When Carl Zeiss designers originally penned the design for the 20mm f4 Flektogon, they probably didn’t think it would end up evolving into this. The Mir-47 is a Soviet 20mm f2.5 fast ultrawide lens, with some characteristics inherited from its Carl Zeiss origins, and some of its own unique characteristics.
At f2.5, the lens allows for an unusual depth of field for such a wide angle, at a relatively low price – most can be found for a few hundred dollars. Although the centre of the lens is sharp (as per Soviet specifications, the resolution of the lens was rated at 60/17 lines per mm at the centre and edges), it falls off in resolution severely towards the edges of the frame, creating an almost post-processing style effect.
Manufactured at the VOMZ plant (an offshoot of LOMO), the K-mount version of this lens that I acquired doesn’t focus to infinity, even when adapted to the Nikon Z6 – so if you’re in the market for one, beware of this gotcha.
Enjoy the full review below on YouTube, and feel free to reach out for any questions!
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