Where are the "Russians"?

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As I browsed the web and ebay the other night, I was amazed at just how much Russian stuff is now on the market. Also, I was amazed at how much stuff is now made in mounts ranging from Nikon AI to EOS. There are also whole lines of lenses issued for medium format, and countless adapters. But, as best I can tell, not a single thing ever for the Pentax 6x7? I was wondering if there really are that many more Pentacon/Exakta 66 users than Pentax 6x7 users (why do they continue to make lenses in Pentacon 6 but not P67?)? Pentax sold a ton of these cameras, but other than a Kenko thing here and there, no one seems to have entered the game, ever. Just voicing a complaint. Many people blast Russian items, and rightly so in some cases because there is little quality-control/testing in camera body assembly. But, Russian optics stand up to the test, and although most is 6x6 designed, they would cover 6x7. It would be nice to use the 120mm f/2.5 Vega or 250mm f/3.5 Arsat - not to mention the 55mm Arsat perspective/shift lens.

-- Carl Tower (cjtowerman@yahoo.com), October 02, 2001

Answers

I have never used these particular russian lenses, but it might be possible that these pieces don't cover 6x7, or don't cover it all that satisfactorily. I too noticed the mount/adaptor proliferation, but also noticed that "Kiev" moved from 6x6 stuff into 6x4.5 stuff (they now issue lenses and adaptors for the Mamiya 645 and Contax 645). I don't think the 55mm PC lens has been released yet, or if it has it is not widely available - though I have seen pics of it. As for the Vega, isn't it 2.8 not 2.5 (granted, a small difference)? It might be that P67 stuff is so moderately priced, that Kiev has little reason to think they could undercut them by all that much - making it a less tmepting offer. That said, if I could buy, in a P67 mount, a Russian-made 45mm ($165!), 55mm pc ($225), 250mm 3.5 ($275), 1.4x tc ($85), or 2.0x tc ($85) - I think it would be hard to pass up.

-- Michael Tolan (mjtolan@kbjrmail.com), October 02, 2001.

You are right in that Kiev never went after the P67 market. However, I have seen some Russian lenses with a P67 adapter that did not appear to be "handmade". What I mean is that the adapter looked as though it was part of a production run. I guess I say this based solely on the fact that some of the parts were engraved. The ones I saw were used on a Russian 250mm or 300mm Telear (spelling?). Although I never actually shot with this lens, I did make prints from negs made with the lens. I could not highly recommend it for color prints/slides except in a pinch because the color/contrast was not up to snuff. I was sort of amazed at this because most people I know who use Russian lenses, do so for the color reproduction some of them offer. However, for B&W I think it would work wonderfully. Sharpness was not an issue, and the lens was VERY decent and might well compete with my 200mm Takumar. An adapter similar to this was used on the Pentacon 300mm. There might be other reasons why Kiev has stayed away from Pentax 67. Perhaps the design of the camera makes adapters more expensive? I didn't know they made a perspective lens. Are you sure about that price? That is amazing - even for a Russian lens.

-- Miles Stoddard (p67shooter@yahoo.co.uk), October 03, 2001.

I just realized I confused two lenses in my last reply. I printed negatives from a Tair 300mm f4.5, not a Telear-5, which is a 250mm f5.6 lens. The Tair was, I think, specifically designed for use on the 6x6 Kiev 88, whereas the Telear might have been a more generalized lens, sold with mounts for 35mm, 6x6.45, and 6x6. The Tair should have a MUCH higher lpm edge score than the Telear.

-- Miles Stoddard (p67shooter@yahoo.co.uk), October 03, 2001.

Hello

There was a comment about the Mir 55mm PC lens for the 6x6 Kiev/Pentacon mount. I have had one for several months. It can be shifted up to 12mm in one direction, and that direction can be rotated in 15 degree increments around a circle. There is no vignetting at full shift on 6x6, so it should be possible to get a reasonable amount of shift for 6x7. However, it may be difficult to get a mount that will give infinity focus. By contrast, the kiev 45mm shift lens is a standard 6x6 lens with shift added and it will only give 10mm of shift with 6x6, although it does a full 12mm with 6x4.5, which is why it is being targeted at that market. The 55mm shift lens is available for reputable eBay sellers like "ustas" Pavel Gubanov in Moscow, and "Kievcamera" Michael Fourman in Atlanta, USA for around $320-$350 or so.

Regards, Ross

-- Ross Marks (rossmarks@hotmail.com), October 14, 2001.


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