The Zodiak lens – it’s Б, not B

I guess this Pentacon Six TL camera is now an official part of my arsenal, in that I’ve just acquired my FOURTH distinct attachable lens for this bad boy.

In addition to my Carl Zeiss Jena Biometar 80mm f/2.8 lens, my Carl Zeiss Jena Flektogon 65mm f/2.8 ultrawide lens, and my Meyer Optik Görlitz 500mm f/5.6 telephoto (yes, this is the “Johnny Wadd” lens), I now have a 180° Zodiak f/3.5 fisheye lens.

Specifically, this little treasure.

And I had to make ABSOLUTELY sure this was the proper lens for the Pentacon. Since the Pentacon has its own proprietary bayonet lens mounting system, this lens must mount properly – even though the same company that made this lens would also manufacture lenses for the Kiev-88 (the knockoff Hassleblad derisively nicknamed the “Hasslebladski”). A Zodiak lens for the Pentacon Six will have a Cyrillic Б on the barrel, while a lens designed for the Kiev-88 will have a specific Cyrillic B. Note the difference between Б and B. That little variation makes a difference between a properly mounted lens and a lens that causes anger and gnashing of teeth and rendering of garments.

Another little quirk about this lens is that it comes with filters. Big deal, you say? All camera lenses have filters, you say?

Of course they can. But nobody said anything about adding a filter INSIDE the lens.

That’s right. This camera has four swap-out lenses that mount between the camera body and the lens body, and you MUST have a lens IN the camera to make everything work.

You also must keep the front element as clean and dust-free and as scratch-free as possible. One tiny nick in the glass will show up in EVERY IMAGE as a clearly visible defect. And that front glass is about as exposed as Dolly Parton’s decolletage.

I want to test this monster out.

This fisheye lens should work well when photographing something with leading lines. And I’ve got just the target.

It’s on the other side of Green Island. It’s the former railroad trestle that once allowed the Delaware & Hudson to cross between Green Island and Van Schaick Island, and now exists as a pedestrian bridge. The bridge has plenty of metal support beams that will work wonders with a fisheye lens.

Let’s have some fun.

The Zodiak is on the Pentacon Six TL camera. A pack of Kodak Portra 400 is in the chassis. Let’s play.

Nice. If I line everything up perfectly, I can get that “time tunnel” look in my photo of an infinite line into the center. I say “line everything up perfectly,” because even being a teensy bit off – like here – can make the picture tilt at an uncomfortable angle.

Let’s walk inside the birdge structure and see what happens.

Yeah, now I’m getting that “funhouse” look from either side. This could be a fun lens if I use it properly. If the lens subject is perfectly centered, the lines going to the center are straight.

But if I tilt the lens down a smidge …

Damn. Kinda looks like I’m going through the loop of a roller coaster.

Okay. The Zodiak is now an official member of my Pentacon Six arsenal. Four interchangeable lenses. I just need one more lens, and I’ll have a full-fledged medium-format arsenal.

Isn’t this always the case? “I just need one more lens…” 😀