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Specification

Source of data

• Own research.

From the editor

A rare standard lens for the "Зенит-18" 35mm SLR camera. In the lens name, the letter "E" means that the lens has electrical contacts necessary to transmit the selected aperture value to the camera body.

The lens leaves a pleasant impression until the aperture is closed more than F/3.5. And here is where the fun begins, because each of the 2 aperture blades has 2 edges, so when the lens is stopped down, the opening has an unusual square shape! The background in the photographs is drawn at first glance as inconspicuous squares. Against a neutral background, out-of-focus highlights may stand out as separate strokes or not appear at all. But the subconscious clearly senses something is wrong. And as soon as a bright object gets into the blur zone, clear squares in the bokeh will not keep you waiting long! How do you like the square Sun, for example? I think the avant-garde artists of the early 20th century would approve of such an interpretation of the heavenly body! And square bubbles on the water? You will say that this is too much? It may well be... However, in nature, an abundance of straight lines and angles is perceived as unnatural. In this case, square bokeh draws attention from the subject to itself. It turns out that this lens is more suitable for use in an urban environment, where regular geometric shapes are found at every step.

Squares in the bokeh are in most cases out of place in the frame, so you will have to carefully select the composition, open the aperture wider or, on the contrary, stop it down at F/11 or more. This is where the ambiguity, duality and uniqueness of the lens lies. The Zenitar-ME1, with its huge potential, has essentially turned from a serious tool into a toy for entertainment. Without a doubt, the unusual pattern of the bokeh opens up new possibilities, but more often than not it constrains the work. Plus, Zenithar's square bokeh quickly gets boring.

In addition, the lens has other pitfalls. The aperture control mechanism turned out to be unusually delicate and unreliable. Sticking of the blades is the most common phenomenon, which is treated by disassembling the lens, cleaning and adjusting the aperture.

Other standard prime lenses in the Zenit M42 system

Lenses with similar focal length