Petzval Nikon F / Leica M mount?

[01maciel]

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I am wondering if anyone has tried the combination of a Petzval 2.2/85 with a Nikon F mount and a Leica M10. Does it work together? And which adapter would you recommend?

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[Ecar]

I have a few of those Lomography lenses, mostly bought used - or at their initial Kickstarter price. They are cumbersome but fun to use, although I must admit mine have been sitting idle for a while now. Those in Canon EF or Nikon F mount are designed for TTL focus and therefore need to be used with LV/EVF on a Leica M. Since no adapter will provide rangefinder coupling, I'd go for a cheap 20$-ish adapter on eBay.
If you want a coupled lens with Petzval-inspired design, you may want to look for a copy of the MS-Optical Petz 57/2.

[jaeger]

I have tried Petzval 58mm F mount on a Leica M body and it works. 

Novoflex is recommended for expensive M body.

Edited June 20, 2021 by jaeger

[Ernstk]

I use the Fotodiox adapter for Nikon F to Leica M. It works really well.

Ernst

[01maciel]

vor 28 Minuten schrieb Ernstk:

I use the Fotodiox adapter for Nikon F to Leica M. It works really well.

Thanks, good to know. How does Arthurs Peak look like captured by the Petzval?

[Ernstk]

4 hours ago, 01maciel said:

Thanks, good to know. How does Arthurs Peak look like captured by the Petzval?

I don't use the Petzval lens, just standard Nikon glass...

Ernst

[Ecar]

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Nothing great, but here are a couple of snapshots I just took in the garden.

M10P ASC + Petzval 85/2.2 BP in Canon mount. All @ f/2.2.

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[pgk]

It is quite possible to pick up small and original(as in fairly contemporary to when they were first used) Petzval lenses for far less than a new one - I have a couple from the 1860s which were surprisingly reasonable. The shortist about 3.5" focal length and uses Waterhouse stops (easily made from black card or plastic or brass if you are keen enough, so is around 90mm(ish) and should make a good portrait lens when I finally figure a mount for it.

[Ecar]

You are quite right. A quick search on eBay shows that few of these Lomography lenses seem to be available used - and with little discount compared to new. A while ago (when the early adopters let them go, I guess), they could be had for much less. They are far from being everyday lenses, but the rack-and-pinion focusing combined with the waterhouse stop aperture make this an interesting experience.
Thanks to a break between Zoom calls, here are another few garden shots with a different lens. This one touts a "bokeh control" mechanism, which does nothing more than change the distance between some of the lens elements to adjust the swirly effect. These were taken at minimum swirl - the maximum can be nauseating...

M10P ASC + Petzval 58/1.9 in Nikon mount. All @ f/1.9.

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[01maciel]

Fantastic. They are quite sharp what I didn't expect after all the reviews I read. It seem to me the lens doesn't like bright and isolated spots.

I am still thinking to purchase a used Petzval 85 (new generation).

[Ecar]

Yes, they are rather sharp in the center. Much less so on the edges, unless you seriously stop down, but it's part of the design. These are bulky and heavy lenses, and construction is average at best. The focus movement is on the very short side, which can be quite challenging when shooting wide open at or near MFD.

AFAIK, there's no "new-gen" 85/2.2. The first one was called "New Petzval 85" in the first place.

There is, however, a "New Petzval 80.5/1.9 MkII" that is built around a more traditional helicoid and a diaphragm (although you can still insert funky waterhouse plates if that's your thing - or experiment with "bokeh control"). I also happen to have one of these and should be able to take and post a few pictures tomorrow (I actually have quite a few, but they are family portraits and I have a self-imposed rule of not posting them online).

In the meantime, here are some taken earlier today when I was on a "Lomography roll" with the funkiest of them all (except perhaps the M-mount Minitar 32/2.8). Not a Petzval, though.

M10P ASC + Daguerreotype Achromat 64/2.9 in Canon mount, all @ f/2.9. Notice the glow on #2 and the crazy oof on #3.

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Edited June 23, 2021 by Ecar

[Guest]

On 6/20/2021 at 11:35 AM, Ecar said:

I have a few of those Lomography lenses, mostly bought used - or at their initial Kickstarter price. They are cumbersome but fun to use, although I must admit mine have been sitting idle for a while now. Those in Canon EF or Nikon F mount are designed for TTL focus and therefore need to be used with LV/EVF on a Leica M. Since no adapter will provide rangefinder coupling, I'd go for a cheap 20$-ish adapter on eBay.
If you want a coupled lens with Petzval-inspired design, you may want to look for a copy of the MS-Optical Petz 57/2.

