Maxx thanks bro. you know its like therapy for me also, its like an artistic outlet being able to share what these lenses can do. art can be straightening. good lookin out.
Hi Ray great review as always. May I ask a question? I'm planning to adapt this lens onto a Viltrox EF-M2 adapter. Do you think the protruding rear elements would touch the glass of the Viltrox and potentially break the glass? I am looking forward to your reply. Cheers
Hello, I actually don't have any experience with that particular adapter. What I can say is the speed booster I use the glass element in it you can actually twist in and out it's on a screw. When I first got mine my lenses wouldn't reach infinity until I realized I had to adjust the distance of the glass. There was one lens I had that very slightly touched the glass and left a tiny scratch so I adjusted it slightly out as well. Check the specs of your particular adapter to see if it is also adjustable.
@@Raychristofer thanks for fast rep Ray! Yea because the distance between the EF mount to glass elements on different speedboosters is different. But I thought it's worth asking you for an advice. Some guys actually cracked the glass on their speedbooster while trying to adapt vintage lenses which have protruding rear element hence so it scares me a bit. I have a Takumar 50mm 1.4 which is an M42 but it adapts beautifully onto M42-EF-E speedbooster combo. Not sure about this MIR-1V though :(
Top 10 Greatest Top 10 thank you greatest how are you? I really appreciate that, of all the videos and reviews I produced this is the one I'm most proud of. These lenses you try to use them for their out of focus area character. When you focus on that rather than all out sharpness you wind up with some beautiful images. Two days ago I received the Carl Zeiss pancolar 50mm 1.8. I will be reviewing that in the coming months as well. Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Ray, what sensors are you using with your soviets? These lenses are my favourite and I always used them with film, but recently I bought a OMD E-M10 MKII and I'm thinking about buying the Zhongy M42 adapter. However, I can't see any good examples of these lenses being used with MFT cameras. :/
Top 10 Greatest Top 10 I'm using micro 4/3 sensor. I'm shooting on a Panasonic G7 and also a gh1. I also did a review of the Helios you may have seen it. I have full resolution images in the description with a link to my Flickr album to give you a better idea how the sensor behaves with them. The Helios is the most unique and artistic though even though it's not sharp around the edges when you open it wide.
Спасибо, мне пришлось использовать перевод Google, но я это ценю. его более интересно пересмотреть эти классические линзы, поскольку есть гораздо больше, чтобы говорить о них с их различным характером.
@@Ofiouhos Eshte super lente. Une kam nje Helios 44M-7 por do e ble dhe Mir-1. Me duhet nje lente me e gjere per nje film te shkurter qe do te bej, por mezi gjehen, dhe jane te shtrenjta. Mir-1 me duket alternative e mire, sidomos me nje speedbooster :D
Awesome Review and I loved the black and white shots! Unfortunate that the focus ring spins so much, but I love that the aperture ring doesn't click! I might have to find one of these to shoot Black and White 35mm on my Minolta X-700!
Yo Brendan how you doing? thanks for including what you think about the review, makes me feel good to have helped another lens lover. dont even think about it, get one if you like the look. one thing I learned is they dont all have the Brussels stamp on it and they were made in different factories over the years so some are flat black, others are silver also. research them and just make sure its in good condition. if you have a Flickr channel feel free to share my man. respect
I probably wouldn't go for speed booster as I prefer not to use additional optics, but if it makes the desired effect, then good for you. You have interesting set of people from all over the world watching your videos. I will have to watch more.
@@petrmaly9087 thanks so much Petr. Actually micro 4/3 camera so using these full frame lenses I almost have to use a Speed Booster otherwise I lose half of the image. I'm also shooting medium format film though so i don't discriminate lol.
@@petrmaly9087 do yourself a favor if you like this lens look at my voigtlander ultron and meter optik trioplan reviews. You will also find them interesting
Thanks, I will. Although I mostly stay away from temptations like that... It took me a long time to save money for SMC Takumar 50/1.4... Trioplan is something I was always thinking about, they have one in a store nearby. For mid format, I have Tessar and Belar on TLRs, Biomerar, Sonnar and Zodiak for SLR.
@@Raychristofer Haha, thanks. But I don't feel I would be any good at that. Think i'll stick with watching yours, if you don't mind. Your videos are really very good. They have a very unique style and character. Not only how they look, but also how they sound and how they feel. Very impressive. I'm a bit surprised you don't have more subscribers.
@@Kelkschiz thank you oh, I think the problem is so many different companies reach out to me to test their gear I find myself reviewing all kinds of things I even reviewed a washing machine and an air conditioner on the channel and I think that's a problem because I should stick to just photography so folks will know what to expect. I made two skateboard reviews that were also highly popular. I probably should start a couple other channels but I don't have the energy to do that LOL. Good looking out
David Utke you could use a plain adaptor called m42 to micro four thirds but because this lenses used on a full frame camera you will only get half of the image on the smaller sensor micro 4/3 so I highly recommend using a focal reducer adaptor. Look at my review of the roxsen focal reducer it will explain everything in detail. Cheers
Happy to find this channel! Question for you Ray... I have had this lens for a while, but have yet to use it. It looks like my lens came with some extenders? I'm not sure what they are, but they are definitely not adapters. It looks like I have 3 different size tubes that extend the length of the lens. Have you ever used something like that or have an idea what you would use them for?
Hello how are you? Thank you. Please send me a photo of the extenders to my Instagram @aloyandersonphotography or my email raychristofer@yahoo.com usually extenders if they attach to the screw Mount part of the lens are usually called extension tubes and they are used for macro work
Great review Ray, beautiful presentation, great shots too! Thank you, I have a Mir 1V 37mm f2.8 on the way from Russia. I had one years ago, and sold it ! :)
Awesome thank you. If you look back in my feed about two months ago I uploaded a short film shot almost entirely by candlelight called power outage. 90% of that was shot with the Mir lens because of the way it beautifully flares cinematically. Feel free to check it out if you like.
Thanks so much for taking the time to comment Jose, as you can see I took a few weeks the closest together carefully.. hey if you like this lens you may want to look also at my Helios review I did a few years ago and also the voigtlander color Ultron. They have similar characters. Good looking out
Hey thanks man yes this lens is a hidden gem, especially on full frame. Thanks for checking it out. I was gonna dare you to try making a video review also but no one ever takes the bait lol.
Hello Ray, awesome quality in your work. Your lens is clearly marked in it's passport (this is how it's called the documentation that comes with it) as being from May 1980. Cheers! Great work!
FunnyPets hello funny pets how are you? I appreciate you doing that you probably pause the video and zoom. The thing is the serial number on my lens is different from the one on that paperwork I did some research and I think my lenses from 1975. I'm curious how you came across this video , are you a fan of vintage lenses also? Thanks for taking the time to comment
Fine thanks! You are very right sir! Only now that you mentioned it, i noticed the difference between the serial number in the lense and the one in the passport. They don't match, and your lens as you said, is from 1975. Usually, the first 2 numbers of the serial in the soviet lenses, are the year of production, and 00 was reserved for export copies and copies for the members of the comunist party, so people say that 00 copies are the best ones. I know a little bit about soviet lenses because i'm living in Russia since 2011 and since maybe 2 or 3 years ago I started to read about the soviet lenses. I found your video because I was viewing some modifications to fit a lens in a Nikon body that I plan to buy soon. Then i will check your other videos since I already subscribed to your channel.
FunnyPets thanks bro. My next lens review might be the Jupiter 8 50mm f2.0 . Thanks for your support I'm trying to develop my own style of shooting and editing I'm giving myself a kind of boot camp. Respect
Hello CBR thanks man I appreciate that, it took over a month to compile enough footage then shoot and edit this. Respect. Oh by the way if you like this look at my voigtlander color Ultron 50mm review it is a very high-performing vintage lens also.
Hello Ray Which one would be the best version to buy? Mir-1 silver M39 (early version). Mir-1 black M42 (most common) Mir-1A with t-mount (uncommon); Mir-1B M42 (VOMZ). Mir-1V
Mohit Whabi thank you bro, I watched so many frustrating lens review/unboxings that make me pull my hair out so I try to do a review that I myself would want to learn from. If you're interested in the next few months I will also be reviewing the Carl Zeiss pancolar and the Meyer gorlitz trioplan. I also have a voigtlander color Ultron on the way. Thanks for taking the time to comment
Al Green - Light Through Glass Hello Al Green how are you? I didn't know you watched my reviews. Yes the only thing would make it better is prob an f 1.8 aperture but I can't complain. Thanks for the comment.
