Any comments on Zodiak 30mm fisheye lens

I am considering buying a Zodiak 30mm fisheye lens for the Kiev 60. I see that Kalimex is selling the lens for about $200. I have read Bob Shell's comments on it in Shutterbug and although they are informal, he seems to like it. Any other comments?

 

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Email me at ivansinger@sprintmail.com

Hi Ivan,

Based on twelve frames of E100SW (one of which was somewhat abbreviated in a typical Kiev fashion :-) I offer the following observations:

1) Full frame: yes. Fisheye: I don't think so. Looking at Rui Salgueiro's field-of-view calculator (http://www.mat.uc.pt/~rps/photos/angles.html) 30mm on 6x6 square gives you 86o horizontal & vertical, 106o diagonal. Very similar to 17mm on my 35mm system (93 horiz. 70 vert. 103 diag.) A comparison I made while using the 17 to meter the Kiev. I guess I'll have to find a translator for that manual after all (buried deep in some Cyrillic table there was the notation: 180o).

2) That said, I was still quite pleased with the performance of the lens (a big honker, to borrow a phrase from Hamish Reid). No vignetting, great contrast. I underexposed a few and had good color saturation. I had one frame with some minor...

3) Lens Flare. Strong, barely out of the frame light source produced a lighter area of sky (I could be dead wrong in my diagnosis of lens flare; let me know). Nothing too serious, and after all, it was the middle of the afternoon.

4) One other interesting result: slight fogging around the sprocket holes. Actually, not so slight. Totally burned out in a few places. I don't think it was my film removal technique, nor the lab's fault. Didn't notice it creeping into any frame, however. Another Kiev oddity?

5) I didn't really put it through its paces -- my widest aperture was f/5.6, smallest f/16.

 

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For the record: I hadn't read anything about the lens before buying it (notably the Bob Shell piece) and this is my first [quasi] lens review (based on 1 roll), so take this with a grain of salt!

 

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Michael

I have used the Kiev 30/3.5 lens for 1 year. My lese is marked 'Arsat'(as I remember). May be Kiev renamed some of their lenses in recent years. I bought it in USA with much higher price. It is a good lens and it is the only reason that I still use my Kiev 60. The

lens has a metal body (may be for all Kiev lenses). Easy to focus (not too tight or loose). The lens came with a balck nylon case and

4 small filters (back mount) for B&W. May be no color correction filters avilable. The lens is NOT mulicoated. Flare control is OK to good. I have shot the winter sun (60 deg. above horizon) in a partial cloudy day. No ghosting and the flare just not noticeable. The flare shows if you have bright sky and next to it is a dark object like woods or black hair but I don't see that is a problem.

Over all it is good lens. I have more pictures on the wall taken with this lens than that by all other lenses combined. The biggest

problem of this lens is not the lens itself but the camera. My Kiev 60 camera do not have MLU. It will bulr my image at lower speed. The flash with this lens is also good. Probably a single flash cannot cover the angle of coverage of this lens. Using this lens is fun and you will see a 'different' world. Good luck.

The 86 degree horizontal field of view that Michael Cheetham refers

to would apply to a 30mm RECTILINEAR lens on 6x6 film (a 56mm square

negative). That formula doesn't apply to a fisheye. The point of a

fisheye is that it offers more angular coverage (and a unique

perspective) by giving up rectilinear perspective - straight lines appear curved.

Thanks for the great, detailed responses! I especially appreciate the usage comments! I'm glad to hear that the 30mm has no vignetting. It'd be a shame to lose the film real estate over the corners!

<< The lens is NOT mulicoated (Zodiak-8) >>

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It's not true now. We are offering both not-multicoated and multicoated lenses. Not only Zodiak-8 but all other too (Mir-26, Mir-38, Kaleinar-3).

Michael:

 

You indicated in your comments about the 30mm lens:

 

" 4) One other interesting result: slight fogging around the sprocket holes."

 

What are these "sprocket holes" doing on a roll of 120? Or are you shooting 70mm with your Kiev?

HI ALL PHOTOG,

I'VE JUST BOUGHT A ADAPTER(CUSTOM MADI IN GERMANY) TO FIT THE GIANT FISHEYE ONTO MY MAMIYA 645 PRO.THE RESULTS ARE FABULOUS.AS MY KIEV 60

IS SHOWING SOME KIND OF MECHANICAL PROBLEM,THIS IS THE BEST WAY I FIND TO KEEP THE (LEGEND) GOING.I PAID FOR ABOUT SING DOLLARS 200 AND IT IS VERY WELL MADE.SNIFF AROUND YOUR REGULAR STORE MAYBE THEY HAVE ONE JUST FOR YOU.

JONATHAN,SINGAPORE 03AUG2000

Wonderful lens. Even better if you can get them new with all the trimmings... almost like Christmas came early.

 

I've had two , one was a Zodiak and the other an Arsat. The dealer

said that the Zodiak was made at Kragarnorsk in Russia (only during the time of the USSR) and the Arsat at Kiev in the Ukraine. As I understand it, they are now only made at Kiev.