Vintage lens Industar 50-2 [review and photo samples]
I photographed Eva Lee in may 2021, in Pushkin’s park, where cherries were flowering at that time. And in this photoshoot I used a legendary retro Industar 50-2 (yes, soviet lens), which surprised me a lot in a good way. So, let’s talk about a lens and what we can do with it.
| Image Size | Focal length | Minimum aperture | Angle of view |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24х36 mm | 52,4 mm | F/3,5 | 45° |
This lens technically is a replica of more expensive Zeiss‘s lens. Industar looks like a toy, it is a tiny thing! It’s minimum aperture ( F/3.5) less than on Helios. But, Industar 50-2 has such a wonderful “Heliosy” swirly bokeh pattern. I like how interesting it works with portraits, making beautiful image, creating amazing and natural colors (because of Zeiss Tessar). The lens can create some foggy effect and provide good depth of field.
Lens Adapters
M42 Lens to Canon EOS EF Mount Adapter Ring
Fotodiox Pro Lens Mount Adapter – M42 to Nikon F Mount SLR Camera Body
For mirrorless camera you can use two adapter rings – first M42 to EF, and then from EF to your camera.
Why you should try Industar 50-2
The lens is a very good, very compact. You can successfully use it for fine art photography, portraits, still life, or fashion. It gives a sense of “timelessness”, as the photos with this lens don’t look like something taken on an iPhone or modern lenses.
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Muah Julia Lee
Photographer Rezeda Murzakhanova
Publication
Is Industar radioactive?
Actually, Industar 50-2 is not radioactive at all. None of my soviet lenses are radioactive. I think, such a question ask people who heard about some Japanese lenses like Takumar (contains Thorium), but not all these lenses have this thing.
I don’t think this lens is the right lens for wedding photographers as this is a manual lens (there is no autofocus). Very light, very small vintage lens. Not so popular and it just costs incredibly little. At the same time, Industar 50-2 inspires, and it is able to give a good picture. I will definitely continue to use it.