Al Green - Light Through Glass thank you Al. I'm working on a Carl Zeiss pancolar and a voigtlander color Ultron in the next few weeks as well. Not to mention a trioplan. As you can imagine it takes a lot of time to put together but thanks for taking the time to comment it means a lot coming from you.
Amazing shots. Thanks for the review. I will be looking for this one on eBay! Have you tried The Jupiter lenses, like the 3 or 5, or the Industar 61 L/D? All amazing in my old rangefinders and now, my Sony a7 full frame.
Hello Jim thanks I do have a jupiter 8 in m39 rangefinder mount. the problem is I cant use it with my speed booster because of the register distange or something so it is a bit tele but I love its build. I will definately look into the others you mentioned though and youre doing the right thing using an A7.
Hello that's a very good question. I have a tiny travel tripod that I put in position in front of the camera and focused on that so when I press record I moved the tripod out the way and stood right there. It's something I do a lot when I use my film cameras to do selfies as well.
Hi :) Thanks for that nice review ! I will get my own copy soon of a ZOMZ Mir-1V 37 mm " Brussels Grand Prix", 1964. I'm a bit confused about the mount: m39 or m42 ? I want to purchase the best adapter for my GH4 (MFT). On eBay, it was written both mounts in the description....
Yes that is definitely strange that they wrote both. They probably have an m42 two l-39 adapter but it's best if you ask the seller that question or keep looking for one that is definitely m42. If you're using a GH4 you really want to use a focal reducer to recover half of the lost like you will be losing. scroll back a few years in my channel and I reviewed the focal reducer that I'm using and show its benefits definitely check that out. It's the roxsen/ pixco reducer
Hello thank you, I'm glad it was helpful, if you like this definitely check out my voigtlander color Ultron, Helios, and Meyer optik trioplan reviews. They have unique character also
Another top notch review, really enjoyed it thanks! And you can be sure I was straight on to eBay to see if I could pick one up!! There seems to be quite a few available from Ukraine and Russia, might try to get one! Just out of interest, do you use a reducer? I've noticed there are some Chinese ones available as an alternative to the very expensive metabones... any way love your work, beautifully shot and edited. Wish I'd found your channel sooner, big respect.
Hello CG again thanks for checking out this latest review i put love into making it. yes that focal reducer is a must. i dont do reviews often but yes i try to cover all bases. thanks for taking the time to comment.
Alexandr Demidov hello Alexander thank you. You know what the secret is, when you get a new lens you keep it on the camera for a week or two and don't use anything else. It will force you to find the best way to use and the situations is good for or bad for. Thanks for taking the time to check it out and comment. Respect
Raychristofer yes, you're right! I own Mir-1B 37mm, a couple of helios 44-2 and one helios 44-m4, but I have not achieved such results using my Mir with my gh3. I guess, I use it seldom and I should listen your advice😉 there is a few things in this lens which I don't like. Very tight focusing ring in comparison with helios 44. Hard to shoot video as for me. But your minds and tips about monochrome shooting is VERY interesting. I'll try this.
Raychristofer thank you for such swift answer and for great review. And what about Helios? Will it be too narrow for street photography? Are it's only uses on APS-C are portraits and macro?
Hasan Ali hello Hassan are you? you know what that's not a simple thing I usually look at photos on Flickr and when I see one with a unique character or look I check which camera and lens it was shot with and that's how I get ideas for which lenses I want to try. my problem is sometimes I have expensive tastes and when I check its some kind of Zeiss lens for 800 or something dollars lol. buying them on eBay is actually the easy part just look at the photos and make sure they're in good condition and make sure the seller has high approval rating. there's hundreds and hundreds of lenses so the hard part is finding the ones you want within your budget. thanks for checking it out and taking the time to comment Hassan.
Excellent review and amazing samples. Makes me want to get one :) Half of my collection consists of vintage MF lenses and I am having so much fun using them. Ordered the Jupiter 11 recently can't wait to try it out.
Hello Kamen thank you for checking it out. yes Ive been using this lens more as im finding the 50mm lenses a bit too tight for how I like to shoot. let me know how you get on with the jupiter, I had a jupiter 8 which had a great soap bubble bokeh effect but it had no coatings so I couldnt aim it into the light. love the build quality of them.
Raychristofer I will most certainly get back to you on this Jupiter 11 lens and will summarize a review with some samples. Maybe it will be useful :) always good to get a message from a RUclipsr. Thank you!
@@KamenKunchev hey if you like this type of lens character feel free to check out my voigtlander color Ultron 50 mm review as well. It's the highest-performing Vintage lens I've ever tried
Well you made me buy one :P but for m39. I guess it will go well with my Jupiter-8 and Jupiter-9 on my A7. The lens I ordered is a silver one and has the "Grand Prix" Brussels 1958 Engraving
I've got a Panasonic GH1 and a Panasonic GX1 (spiritual successor to your GF1) and I'm thinking of getting this and the helios. Could you please link the lens hoods you got and also the focal reducer you've got. Thanks, Seb
Quality Productions hello Seb, I bought that on eBay and I think it came from China, it's a 49mm filter thread. You should be able to find one of those easily on eBay. The focal reducer you can either get it from roxsen or pixco they are identical. Look at my focal reducer review I should have a link where you can get the reducer. Thanks for taking the time to check it out and comment
Hey thanks a lot for the video but I have a question. This lens mounted on a Speedbooster and a mirrorless camera will be the equivalent of roughly 40mm. Is that still considered as a wide angle? Will it cause problems in having a wide field of view?
Cleon Arrey Thanks Cleon I appreciate it. I'm using this channel as a sort of video production boot camp so I put alot of time in shooting and editing. Good looking out
Is this lens radioctive? One of the inside lenses appears to have a yellowish coloration (like most radioactive lenses) but I couldn’t find any info online.
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I was searching for vintage wide angle lenses, and this search brought me to this video.
Such a breath of fresh air, to see someone like me in skin color, looking so good, living a fulfilled life, and so knowledgeable about imaging (video and stills).
I also like his visual aesthetic, or what you may call style. Good colors great contrast and while a lot of RUclips cbannels talk about imaging, in this case the video itself demonstrates a high quality application of the knowledge - very very clear and easy on the eye, not going for some out of reality look.
I really enjoyed the video and learned a lot from his accurate detailing of all the gear including what was used to film this video itself, well specified in the description. It gave me such a respect for Panasonic M43 cameras and their lenses. If I ever have spare cash, I am now encouraged to take a bit more interest in them, having seen the results he obtained in this video. At least it got my attention, that I wanted to know what gear he used to film this.
His diction was excellent, and well paced. Great content. I would only suggest he uses a microphone closer to his face, either lapel or off camera mic pointed at his mouth, cos there was too much of the room sound. A minor issue, easily fixed.
Just out of interest. Ray, which NLE do you use, and is this on PC or Mac?
Hello thanks so much for your kind comment. I also realize there is not enough of us on RUclips dealing with camera gear. I'm not sure what an NL is but the editor I use is called movavi and I'm using a Windows 10 PC. Yes the micro four thirds is almost perfect for video because it doesn't need a full frame sensor to get good video. But for photography a full frame is ideal for vintage lenses because it doesn't crop any of it. You are correct about the microphone, I shot this video at a time when I didn't understand the importance, my recent video I did a detailed video of how to get best sound using a unidirectional microphone. If you're looking for a wide vintage length definitely check out my Pentax 28 mm review here, let me know what you think it is also in m42 Mount.
ruclips.net/video/sqlkp7T59AI/видео.html
@@Raychristofer NLE is Non linear Editor, pretty much all video editors are now NLE's. Once upon a time NLE was a big deal, a feature which allows you to specify edits and video effects without having to resort to an offline, pre processing. With the advent of faster processors and proxy's most video editors are now NLE's.
When I watched the video, you inspired me, not so much to do what you do, but in general - I saw a wonderful person doing such a wonderful video, and it encouraged me to aspire again to be excellent at what I do, in all aspects of my life. Photography for me is still a hobby, but one I take seriously to achieve a high standard, video is an interest, but I really have not much in terms of content, to focus too much on that area - for now its private videos for family viewing only.
