Data sheet: Vega-12B 90 mm f/2.8 (Pentacon 6)

Pekka Buttler, 12/2024

Specifications

The table below summarizes the lens’ key specifications (measurements based on pictured lens):

Brand:	VEGA/ВЕГА	Lens name	12B/12Б 2.8/90
Focal length(s) 1	90 mm	Angle-of-view 2	47 ° (on medium format) ≈27 ° (on ‘full frame’)
Maximum Aperture	f/2.8	In Production	19673–≈1984 (all variants)
Lens mount (this lens]	Pentacon 6	Other lens mounts:	Kiev 88
Length 4	56,3 mm	Diameter 5	70,5 mm
Filter ring diameter	58 mm	Weight	372 grams
Lens element count	5	Lens group count	4
Aperture blades (S/R/C) 6	6 S 6	Focus throw	220 °
Minimum focusing distance	60 cms	Maximum magnification	1:4,5
Has manual aperture ring	YES	Has Manual focus ring	YES
Aperture mechanism type	Automatic	Aperture click stops 7	2.8•4•5.6•8•11•16•22

Further notes:
• The VEGA-12B/V is a medium format (film) lens, meaning that its image circle is designed to cover at least 54×54 mm (what is typically referred to as 6-by-6).
• The VEGA-12 was produced for two mounts:
• The ВЕГА-12Б (translates to VEGA-12B) was offered for the Pentacon Six mount, while
• the ВЕГА-12В (translates to VEGA-12V) was offered for the Kiev-88 mount.
• For all those who are not comfortable with Cyrillic:
• the Cyrillic letter Б equals the Latin letter B, while
• the Cyrillic letter B equals the Latin letter V, easy as π, eh?
• Just to complicate matters, Soviet manufacturers sometimes combined latin and cyrillic letters on the name ring (as in the example above).

• The VEGA-12 design was introduced to function as standard lens for the Salyut (later Saluyt-C and Kiev-88, aka. ‘Hasselbladski’) medium format system.
• After the launch of the Kiev-6C medium format camera (Pentacon 6 mount), copies of the VEGA-12 were also made with a Pentacon 6 mount.
• A VEGA-12-C version was also manufactured for the Киев-С-СКД (Kiev-S-SKD) Space camera.
• There are clear similarities in the optical designs of the VEGA-12 and the Carl Zeiss Jena Biometar 80 mm f/2.8 [data sheet]
• The VEGA-12 was replaced as the kit standard lens of Soviet Medium format SLRs by The Volna-3 [data sheet].

• The VEGA-name does not refer to a brand, design bureau or indeed a factory. Instead, the name VEGA indicates that it is a (rather pedestrian) standard focal length design. See more in the JAPB articles on Soviet lenses and the Soviet lens ‘business’
• While I generally do not take seriously common complaints about the quality of Soviet-era lenses⁸ I must say that of my 3 copies of the VEGA-12, none works flawlessly (the aperture mechanism seems very prone to jamming and breaking).
• Given that the lens was manufactured for two Kiev medium format systems, it is very likely that the lens was manufactured by the Arsenal plant (VEGA-12B/V lenses typically lack the manufacturer logo). One old-timer however reported that these lenses were not manufactured in the Arsenal plant in Kiev, but were instead manufactured at the Vega-plant in Uman (200 km south of Kiev). Anyone who can shed light on this is welcome to be in touch.

• Optically the lenses for Pentacon Six and Kiev-88 mounts are identical. Due to the differences in mounts and flange focal distances, the rear-ends of Pentacon Six and Kiev-88 variants look slightly different, this even extends to aperture rings being slightly different.
• The VEGA-12 offers a rather short minimum focusing distance. While definitely not a macro lens, this does make this a more versatile standard lens.

Versions

Notwithstanding two versions existing for Pentacon Six and Kiev-88, it seems the outward appearance (and assumedly the optical design) stayed unchanged throughout the production run.

Adapting

If you’ve come into possession of this lens, your sample will either have a Pentacon 6 mount, or a Kiev-88 mount. Here I will discuss adapting the lens in Pentacon 6 mount, but the same principles apply to a lens with the Kiev-88 mount.

To use this lens natively, you will need a Pentacon 6 mount film body. In practical terms this means either a Praktisix or Pentacon Six medium format film camera or a Kiev 60/6C medium format film camera. While neither of these families of bodies were manufactured in their millions, they remain readily available, and even serviceable.

Thanks to the generous image circle Pentacon 6 lenses offer, and thanks to the copious flange focal distance (74,1 mm) of the Pentacon 6 system, this lens can be adapted to every full frame (and smaller) SLR, dSLR and mirrorless camera assuming a suitable adapter can be found or manufactured. Moreover, Pentacon 6 lenses are so uncomplicated that a simple ‘dumb adapter’ will do the job perfectly.

Thanks to the generous image circle, Pentacon 6 lenses have also long been a strong candidate to be used on smaller formats (full frame and smaller) in conjunction with tilt/shift adapters. Alternatively, one can choose to daisy-chain adapters (e.g. Pentacon 6->Canon EF; Canon EF –> mirrorless) which not only broadens the range of available adapters, but also allows using speed boosters for those photographers that use smaller than full-frame sensors.

Finally, regarding larger than full frame, there are also options. Digital medium format is perfectly usable (assuming adapter availability) and many 6×4,5 film formats are likewise theoretical possibilities, but gaining functional adapters may necessitate some DIY.

Footnotes

1. Focal length is (unless stated otherwise) given in absolute terms, and not in Full-frame equivalent. For an understanding of whether the lens is wide/tele, see ‘Angle-of-view’. ↩︎
2. Picture angle is given in degrees (based on manufacturers’ specs) and concerns the diagonal picture angle. Rule of thumb:
   > 90 ° ==> Ultra-wide-angle
   70–90 ° ==> Wide-angle
   50–70 ° ==> Moderate wide-angle
   40–50 ° ==> ‘Standard’ or ‘normal’ lens
   20–40 ° ==> Short tele lens
   10-20 ° ==> Tele lens
   5-10 ° ==> Long tele lens
   < 5 ° ==> Ultra-tele lens ↩︎
3. While trustworthy sources give 1967 as the start of production, samples from before 1976 are today quite rare. ↩︎
4. Length is given from the mount flange to the front of lens at infinity. ↩︎
5. Diameter excludes protrusions such as rabbit ears or stop-down levers. ↩︎
6. S=straight; R=rounded; C=(almost)circular at all apertures. ↩︎
7. Numbers equal aperture values on aperture ring; • intermediate click; – no intermediate click. ↩︎
8. In my experience, quality issues that are likely to plague Soviet-era (typically 1950s to 1980s) lenses today are most often caused by neglect and tough handling. ↩︎