Pentacon auto 50/1.8: Adapted Lens Talk Forum: Digital Photography Review (2024)

6

I got this lens in a job lot of old lenses and accessories. The item in the lot that caught my interest was a Tamron 28/2.5, so the Pentacon was just another thing in the box.

It was in very good cosmetic condition, but had the commonplace sticking aperture. I was able to free this by working and lightly lubricating the lever mechanism in the rear of the lens – the diaphragm blades appear to be OK.

Anyway, I put it on the G2 and gave it a try. It's nice and sharp overall, but it also turns out to be a bit of a bokeh monster; it'll give the Helios 44 a run for its money.

I know its ancestor is the Meyer-Optik Oreston, updated with better coatings, so it's not greatly sought after, and I checked that prices are fairly low on the auction site, whereas everyone wants the Helios. But if you want bokeh, the Pentacon has it.

F/1.8

F/1.8

F/2.8

1

Brian Chichester wrote:

It's nice and sharp overall, but it also turns out to be a bit of a bokeh monster; it'll give the Helios 44 a run for its money.

They both have crazy, but yet different Bokeh rendering. They use different approaches to aberration corrections which leads to different impact on their out-of-focus renderings. One has the swirl and the other the bubbles.

I wouldn't compare different flavours. Either can be preferred due to different task/creative intent at hand, or due to different tastes.

I know its ancestor is the Meyer-Optik Oreston, updated with better coatings,

The Pentacon is the newer lens - ancestor of the older Orestor. The Orestor is single coated while most Pentacons are multi coated.

Dusty-Lens wrote:

The Pentacon is the newer lens - ancestor of the older Orestor. The Orestor is single coated while most Pentacons are multi coated.

Sorry I wasn't too clear about the pedigree of the lens. The Oreston was made by Meyer-Optik of Gorlitz, and was fitted as a standard lens to Praktica Mat SLRs in the late 60s. All the East German photo-optics factories were amalgamated under VEB Pentacon of Dresden in the 1970s, and their lenses were labelled Pentacon or, later, Carl Zeiss Jena. I'm fairly sure Meyer-Optik continued to make the Pentacon 50, and it was an updated version of the Oreston, with multi-coated optics instead of the single coating.

All this aside, it's a neat little lens, a decent performer with a good close focus distance, but probably falls short of the better Japanese fast 50s in terms of overall sharpness.

Brian Chichester wrote:

Dusty-Lens wrote:

The Pentacon is the newer lens - ancestor of the older Orestor. The Orestor is single coated while most Pentacons are multi coated.

Sorry I wasn't too clear about the pedigree of the lens. The Oreston was made by Meyer-Optik of Gorlitz, and was fitted as a standard lens to Praktica Mat SLRs in the late 60s. All the East German photo-optics factories were amalgamated under VEB Pentacon of Dresden in the 1970s, and their lenses were labelled Pentacon or, later, Carl Zeiss Jena. I'm fairly sure Meyer-Optik continued to make the Pentacon 50, and it was an updated version of the Oreston, with multi-coated optics instead of the single coating.

Yes, the factories didn't change, just the concern and the lens name.

All this aside, it's a neat little lens, a decent performer with a good close focus distance, but probably falls short of the better Japanese fast 50s in terms of overall sharpness.

I enjoy using it but as you mentioned, with all the 50mm lenses there's usually some other that ends up on the camera.

From the German lenses of similar times the Schneider-Kreuznach SL Xenon is my primary choice for sharpness (not corner sharpness wide open, which nowadays is sought after as a sexual fetish by "reviewers" for some weirdest reason).

Dusty-Lens wrote:

... From the German lenses of similar times the Schneider-Kreuznach SL Xenon is my primary choice for sharpness (not corner sharpness wide open, which nowadays is sought after as a sexual fetish by "reviewers" for some weirdest reason).

Corner sharpness wide open is desirable for photographing test charts and other flat objects square on. Interesting photographs taken wide open tend to have the corners well out of focus though.

1

Sittatunga wrote:

Dusty-Lens wrote:

... From the German lenses of similar times the Schneider-Kreuznach SL Xenon is my primary choice for sharpness (not corner sharpness wide open, which nowadays is sought after as a sexual fetish by "reviewers" for some weirdest reason).