I was certain that by the time I see your more recent videos you would have become aware of this and fixed it. I look forward to spending time on your more recent videos. I salute all of your achievements - you make our people look really good, and I am sure you make all people look good also. Thank you
Although you mentioned it. you did not discuss in the video how you modified the vintage lens to improve the minimum focusing distance !. Is this covered in another video. - It is such an important issue, that lots of people will be interested in this, Do you clean your own lenses and if so what tools do you use, to open them up and clean them up ?
I use a Sony NEX-F3 - APS-C camera and Pentax K mount 50 mm lenses - Pentax M 50mm 1.7, and a long awaited Canon nFD 50mm 1.4 is still on it slow way to me in the UK from an exotic country in the Far East - hopefully soon it will be here....
I was interested in wide angle which led me to your video... Will check out the Pentax video you mentioned... Cheers.
@@okay1904 great to meet you my brother. Definitely keep in touch and feel free to share your social media because I would like to see your work as well. I'm glad I was able to fire you up to increase your creativity. Many of us don't get the chance or freedom to reach our full potential
@@Raychristofer www.flickr.com/photos/190799136@N08/
I really just started getting serious about photography in early 2020, as something to do to make the best of the excess time I had, in the lockdown period. Live in the UK.
Link to flickr is above, I have not posted much to flickr, cos that is pretty recent, when I discovered that Facebook degrades photos, with its compression. Although I have since worked out how to get the Facebook photos about as good as what I see in my photo editor - darktable - great open source and free app,
My Sony NeX-F3 was bought (used) and delivered about two weeks ago, so only one photo from recent tests with this camera is on flickr. As time permits I will post more of recent and future photos to flickr. Most of my photos are with a 13 year old bridge camera - Fuji s6500fd. not bad but the Sony is definitely better.
I will definitely keep in touch.
Hm, too bad 37 is not wide.
Nice review and shots. Just inherited this lens from my late Father and for sentimentality's sake I bought an adapter to use it on my a6000, I was blown away by it. Found a industar 50mm and Jupiter 135mm in his stuff as well and they're equally surprising.
1000sofusernames how you doing I really appreciate that, bless your father. Only one of my children has a passing interest in photography but maybe I can nurture that. I heard about the end of Starr that cute little pancake lens, I really love reviewing these old lenses because there's so much to talk about and interesting things to show that you don't have with a clinical modern lens. When you start taking photos feel free to share them I'd like to see the results you're getting also. Thanks for taking the time to comment
I've been using this MiR for years, my copy is the 1V. There isn't much love for this lens, thanx to the pixel peepers and iPhone generation. But whenever I start using the MiR, people are actually loving the results. I own a lot of m42 lenses, Mamiya-Sekor, (S) Takumar, ISCO Göttingen, Steinheill-Cassarit, and so on. It's just beautifull working with these odd and forgotten lenses. Thank you for sharing my passion!!!!!!
Hello David how are you? Good to meet you for sure it seems we're on the same mission. If you like this lens check out my voigtlander color Ultron review I think you would be interested in that one also and all of my vintage lenses are m42 Mount as well. You have good taste
I love your videos. You have a very practical approach to photography that is very awesome and rare, and it lacks a lot of the snobbery we associate with the majority of the camera world, but at the same time you have the knowledge to back it up. Keep it up! :)
Man Soren you just got me feeling all warm inside lol. I appreciate it. I love old school lenses I cant help it. also theres so much I need to learn about photography and editing and gear that I couldnt be a snob if I tried lol. right now Im working on a review of the Voigtlander color ultron 50mm 1.8, most of the imagery is shot I just gotta find time to edit it. by the way if youre bad call some names of snobbish channels lol, Im curious If we will agree. oh but leave out Camera store tv, those are my boys. thanks for taking the time to comment.
I love the warmth and informality of your reviews. Your voice has the same soothing timbre of the soft bokeh in your shots.
Geraldo Alvarez Lol hey thanks Geraldo that's deep man. Do you know what it is, I try not to read off a script and just be myself and most importantly I try to do the review in a way that I would want to listen to it. I appreciate it. Stay tuned I have three more reviews coming up in the next few months
Very likable guy. I’ve tried to build a matching set around the amazing Helios 44-2. This same 37mm at the bottom and the Jupiter-8 85mm at the top. Still working on building it up. They’re not a perfect match but it works. I do recommend the super-Takumar 50mm if you haven’t tried it, it’s a fast 1.4. Thanks for sharing!
Hey thanks for checking it out my man, yeah those old lenses are perfect but they swear in a beautiful way that you can't get in a modern lens. I've known about those super lenses for a long time but because of the radiation I've always shied away from trying them. I know they say it has the same amount as a banana but I don't know. If you like vintage lenses you might want to check out my voigtlander Ultron review it is extremely high-performing
@@Raychristofer I have both Helios and Takumars. They are all funky in their own right. Takumars are probably a tad less juicy than the Helios but they have the japanese classiness that I like a lot, too.
@@pascaldeshayes5459 I couldn't agree with you more bro lol.
@@Raychristofer Those russian lenses go overboard in a poetic and slightly melancholic way that make me want to keep them close to my heart ;-)
@@pascaldeshayes5459 hey check out a short film I made a few months ago on the channel called power outage it was shot almost completely by candlelight using the Mir 37 mm wide open. The way it flares is something I could never have gotten with a modern lens
I enjoyed this review. Well organised, detailed & with good illustrations of the features & capabilities of the lens. I particularly liked your black & white shots. I have an early silver M39 version of the Mir-1 & a couple of versions of the Helios-44-2; a late 1950s silver version (I have an M39 Zenit-C SLR) & an early 1970s unit in M42. I am now off to check out your Helios reviews. I gather from what you said in this review that there may be a few... ciao, ;-)
FoxtrotMikefm what's up Fox trot? Thanks for your kind words, yes this is one of my fav lenses to review. It's legit. Sounds like you have more old school lenses than I do lol. theyre definitely not a fad. When I'm doing product Photography and technical things I always choose the modern lenses because of the sharpness corner to corner but when I'm trying to make beautiful images the old lenses have a majic that the new ones lack.
An excellent video which played a factor in my getting this lens. Also, best explanation of what the aperture preset ring does among the many videos that attempt to do so.
What's up my man thanks for checking it out I really appreciate it. as much as I love the look the images give from this lens I don't like the ergonomics so muchbut I definitely want to use it on a full frame camera to get the most effect as the micro four-thirds is somewhat of a crop even with the focal reducer
@@Raychristofer I love its "controlled flare" as you so rightly mention in the video. I get orange tint flares that are so typical of Soviet era lenses.
MAN THIS IS AWESOME! Im so glad this was in my recommended, I was in the market for a 35mm and i was actually hoping to find one similar to the Helios! I picked up a Helios 44 about a month or so ago and I instantly fell inlove! It actually became one of my go to lenses!
Immediately after this video i zoomed to Ebay and picked up this lens. Seeing your pictures has me beyond excited to receive it! Thank you sooo much for this video!! You earned yourself a new sub! :)))
Rames James Hello Rames bro you brought joy to my heart with your comment. The way you feel was what I hoped viewers would get from this review. Feel free to check out these images in full res on my Flickr link, I also have a Helios album also. I'd like to see your photos as well. Appreciate you taking the time to comment it makes the days of shooting and editing this not a waste. Respect
Raychristofer I appreciate the response! I loved the photo with the caterpillar! I can’t believe how sharp that was, that just makes me 10x more excited to receive this lens!
Also I don’t post much to Flickr :( but if you have an Instagram you can check out my pictures there @ramesjames!
This is an outstanding review! Well done my friend. I just ordered an L39 version earlier this evening. I am looking forward to putting it to use. Your thoughtful review undoubtedly eased that learning curve.
leonche64 what's up my man, hey you're welcome.. I'm trying to get better and better at putting together review so that they don't bore people too much. I'm working on a review now of the Meyer gorlitz trioplan. and also a Carl Zeiss. Thanks for taking the time to comment
Wait a minute, what type sensor camera are you using it on? M39 is best for rangefinders. M42 is more useful because you can use focal reducers and it will work on slr cams also.
Thank you so much Man! Highly informative! Awesome... stay healthy Sr.
Hello thanks , glad it was helpful. def check out my voigtlander color ultron review also if you like this one
I have one of these in near mint condition and have had it for about 10 years and it is still a personal favorite.
