Industar Industar 26m 5cm 2.8

I once stumbled upon and bought a Leitz Elmar 5cm 3.5. At the time I didn't have an M39 body, so after some research I decided to get a FED 2 for a test run. I didn't end up doing that, but the FED came with the Industar 5cm 2.8 lens. It's one of those lenses I've read about and then put out of my mind (to be honest, a tad dismissively), but I decided to give it a go before gifting the camera and lens to my father. (He had used one like that when he was younger.)

I rarely use the word "hate", so I will not start using it now. I heavily dislike how this lens handles. My version is the older one, with the focusing tab. The small focusing ring and tab aren't a problem at all. Neither is the aperture ring. I can live with both. What really irks me is how wobbly the lens is, and how shoddy it feels. It's not a massive amount of movement, but the focus ring, the aperture ring, and the lens mount have some "play" in them and make a noise when you move or shake the lens. Like an annoying robot, clicking its mechanical tongue at you.

It could be the age of the lens, or that infamous quality control of the era, but this is now the second time I've gotten a lens like this. The first one's mount was so wobbly it wasn't usable.

I believe I've said similar things about other lenses. This isn't one you seek out. I've read it uses the Tessar formula, but it doesn't seem to have the same qualities going for it. I remember I loved shooting and reviewing the Carl Zeiss Tessar, while with the Industar it felt like I was only trying to get a good image. To be fair, I have a few I really adore, but most of the work I have from the several months I used the lens is subpar at best. And I'm not just saying I suck at taking photos. I can always improve, but the colors the Industar produced never stood out. On the neutral side, albeit a bit washed out half the time and flared out the other half, I ended up editing them heavily. (Which isn't something I usually do.)

Sharpness was good in the centre, with the corners on my copy catching up near f5.6–f8. Contrast was on the weak side.

I've read a few reviews where the colors were said to be good, corner sharpness abysmal, and contrast good, but it's a gamble, and a surprise, what you'll get!

I'd avoid this lens unless it was gifted, or bought with a camera. It proves you can take photos with any lens, but you might not want to. If you're looking for an FSU (former Soviet Union) lens in M39 mount, you can always opt for a Jupiter-8, which is faster and offers a more distinct character (and bokeh). You'd trade the Tessar optical scheme for the Sonnar, but you get that bubbly bokeh and those lovely colors!