Industar-69 28 mm 1:2.8 [M39]

Have you ever heard about Chaika cameras? I simply adore them! They're small analogue compact cameras that take 1/2 of full frame photos (type 135 film). I've collected few models and once I got a bonus - a single Industar-69 lens. That's right! Chaika had interchangeable lenses. Unfortunately I've never seen anything, but those Industars.

Lumix G2 with Industar-69 28/2.8 with M39 > M4/3 customized adapter.

It's a very flat lens, pancake you may say. It was typically mounted via M39 thread. Well... it's not exactly Leica M39. Typical M39 flange focal distance is 28.8 mm, while Chaika used 27.5 mm. There are no ready made adapters for those, so I just bought a typical one and... adventure begun!

First of all, I needed to push my lens closer to the sensor by 1.3 mm. Biggest trouble maker was a M39 detachable thread ring, which was too long, so I cut it in half with hand-saw. No problems there. Then I checked bolts and I was almost there.

Two pieces of M39 ring.

Half of M39 ring screwed on Industar-69. Adapters' inner edges are already machined.

The lens was still too far from sensor, but closer than before. I sanded inner edges of my adapter. It was not enough. Final solution - drilling! I used a hobby drill to "open" the edges and then sanded it again. Finally! Lens was in and focused infinity! But wait... it focused beyond infinity! So... Here come pictures:

Plastic rings connected with thin double-sided tape, and then placed into an adapter. M39 ring screwed on Industar. 

I've found some thin plastic and cut 2 rings with scissors and placed them in. They gave me the distance I needed. Not perfect distance to be honest, but now it focuses beyond infinity only a tiny, tiny bit. It reduced macro abilities (only a tiny bit ;) ), but still - fully usable without any lens modifications! I hate to modify fully working and antique devices.

That's how it looks mounted altogether. 

It's a very light lens and a flat one. Mounted on my Lumix G2 seems to not weigh a thing. Camera is compact and you can take it in your bag anywhere without extra ballast.

My piece works with ease. Focusing is a piece of cake, but changing aperture is kind of tricky. Aperture ring is in front of lens, so you need to hold the focusing ring with your hand (or finger if you're manually gifted) and then change aperture.

Industar-69 gives a low-contrast, slightly vignetting, vintage look. It's not a perfect lens for all tasks, but I'm sure you might capture great snaps with your friends or some moody pictures.

Camera: Lumix G2
Mount: M39 > Micro Four Thirds (customized)
Aperture: 2.8 (unless stated otherwise)
Edit: PS CS6 50% scaling

Infinity focus works perfectly. If it focuses beyond infinity it's slightly visible. Frankly speaking, I'm not sure. Seems fine to me :)

Infinity focus and vignetting.

Medium distance portraits are a good field for the lens. Skin looks smoother and there's moody quality in it.

"It's always a good idea to have a lens, that can please a woman." Patrick D.

Close-ups work well, though photos lack contrast and sharpness. But remember that this lens was designed for amateur captures, mainly trips as I suppose.

Industar-69 28 mm 1:2.8 - close-up

Here you can see comparison of different focus distance.

Industar-69 28 mm 1:2.8 - distance differences, close-up, medium and infinity.

As you can suspect, low contrast results in huge flare. When directed into the sun you'll get a lot of whites. Closing aperture to F4.0 decreases amount of light significantly.

 Industar-69 28 mm 1:2.8 - flare @2.8

Industar-69 28 mm 1:2.8 - flare @4.0

Aperture works smoothly. There are no steps or clicks, you can change aperture by a part of step if you want to. Again - it's really tricky to keep focus at an object and to change aperture ring. Comparing samples below, you can see how vignetting is slightly disappearing with aperture value increase.
Close focus first.

Industar-69 28/2.8 @2.8

Industar-69 28/2.8 @4.0

Industar-69 28/2.8 @5.6

Industar-69 28/2.8 @8.0

Industar-69 28/2.8 @11

Industar-69 28/2.8 @16

Lens has marks on it's case, that'll let you set the hyperfocal:
F16 - almost everything is in focus; from 0,85 m/2¾ ft. to infinity,
F11 - 1,20 m/4 ft. to infinity,
F8.0 - 1,70 m/5½ ft. to infinity,
F5.6 - 3,00 m/10 ft. to infinity.
This makes it a good choice for street photography or snaps.

Infinity focus:

Industar-69 28/2.8 @2.8

Industar-69 28/2.8 @4.0

Industar-69 28/2.8 @5.6

Industar-69 28/2.8 @8.0

Industar-69 28/2.8 @11

Industar-69 28/2.8 @16