Thanks, It definitely is. Sometimes I miss not having a clickable aperture but I do understand the preset mechanism benefit.
Apart from Brussels not being in Germany (but the capital of Belgium): Perfect review! I'm hoping to add this lens to my collection soon.
Hahaha thanks so much, you're only the third person to catch that mistake. I think it has a great rendering, I don't like the way the aperture turns so easily though and I wish I had a full frame camera to use it on
I have wanted a Mir 1 for a while but the prices seem to be going up.
Something I have noticed is Konica Hexanon lenses are often cheaper in the states than elsewhere, I can recommend the 28mm, 35, and 135mm on M4/3. The 135 is pretty long but produces great bokeh and is crystal clear.
chris osh the morning should be still under 100 bucks I hope. For me the problem with the Konica hexanon Lin is there is no focal reducer that I could use This my micro four-thirds. I actually bought a 50 mm at a yard sale for 10 bucks to sell but no one bid on it on eBay that's when I realized they don't make focal reducer is that must have something to do with the flange distance
Hi Ray.I use my Hexanons on a G3and a GF3, mostly I use a 28mm and a 35m lens as I like the look of the pics they produce, plus the 28 and 35 are only equivalent to 56 and 70 in FF, ( I know you know this better than I do)
The other larger Hexanons I have would definitely be better with a focal reducer but as you say so far nobody makes them but they still produce interesting results for me so I hang on to them.
The mu-43.com forum has a load of stuff about Hexanons.
I am interested in trying out video with my 4/3s can you recommend a vintage CF zoom that works well with them?
Great review good range of info. I've been using this lens for years with film and digital and video. Al though the focus throw is long as you point out, if you use scale focusing you can reduce that. For instance aperture at f/16 and on the focus ring set infinity to 16 and you will have everything from 1 meter to infinity in focus. Even at f/5.6 you can get from 2.5 meters to infinity which might pretty much cover all the ranges of street photography without further focusing. One way to get around the focus throw.
I like how the black and white photos you've taken have an authentic passing of time feeling to them.
Hello thanks so much. Yes that's the whole point. I don't know if they would turn out that way if I shot it on an iPhone for example though. My Lumix camera even has a film simulation where it adds grain texture. Too good to use all the tools you have to get the look you want
Was interesting to hear you opinion. Nice presentation and thoughtful review. Sold all my vintage lenses, but this is the only one I keep. There is something in its color fidelity and contrast that can match Zeiss classic lenses. Also it is just a beautiful piece of engineering. Little beautiful lens.
Thank you Alexander and I agree when I took it apart to make the adjustment I couldn't help but notice how crystalline the glass elements are
If you haven't seen it yet feel free to check out my voigtlander color Ultron review and the Meyer Optik trioplan they are also very special lenses
Great review of a great lens - very thorough, with useful hints. I carried out the removal of the limiting pin for the focusing mechanism a couple of years ago and it really does extend the lens' usefulness - one of my favorites.
Followed up on your recommendation and went through your review of this lens. Good job again. Adding this lens to my hit list, I've been in the market for some wider vintage lens for some time now.
calahad thanks. Yes wider is hard to find in old lenses. I think the widest I've seen is 20mm. The only thing that limits this lens for me is I'm always trying to separate the subject and get shallower depth of field and the 2.8 aperture means I have to be up close
Good stuff. Thanks for going into so much detail. I was going back and forth between this and the Super Takumar 35mm, but now I may pick them both up and sell whichever I like less. That’s the great thing about these old lenses. If one isn’t what you’re looking for, it’s still worth the price you bought it for.
That's a good idea. The takumar will be very sharp and accurate, more modern images. This will have more swirly character and flare a bit more. I have both also.
Im from Russia, and I've learnt more from YOUR video than from videos of russian guys) Very sweet interview!!!
Hello I really appreciate that, huge compliment
Не смотри наших блогеров. Они как голуби - срут на памятники и громко кричат, причем мало кто разбирается в предмете.
A lot of very useful insight. The other reviews I checked did not mention the long-turn focusing ring at all.
Another good find along with good info on the lens. Like that these lens allow you to show your personality and at a smart price. This lens fits my style, original, well-built and classic (at least like to think so).
Need to add this lens to my "Hit-List".....Thanks
Greg Campbell you're welcome Greg no problem, I have a feeling you might feel the same about the voigtlander when I get around to finishing the edit. It's one of those rare vintage lenses you can actually shoot wide open and whatever is in the center is still sharp
I bought one with plans on flipping the front element, but after seeing your review, I might have to buy two. Love your reviews.
Nathan Abbott yeah man and there are so many different models in versions of this Lens that are supposed to have slightly different characters, I saw the front lens flip idea but I thought it was limited to the Helios. I don't know it makes the image in my opinion too soft but I'm sure there are applications that would fit that look
Raychristofer I didnt know that bit lol. Just ordered mine. You made me want the Helios as well. Love the vids, keep em comin!
Nathan Abbott Thanks and when you get comfortable with yours I challenge you to do a review also
Raychristofer Ill accept that challenge.
I've been wanting to try this lens for a long time. You've got me hovering over the purchase button!
Hey bro thanks so much. There's no reason not to get it. A few months ago I shot a short film on it almost entirely by candlelight entitled power outage you can see it on the channel. I specifically chose it because of the way it flares. Yeah man do it
Nice review. Pop an elastic band on the lens next to the aperture ring. Work your way through the aperture settings closing it down each time and marking the position of the red dot against the elastic band to give you an idea as to which f stop you are at.
Thank you how are you? You know I reviewed the Helios as well as this lens and they both have the same system but over these few years you're the only person who recommended way to figure that out. I much respect. Hey if you like this lens you may want to check out my voigtlander color Ultron review also. Good looking out
@@Raychristofer Thanks. I've got a couple of the Helios 44-2s as well as the Mir - both nice vintage lenses. If you can't get the rubber band to stay on you could try paint or white out first then mark that.
I love your videos! I bump into your videos searching different things about photo and video here on RUclips. I love you passion that you put into each video that you create. You're very charismatic on camera and you are very likable. I pressed the bell to get a notification when you will post a new videos. PLEASE keep posting because you are VERY GOOD! Thank you for all the time and efforts that you put into those videos, thank you for the knowledge that you share with us!
Victor Trintea Senior Victor I really appreciate you taking the time to leave that heartfelt comment. Yes this particular vid probably took 3 weeks to put together. I'm glad it helped. The only thing holding me back is finding time out my busy life to so more. Good looking out and don't hesitate to try a photo gear review yourself, we all have different viewpoints. Camera store tv is what got me fired up about trying.
how did you get rid off the fear to be in front of the camera that everyone have? maybe you can create a short video about this.
Victor Trintea hello Victor, one thing I learned to get comfortable on camera is talk about something you love or something you're passionate about that way you don't need to write down a script or be fake. What you don't see is sometimes I have to do 7 or 8 takes before I get my words right. As long as you're reviewing something you know well you will be comfortable and the good thing is if you don't like the way you performed you can always delete it and do it over and over LOL. I recommend getting a good lapel microphone as well.
Hello Victor I just realized your comment was under review and I had to approve it, I hope my reply to your question came through to you.
Fantastic straight-ahead review, and instructive too with the explanation of the aperture mechanism. many thanks from Austria, Europe :)
Great hands-on review, thanks. Thanks to mirrorless cameras, I'm rediscovering my favorite old lenses from the past, and I love the good old Helios 44-2. I have to get me a Mir now!
Hello you're welcome I love them also. If you like these lenses you definitely want to check out my voigtlander color Ultron review it is a higher-performing version of these with the same character
@@Raychristofer Thanks, I'll check it out.
@@Raychristofer I got a Mir 1B, and it's superb. As well as the swirly bokeh, it's very sharp stopped down.
great review, convinced me to pick one up from russia, a couple weeks later and it arrived, perfect companion to the helios 44-2, i love it, works great on full frame and also with a speedbooster onto m43rd cameras :) thanks man
Alex Butler thank you Alex, I'm glad you like this review, I put a lot of effort into it. And your taste in lenses is only exceeded by your ability to locate one of the best reviewers of lenses in the game. Lol . Don't pay me no mind I'm in a silly mood today. Thanks for taking the time to comment, it makes all of the time and effort to shoot and edit these videos worth it. Oh by the way I'm working on a voigtlander 50mm 1.8 color Ultron review coming up in a few weeks . peace
First time looking at one of your reviews and Man you are fantastic. Very well done. I am growing a deep feeling for this MIR lens and you covered a lot of areas I wanted to hear or see. BTW your third image of girl in swing, then the dynamic range as seen on your cloud, contrast as seen on your own video with garden background are all marvelous and delight to watch, to admire the product and person. Thanks for your great job. You have one more subscriber.
