Soviet 300mm f/4.5 telephoto lens (1958–1992) with 15-blade aperture for soft bokeh. 1.8 kg, 6m minimum focus, distinctive rendering prized for vintage aesthetics.
Technical Details
The Tair-3 weighs 1.8 kg with a length of 265mm and a filter diameter of 95mm. The minimum focusing distance is 6 meters, and the aperture range extends from f/4.5 to f/22 in half-stop increments. The lens features 15 aperture blades for a nearly circular aperture opening. Various mounts were produced: M42, M39, and specifically for Pentacon-Six cameras. The optical construction consists of four elements, with the rear two lenses designed as a cemented doublet. The coating was initially single, later multi-layered.
History & Development
Development began in 1954 based on captured Zeiss documentation from Jena. Mass production started in 1958 and continued until 1992, with an estimated 50,000 units produced. In 1963, the lens received an improved multi-layer coating, recognizable by its characteristic red-violet reflection. In the 1970s, a revised version followed with improved mechanics and more precise manufacturing. The Tair-3 was the first Soviet 300mm lens for 35mm cameras and established Soviet telephoto lenses internationally.
Practical Use in Film
Sergei Eisenstein used a Tair-3 for exterior shots in his unfinished film "Ivan the Terrible Part III" (1958). The lens was particularly suitable for documentaries due to its compact design and affordable price. The 15-blade aperture produces a soft bokeh, ideal for portraits with shallow depth of field. At wide open aperture, the lens exhibits characteristic chromatic aberrations on high-contrast edges, which is artistically used for vintage looks. Sharpness performance reaches its maximum at f/8.
Comparison & Alternatives
Compared to contemporary Western 300mm lenses like the Zeiss Sonnar 300mm f/4, the Tair-3 offered similar optical performance at a significantly lower price. Modern alternatives include autofocus telephoto lenses from Canon, Nikon, or Sony, which, however, do not reproduce the characteristic rendering of the Soviet lens. The Tair-11A (135mm f/2.8) from the same series offers a shorter focal length with a similar optical philosophy. For an analog look in digital productions, the Tair-3 remains relevant with adapters on modern cameras.