Standard Lens of the 20th Century - The Mir 1 37mm Lens Review
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 11 ก.ค. 2024
- Looking for a vintage lens with a unique character? Look no further than the Soviet Mir 1 37mm standard lens!
Crafted in the former Soviet Union during the 1950s, this lens boasts impressive build quality and an unmistakable vintage look. Its manual focus and aperture controls offer a level of precision not often found in modern lenses, and the bokeh produced by the lens is truly one-of-a-kind.
But what really sets the Mir 1 apart is its optical performance. The lens features a fast f/2.8 maximum aperture and a 10-bladed aperture diaphragm, which work together to produce stunning images with beautifully blurred backgrounds. And thanks to its unique optical design, the Mir 1 also produces a classic look that's highly sought-after among vintage lens enthusiasts.
Despite its age, the Mir 1 is still a versatile and capable lens that can produce stunning results on modern digital cameras. Whether you're shooting portraits, landscapes, or anything in between, the Mir 1 is a great choice for photographers who want to add a touch of vintage flair to their images.
So if you're looking for a unique and affordable vintage lens, the Mir 1 37mm Soviet lens is definitely worth considering. Don't miss your chance to add this classic piece of Soviet-era optics to your collection!
i am from Russian and buy this lens today!) thanks you for this video)
I hope МИР-1В won't disappoint me
I’ve enjoyed it tremendously! Thank you for watching!
One of the characteristics of the Mir-1 I most enjoy is its flare. Under proper conditions the lens produces a beautiful series of tinted flare balls. The rendering is very 50s-60s like.
I've had a chance to use the lens more and gotten some really nice flares. Thanks for watching!
What a great video! Nice production, nice story, nice calm edit. I hope your channel will grow.
Thank you very much! I'm actually working on my next video, but still trying to find my voice. Trying to more!
the video is where it shines at, wow, did not think it would be that good!
I'm really glad you dig it...I wouldn't steer you wrong! Cheap, classy, and stunning...how can you miss?
Very stylish and interesting videos, thank you. So much work you have put into your videos. Warm regards from Russia, dear tovarisch😊 waiting for more your reviews of the vintage lenses. Thanks a lot!
Thanks so much for the comments, they're appreciated. You'll have to forgive my mispronunciations! I've got a video coming out shortly featuring one of the best Soviet portrait lenses! Cheers!
I bought the MIR 1b just last week, mainly because I'd seen an amazing bokeh effect by flipping the front element. I was not expecting the lens to be such a sweet jewel of a lens. With my copy obtained from Kazakhstan for $65 it was in 'as new' condition, wonderfully sharp wide open, with very good contrast and colour rendition. Mine was M42 mount, so no step up ring needed, and I adapted to the Fuji GFX. For such a small lens I was surprised there was no vignette! I'm now trying to decide if I buy another just to flip the front element, because I love this lens 'as is'. Enjoyed your video, very relaxed and informative, keep up the good work.
Thanks for the nice words! It's a small and capable lens. No vignette on a medium format sensor? I'm using at 35mm sensor, but it's cool to know. "Relaxed" is great feedback. I'm still trying to find my creative voice and I'm trying to be relaxed. I'm uploading a Tair 11 review in the next week, which I hope you'll enjoy.
CHeers!
@@ClickClickComrade id love to have the Tail 11a but hard to justify when I have a Tampon, Zeiss and Pentax 135mm that don't get used much
Loved this ... im a huge soviet lens fan ... your review is very good and hope you show more great lenses.
That's super nice of you to go out of your way to let me know. I've currently got several other lens reviews (Jupiter 9 was my first, Tair 11 is my latest) and I'm working on more. Thanks again!
Subscribed! Can’t wait for the next video 🙌🏽
Thanks! I'm working on several at the moment. This is solely for fun, so they take a while!
I see it's really good for video, warm and smooth picture. True vintage look.
The funny thing is that it's actually NOT a vintage "look," it's literally 70 year old glass! That's just one facet from the amazing world of vintage lens collecting! I'm glad you like it and thanks for watching the video!
Got one from 1970 for my old Praktica camera. The camera is recycled. The lens is on my desk in it's original bakelite case. Cool looking thing.
Get it onto a camera and share your thoughts!
good day comrade, just got me this lens black version, no letters outside just cyrillic "MIR" on the lens. using it with m42-m4/3 converter for olympus omd. it takes time but the shots are amazing, having special atmosphere.....cheers PS this lens is amazing for recording videos as well!