Sam Sen Hello Sam I really appreciate your words. I put alot of time in shooting and editing this review as you noticed. You know as time goes by I'm drawn to the older lenses and gear for my personal work. I actually just got a rolleiflex 2 weeks ago and can't put it down. Feel free to check out the full res images of this lens on my Flickr. I actually have been working on a voigtlander 50mm lens Review for 3 months and can't find time to complete it. Thanks for the comment I'm glad this helped.
There are couple of different versions of this lens one even has incorporated shift mechanism and can be shifted by 10 degrees, havent seen this one in real life but according to the list (at allphotolenses com) it is available as Mir - 67N.
And also there is another version of this particular 37mm 2,8f lens. It is called Mir - 1A and the difference between these two is that Mir-1A has a minimum focusing distance of only 24cm. As you mentioned in the video you have modified your lens, so probably you did something similar to how the 1A version is designed.
I got Mir-1 and my version is soft and flares a lot. I do not like it very much although it has the swirly bokeh and a wider perspective compared to Helios 44. I think this lens is better for video rather than photography.
Linas Vaičiukynas I'm curious if your lens is just a bad copy. The glass on mine is crystal clear. I bought a Carl Zeiss pancolar a while back and for some reason it was soft even when stopped down I was sure I had a bad copy and I ended up selling it. Yes this lens in my opinion is advanced in the sense that to get the most out of it you have to understand its limitations and be able to work around them
Great review and tips, just FYI the paperwork is for Industar lens (Индустар-61Л/З) stamped in May 1980 priced at 50R. So it is for a completely different lens, yet the case seems to be original and the sticker is for Mir-1 priced at 45R.
Those are the two lenses I have got, Helios 44-2 and (white) Mir-1 that I use with my Olympus PEN and Canon EOS. I haven't actually thought of using them for video, i should give that a go.
Andrew Trofimov what's up Andrew? You're a king among Kings, that's what I need on this channel viewers from other countries who can tighten up my specs. Dude thanks, do you realize how many people viewed this video and was not able to pick up on that?. If your Olympus has an electronic viewfinder definitely tried for video it really helps with critical focusing. Thanks for taking the time to comment it's good to know what viewers think. Feel free to share your online album if you have one. Thanks
Hi. Nice review. Happy to find somebody using Mir1. I have set of lenses Mir1V, Helios44 and Jupiter37A since 1992, already adapted them to Nikon and using when I need photo with character. I used almost all Nikon and OM-Zuiko lenses, that technically much better, but missing some magic of old stuff. By the way, just for fun. Mir1 was used in Soviet space program.
Hello my man thanks for stopping by and sharing that history. I fully agree with the character part. When I do product photography or on vacation I use the modern lenses for accuracy but for personal work or portraits I have to use the older lenses. If. You like this. Definitely check out my voigtlander color Ultron review I made about two years ago. And also my Meyer optik trioplan review. I didn't know you could use them on Nikon without infinity focus issues.
Very interesting video about the MIR-1, I have the same lens but in the aluminium color version, it’s a nice lens to work with, but I need fix the stiff focus ring so it will run smooth (I will make a video about how I do that). Keep up your good work.
Great video! really good exposition of the different characteristics of the lens and also great examples!
donov mayer your welcome sir I take camera reviews serious and I try to be as meticulous as possible this took me almost a month to compile. I'm glad it helped because modern lenses are accurate and sharp but their rendering isn't as beautiful and abstract as these vintage ones in my opinion.
I know what you are talking about! I'm a vintage glass lover, I'm studying and experimenting a couple of lenses right now. Most people just buy them, learn some main features of those lenses but don't go deeper than that. I love studying about the optics and the reasons why they produce those kind of images, what's behind the character of that lens. Unfortunately, I'm a Spanish speaker and in my country this kind of topics are irrelevant to most of people, some day I would love to do reviews like yours but in my native language.
Sorry for my english, I'm a self-taught person.
donov mayer de donde tu eres?
I'm from Ecuador. A little country in South America.
Hi there.. I bought one of these and I am using it on an analog pentax camera. brilliant lens, very sharp but charismatic. Flares very easy though. But that can add to the charm.
Hello Tom thanks for stopping by. Yes I love it also and I've been shooting a lot of film lately as well.
Your video is peaceful and very excellent !
Thank you for your advices and review !
Take good care.
Hello thank you I really appreciate you taking the time to check it out. You might also like my voitlander color Ultron review and the Meyer optik trioplan review both from about 2 years ago in my feed
@@Raychristofer I'll check them out !!
Thank you for making a very interesting video on these lenses - I am thinning to purchase both lenses and your video has been invaluable to me - keep up the great work.
Thank you, I'm really glad it helps because when I was researching this lens I couldn't find any throw videos either. Let me know how it goes when you get them
Hay Ray!!! I'm sold, man. I've been noticing for a few months this Helios and I came across several on Ebay. Now based on your review, I'll be collecting a few because you're right. The old skool lenses give the shooter something the modern lenses can't stand on. Build quality, glass, all hardcore metal body, and the DOF. Last, can't for get the price of the old skool lens is the best. Thanks for sharing your POV and I hope to have a review for you on my experience with your recommendation. Salute Sir.
MeDallion Motion Pictures what's up big medallion? You're talking the truth like a black stallion. Hey man I appreciate you checking out this review it's one I'm proud of compared to the rest. We do need modern lenses though because I shot my talking head scenes with my 25mm 1.7 wide open and as you can see it's sharp even in the corners so I use the new lenses times I need full accuracy but yeah they have no character or style. feel free to check out my other lens reviews if interested in those. Respect
great rendering, and I really like the way you color correct. nice. Shame about the minimum focus distance, but could be solved with those screw filter mount close up lenses.
Really enjoyed your video. You took some outstanding pictures!
Hello my man thank you that's awesome. if you like this lens I suggest you also look at my voigtlander color Ultron review I did about 2 years ago, it has the same beautiful swirly character but it's more advanced and modern.
Thanks for your review, I've seen it a couple of times while searching for a MIR. Finally I was able to get a MIR1-B yesterday. It seems to be a very recent build? N930xxx, no inscription on the front barrel like Brussels Grand prix 1958 ... Although I'm used to Helios 44x-y and Biotar, I got confused by the aperture ring behaviour, go figure!
I solved the close focus problem by using an helicoid adapter (19-31 mm) M42-M42+ slim M42-NEX flange (1 mm). Seems to reduce focus distance to less than 25 cm and partially catches the long focusing throw as well, depending. Lens works a marvel both on crop (Sony A6000) and on FF (Sony A7II).
What's up my man thanks for that in depth technical info. Doesn't the helicoid make it too big and bulky though on the Sony? I use mine with a focal reducer on micro 4/3 to recover as much as possible. then again if you have a Sony A7 you don't need any of that. at first I didn't like the aperture behavior until I started shooting it on my film cameras and I realize how quick it can get me from wide open for the brightest viewfinder and quickly shut it down to the correct aperture. I would like if there was a model with the regular clicks though. If you like this review definitely check out my voigtlander color Ultron 50 mm 1.8 review. it has the same beautiful swirly character has the Helios but it's more civilized. Good looking out
@@Raychristofer the helicoid is not larger than a standard M42-NEX adapter but works nicely.
Hey-- I really like your review and your calm manner. Very cool video!
Thanks PK big respect. in that case I dedicate this review to you. oh check out the my voigtlander color ultron and helios vid you may dig their look also.
Nice, detailed review. The bokeh is so swirly and creamy! (It seems to swirl more than a Helios, from the videos I've seen -- almost like a triple exposure in a way.) Allegedly the '70s version of this lens wasn't quite as good as the Grand Prix versions (though it is still really good...)
Your reviews of Helios and Jupiter lenses inspired me to get a few!
