Always wanted a Biotar but the choice is old copy lottery or the super expensive Meyer-Optik re-release. This one should be the perfect middleground. I‘m in!
Always wanted a Biotar but the choice is old copy lottery or the super expensive Meyer-Optik re-release. This one should be the perfect middleground. I‘m in!
TTArtisan offers incredible prices for their build quality. I bought their TTArtisan 100mm f/2.8 Trioplan for $200, and it has impeccable tolerance control and rangefinder coupling. While there are other Chinese companies offering great lenses, none match this price point.
The 75mm f/1.5 Biotar also looks very interesting and hopefully it will come in different mounts.
freaklikeme wrote:
M42? That is dedication to nostalgia.
Perhaps, similar to the TTA "Trioplan", they began with the M42 mount and then adapted it for other camera mounts, including the M mount with rangefinder coupling.
Fred Miranda wrote:
Perhaps, similar to the TTA "Trioplan", they began with the M42 mount and then adapted it for other camera mounts, including the M mount with rangefinder coupling.
Cool if they do, but it seems like it might take a little more work than the Trio, which just needed a small extension, the coupling, and mount. If they just did the same thing here, it seems like you might run into some RF blockage. It looks a bit chonky.
freaklikeme wrote:
Cool if they do, but it seems like it might take a little more work than the Trio, which just needed a small extension, the coupling, and mount. If they just did the same thing here, it seems like you might run into some RF blockage. It looks a bit chonky.
True about the blockage, and it's a bit heavy for the M, but I still prefer an M-mount and adapt when needed.
Fred Miranda wrote:
True about the blockage, and it's a bit heavy for the M, but I still prefer an M-mount and adapt when needed.
That makes sense. Consolidating on one adapted mount makes adapter management much easier.
I'm hoping, a bit against hope, for an F mount (they've got F and EF for their new 100 macro 2x so it's not entirely out the realm of possibility). I'd like to shoot it on film, but I don't want to have to invest in a different camera to do so.
It looks like a Helios on steroids in the best way. Funny Jonas mentioned it's considerably sharper than a 44-4 in the center, my copy is RAZOR sharp. I guess that's an anomaly?
RoamingScott wrote:
It looks like a Helios on steroids in the best way. Funny Jonas mentioned it's considerably sharper than a 44-4 in the center, my copy is RAZOR sharp. I guess that's an anomaly?
My Helios 44-2 is also pretty sharp in the center but with those Helios lenses copy variation is just wild. That's why it's so great to have this new option.
I'll pick one up at some point, but I'd prefer an M mount version to use with their 6bit adapter, so waiting to see if that will be confirmed..
RoamingScott wrote:
The compatibility chart on that page has M cameras.
The TTArtisan page for the 100mm f2.8 "Bubble Bokeh" lens has the same compatibility chart, but no M-mount version has ever been released. It is strictly M42. I suspect that the listed compatibility with the M-mount is via an adapter. They also note that the lens is NOT compatible with the Nikon F mount (even with an adapter), no doubt due to the registration distance of the M42 mount. If it were compatible with the M-mount natively then the lens would compatible with the F mount via an adapter. All of this suggests that it will be M42 mount only.
dan98 wrote:
The TTArtisan page for the 100mm f2.8 "Bubble Bokeh" lens has the same compatibility chart, but no M-mount version has ever been released. It is strictly M42. I suspect that the listed compatibility with the M-mount is via an adapter. They also note that the lens is NOT compatible with the Nikon F mount (even with an adapter), no doubt due to the registration distance of the M42 mount. If it were compatible with the M-mount natively then the lens would compatible with the F mount via an adapter. All of this suggests that it will be M42 mount only....Show more →
freaklikeme wrote:
M42? That is dedication to nostalgia.
I think this is the best part of this lens. Most people that have adapted such lenses have m42 adapters already and this means you can use it on any camera body you can adapt m42 or even with a speed booster. You can even dig out that old m42 film camera and run a roll of film through it. I love this decision.
cbass wrote:
I think this is the best part of this lens. Most people that have adapted such lenses have m42 adapters already and this means you can use it on any camera body you can adapt m42 or even with a speed booster. You can even dig out that old m42 film camera and run a roll of film through it. I love this decision.
Surely the optics at least have the potential to be the best part. Anyway, I don't think it was a bad choice and I like the fact that it allows for easy adjustment to put the the focus scale in the right place with your adapter/camera. Assuming it is what's promised, I'll pick one up for my Sony's. But M42 doesn't adapt well to either my F100 or R9, and I don't want to be limited on the focus range, so I will continue to whine for an F-mount version, which is just as universally adaptable as M42.
freaklikeme wrote:
Surely the optics at least have the potential to be the best part. Anyway, I don't think it was a bad choice and I like the fact that it allows for easy adjustment to put the the focus scale in the right place with your adapter/camera. Assuming it is what's promised, I'll pick one up for my Sony's. But M42 doesn't adapt well to either my F100 or R9, and I don't want to be limited on the focus range, so I will continue to whine for an F-mount version, which is just as universally adaptable as M42.
My opinion is if you are excited about the optics or not depends on if you like the defects of the Biotar. I am in the love camp here, but I know many others that consider it a crappy performer. I and excited about the entire release because although I love the Biotar I only see it as a people lens today with a unique rendering style and not a general use lens and there is only so much, I am willing to pay for that. This one is the right price.