Corner sharpness wide open is desirable for photographing test charts and other flat objects square on. Interesting photographs taken wide open tend to have the corners well out of focus though.

Yep, my point exactly - the "ultimate test" offered by most id*ots, pardon reviewers and experts, is a flat 2D target all at equal distance inside a studio (or a sexy brick wall). And then you get to look at 100% zoom of the corner and decide which lens is better. Following a long analysis of how a lens works against a 3kw projector or midday sun...

Incompetent reviewers poluting the internet with total bs and misleading millions to consider the wrong things, very similar in the HiFi audio and the photography world (although the reviewers are misleading in the opposite direction in the audio world).

1

Dusty-Lens wrote:

Sittatunga wrote:

Dusty-Lens wrote:

... From the German lenses of similar times the Schneider-Kreuznach SL Xenon is my primary choice for sharpness (not corner sharpness wide open, which nowadays is sought after as a sexual fetish by "reviewers" for some weirdest reason).

Corner sharpness wide open is desirable for photographing test charts and other flat objects square on. Interesting photographs taken wide open tend to have the corners well out of focus though.

Yep, my point exactly - the "ultimate test" offered by most id*ots, pardon reviewers and experts, is a flat 2D target all at equal distance inside a studio (or a sexy brick wall). And then you get to look at 100% zoom of the corner and decide which lens is better. Following a long analysis of how a lens works against a 3kw projector or midday sun...

Incompetent reviewers poluting the internet with total bs and misleading millions to consider the wrong things, very similar in the HiFi audio and the photography world (although the reviewers are misleading in the opposite direction in the audio world).

It is OK to prefer sharpness, including corner sharpness, above other qualities so it makes sense to test for it and a brick wall is a good target. Flare suppression is important if you are not after the vintage look, so shots with the sun in the frame are useful too.

Having said that, I agree that that there is too much emphasis on sharpness in many tests. Corner sharpness wide open is not even a thing except for astrophotography, but even there coma correction would come first.

Thanks for starting this thread; it's inspired me to revisit a couple of my fifties. This lens is performing very nicely! In my early adapting days I acquired the older Meyer Oreston, and didn't care much for it at all. More recently, I picked up a Pentacon Electric, and loved it!

I'm going to have to reevaluate the Meyer and figure out exactly why I didn't like it the first time, refurbish it a bit, and do a fair shootout between it and the Pentacon Electric. It could just be a matter of which one is in better condition, or changing tastes, but it will still hopefully be illuminating at least to me personally if not a couple other folks here.

1

Tons o Glass wrote:

Thanks for starting this thread; it's inspired me to revisit a couple of my fifties. This lens is performing very nicely! In my early adapting days I acquired the older Meyer Oreston, and didn't care much for it at all. More recently, I picked up a Pentacon Electric, and loved it!

I'm going to have to reevaluate the Meyer and figure out exactly why I didn't like it the first time, refurbish it a bit, and do a fair shootout between it and the Pentacon Electric. It could just be a matter of which one is in better condition, or changing tastes, but it will still hopefully be illuminating at least to me personally if not a couple other folks here.

I am not sure about the Electric but the Pentacon Auto has the one of the flimsiest aperture setting and rear lens block mechanisms I have ever seen. It does not look like it but really is a cheaply made lens.

There is a fragile plastic part that connects to the aperture ring and moves the iris. If it breaks then you cannot set the aperture and the only reasonable fix is to buy another lens. I decided I would use it wide open only.

The rear lens block does not screw on as in most others lenses. Instead, it is fixed in place with three screws and once you unscrew them it is nigh impossible to center it on the optical axis again. At least the bokeh is even weirder this way.

1

xtam667 wrote:

Dusty-Lens wrote:

Sittatunga wrote:

Dusty-Lens wrote:

... From the German lenses of similar times the Schneider-Kreuznach SL Xenon is my primary choice for sharpness (not corner sharpness wide open, which nowadays is sought after as a sexual fetish by "reviewers" for some weirdest reason).

Corner sharpness wide open is desirable for photographing test charts and other flat objects square on. Interesting photographs taken wide open tend to have the corners well out of focus though.

