Carl Zeiss Jena MC Pancolar 50mm f1.8
Before I bought my Zeiss Pancolar, I was a bit skeptical. This lens has legendary status and there's a big hype around it on the Internet.
As much as I believe an optic can help because of its qualities, I do not believe it can magically make you a good photographer beyond perhaps, giving you some inspiration.
This said, the truth is this is a very special lens, I can confirm that. It does have a very unique look you cannot find in other vintage 50mm lenses and it's very sharp already wide open.
Some people speculate the Pancolar is the same as the Pentacon 50mm 1.8. It's not.
It certainly is as versatile as the Pentacon because of its minimum focusing distance of 0.35m, but the way it renders is different. Also, the Pentacon isn't as sharp when used wide open unlike its predecessor, the Meyer Optik Oreston.
The Pancolar seems to have the perfect balance between professional sharpness and artistic flare, producing a slightly "swirly" bokeh and a painterly color palette. The image it produces is very balanced, smooth and pleasing.
Despite being multi coated, in certain situations my copy produces a circular flare if used wide open.
If I had to choose one vintage 50mm lens to bring on a desert island, I probably would be thorn between this one and the Meyer Optik Oreston (the early Zebra model).
Why use the Carl Zeiss Jena Pancolar MC 50mm f.1.8:
1) One of the most versatile vintage 50mm lenses
2) Sharpness
3) Beautiful Zeiss colors
4) Very unique background blur
5) Multi coated
6) Minimum focusing distance of 0.35m
7) Light and compact
Weaknesses:
The construction material of the lens is fragile, can easily bend if accidentally dropped rendering the lens unusable.