Little Angel What's up LA? I'm glad my reviews got you fired up. I don't know , because these is a wide angle lense I've found I have to get closer to the subject to get the swirl. Build quality is incredible, only people doing that these days is voigtlander and Leica. Which lenses do you have ?
A bunch of Industars (52mm, 50mm, 28mm),
a couple of Jupiters (50mm and 35mm),
a couple of Helioses (44mm and 50mm),
a couple of Fujinons (Aspheric Telephotos),
and a Mir 1 37mm Grand Prix on the way (hopefully...).
I have the Fujinons to fill the gaps before I get more primes for the higher numbers (which of course are more expensive... and considering how broke I am from all these darn lenses...)
Little Angel since you have so many with so little space I'll hold on to a couple of those industars and fujinons for you. After all you can only shoot one at a time LOL. 😂
Very useful and interesting review, thank you for taking the time to make this video!
Hello Max thanks for taking the time to check it out yes it took me about a month to put this together. If you like this lands do yourself a favor and check out my voigtlander color Ultron review as well as my Meyer Optik trioplan , I have a feeling you will dig those as well.
Great vedio! I just bought this lens too, can't wait to shoot on film with it!
四目圖研 thank you I'm glad to turn folks on to quality vintage gear. Let me know your results when you get comfortable with it
Hey Ray, thanks for the review. Really nice video and really nice pics you shot with the Mir! One thing though: After explaining exactly how the aperture preset system works, you say something I don’t really agree with. You can indeed know the f value you are shooting with, if it’s a full f-stop. If you preset the outer ring, say to f/8, you can move the middle ring knowing that one end is at f/2.8 and the other one at f/8. I doubt that the middle ring was actually meant for setting different apertures, as one would be doing it “blindly”, which doesn’t make much sense. That’s why the preset is for! To set the desired f-value, brighten the vf in order to help focusing, and when ready to click rotate the middle ring back exactly to the intended (preset) aperture, without having to remove the eye from the VF. As you mentioned, that would be irrelevant in a modern mirrorless camera, but it does make a big difference on a Zenit :) We can also “cheat” intermediate aperture values with it, but I don’t think that this was the designer’s actual intention.
As for the second red dot, I’d say it is there so we can know when it is safe to rotate the outer ring; when the two red dots are next to each other. Otherwise one might force and break the mechanism.
Hello Harilaos, you know something you are totally correct. If I used it as the designers intended I would definitely know what aperature I was at. I guess I tend leave the preset at 2.8 and rotate it till I get the look I want then take the shot so in those cases I dont know what setting its at. I always shoot somewhere between wide open and 2.8. its funny that I never thought to use the lens preset in that way. thanks for the input and taking the time to comment. this lens has a special look, most times Im wishing it had more shallow DOF but thats what the fifties are for. by the way Im working on a Voigtlander color ultron 50mm 1.8 as well as a Zeiss Pancolar coming up. good looking out bro
Yeah it depends on the subject; you seem to use it more portrait oriented, while I had a wider DOF in mind. I definitely need to spend some time with the lens as I just received it a couple of days ago. I’ll subscribe and keep an eye on the Pancolar review you mentioned. Keep up the good work!
Great video and beautiful photos! I love using these old lenses! I've recently got the Helios 44-2, 58mm f/2 and like it so far (haven't used it all that much yet). I have several old Takumar's and SMC Pentax's that I use all the time, I actually like a few of them better than my expensive modern lenses! They produce awesome results and are unique and FUN!!!
Jim Durfee Hey thanks Jim, you got that right. I use my modern lenses for product photography and talking head videos like this because they're sharp wide open but they are pretty much boring for artistic things. Check out my voigtlander review and the Trioplan. You may benefit from them also. Thanks for checking this out, I always put links to full res images in the description also. Peace
Great video! I just (finally) ordered a Helios 44M and I will consider getting a MIR 1B soon.
Rodrigo Díaz what's up Rodriguez, yeah man you will find many artistic uses for this lens. The day will come when full metal lenses like this will be sought after as all the modern ones become plastic and clinical looking.
Great video , your spot on with the review. I bought the early silver version and I have to say that although it was described as mint/ perfect; the stop down ring was really sloppy and the build quality is definitely not to a Zeiss standard more like a mix between a Jupiter 8/ Helios . Images from my lens are very good and surprisingly sharp, much sharper than my Jupiter 8 and purchased a filter to try and cut that lens flare. Under a hundred pounds it's worth it, great lens. Using it on a fuji XH1, this works well with no vignetting although I've noticed image sharpness doesn't go to infinity so will possibly need to change the focal distance at some stage.
Hello my man always like to hear from viewers who try these stuff I review also. I use a focal reducer on my micro four-thirds camera and what I found is I had to Lucinda set screw and adjust the optics slightly before I was able to get infinity. what I did was slightly adjusted past infinity so the variations in my other lenses I would still be able to reach. if you like this land you might also want to look at my voigtlander color Ultron review its the most civilized vintage lens I have and one that I can shoot wide open if I catch focus and it has the beautiful swirl that the Helios does. It is also a zeiss design that was rebranded. I think I did that reviewed two years ago in my feed
Very nice review my friend, and cool sample photos. I love the manual lenses. I've got a Nikon D750 and have a Helios 44-2 on the way. I really like this MIR-1B. Thanks for the video!
Christopher Jordan you're welcome Christopher, yeah man and it's a coincidence 10 minutes ago I was outside shooting film with this lens of my daughter riding her bicycle. Let me know how you get along with it if you get one.
Raychristofer Will do :)
I totally forgot i was subscribed to your channel. I'm glad you came up my feed today though!
Your reviews are really awesome! Keep up the great work buddy :)
Apollo Mead what's up Apollo? thanks and no you're the one that's awesome LOL. Thanks for taking the time to comment. some RUclipsrs are able to do talking head videos and upload almost everyday but for these they take so long it's good to know somebody appreciates them. I think next I want to review the lens that comes with my Panasonic G7 there are some pros and cons to it that I think people don't really talk about.
HA! "One too many times!" Well, we can get nutty about our Helios. I subbed to your channel when I was watching reviews on the Helios and now I'm looking into this lens and your review showed up. I think this is my next vintage lens. Thanks for the complete overview.
Carl S. Big Carl I appreciate that. This is my most proper review I think so far. I recently got a Carl Zeiss pancolar 50mm 1.8 which I'm working on reviewing. Also be Meyer gorlitz trioplan 've had a few years and I'm starting to compile footage for that. I got issues buying these lenses man, somebody needs to slow me down LOL . What camera are you running yours on?
Yep. This was quite the proper review. Keep 'em comin'.
I'm currently on a Panasonic G85. I came over from Canon after getting a G7 cheap and really enjoying the m43 system. And everything Panny gives us for the price. Especially for video. There's much to love about Canon but for us on a tighter budget, they kinda left us behind. I may grab a GH4 soon, now that they've dropped so much in price.
Cheers.
Excellent narration with sample images ... would the bokeh character be manoeuvred in a Nikon D7100 having a crop sensor ?
hello you would still see some for sure but full frame you see a bit more around the edges
The little girl looking up by the water is a beautiful shot!
certified delight Ray! as usual :) this is like therapy for me keep them coming sir!
Maxx thanks bro. you know its like therapy for me also, its like an artistic outlet being able to share what these lenses can do. art can be straightening. good lookin out.
I loved the helios on my a7sii just bought the MIR really looking forward to it!
Yes sir you can't go wrong . Let me know how you get along with it.
My MIR1b on a Sony A7 wont focus to infinity on a M39 to NEX adapter. Ant advice?
Brussels is in Belgium. Great pictures. Lovely lens!
hahaha thanks for the correction i wish i could edit that
Hi Ray great review as always.
May I ask a question?
I'm planning to adapt this lens onto a Viltrox EF-M2 adapter.
Do you think the protruding rear elements would touch the glass of the Viltrox and potentially break the glass?
I am looking forward to your reply.
Cheers
Hello, I actually don't have any experience with that particular adapter. What I can say is the speed booster I use the glass element in it you can actually twist in and out it's on a screw. When I first got mine my lenses wouldn't reach infinity until I realized I had to adjust the distance of the glass. There was one lens I had that very slightly touched the glass and left a tiny scratch so I adjusted it slightly out as well. Check the specs of your particular adapter to see if it is also adjustable.