Yep, my point exactly - the "ultimate test" offered by most id*ots, pardon reviewers and experts, is a flat 2D target all at equal distance inside a studio (or a sexy brick wall). And then you get to look at 100% zoom of the corner and decide which lens is better. Following a long analysis of how a lens works against a 3kw projector or midday sun...

Incompetent reviewers poluting the internet with total bs and misleading millions to consider the wrong things, very similar in the HiFi audio and the photography world (although the reviewers are misleading in the opposite direction in the audio world).

It is OK to prefer sharpness, including corner sharpness, above other qualities so it makes sense to test for it and a brick wall is a good target. Flare suppression is important if you are not after the vintage look, so shots with the sun in the frame are useful too.

We perceive the World not as it is but as we are.

Real life photographs almost always include a 3d scene, not a flat one.

Real life photography rarely involves shooting against the sun except when it is the intended effect.

I can test my kids who jumps on one foot quicker than the others. And grade them. Would this test and grade tell anyone much important info about my kids? No.

I agree with you, and we definitely need reviewers with much wider perception.

Not even trying to make a point nor to persuade anyone in anything, just my personal thoughts.

xtam667 wrote:

Dusty-Lens wrote:

See Also

Prime Comparison M42: Pentacon 50/1.8 vs KMZ Helios 44M vs Yashinon 50/1.4 DS-M: Adapted Lens Talk Forum: Digital Photography Review

Sittatunga wrote:

Dusty-Lens wrote:

... From the German lenses of similar times the Schneider-Kreuznach SL Xenon is my primary choice for sharpness (not corner sharpness wide open, which nowadays is sought after as a sexual fetish by "reviewers" for some weirdest reason).

Corner sharpness wide open is desirable for photographing test charts and other flat objects square on. Interesting photographs taken wide open tend to have the corners well out of focus though.

Yep, my point exactly - the "ultimate test" offered by most id*ots, pardon reviewers and experts, is a flat 2D target all at equal distance inside a studio (or a sexy brick wall). And then you get to look at 100% zoom of the corner and decide which lens is better. Following a long analysis of how a lens works against a 3kw projector or midday sun...

Incompetent reviewers poluting the internet with total bs and misleading millions to consider the wrong things, very similar in the HiFi audio and the photography world (although the reviewers are misleading in the opposite direction in the audio world).

It is OK to prefer sharpness, including corner sharpness, above other qualities so it makes sense to test for it and a brick wall is a good target. Flare suppression is important if you are not after the vintage look, so shots with the sun in the frame are useful too.

Having said that, I agree that that there is too much emphasis on sharpness in many tests. Corner sharpness wide open is not even a thing except for astrophotography, but even there coma correction would come first.

Horses for courses.

If a stopped down lens is not getting corners with good resolution before diffraction kicks in at the center then I would not select that one for landscapes or cityscapes. Could be that the field curvature plays a role then but a lot of lenses just have a lower resolution to the edges by other optical causes. Maybe another user might take along more lenses with field curvatures forward and backward to cover every situation, I like to go with one lens that can handle most landscapes. BTW, there are still differences in lens character within that limitation.

If I want character, special rendering, bokeh effects in portraiture, close ups or macro, the choices are wildly varied and the quantity of lenses to select from way larger than for lenses with good all over resolution. Usually rendering of a lens is for me hard to judge from online images, the more when the owner/reviewer is making macro shots to create as much OOF areas as possible, a style I am not that much interested in. I have my small pool of odd rendering lenses for the times I like to experiment.

So I do not mind when reviewers mention the edge and corner quality per stop, just to inform me of more choices in that sector of lenses

In the end it is a matter of taste, not worth much discussion.

Met vriendelijke groet, Ernst
No photographer's gear list is complete without the printer mentioned !

The Pentacon is a good lens. I believe there are slightly more variations of it then what is generally referenced on the web. If I recall correctly there are three different versions of the 'first' zebra body, a couple of the 'second' red letter body, and two or three of the 'third' and last green letter body.

There is also a Pentaflex branded version, along with a Revuenon. All of these are in M42 mount, alongside a single Prakticar mount version I believe?

Anyway, if you get a good copy it's a keeper.

