Features of the picture Zenitar 1.4 / 85
Not so long ago, Krasnogorsk Mechanical Plant. S.A. Zvereva (KMZ), which produces a wide range of optical devices under the Zenit brand, has resumed production of several previously popular lenses, including two portrait lenses with a classic focal length of 85 mm and high aperture.
Get price Zenitar 1.4 / 85
One of them is the legendary Helios 40-2, which has been shot for several generations of photographers in Russia and around the world. The second is the hero of this review Zenitar 1.4 / 85 , a younger one, but already partially familiar to photographers from his previous versions of MC Helionar-1K 1.4 / 85 and MC Zenitar-1K 1.4 / 85.
Many young photographers, having learned that these lenses do not have autofocus and any electronic connection with the camera, ask a puzzled question: “Why do they even need? This is such a hassle! ” We will certainly try to answer it and talk about the attractive aspects of revived optics. And here we immediately mention the videographers who really like the lens with a smooth and long stroke of the focus ring.
Photographers Pavel Molchanov and Vlad Shutov helped us in preparing the test .
In a nutshell, such "manual" lenses are interesting for their own, sometimes unique design. So, a little more history, and then proceed to a close acquaintance with the photographic capabilities of Zenitar 1.4 / 85.
Photo: Pavel Molchanov
Canon EOS 5DS R / Zenithar 1.4 / 85 Installations: ISO 400, F1.4, 1/160 s
If the popular Helios 40-2 lens had ancestors from the 30s of the XX century, then Zenitar 1.4 / 85 is a rather young portrait lens. Its development began at KMZ in the early 1980s, it was created under the K mount for Pentax cameras (hence the letter K in the above names) and was produced in small series in the 1980s and 1990s. Then, in 2013-2014, the lens received an updated design, the same for all Zenith optics, and its optical design was counted for the most popular mounts for SLR cameras - Canon EF and Nikon F. The M42 version with a threaded mount was not made.
Zenitar 1.4 / 85 has a blurr pattern more calm and even than that of Helios 40-2. Photo: Vlad Shutov
Canon EOS 5D Mark III / Zenithar 1.4 / 85 Installations: ISO 100, F1.4, 1/640 s
The main difference between the two portraits is the nature of the blur. Helios 40-2 spins the background, and this feature of the optical pattern provided him with such high popularity. The Zenithar 1.4 / 85 simply smoothly blurs the background without any twist, but it provides more freedom for placing the model in the frame - because the twisting effect looks most interesting when the model or a couple of newlyweds are close to the center.
So blur the background Helios 40-2. Photo: Pavel Molchanov
Canon EOS 5DS R / Helios 40-2 Installations: ISO 100, F1.4, 1/800 s
So blurs the background Zenitar 1.4 / 85. Photo: Pavel Molchanov
Canon EOS 5DS R / Zenithar 1.4 / 85 Installations: ISO 100, F1.4, 1/1000 s
The more modern Zenitar 1.4 / 85 , compared with the Helios 40-2 veteran, starting with an open aperture, provides a slightly higher sharpness. But it also has an effect caused by incompletely corrected spherical aberration. It manifests itself in a slight halo or glow of the contours of brightly lit objects, which can be very cool to beat in portraiture, adding romance to the frames.
Photo: Pavel Molchanov
Canon EOS 5DS R / Zenithar 1.4 / 85 Installations: ISO 100, F1.4, 1/1600 s
This magic is observed precisely on the open aperture: such an effect cannot be obtained with the help of modern autofocus lenses, since in them spherical aberrations are usually completely eliminated.
Canon EOS 5DS R / Zenithar 1.4 / 85 Installations: ISO 100, F1.4, 1/2500 s
Even when the aperture is closed to f / 2, the picture from the Zenithar 1.4 / 85 in the center of the frame becomes sharp and differs little from that produced by modern competitors. Air blur still remains at the edges of the frame, and at f / 2.8 it disappears already over its entire area (the edges are slightly behind in sharpness), and a little chromatic aberration appears more distinctly in return. At the same time, vignetting practically visible on the open aperture and weakened by f / 2 practically disappears.
Canon EOS 5DS R / Zenithar 1.4 / 85 Installations: ISO 100, F2, 1/1600 s
Canon EOS 5DS R / Zenithar 1.4 / 85 Installations: ISO 100, F2.8, 1/1000 s
At values ??from f / 4 to f / 8, the picture is sharp throughout the field, chromatic aberrations are weak, they can be detected only at the periphery of the frame.
