Today, we delve into the world of the Industar-50-2, a Soviet pancake lens that fits right in your pocket. This lens holds a proud history, having been the most produced pancake lens for full-frame cameras globally, with millions of copies produced since its first serial production in 1953. Designed by a Soviet optical engineer, Mikhail Dimitrivich Maltsev, the Industar-50-2 was based on the Industar-22 and the FED 50mm f3.5 lens for the FED rangefinder camera, which was a Soviet copy of the Leica Elmar 50mm f3.5. All these lenses, including the Industar-50-2, share the same 4 element in 3 group design characteristic of all Carl Zeiss Tessar’s from that time.
The Industar-50-2 is not strictly a 50mm lens; it’s slightly longer with a 52mm focal length. Despite its compact size, it is powerful, boasting a specification of 38 lines per mm in terms of resolution at the centre of the frame and 22 lines per mm around the corners. The lens also has a 0.65m minimum focusing distance and an interesting aperture that ranges from F3.5 through to F16. It is a front-controlled aperture, controlled by turning the very front piece of metal on the lens. The back element of the Industar-50-2 is coated, which wasn’t the norm when the lens was designed in 1953. It also has a 320-degree focus ring rotation, allowing for very precise focusing.
However, the Industar-50-2 does have its limitations. It can suffer from vignettes and struggles with flare when pointed towards a light source. On the upside, the lens produces fantastic, sharp images and beautiful colours, even when used on a modern camera. The bokeh effect is also quite smooth when shooting at f3.5. However, it isn’t the best choice for video due to its difficulty fitting filters. Despite these challenges, the Industar-50-2 stands out for its fun and affordability, being available in pristine quality for about thirty US dollars on eBay. It’s a joy to shoot with and is recommended for anyone who appreciates good quality, compact lenses.
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