You're very kind to say such things, thank you. Micro 4/3rds is a 2x crop if I'm not mistaken, making this close to a 75mm for you?
@@ClickClickComrade yes,looks like this 🙃 cheers
I have 2 later(?) Mir 1V variants, one looks simmilar to MIR-1, only in black, second have changed tubus design, both made in VOOMP factory. They are... good, but not perfect. A bit softer (definitely softer than any variant of Helios-44 made by Belomo or KMZ) And they generally produce strongly desaturated images... Like with many other soviet lenses, it looks like you really need to do quite some research on variants and manufacturers... Looks like I'm in for hunting for KMZ made Mir 1 :)
It absolutely takes some work to find one that works for you, but when you find it you'll keep it forever. I've got a few "lesser than" Mir 1 lenses purchased before I found a great one, so don't be discouraged.
Just got one yesterday.Thanks for sharing👍🏻
Which factory did yours come from? I'm curious to know if you dig it enough to keep it on hand. Cheers!
@@ClickClickComrade Is the serial number any good for reference?
@@michaelbuckley8986 The first two digits of your serial number are the year that specific lens was made. There is also a symbol on the front of the lens which signifies which factory it was built in. The same lens could be made at different factories. Each factory had a different reputation for build quality and material selection. Check this out here... pierretizien-photos.blogspot.com/p/sur-cette-page-vous-trouverez-les.html
@@ClickClickComrade Thanks very much for the link.The lens is ZOMZ Zargorsk and first two digits of lens no is 74 with the eye symbol. I haven’t shot with it yet.When I do I’ll let you know.😊
There is also the LOMO
OKS 2-35-1… it’s an extremely optimized Mir-1 lens but for the Super-35 image circle.
Crazy sharp. Got a version with “red p” blue coating.
The OKS1-22-1 is the same design (Super-35 for cine) but scaled down to 22mm. Also really great.
I've read a bit about those lenses but I've never used one or even held one. What type of mount does the lens use? It doesn't look like an m-mount. Thanks for watching!
@@ClickClickComrade the Lomo OKS comes in OCT-19 mount but the lens block itself (no helicoid) is m30 x.5. Works fine on mirrorless.. just needs to be mounted on a focusing helicoid.
Thank you for a review.
Thank you for watching! If you don't have one of these I'd recommend one. =)
Very entertaining. Thanks
Great video and very informative, would love to see you do more. I take it you're in Lowell, birthplace of Jack Kerouac?
I'm not in Lowell, but I worked in Lowell for quite some time in the early 90's. It's within driving distance! Thanks for the comments and for watching!
Nice. I own this lens - the glossy black version with the 2nd version of the ZOMZ logo (post 1962) made in 1974 I believe. I can turn the focus ring with one finger and the rest of the lens is in similarly fantastic condition. I own the Flektogon 35/2.8 silver - version 1.2 (1954 - 60) but I've never done a side-by-side comparison.
I'm very glad that someone has decided to dedicate some time and energy to Russian lenses, they can be very rewarding. I also own the Jupiter 8, 9 and 11, Helios 44 (13 blade), 44-2 (zebra) 44M and 44M-4, Industar 50 and 50-2 f3.5. One day I hope to own the Helios 40 and the Tair 11 - my search continues. 😉
Thanks very much for the informative video, it was a pleasure to view.
Thanks for watching and commenting, it's appreciated. Soviet lenses hold a lot of mystique for me...and of course they have great characteristics. The Helios 40 is probably in my top 3 lenses...but they're getting very expensive!
@@ClickClickComrade Yes, both of the lenses I'm searching for are above average when it comes to price. Condition can also be a bit hit-or-miss. I bought some of my most well regarded lenses years ago, quite by accident. A few more recently. It's a bit off-topic but I found my Trioplan 50mm f2.9 hiding in a job lot. I've trained my eye to identify lenses by just seeing the distance scale, part of the vanity ring or just the shape of the barrel. The 6 lenses cost me under £50. Bargains DO exist. 😉
Subscribed. What's that space capsule of a lens at the beginning?
HA! That's a KMZ Jupiter 6 180mm f/2.8 and it's a BEAST of a lens...it takes some amazing photos. Should I cover that in my next review?