404_image_not_found wrote:

The Pentacon is a good lens. I believe there are slightly more variations of it then what is generally referenced on the web. If I recall correctly there are three different versions of the 'first' zebra body, a couple of the 'second' red letter body, and two or three of the 'third' and last green letter body.

There is also a Pentaflex branded version, along with a Revuenon. All of these are in M42 mount, alongside a single Prakticar mount version I believe?

Anyway, if you get a good copy it's a keeper.

As far as I know it is a rebranded Meyer Optik lens which was continued after the Pentacon merger.

Tom Caldwell wrote:

As far as I know it is a rebranded Meyer Optik lens which was continued after the Pentacon merger.

Correct. The Meyer Optik Oreston 50/1.8. I wasn't counting that original Meyer lens in my above list, but it is the same as the first Zebra Pentacon. I think only the name plate around the front of the lens changed to reflect the new name.

And thank you for the approval.

Dusty-Lens wrote:

Brian Chichester wrote:

Dusty-Lens wrote:

The Pentacon is the newer lens - ancestor of the older Orestor. The Orestor is single coated while most Pentacons are multi coated.

Sorry I wasn't too clear about the pedigree of the lens. The Oreston was made by Meyer-Optik of Gorlitz, and was fitted as a standard lens to Praktica Mat SLRs in the late 60s. All the East German photo-optics factories were amalgamated under VEB Pentacon of Dresden in the 1970s, and their lenses were labelled Pentacon or, later, Carl Zeiss Jena. I'm fairly sure Meyer-Optik continued to make the Pentacon 50, and it was an updated version of the Oreston, with multi-coated optics instead of the single coating.

Yes, the factories didn't change, just the concern and the lens name.

All this aside, it's a neat little lens, a decent performer with a good close focus distance, but probably falls short of the better Japanese fast 50s in terms of overall sharpness.

I enjoy using it but as you mentioned, with all the 50mm lenses there's usually some other that ends up on the camera.

From the German lenses of similar times the Schneider-Kreuznach SL Xenon is my primary choice for sharpness (not corner sharpness wide open, which nowadays is sought after as a sexual fetish by "reviewers" for some weirdest reason).

this Pentacon is fantastic indeed for the flowers and bokeh, have not tried it for portraits, must be great too, I will get it out for a spin one of these days, really enjoyed using it a few months ago.

great pictures in the original post!

Now I am curious about Schneider-Kreuznach SL Xenon, have not used any of Schneider-Kreuznach lenses, I only have a lens cap that came with one of MOG lenses I think I’ve read of them but did not happen to get any lenses so far.

The Lumix S9 is Panasonic's newest full-frame mirrorless camera. It allows users to create their own custom looks for out-of-camera colors and is the first full-frame Lumix camera aimed squarely at social media content creators.

The Sony a9 III is the world's first full-frame mirrorless camera to feature a global electronic shutter with simultaneous readout. After extensive testing of this 120 fps sports camera, to see what you gain (and, perhaps, lose).

Fujifilm has announced the X-T50, a mid-range 40MP APS-C mirrorless camera that gains image stabilization, subject recognition AF and a host of high-res video features.

The Fujifilm X100VI is the sixth iteration of Fujifilm's classically-styled large sensor compact. A 40MP X-Trans sensor, in-body stabilization and 6.2K video are the major updates, but do they make the camera better?

The Panasonic Lumix S5II launched the second generation of Panasonic’s full-frame mirrorless camera system and was the first Panasonic to feature phase detect autofocus. As our review reveals, it’s a heck of an all-around camera for both still and video shooters.

What’s the best camera for around $2000? This price point gives you access to some of the most all-round capable cameras available. Excellent image quality, powerful autofocus and great looking video are the least you can expect. We've picked the models that really stand out.

What's the best camera for travel? Good travel cameras should be small, versatile, and offer good image quality. In this buying guide we've rounded-up several great cameras for travel and recommended the best.

If you want a compact camera that produces great quality photos without the hassle of changing lenses, there are plenty of choices available for every budget. Read on to find out which portable enthusiast compacts are our favorites.

'What's the best mirrorless camera?' We're glad you asked.

Above $2500 cameras tend to become increasingly specialized, making it difficult to select a 'best' option. We case our eye over the options costing more than $2500 but less than $4000, to find the best all-rounder.