2017
Carl Zeiss Jena Pancolar 50 f1.8 MC - Short and sweet
This East German Zeiss was manufactured until 1991 and was usually found attached to Praktikas via the M42 mount. There isn't that much info out there about the lens, but the opinions scattered across various forums appear to be positive with words such as "legendary," "mythical," and "superior" casually thrown around, and phrases like "it has a certain something," and "it compares favourably with the Contax Zeiss 50/1.7" used freely. That last one is a bold statement as that Contax lens (which I own and have reviewed) is the best vintage 50 I've shot with so far. So, is it all hyperbole, or is the Pancolar something special after all?
The Carl Zeiss Jena Pancolar Electric 50/1.8 MC specs:
Build Quality/Handling (very good/very good)
The build quality of Soviet-era equipment from beyond the wall can be a bit of a hit and miss, but my copy of the Pancolar is decent. The focusing is smooth enough though a bit uneven, and the aperture ring has nice, well-defined clicks. The lens is mostly made of metal but remains light and small.
At 72mm with adapter it's a fairly compact package for mirrorless cameras and balances pretty well on both my Sony A7s and a6500. What makes it stand out from most other 50s is its minimum focus distance of only .35m, which is really impressive.
Image Quality (very good, but...)
The Zeiss Jena has good central sharpness at f1.8 on the Sony A7s and decent borders as well. Things don't look quite as good on the a6500, though.
The Carl Zeiss Jena Pancolar Electric 50/1.8 MC specs:
- 6 elements in 5 groups
- Weight - 223 grams
- Length - 45mm (72 mm with adapter)
- Filter size - 49 mm
- Min. focus distance - 0.35 m
- Aperture - 6 curved blades, f1.8 to f22 in half stops
Build Quality/Handling (very good/very good)
The build quality of Soviet-era equipment from beyond the wall can be a bit of a hit and miss, but my copy of the Pancolar is decent. The focusing is smooth enough though a bit uneven, and the aperture ring has nice, well-defined clicks. The lens is mostly made of metal but remains light and small.
At 72mm with adapter it's a fairly compact package for mirrorless cameras and balances pretty well on both my Sony A7s and a6500. What makes it stand out from most other 50s is its minimum focus distance of only .35m, which is really impressive.
Image Quality (very good, but...)
The Zeiss Jena has good central sharpness at f1.8 on the Sony A7s and decent borders as well. Things don't look quite as good on the a6500, though.
A7s @ f1.8
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Click for full resolution - A7s @ f1.8
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Click for full resolution - a6500 @ f1.8
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a6500 @f1.8
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100% centre crops - f1.8, f2.8, f4, f5.6
100% corner crops - f1.8, f2.8, f4, f5.6
Central sharpness on the a6500 looks useable wide open and improves quickly when stopped down, but the corners don't look good until f4. By f5.6 the entire frame is very sharp. How does this compare to other 50s I've shot with? I suspect the corners on this lens aren't nearly as good as on the Contax Zeiss 50/1.7 or the Canon FD/nFD 50/1.4 at large apertures, but I'll need to shoot them side by side to confirm (I'm planning a short shootout between those lenses soonish).
The bokeh is mostly excellent (and with the close focusing distance there's lots of it), but can be harsh in some situations.
The bokeh is mostly excellent (and with the close focusing distance there's lots of it), but can be harsh in some situations.
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Things look maybe a little harsh in the last two photos, but otherwise the bokeh is really nice.
Vignetting is significant until about f4 and only really gone by f5.6. Let's just say it contributes to the "character" of the lens, giving it a proper "vintage" look. I generally don't mind it.
Vignetting is significant until about f4 and only really gone by f5.6. Let's just say it contributes to the "character" of the lens, giving it a proper "vintage" look. I generally don't mind it.
f1.8
f4
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f2.8
f5.6
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CA appears to be well-controlled but flare resistance is poor even by vintage lens standards. There's loads of ghosting, which unfortunately isn't great looking. There's also plenty of veiling flare as well, which can reduce contrast. Things do look better stopped down but still...
f1.8
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f4
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Conclusion
This Zeiss Jena Pancolar 50mm f 1.8 MC seems to be going for 100-200 USD these days, which makes it nearly as expensive as the Zeiss Contax 50mm f1.7 and twice as expensive as the Canon nFD 50mm f1.4. Honestly, it's difficult to recommend this lens at those prices. Sure, it has decent build quality, and good image quality with really lovely bokeh, but those other 50s offer better value for your money. Having said that, if you're collecting lenses and you like the idea of something "exotic" made under authoritarian rule, then this DDR Jena will be a worthy addition to the collection.
Related reviews
Sample Images
This Zeiss Jena Pancolar 50mm f 1.8 MC seems to be going for 100-200 USD these days, which makes it nearly as expensive as the Zeiss Contax 50mm f1.7 and twice as expensive as the Canon nFD 50mm f1.4. Honestly, it's difficult to recommend this lens at those prices. Sure, it has decent build quality, and good image quality with really lovely bokeh, but those other 50s offer better value for your money. Having said that, if you're collecting lenses and you like the idea of something "exotic" made under authoritarian rule, then this DDR Jena will be a worthy addition to the collection.
Related reviews
- Canon FD 50mm f1.4
- Canon FL 55mm f1.2
- Carl Zeiss 50mm f1.7 Planar T
- Jupiter 3
- Nikkor 50mm f1.2 AI-S
- Pentax-M 50mm f1.4 SMC
- Super-Takumar 50mm f1.4
Sample Images
