Orion-15 28mm f/6

Serious discussion
Zorki 3M, Orion15, ILFORD HP5 Plus 400 how 250, D76, 1+1, 17°C, 13 min

img5121.jpg


 
Huss said:
The Leica Summaron is $2900.

I prefer the images from the Orion.
Click to expand...

Me too. I liked it on M-E. It is not ideal images taker as Elmarit-M 28 2.8 ASPH for 1200 USD used, but it is known to be sharp, no quirks on digital and colors are very pleasing.
 
nukecoke said:
Haven't seen people posting about this lens recently, so I will start a thread. Here are some shots from Orion-15. Films are either Fujicolor C200 or Kodak Ektar 100. Camera body is Bessa-R.

未标题-10 by X. Yang, 於 Flickr
未标题-90-1 by X. Yang, 於 Flickr
未标题-93 by X. Yang, 於 Flickr
未标题-99 by X. Yang, 於 Flickr


未标题-45 by X. Yang, 於 Flickr

未标题-62 by X. Yang, 於 Flickr
未标题-65 by X. Yang, 於 Flickr
未标题-68 by X. Yang, 於 Flickr
未标题-69 by X. Yang, 於 Flickr
未标题-72 by X. Yang, 於 Flickr
未标题-30 by X. Yang, 於 Flickr
Scan-161031-0010-1 by X. Yang, 於 Flickr
Scan-161031-0023-1 by X. Yang, 於 Flickr
Scan-161031-0025-1 by X. Yang, 於 Flickr
Scan-161031-0028-1 by X. Yang, 於 Flickr

I really need to learn to move my fingers away from the opening of the lens...
Click to expand...

#45 is really a gem, beautiful, lush, lyrical. Thanks for posting.
 
Surveying eBay, it looks as if a good Orion-15 will run about $215-$250 these days. However another $75 - $100 will also purchase a decent Canon 28/3.5, and a just a bit more money can purchase an Avenon/Kobalux 28/3.5. These are all quite compact 28 LTM's, that are not particularly fast.

The Canon has arguably similar optical quality to the Orion, but the Avenon is undoubtedly a superior lens by any technical metric (based on my direct experience with it and the Canon). Both the Avenon and Canon are also more than a stop faster than the Orion as well.

Therefore it begs the question: Is the Orion-15 worth the current price? I think only marginally so. A few years ago it could easily be purchased for less than $200, but not today. This lens appears to be evolving to more of a collectible lens, albeit one that also has merit as a shooter.

In regards to comparisons of the Orion with the Summaron, some of these comments regarding the optics may be true, but I sincerely doubt the build quality of the Orion comes even close to the Summaron (at least if it is anything like any FSU lens I have seen). On the other hand, the price one must pay for Leica mechanical craftsmanship in this case is quite steep here. The LTM Summaron 28/5.6 seems to sell for at least $2000 these days, almost as much as the new M Summaron models.
 
David Murphy said:
Surveying eBay, it looks as if a good Orion-15 will run about $215-$250 these days. However another $75 - $100 will also purchase a decent Canon 28/3.5, and a just a bit more money can purchase an Avenon/Kobalux 28/3.5. These are all quite compact 28 LTM's, that are not particularly fast.

The Canon has arguably similar optical quality to the Orion, but the Avenon is undoubtedly a superior lens by any technical metric (based on my direct experience with it and the Canon). Both the Avenon and Canon are also more than a stop faster than the Orion as well.

Therefore it begs the question: Is the Orion-15 worth the current price? I think only marginally so. A few years ago it could easily be purchased for less than $200, but not today. This lens appears to be evolving to more of a collectible lens, albeit one that also has merit as a shooter.

In regards to comparisons of the Orion with the Summaron, some of these comments regarding the optics may be true, but I sincerely doubt the build quality of the Orion comes even close to the Summaron (at least if it is anything like any FSU lens I have seen). On the other hand, the price one must pay for Leica mechanical craftsmanship in this case is quite steep here. The LTM Summaron 28/5.6 seems to sell for at least $2000 these days, almost as much as the new M Summaron models.
Click to expand...

Post #18 from this original Orion-15 thread is instructive, though there was no follow up.
https://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=28051

I had, at one time, seen the original article from which those comparison photos (pre-release or early version vs. later Orion-15s) were taken, but cannot find that article online any longer. There were many more comparison photos showing the stark differences in resolution and contrast between very early versions and later ones. Essentially two very different lenses in terms of performance. If I recall correctly, which I may not be, it may have partially been due to differences in the formulation of the glass used.

Having had a couple of ltm Canon 28s, including the 3.5 which I still have, none of them come remotely close to the early Orion-15 I have, in terms of resolution, contrast, and lack of distortion, if you can get past the slow speed. Construction wise, no, it’s no Summaron.

There is some serial number information here, but not the link with the comparison tests that I was looking for: http://www.sovietcams.com/index.php?1580737529

The ever reliable Marco Cavina has some related material on lens design, though still not the article I was looking for, it’s interesting nonetheless for a deep dive into various designs. The Orion-15 comes off well in comparison with more modern Leica Elmarit-Ms, and not even sure if the Orion-15 used for the test was one of the good ones.

http://www.marcocavina.com/articoli_fotografici/Soviet_and_wide_lenses_on_Leica_M/00_p.htm

Anyway, it is possible to find early copies of the Orion-15 on ebay with a little patience, even pre-series ones with great patience, though those are not usually the ones going for less than $300 since owners seem to generally know what they have and price accordingly. Buyers not knowing the difference would pass them by.

But, no on the referenced Canon 28/3.5 being better. Different league. IMO.

Apologies for not currently being able to locate the original detailed article which graphically expands on the differences early vs. later, as hinted at in the #18 post to the first thread mentioned above. That would have been definitive.
 
Nice pics, I had to look up what a Zarya Fed is. Interesting looking camera - 35mm scale focus. it seems it is made for a 50mm lens, are you using an accessory finder?
 
Huss said:
Nice pics, I had to look up what a Zarya Fed is. Interesting looking camera - 35mm scale focus. it seems it is made for a 50mm lens, are you using an accessory finder?
Click to expand...

No, I don't use the auxiliary viewfinder or use it very rarely.
Thank you for your feedback and interest in the camera!)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top