Nice video! There are some more information about Mir lenses:
Mir 1 has a lot of variants. Mine is the Mir1B M42 Vologda variant, which is not really sharp at all and the lens fall off crazily in the edge if the image. Your version you are holding is the "Silver" variant, which was made by KMZ factory, most of the equipment, materials were Carl Zeiss. They produces much better image quality than the later variant made by other factory. The silver variant or the grand prix version is expensive nowadays, luckily you are having one.
Hi! Did you watch the video friend? I thought I covered all of that stuff!
Thanks for the information and keep clicking!
heh, i had mir-1v and mir-1 (a) versions in the past (a version was amazing); today I got Mir-1 Brussels for next to nothing (together with silver Jupiter 11 and 13 blade silver Helios-44 - and Zenit 3C camera), now, need to stalk postman because if my wife get the package I'll probably be dead :D
Cool video, maybe Ill get one
Thanks for watching the video! It's a great lens, cheap, and fun to use.
This lens has me very confused inside. I like it and I want it, BUT I also know that 100% of people won't be able to tell the difference between this and a mid 2000-s point-and-shoot.
🤭
It probably costs LESS than a point and shoot from the mid 2000's! I'm sure you're kidding, but using this glass is literally bakes an unparalleled character into shots...and used wisely can be stunning.
Nice video. Was considering getting this to compliment my kmz helios 44-2 and jupiter-9. I shoot mostly video. Do you find the MIR-1 any more difficult to use for video than the Helios and Jupiter?
No. In fact, it's easier because of the focal length. The 40mm range is PERFECT for so many applications...and this being slightly wider just makes it indispensable to my vintage shooting kit.
The CZJ Flektagon has been getting talked up a lot on a few boards as a good "sleeper" lens. And now the Mir 1. It looks like a good one.
Can you get grindahs in Lowell?
The Flek is a decent lens, but in my experience the Mir 1 is superior for my purposes. The Mir 1 is really the only choice on the low end of affordable wide angle vintage Soviet lenses. The next bump down would be the Jupiter 12, but that's only slightly wider at 35mm. Super-wide angle lenses like the Mir-20 @20mm (my next review) cost in the $350-500 range, which tends to be less approachable for the hobbyist. Do you shoot wider than 35mm? And if so, what do you use?
Thanks for watching!
Did you focus stop down or did you use the preset to f-stop ring?
May I suggest a Jupiter 37A 135mm f3.5?
They did some special editions for the 1980 Olympics too.
A great suggestion! Thanks for watching!
4:35 Was that a burglery?
Nah, just a bunch of kids running around after school. It was a fun day...thanks for the comment!
whats the image circle? does it cover FF 35mm?
Indeed it does. THanks for asking...it's something I should make sure is clear in the video.
For you all, guys: Мир-1В is literally Mir-1V not B.
Indeed!
Makes me wonder if the yellow is due to Thorium.
Thanks for watching! Even though it would seem so, Mir lenses are not thoriated as far as I'm aware. I have a thoriated Takumar that IS discolored and the yellow is much stronger than what we're seeing in this Mir.
My particular lens is #000899, so it's probably 1955-1956. That's almost 70, so I'm guessing it's just age. I'll eventually CLR the lens, which will help. Thanks again for the comment!
@@ClickClickComrade Makes sense. I had a Thoriated Takumar once. It was impossible to match the color to any other lens, and we shot on the Red in Raw... Color match for me is everything. Thanks again for doing such a good job in your review. Your information is gold
@@ClickClickComradedoes it have a «Red п» mark?
@@EmpireMPYou can completely remove (reset) the yellow tint on thoriated glass using UV exposure. Sunlight for a week or two, or a UV lamp with some mirror surface on the other end for much quicker results.
Question. Why aren’t you using the ability to zoom into the area and focusing that way? As a vintage glass shooter I find that the best way to nail focus.
Lol….I say that in the next part of the video you do it. Lol. 😂
I use the focus zoom and peaking when I'm "run and gun" shooting. When I'm doing a more professional (or purposeful) shoot I use a monitor with a larger screen, better focus peaking and false color for exposure. Those tools go a LONG way to helping get a sharp image or video.
If you know any other ways to nail focus let me know...it's something I could definitely improve upon! Thanks for watching!
@@ClickClickComrade no, I use focus zoom and peaking to nail focus. My subjects typically aren’t moving. Well, except for macro when the wind is moving flowers around. Lol.
dude - you seriously need to go metric. tyvm for the vid!
Indeed. In 1976 there was a huge push in the U.S. to go metric, and but it is only used sparingly here. Thanks for watching!