Granit 11M 80-200mm f4.5 - vintage lens review

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Soviet zooms are very rare and only few of them were produced; the Granit 11 we are looking at today, is one of them.
Manufactured from 1978 in the KMZ and Arsenal plants, it went through at least a couple different iterations, until the 90s when it was renamed MC zoom Arsat.
Older models don’t have a letter after the number 11, but after a while it was added to indicate the mount. The letter M stands for M42, just like the Jupiter 21.
 
This lens is made out of metal with rubberized focus and zoom rings, it weights 780g, it is 157mm long when focused to infinity and 175mm when fully extended, with a 58mm front thread.
The iris has 6 blades, the aperture is clicked and it goes from f4.5 to f22 with half steps.
The zoom ring turns 90 degrees and zooming happens internally.
The focusing ring is textured, it turns 300 degrees and minimum focusing distance is 1.5m. When focusing the front element turns as well.
Flange distance for the m42 mount is 45,46mm

 
Sharpness is… inconsistent. Between 80 and, more or less, 180mm it is really good even wide open, but at 200mm is gets really soft, especially when shooting indoors or close up subjects.
Chromatic aberration is present and can be distracting at times.
Colors are pleasant and vibrant, maybe not the most true to life, but with somewhat of a cinematic vibe.
Specular highlights have hard edges and backgrounds can look a little bit busy at times; there is also a hint of swriliness.
Flares are mostly well controlled and have an interesting look, but ghosting is definitely a problem every time you shoot in the general direction of the sun.
At the end of the day, the Granit 11 is… odd. For most of the focal range it is very sharp even wide open, but it loses everything just at the last bit.
And to be clear: I had it checked by the people who repair my lenses and they couldn’t find any problem with it.
Apart from that, it is a good lens. Heavy and big, yes, but not enough to be uncomfortable to carry around, and colors are quite interesting.
Am I gonna keep it? No, but it was worth trying.



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