Canon EOS 5DS R / Zenithar 1.4 / 85 Settings: ISO 100, F4, 1/500 s
Canon EOS 5DS R / Zenithar 1.4 / 85 Installations: ISO 100, F5.6, 1/250 s
Canon EOS 5DS R / Zenithar 1.4 / 85 Installation: ISO 100, F8, 1/125 s
When the aperture is closed to f / 11, the first, still very weak, signs of the influence of diffraction appear on the pictures, but already at f / 16 they appear clearly, and at the extreme f / 22, the picture is already substantially blurred.
Canon EOS 5DS R / Zenithar 1.4 / 85 Settings: ISO 100, F11, 1/80 s
Canon EOS 5DS R / Zenithar 1.4 / 85 Settings: ISO 100, F16, 1/40 s
Canon EOS 5DS R / Zenithar 1.4 / 85 Installations: ISO 100, F22, 1/15 s
I must say that on an open or slightly covered aperture at Zenitar 1.4 / 85, unlike Helios 40-2, the sharpness from the center to the edges does not drop so quickly, so it’s much easier for Zenitar to take a classic portrait in which the model’s face is in upper third of the frame, and not near its middle.
Photo: Pavel Molchanov
Canon EOS 5DS R / Zenithar 1.4 / 85 Installations: ISO 100, F1.4, 1/320 s
Sharpness is sharp, but the nature of bokeh is very important for a portrait lens. Here it can be noted that the Zenitar 1.4 / 85 blur is calmer than Helios 40-2. At some shooting distances, the edges of the glare are also quite clearly defined and look like scales, but they are not so contrasting and almost not painted due to chromatic aberration.
Photo: Vlad Shutov
Canon EOS 5D Mark III / Zenithar 1.4 / 85 Installations: ISO 500, F1.4, 1/4000 s
With a well-chosen distance and proper illumination of the borders, glare does not exist at all - we get the perfect background blur.
Photo: Pavel Molchanov
Canon EOS 5DS R / Zenithar 1.4 / 85 Installations: ISO 100, F1.4, 1/1000 s
Closing the aperture to f / 4 or more allows you to see that the glare is multifaceted: the aperture has 8 blades, but this does not strike the eye at all. Objects in the background are recognizable, while not drawing attention to themselves - that's how a good portrait portrait should draw.
Photo: Vlad Shutov
Canon EOS 5D Mark III / Zenithar 1.4 / 85 Installations: ISO 100, F4, 1/1600 s
The Zenitar 1.4 / 85 lens is afraid of bright oncoming light. When shooting in such conditions, especially without a hood, you need to be very careful so as not to get glare and glare in the frame. If you carefully choose the point of shooting and the position of the sun, then a drop in contrast due to exposure can well be turned into a romantic haze.
Photo: Pavel Molchanov
Canon EOS 5DS R / Zenithar 1.4 / 85 Installations: ISO 100, F1.4, 1/1600 s
Focusing Features with Zenitar 1.4 / 85
There is another important point that you should be prepared for when working with a fully manual lens (and our Zenitar 1.4 / 85 is just that). The fact is that it is effective to shoot with sight through the optical viewfinder, steadily falling into sharpness, it turns out only when covering the aperture to f / 2.8 or at least to f / 2.
Photo: Pavel Molchanov
Canon EOS 5DS R / Zenithar 1.4 / 85 Settings: ISO 100, F2.8, 1/500 s
But when shooting at an open aperture with a view through the optical viewfinder, the photographer and model will have to be patient and be prepared for the rejection percentage to be large - the depth of field is very small, and there is no automatic confirmation of focus. This problem is most acute when shooting with a multi-megapixel camera, such as the Canon EOS 5DS R (50 megapixels), and with a lower resolution of the sensor, the effect of the focus error is reduced.
Photo: Pavel Molchanov
Canon EOS 5DS R / Zenithar 1.4 / 85 Installations: ISO 100, F1.4, 1/400 s
The way out of this situation is shooting in Live View mode with a view on the screen, including with an increase in the picture. Also, many cameras have a function of "focus picking" to highlight the contours of objects in sharpness. And lovers of all the classic and “manual” recall that many SLR cameras allow (even at home) to put a special one instead of the standard focusing screen - with Doden wedges, microprisms or matting.
If you close the aperture to f / 5.6 or more, for example, when shooting in the studio, then there will be no discomfort when focusing, and at the output we get results that are no worse than other modern portrait lenses.
Photo: Pavel Molchanov
Canon EOS 5DS R / Zenithar 1.4 / 85 Installation: ISO 100, F5.6, 1/125 s
