The Industar-61 L/Z, a highly popular 50mm lens in the Soviet Union, was a go-to lens for many professional photographers of the time. It was particularly favoured for photojournalism work due to its more neutral image compared to the Helios 44’s characteristic swirly bokeh, and offers close-to-macro capability with its close focus distance.
The lens was produced from 1971 onwards, with its most popular variant being the 61 LZ. It also came in other variants including the 61M, 61 LD and 61A. The lens, along with all Soviet ‘Industar’s, was based on the Carl Zeiss Tessar design, which incorporates four optical elements in three groups. This sharp design was known as the “Eagle Eye” due to its exceptionally sharp images when wide open, a feature that was less common for lenses at the time when it was introduced. Additionally, the lens utilised STK6 super heavy lanthanum crowns, a modern optical technology that increased resolution.
In terms of construction, the Industar 61 LZ, weighing 225 grams, is made entirely of metal and glass, a characteristic common to all Soviet lenses. It also includes an aperture preset mechanism, a six-bladed aperture and has a high magnification ratio with its 30cm minimum focus distance, making it a good choice for macro photography. The lens is also multi-coated, offering marginal difference in optical quality between the MC and non-MC marked versions. It is noted for its high levels of sharpness, particularly in the centre of the frame, and produces excellent contrast and colour in images.
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