Zenitar 16mm 1: 2.8 was developed and produced by the KMZ plant, the first lenses were sold in 1990.

Lens for SLR cameras with M42 screw connection. This lens is installed on modern SLR and mirrorless cameras through the appropriate adapter. Read the article about adapters.

Review of MS Zenitar-M 16mm f / 2.8

Thank the photographer Glory to Terebov for the provided copy. The lens is produced in several versions, and, depending on the modification, can be mounted on

• Pentax (letter K),
• Nikon (N, H),
• Canon (since 2012, letter C),
• for Zenits and other devices with a threaded mount m42 (M).

The lens is a wide-angle lens, also called "fisheye" because of the effect associated with a wide angle of view. Wide-angle lenses on the [PRO] PHOTO portal:

1. Canon EF 15mm f / 2.8
2. Zenitar-M M42 16mm f / 2.8
3. Ricoh Rikenon M42 28mm f / 2.8
4. Hanimex M42 28mm f / 2.8
5. Helios M42 28mm M42 f / 2.8
6. Miranda M42 28mm f / 2.8 MC
7. Pentacon Electric M42 29mm f / 2.8
8. Sigma EF-s 30mm f / 1.4 EX DC HSM
9. Yongnuo EF 35mm f / 2.0
10. Mir-1V M42 37mm f / 2.8

Specifications MC Zenitar 16mm f / 2.8

Decoding letter abbreviations

The letter in the name is the encryption of the system under which the mount is made lens... On variants with the letter K, N (H) in the name, the mechanism of the "jumping" diaphragm is used, on the variant M - a pressure diaphragm. The option under bayonet Canon EF mount diaphragm has manual control. The M lens is a versatile solution, as it can be used on both m42 and Canon cameras, as well as others whose flange focal distance is no larger than the flange distance. lens.

Body, ergonomics

It has a protruding lens, protected from both sides by protruding sheets of an aluminum body. This copy has an inscription in Latin letters, like MC Zenitar-M2,8 / 16 Made in Russia. The font and marks are engraved on the frame, and in some places with paint over the body.

The paint is resistant to mechanical stress. Rear lens lens covered with an expansion joint, a set of colored expansion joints is included in the scope of delivery lens and not sold separately (used only).

The multi-colored expansion joints serve as color filters. One of the rare lenses where color filters are screwed onto the back lens.

Lightweight, easy to use. It has excellent sharpness with f / 3.2, a short focusing ring travel (MDF - 0,3 meters, infinity comes from one and a half). The optics have multi-layer coating, which we are happily informed about by the abbreviation "MC" on the body. The resolution is higher than that of Helios 44-2 by almost 20 lines / mm in the center. But despite this, the lens tends to lose contrast when exposed to strong illumination.

MS Zenitar-M 16mm f / 2.8 in operation

The lens was easily mounted on Canon EOS Kiss III, Canon 60D. However, due to the smaller sensor area, the viewing angle was not 180, but approximately 112 degrees (crop factor 1,6). The MS Zenitar-M diaphragm has six blades. When squeezing it, in hips nuts appear.

On an open aperture, chromatic aberration is observed, which becomes barely noticeable with increasing f-number. Has a pronounced distortion, bends the horizon line, straight lines. Modern zoom and wide-angle lenses (for example, Sigma 17-50) have corrected this problem, but lenses often have a cost that significantly exceeds the cost of Zenitar-M 16mm.

The focusing ring is rubberized, the aperture number changes under a slight effort, with a characteristic click of the latch.

Using Zenitar-M on modern cameras

Attention! Zenitar-M lens on 1.6 crop will have an equivalent 25,6mm f / 4.5! To work on digital cameras, you will need an adapter from the M42x1. Easiest to install on cropped Canon EOS with bayonetohm EF-s, especially considering that adapters without chips on Canon cost mere pennies.

By ordering adapters using the links below, you are helping the project to cover the costs of site maintenance and development. List of adapters, systems and bayonets (direct links for ordering):

• Canon EF / EF-S adapter M42-Canon EOS (without chip or with chip).
• Canon EF-M adapter M42-Canon EF-M.
• Nikon DX / FX as well as Fujifilm and Kodak with bayonetohm Nikon F adapter M42-Nikon F with lens и without.
• Nikon 1 adapter M42-Nikon 1.
• Pentax K adapter M42-Pentax K.
• Pentax Q adapter M42-Pentax Q.
• Sony / Minolta A adapter M42-Sony A (without chip or with chip).
• Sony NEX and Sony Alpha with bayonetohm E adapter M42-Sony E (M42-Sony Nex).
• Four Thirds, aka 4/3 (Olympus, Panasonic) adapter M42-4 / 3
• Micro Four Thirds - Olympus, Panasonic, Kodak, Xiaomi with bayonetohm Micro 4/3 (Micro 4: 3) adapter M42-Micro 4/3.
• For cameras with bayonetohm Fujifilm X adapter M42-Fuji X.
• Samsung NX adapter M42-Samsung NX.
• Leica M adapter M42-L / M.
• For bayonet Leica T adapter M42-L / T.

When ordering, it should be borne in mind that cheap adapters of poor quality with a lens on bayonetf Nikon F spoil the picture significantly. Adapters without a lens reduce the maximum focusing range (due to the difference in focal lengths). Adapters with chips come across poor quality, exposure metering and focus confirmation on some Canon EOS models may suffer from this.

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Adapters for cameras and lenses