That ms-optical petz looks interesting but there is hardly any information online about it?

[Ecar]

10 minutes ago, steve 1959 said:

That ms-optical petz looks interesting but there is hardly any information online about it?

Did you already see this? There's also a Vario-Petz 57/2 that provides some degree of focus adjustment.

I have a copy of the original standard version. I'll look for pictures and post them tomorrow as well.

Edited June 23, 2021 by Ecar

[Guest]

11 minutes ago, Ecar said:

Did you already see this? There's also a Vario-Petz 57/2 that provides some degree of focus adjustment.

I have a copy of the original standard version. I'll look for pictures and post them tomorrow as well.

Yes thanks i did and there is a tiny bit on flickr but could do with a bit more info to be honest.

[01maciel]

A separate thread about artistic and crazy lenses would be good.

[Ecar]

11 hours ago, steve 1959 said:

Yes thanks i did and there is a tiny bit on flickr but could do with a bit more info to be honest.

Below are a couple of pictures taken a while ago with the Petz 57/2, 1st one on the M240 and 2nd one on the M10, both wide open. Plenty of aberrations, as you can see. Best suited IMO to near-distance subjects than to landscape photography, even stopped down, although it should probably provide moody B&W images in an urban environment (haven't tried this). It's a fairly compact, lightweight and RF-coupled lens. Aperture control is achieved through a sliding pin that activates the diaphragm. This is a bit odd but not too bad, as it means that changing the aperture won't affect focus, unlike some other Miyazaki lenses where turning the aperture ring also causes the lens barrel to turn... For once, my copy was perfectly calibrated upon arrival, but you should know that this is the exception rather than the norm with Miyazaki's recent production. If you decide to get one, make sure that the seller checks it on a properly calibrated Leica M body and confirms that focus is in order. This will make it easier to return it if that's not the case - and will save you time and money getting a third-party shop to adjust it (it's not a difficult job, but best done by someone else than by the lens maker himself in my experience). Hope this helps.

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[01maciel]

vor 12 Stunden schrieb Ecar:

but they are family portraits and I have a self-imposed rule of not posting them online

+1

[Ecar]

1 hour ago, 01maciel said:

A separate thread about artistic and crazy lenses would be good.

Good idea. You'd only need to define "artistic and crazy". Many vintage lenses, including some Leitz ones (eg, Summarit 50/1.5, Thambar, Hektor, Summarex, etc.), would probably meet the requirements by today's APO-perfection standards...

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[Ecar]

As promised, here are a couple more illustrative shots with the Petzval 80.5/1.9 MkII in Canon mount. Both @ f/1.9 on the M10P ASC. "Bokeh control" feature to the minimum.
This one is able to provide a more "neutral" output. Also, it is somewhat better built (in China) then most of the previous Lomography lenses (made in Russia by Zenit).
It won't show at the forum's resolution, but the detail in the bees is quite impressive.

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14 hours ago, Ecar said:

Below are a couple of pictures taken a while ago with the Petz 57/2, 1st one on the M240 and 2nd one on the M10, both wide open. Plenty of aberrations, as you can see. Best suited IMO to near-distance subjects than to landscape photography, even stopped down, although it should probably provide moody B&W images in an urban environment (haven't tried this). It's a fairly compact, lightweight and RF-coupled lens. Aperture control is achieved through a sliding pin that activates the diaphragm. This is a bit odd but not too bad, as it means that changing the aperture won't affect focus, unlike some other Miyazaki lenses where turning the aperture ring also causes the lens barrel to turn... For once, my copy was perfectly calibrated upon arrival, but you should know that this is the exception rather than the norm with Miyazaki's recent production. If you decide to get one, make sure that the seller checks it on a properly calibrated Leica M body and confirms that focus is in order. This will make it easier to return it if that's not the case - and will save you time and money getting a third-party shop to adjust it (it's not a difficult job, but best done by someone else than by the lens maker himself in my experience). Hope this helps.

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thanks,great i information and the pictures are nice examples of the lens.