@@Raychristofer thanks for fast rep Ray! Yea because the distance between the EF mount to glass elements on different speedboosters is different. But I thought it's worth asking you for an advice. Some guys actually cracked the glass on their speedbooster while trying to adapt vintage lenses which have protruding rear element hence so it scares me a bit.
I have a Takumar 50mm 1.4 which is an M42 but it adapts beautifully onto M42-EF-E speedbooster combo. Not sure about this MIR-1V though :(
Lovely pictures. The one from the swing is fantastic!
Top 10 Greatest Top 10 thank you greatest how are you? I really appreciate that, of all the videos and reviews I produced this is the one I'm most proud of. These lenses you try to use them for their out of focus area character. When you focus on that rather than all out sharpness you wind up with some beautiful images. Two days ago I received the Carl Zeiss pancolar 50mm 1.8. I will be reviewing that in the coming months as well. Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Ray, what sensors are you using with your soviets? These lenses are my favourite and I always used them with film, but recently I bought a OMD E-M10 MKII and I'm thinking about buying the Zhongy M42 adapter. However, I can't see any good examples of these lenses being used with MFT cameras. :/
Top 10 Greatest Top 10 I'm using micro 4/3 sensor. I'm shooting on a Panasonic G7 and also a gh1. I also did a review of the Helios you may have seen it. I have full resolution images in the description with a link to my Flickr album to give you a better idea how the sensor behaves with them. The Helios is the most unique and artistic though even though it's not sharp around the edges when you open it wide.
Wow just discovered your channel and enjoyed this very much. You are knowledgeable and the little model is adorable!
Thank you so much. I suggest checking my Voigtlander color Ultron review and Helios you will enjoy them also. Good looking out
@@RaychristoferWill do. My credit card's quivering hearing the word Voigtlander though ; )
@@RangKlos lol it's actually a rebranded rollei. You should find one about 180.00 actually a Zeiss pancolar is cheaper and behaves almost identical
Хороший объектив в хороших руках,результат хорошее фото и видео.
Спасибо, мне пришлось использовать перевод Google, но я это ценю. его более интересно пересмотреть эти классические линзы, поскольку есть гораздо больше, чтобы говорить о них с их различным характером.
παρτο αριστερά και μετά όλο ευθεία, στο τέλος αναστροφή και συνέχα ευθία...
@@Ofiouhos Eshte super lente. Une kam nje Helios 44M-7 por do e ble dhe Mir-1. Me duhet nje lente me e gjere per nje film te shkurter qe do te bej, por mezi gjehen, dhe jane te shtrenjta. Mir-1 me duket alternative e mire, sidomos me nje speedbooster :D
Brilliant video brilliant review and lovely photos 👍🏻
awesome thank you
Awesome Review and I loved the black and white shots! Unfortunate that the focus ring spins so much, but I love that the aperture ring doesn't click!
I might have to find one of these to shoot Black and White 35mm on my Minolta X-700!
Yo Brendan how you doing? thanks for including what you think about the review, makes me feel good to have helped another lens lover. dont even think about it, get one if you like the look. one thing I learned is they dont all have the Brussels stamp on it and they were made in different factories over the years so some are flat black, others are silver also. research them and just make sure its in good condition. if you have a Flickr channel feel free to share my man. respect
For close focus, you can use m42 macro rings. Set of them is just for few dollars (cca 5 dollars for the set in Europe)
Thanks man, I actually have a few m43 rings I use on the speed booster too.
I probably wouldn't go for speed booster as I prefer not to use additional optics, but if it makes the desired effect, then good for you. You have interesting set of people from all over the world watching your videos. I will have to watch more.
@@petrmaly9087 thanks so much Petr. Actually micro 4/3 camera so using these full frame lenses I almost have to use a Speed Booster otherwise I lose half of the image. I'm also shooting medium format film though so i don't discriminate lol.
@@petrmaly9087 do yourself a favor if you like this lens look at my voigtlander ultron and meter optik trioplan reviews. You will also find them interesting
Thanks, I will. Although I mostly stay away from temptations like that... It took me a long time to save money for SMC Takumar 50/1.4... Trioplan is something I was always thinking about, they have one in a store nearby. For mid format, I have Tessar and Belar on TLRs, Biomerar, Sonnar and Zodiak for SLR.
Very interesting 37mm. A surprising amount and quality of bokeh. Cool little lens.
Yes sir Thanks. I now pass the lens review baton to you. It is a great responsibility
@@Raychristofer Haha, thanks. But I don't feel I would be any good at that. Think i'll stick with watching yours, if you don't mind. Your videos are really very good. They have a very unique style and character. Not only how they look, but also how they sound and how they feel. Very impressive. I'm a bit surprised you don't have more subscribers.
@@Kelkschiz thank you oh, I think the problem is so many different companies reach out to me to test their gear I find myself reviewing all kinds of things I even reviewed a washing machine and an air conditioner on the channel and I think that's a problem because I should stick to just photography so folks will know what to expect. I made two skateboard reviews that were also highly popular. I probably should start a couple other channels but I don't have the energy to do that LOL. Good looking out
That is a crazy good / weird lens. I'm a total beginner, how exactly would you mount this lens onto a lumix G7?
David Utke you could use a plain adaptor called m42 to micro four thirds but because this lenses used on a full frame camera you will only get half of the image on the smaller sensor micro 4/3 so I highly recommend using a focal reducer adaptor. Look at my review of the roxsen focal reducer it will explain everything in detail. Cheers
Happy to find this channel! Question for you Ray... I have had this lens for a while, but have yet to use it. It looks like my lens came with some extenders? I'm not sure what they are, but they are definitely not adapters. It looks like I have 3 different size tubes that extend the length of the lens. Have you ever used something like that or have an idea what you would use them for?
Hello how are you? Thank you. Please send me a photo of the extenders to my Instagram @aloyandersonphotography or my email raychristofer@yahoo.com usually extenders if they attach to the screw Mount part of the lens are usually called extension tubes and they are used for macro work
I own a Mir 1958 Gran Pix Sliver Russia. I like it vintage lenses on new camera 📷 are dope!
Great review Ray, beautiful presentation, great shots too! Thank you, I have a Mir 1V 37mm f2.8 on the way from Russia. I had one years ago, and sold it ! :)
Awesome thank you. If you look back in my feed about two months ago I uploaded a short film shot almost entirely by candlelight called power outage. 90% of that was shot with the Mir lens because of the way it beautifully flares cinematically. Feel free to check it out if you like.
Great Video! Very Thorough! Thanks for the review!
liberalpoet Thanks I had a great time shooting this.
Hi Ray. Thanks for the video. Really helpful. Love the photos you show here. You get a new follower! 👏 🍻
Thanks so much for taking the time to comment Jose, as you can see I took a few weeks the closest together carefully.. hey if you like this lens you may want to look also at my Helios review I did a few years ago and also the voigtlander color Ultron. They have similar characters. Good looking out
Thank you for this video. Highly useful and informative.
Great video and review of the lens!
Jonathan F Thanks man
I'm loving your videos! Interesting lens, thanks!
Hey thanks man yes this lens is a hidden gem, especially on full frame. Thanks for checking it out. I was gonna dare you to try making a video review also but no one ever takes the bait lol.
A really nice and useful video with some lovely images.
Hello Ray, awesome quality in your work. Your lens is clearly marked in it's passport (this is how it's called the documentation that comes with it) as being from May 1980. Cheers! Great work!
FunnyPets hello funny pets how are you? I appreciate you doing that you probably pause the video and zoom. The thing is the serial number on my lens is different from the one on that paperwork I did some research and I think my lenses from 1975. I'm curious how you came across this video , are you a fan of vintage lenses also? Thanks for taking the time to comment
Fine thanks! You are very right sir! Only now that you mentioned it, i noticed the difference between the serial number in the lense and the one in the passport. They don't match, and your lens as you said, is from 1975. Usually, the first 2 numbers of the serial in the soviet lenses, are the year of production, and 00 was reserved for export copies and copies for the members of the comunist party, so people say that 00 copies are the best ones.
I know a little bit about soviet lenses because i'm living in Russia since 2011 and since maybe 2 or 3 years ago I started to read about the soviet lenses. I found your video because I was viewing some modifications to fit a lens in a Nikon body that I plan to buy soon. Then i will check your other videos since I already subscribed to your channel.
