Chinon 50mm f/1.7 Auto. If you’re looking to purchase this lens I always check Adorama and Ebay for good deals. It helps me if you purchase it through one of these links here in this review. When you purchase through these links it financially enables me to devote time to develop this site further. Thanks for the help! -Todd

Barrel
Metal

Weight
7.9 oz (224g)

Focus Type
Manual Focus.

Focus Ring
Rubber on Metal.

Close Focus
1.75 feet (0.5 meters).

Filter Threads
52mm, Metal

Aperture Ring
Metal

Diaphragm
6 blades stopping down to f/16.

Mount
Mine came in M42 Metal.

Made in
Japan

 

 

Sharpness
f/1.7 A bit soft but still sharp for being wide open. The image looks soft because there is a bit of coma, a little chromatic aberration and quite a bit of spherical aberration causing low contrast.
f/2 Sharpens up a bit with more contrast but still holds onto chromatic aberration and a lot less spherical aberration.
f/2.8: Very sharp with fantastic contrast and only a little chromatic aberration.
f/3.5: Sharper yet with almost no chromatic aberration.
f/4: Sharper yet.
f/8: Sharper yet.

Vignetting

There is quite a bit of vignetting at f/1.7 and slowly starts to clear at f/2 and quickly clears at f/2.8 with only a hint at f/3.5.

Bokeh
The blur is pretty good and only a little distracting.

 

 

Distortion

Has quite a bit of Barrel Distortion and more then usual for a 50mm.

Recommendation
On MF Camera
Optics:         ★ ★ ★
Mechanics:   ★ ★ ★ ★
Ergonomics: ★ ★ ★ ★
Usefulness:  ★ ★ ★
Availability:   ★
Overall:         ★ ★ ★ ★

On AF Camera
Ergonomics: ★ ★ ★
Overall:         ★ ★ ★
Out of 5

Chinon has a few really well built lenses that feel great, are simple to use, all metal and built like tanks; and this is one of them. There are a few versions of the Chinon 50mm f/1.7 and some are plastic and cheaply built.

This is a really nice and sharp lens but suffers from a fair bit of coma and spherical aberration when shot wide open. It causes the image to be hazed. The chromatic aberration sticks around for a while but isn’t too bad. In low light situations this lens would perform really well and is worth grabbing if you can find one for a good deal.

 

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My hopes are to take the time to continue developing this website with more test photo based reviews. If you are ever interested in purchasing this lens or other photography equipment please do so through these links here in this review. I always check Adorama and Ebay for good deals. This helps support my family and allows me to take more time for the site. The best part is this site is free for you and I link good deals I find!

Sometimes these links will actually give you better deals then typical retail prices! I personally buy from the links I have listed whether looking for new gear or fun old stuff. I can personally attest to their good & safe service from years of experience. Thanks again to you, our readers, for supporting us! -Todd