Industar-55U 4,5/140 Review

Industar-55U 4,5/140 (Russian Индустар-55У) is a large format enlarger lens. From enlargers "Belarus." Produced in USSR at the Minsk Mechanical Plant (MMZ). Designed for format 60x120mm. Optical design — Tessar type.

 The lens has such "square ballast," apparently for the constructive enlarger.  

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Industar-55U 4,5/140 Specs

Focal length: 140mm

Aperture: f/ 4,5 – f/ 22

Weight (gr): 290

Length (mm): 58

Filter Ø (mm.): 60

Aperture blades: 8  

Industar-55U 4,5/140 Mounting on DSLR Camera

The lens has a flange distance of 122.09 mm. To install it on a Nikon 3100 with the focus on infinity, I used a macro helicoid, a long extension ring M42, and an adapter M42-Nikon.Mount to the Nikon

There are different versions of the lens barrel; with thread, the lens is attached to the enlarger and without thread. My version of the thread has not, and I had to glue it to the helicoid with an adhesive (electrical tape is better).

Industar-55U 4,5/140 Photo Examples

All photos were taken with the camera Nikon D3100, wide open. RAW export without any post-processing.  

Industar-55U 4,5/140 Sharpness

As with all large-format lenses, Industar-55U has a not high resolution but has not too bad sharpness. It is suitable for shooting portraits and various art pens (flowers, etc.).

Industar-55U 4,5/140 Character and Bokeh

The lens has a nice, beautiful character.

 Bokeh also interesting, resembling oil paintings. I really enjoyed it. Frankly, I did not expect such a pleasant bokeh from Tessar type design.

Bokeh example

Industar-55U 4,5/140 Contrast and Color Render

The lens has a weak contrast and backlight at all and does not cope with strong side light. Even its built-in lens hood, 25 mm long, can not help.

Backlight example

The lenses have a single-layer yellow-violet coating. Because of this, the colors are slightly yellowish. Color reproduction is nice; I would say vintage.

Summary

Industar-55U 4,5/140 is an interesting lens for creative ideas. It has a nice character. You can buy it very cheap, to be mounted on the camera required helicoid.