Juplen 135mm f/2.8 Preset M42 Screw Mount Test and Review
- Mohsen Jalali
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
Juplen 135mm f/2.8 Preset M42 Screw Mount
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We're back again with another rare, vintage lens, this time a Juplen 135mm f/2.8 that has exactly 22 blades, can be easily mounted on cameras because it has an M42 screw mount, and it comes with a preset ring that limits the aperture to the extent that you want. Before jumping right into sample videos and stills, let me tell you that it was most probably manufactured in the second half of the 1950s in Japan, and we tested it on a Nikon Z7 mirrorless digital camera.
Color Shots and Bokeh
Juplen 135mm f/2.8 Preset M42 Screw Mount Creamy Bokeh Photo Sample Juplen 135mm f/2.8 Preset M42 Screw Mount Sample Color Shot Juplen 135mm f/2.8 Preset M42 Screw Mount Photo Shot Juplen 135mm f/2.8 Preset M42 Screw Mount Bokeh Bubbles Juplen 135mm f/2.8 Preset M42 Screw Mount Sample Shot Dragonfly
As you see above, the depth of field is very shallow, while there's a certain haze in the shots that may have been caused by the minor dust particles that this lens has inside. The haze may have softened the shots, but it has added character to them. The bokeh, in turn, is soft and creamy, and the circles in it have no visible exterior lines as they dissolve into one another. The image is large enough to cover the whole sensor, so vignetting is very minimal. On the other hand, bokeh is not swirly.
If this is the first time that you're reading this brand's name, I should tell you that Juplen was an import/OEM photographic lens brand used for Japanese-made lenses during the rise of Japan's postwar independent optical industry, particularly during the 1950s and 1960s. The surviving evidence connects the Juplen name with several Japanese manufacturers, most notably Fujita Optical Industry (Fujita Kogaku Kogyo) and apparently, Sankyo Kohki/Komura for some models. In my searches online, I found virtually the same lens being sold as Elitar Soligor Spectra Coligon, although with a different mount. Anyway, it seems that this lens was being manufactured by Komura (Sankyo Kohki Komura) and rebranded based on order.
Black-and-White Stills
Juplen 135mm f/2.8 Preset M42 Screw Mount Sample Black-and-White Photo Juplen 135mm f/2.8 Preset M42 Screw Mount Sample B&W Shot Juplen 135mm f/2.8 Preset M42 Screw Mount B&W Bokeh
Although this lens comes with coatings on the elements, contrast is relatively low in these B&W shots, and I had to increase it a little more than I normally do. The soft, creamy bokeh makes the shots dreamier, and it really makes me think I should have taken B&W portraits with it.
Videography
Juplen 135mm f/2.8 Preset M42 Screw Mount Sample Color Video
You can see how the background blends into the foreground with every change of focus. Focusing on this one is easier compared to all the projection lenses we tested, because this Juplen 135mm f/2.8 comes with a focus ring. I think the videos turned out to be interesting with the minor haze that it creates.
Juplen 135mm f/2.8 Preset M42 Screw Mount Black-and-White Video
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