FunnyPets thanks bro. My next lens review might be the Jupiter 8 50mm f2.0 . Thanks for your support I'm trying to develop my own style of shooting and editing I'm giving myself a kind of boot camp. Respect
Thumb this video up guys! Its well composed and full of informations :))
Hello CBR thanks man I appreciate that, it took over a month to compile enough footage then shoot and edit this. Respect. Oh by the way if you like this look at my voigtlander color Ultron 50mm review it is a very high-performing vintage lens also.
Hello Ray
Which one would be the best version to buy?
Mir-1 silver M39 (early version).
Mir-1 black M42 (most common)
Mir-1A with t-mount (uncommon);
Mir-1B M42 (VOMZ).
Mir-1V
Nice video! These lens are M42? What kind of adapter could I use with a Fuji X? Thanks!
Hello thank you yes m42. You would need a m42 to Fuji adapter
So much useful information! Thank you
Mohit Whabi thank you bro, I watched so many frustrating lens review/unboxings that make me pull my hair out so I try to do a review that I myself would want to learn from. If you're interested in the next few months I will also be reviewing the Carl Zeiss pancolar and the Meyer gorlitz trioplan. I also have a voigtlander color Ultron on the way. Thanks for taking the time to comment
Looking forward to it. I subscribed so I can get your updates!
One of my favourites - the colours bounce.
Al Green - Light Through Glass Hello Al Green how are you? I didn't know you watched my reviews. Yes the only thing would make it better is prob an f 1.8 aperture but I can't complain. Thanks for the comment.
Hi Ray, I'm good; still shooting as always. Enjoyed the presentation, great that you're throwing light on these old gems.
Al Green - Light Through Glass thank you Al. I'm working on a Carl Zeiss pancolar and a voigtlander color Ultron in the next few weeks as well. Not to mention a trioplan. As you can imagine it takes a lot of time to put together but thanks for taking the time to comment it means a lot coming from you.
Nice review!! Do you know if the Mir is radioactive?
Hello thank you and no it's not radioactive like some of the Pentax
Amazing shots. Thanks for the review. I will be looking for this one on eBay!
Have you tried The Jupiter lenses, like the 3 or 5, or the Industar 61 L/D? All amazing in my old rangefinders and now, my Sony a7 full frame.
Hello Jim thanks I do have a jupiter 8 in m39 rangefinder mount. the problem is I cant use it with my speed booster because of the register distange or something so it is a bit tele but I love its build. I will definately look into the others you mentioned though and youre doing the right thing using an A7.
This is a good video. How did you focus on your self manually and still get you sharp?
Hello that's a very good question. I have a tiny travel tripod that I put in position in front of the camera and focused on that so when I press record I moved the tripod out the way and stood right there. It's something I do a lot when I use my film cameras to do selfies as well.
Hi :) Thanks for that nice review ! I will get my own copy soon of a ZOMZ Mir-1V 37 mm " Brussels Grand Prix", 1964. I'm a bit confused about the mount: m39 or m42 ? I want to purchase the best adapter for my GH4 (MFT). On eBay, it was written both mounts in the description....
Yes that is definitely strange that they wrote both. They probably have an m42 two l-39 adapter but it's best if you ask the seller that question or keep looking for one that is definitely m42. If you're using a GH4 you really want to use a focal reducer to recover half of the lost like you will be losing. scroll back a few years in my channel and I reviewed the focal reducer that I'm using and show its benefits definitely check that out. It's the roxsen/ pixco reducer
@@Raychristofer Actually I plan to add a FD to M42 adapter in order to use my MFT- FD focal reducer...thanks for the tips! :)
Enjoyed your presentation, will be following.
Hello thank you, I'm glad it was helpful, if you like this definitely check out my voigtlander color Ultron, Helios, and Meyer optik trioplan reviews. They have unique character also
Another top notch review, really enjoyed it thanks! And you can be sure I was straight on to eBay to see if I could pick one up!! There seems to be quite a few available from Ukraine and Russia, might try to get one! Just out of interest, do you use a reducer? I've noticed there are some Chinese ones available as an alternative to the very expensive metabones... any way love your work, beautifully shot and edited. Wish I'd found your channel sooner, big respect.
Hello CG again thanks for checking out this latest review i put love into making it. yes that focal reducer is a must. i dont do reviews often but yes i try to cover all bases. thanks for taking the time to comment.
You have learned this glass perfectly!
Alexandr Demidov hello Alexander thank you. You know what the secret is, when you get a new lens you keep it on the camera for a week or two and don't use anything else. It will force you to find the best way to use and the situations is good for or bad for. Thanks for taking the time to check it out and comment. Respect
Raychristofer yes, you're right! I own Mir-1B 37mm, a couple of helios 44-2 and one helios 44-m4, but I have not achieved such results using my Mir with my gh3. I guess, I use it seldom and I should listen your advice😉 there is a few things in this lens which I don't like. Very tight focusing ring in comparison with helios 44. Hard to shoot video as for me. But your minds and tips about monochrome shooting is VERY interesting. I'll try this.
Is it a decent lens for street photography on APS-C?
Legoman1352 definitely, it's probably perfect for that.
Raychristofer thank you for such swift answer and for great review. And what about Helios? Will it be too narrow for street photography? Are it's only uses on APS-C are portraits and macro?
nice review, can u by any chance do a video on the process of buying these vintage lenses, how do u find them?
Hasan Ali hello Hassan are you? you know what that's not a simple thing I usually look at photos on Flickr and when I see one with a unique character or look I check which camera and lens it was shot with and that's how I get ideas for which lenses I want to try. my problem is sometimes I have expensive tastes and when I check its some kind of Zeiss lens for 800 or something dollars lol. buying them on eBay is actually the easy part just look at the photos and make sure they're in good condition and make sure the seller has high approval rating. there's hundreds and hundreds of lenses so the hard part is finding the ones you want within your budget. thanks for checking it out and taking the time to comment Hassan.
Excellent review and amazing samples. Makes me want to get one :) Half of my collection consists of vintage MF lenses and I am having so much fun using them. Ordered the Jupiter 11 recently can't wait to try it out.
Hello Kamen thank you for checking it out. yes Ive been using this lens more as im finding the 50mm lenses a bit too tight for how I like to shoot. let me know how you get on with the jupiter, I had a jupiter 8 which had a great soap bubble bokeh effect but it had no coatings so I couldnt aim it into the light. love the build quality of them.
Raychristofer I will most certainly get back to you on this Jupiter 11 lens and will summarize a review with some samples. Maybe it will be useful :) always good to get a message from a RUclipsr. Thank you!
@@KamenKunchev hey if you like this type of lens character feel free to check out my voigtlander color Ultron 50 mm review as well. It's the highest-performing Vintage lens I've ever tried
Well you made me buy one :P but for m39. I guess it will go well with my Jupiter-8 and Jupiter-9 on my A7. The lens I ordered is a silver one and has the "Grand Prix" Brussels 1958 Engraving
thank you
I've got a Panasonic GH1 and a Panasonic GX1 (spiritual successor to your GF1) and I'm thinking of getting this and the helios. Could you please link the lens hoods you got and also the focal reducer you've got.
Thanks,
Seb
Quality Productions hello Seb, I bought that on eBay and I think it came from China, it's a 49mm filter thread. You should be able to find one of those easily on eBay. The focal reducer you can either get it from roxsen or pixco they are identical. Look at my focal reducer review I should have a link where you can get the reducer. Thanks for taking the time to check it out and comment
Hey thanks a lot for the video but I have a question.
This lens mounted on a Speedbooster and a mirrorless camera will be the equivalent of roughly 40mm. Is that still considered as a wide angle? Will it cause problems in having a wide field of view?
Hello no problems . It's not wide I would say 28 mm and onward is wide. Thx
I really liked your review! Thank you for it!
Thank you cousin Ruwe, I will dedicate this video to you. Respect
what a great review! thank you! Now I want that lens...
emdicpere thanks man, ain't nothin to it but to do it.
4:50 totally sold me on this lens, thanks!
killer thanks man
The 3D pop is amazing. It appears the background is in 2D and reviewer is popping out.
Solid review bruv; nice work.
Cleon Arrey Thanks Cleon I appreciate it. I'm using this channel as a sort of video production boot camp so I put alot of time in shooting and editing. Good looking out
Is this lens radioctive? One of the inside lenses appears to have a yellowish coloration (like most radioactive lenses) but I couldn’t find any info online.