…ilar to Soligor. Known to share the amazing flare characteristics of other Russian lenses like MIR-1B and Helios 44-2. Cons: Quite a slow lens at F3.5 Softish wide open (at-least my copy, more about it later) No filter thread Canon FD 20mm F2.8 – Very different lens when compared to MIR, but costs pretty much the same (prices on ebay always vary). While the previous 2 lenses barely have any coating, this one has a beautiful S.S.C (Super Spectra Co… Continue Reading
…rn PL glass, but for such crazy zoom range it’s not bad. I personally love Russian lenses. This Lomo reminds me of Helios 44-2 which is my favorite vintage lens. I would say if you can stretch to this prize tag, there is probably nothing better that this one out there at a similar price point. If I had money I would seriously consider this for my FS100, because I really love the look this lens produces. So much character and great range too. A gre… Continue Reading
…flares which we all love. Not nearly as obvious & strong as you’d get with Russian lenses like Helios 44-2, MIR-1 or MIR-20, but as you can see in the last shot of the test, when pointed at a bright light source with dark background you do get plenty of rainbow flares! Why buy one? The F2.8 does sound underwhelming for a 50mm lens, but with most modern cameras, low F2.8 or even slightly slower is no longer an issue. For example the night shots in… Continue Reading
…across the image. MIR 1B 37mm f2.8 Based on the Carl Zeiss Flektogon, this Russian lens won the 1958 Brussels World Fair “Grand Prix” prize. When shot against a bright source in a dark room or low light…it creates a beautiful and huge blue flare that fills the frame. It’s one of the only lenses (short of a Panavision Anamorphic) that brings out this much blue flares. Here is an example of the blue flare in a dark room. In sunlight the blue blends… Continue Reading
…-1 received a prestigious Grand-Prix Award during the Brussels World Fair. Russians were probably so proud of the award that every Mir-1 lens produced since the 1958 World Fair, sports the “Grand Prix Brussels 1958” inscription on the side of the lens, so don’t mistake these lenses for some sort of special/limited edition (I know I kind of did when I first saw one). So let’s talk about the build quality and features of this lens. As you would expe… Continue Reading
Disclaimer: VLFV uses eBay’s affiliate program and as an eBay Partner, we may be compensated if you make a purchase. Our mission is to keep all content free and accessible, so if you’d like to support what we do, feel free to purchase your lenses via the links in this article, at no additional cost to you. The legendary Helios 40-2 85mm f/1.5 is joining IronGlass’ MKII rehousing lineup. While its little brother, the Helios 44-2 58mm f/2 get all t… Continue Reading
