just picked up a Primoplan in perfect physical condition im super excited to shoot with it! will also compare to its contemporaries; the Biotar, and the Oreston.
Oh yes, all these three are such great classics! I hope you‘ll enjoy shooting your Primoplan. I still love it as it uses so few lens elements. It’s kind of pure in my eyes!
@@tomscameras update; absolutely love this lens, it is special even among vintage lenses. the moment where you capture the right lighting and background, the images become very magical indeed. the 5 element design has such subtle contrast, but high sharpness with defined details. its very special and unique.
I just love the rendition of this optic, and had no idea about the rich history that it represents. Top Q video, thank you. Mine is an M42 mount and has touch of haze. I am hoping it isn't in the cemented block. I may just use it as is as it adds even a dash more character.🙂
Thanks very much for your feedback! I hope the haze in your Primoplan lens is not too bad. In theory these elements can be separated and re-fitted, but that's of course a lot of effort.
Excellent information and usage of this lens quite a learning curve and nothing g like a modern lens .. Need to keep exploring and experimenting… thank you for your coverage… I have the newer version
Beautiful photographs, Tom. The lens seems quite sharp, at least on my computer screen. There is an undeniable magic to your photos, especially the color ones. I have been looking for an old lens to put on my Pentax film camera, I am tempted now to buy one on Ebay.
Oh many thanks for your feedback! This lens can do magic, but it can also fail in certain circumstances! But what more can you expect of such an antic classic! It’s thrilling to use and will work well on any Pentax M42 camera (or even on Pentax K mount with an adapter)!
Interesting video. 😊 never heard of this lens before, but really have to look it up. It is nice hearing these names pronunced correctly as well. Vielen Dank für das tolle Video.
Thank you for this excellent video. I have the current (new) version of the Primoplan 58/1.9 and it is interesting to see your results with the original version. In spite of the age difference the images are very similar in character.
Congratulations to a great lens! I know the current version is not appreciated by anyone, but I think it is very good that the great heritage of these classic lens designs is kept alive!
@@tomscameras As I have had the opportunity to work more with my new Meyer Optik 58/1.9 Primoplan I am realizing what a truly stunning lens it is. Wide open it has a softness that I attribute to some uncorrected spherical aberration of the original design. Wide open it shows excellent detail but with a soft glow surrounding that detail. It is wonderful for portraits. Stopped down to f/5.6 or f/8 it is incredibly sharp over about 2/3rds of the field with slightly soft corners. But that center 2/3rds is breathtakingly sharp. It's now one of my favorite lenses in the 50/55/58mm range.
@@tomscameras Das Problem ist, dass die Schraube, welche das Öffnen des Frontelements verhindert (da sie erst entfernt werden muss) "vermurkst" ist. Wenn ich im nächsten Jahr einmal mehr Zeit habe, begebe ich mich daran hierfür eine Lösung zu finden.
I just received a Primoplan 50mm lens on an Altissa Altix V. it's a rangefinder, so I don't know what the look is yet until I get some film developed..... but it's great to see your results! Thanks
Hi Donald! Did your Altix really come with a 58/1.9 Primoplan? I didn't know they had such fast lenses for that mount. I think BTW there also was a wide-angle Meyer-Optik Görlitz 35/4.5 Primagon for the Altix - which is said to be very good by the way! Maybe I have to start to increase my 1950s M42 system a bit, that Primagon would be high on my list then as well :)
@@donaldlampert331 Absolutely! I also need to find and shoot one 😇 It only has 4 lens elements - but is said to be pretty sharp nonetheless! Went into production in 1956 and is one of the very first retrofocus wide angle lenses ever designed. I read it is very sensitive to stray light though. When you get the chance to shoot it, let me know how the images come out!
I'm impressed by the quality of the images. I've seen a Meyer-Optik lens for sale, are they radioactive? I have seen some other lenses that are radioactive. I would like to purchase a Meyer-Optik but I'm just researching that concern at the moment.
To my knowledge, the use of slightly radioactive glasses in lenses was a thing of the 1960s. It was very rare / uncommon in the 1940s and I never heard from any optical design made before the 40s that would be using radioactive glasses. So the Primoplan is so old by design that it doesn’t use such glass. If you’re interested in more information and also a (maybe incomplete, but still useful …) list, check out this link: camerapedia.fandom.com/wiki/Radioactive_lenses#Lenses_Reported_Elsewhere_As_Radioactive
Thanks for the video :) Is there any difference between Exakta and M42 versions in terms of optical formula? I'm trying to replace M42 rear element with Exakta versions rear element
Still - after some ~ 48 years - have my Praktica LTL3 with a Zeis Flektogon 2.8/35 mm. Still working; those things were well made. Pity the film performance is quite underwhelming.