Mir-24 35mm f/2

Arsenal · Nikon F + M42 · 1976

Also known as: Mir-24 · Mir 24 · Mir-24N · Mir-24H · Mir 24N · Mir 24H · MC Mir-24N · MC Mir-24H · MC Mir 24N · MC Mir 24H · MC MIR - 24H · Mir MC 24H · Mir-24M · Mir 24M · MC Mir-24M · Мир-24 · Мир-24Н · Мир-24М · МС Мир-24Н · МС Мир-24М

Variants & identification

Variant	Mount	Years	Serial ranges	Production
MC Mir-24N (МС Мир-24Н)	Nikon F (Arsenal 'Н' bayonet of the Kiev-17/19/20)	1983	—	No figure published
Mir-24M (Мир-24М), KMZ	M42	1976	—	Small series (малосерийное), by KMZ's own description; no figure published
MC Mir-24M (МС Мир-24М), KMZ	M42	1980–1986	—	Small series; no figure published

The dates disagree in several places. The Mir-24 design is dated 1969 at GOI in the heading of Abramov's entry; the author's certificate for the calculation was published in 1970, which is the design year Digital Camera Watch gives. KMZ's development of the Mir-24M is 1975 (zenitcamera) or 1976 (Abramov). The MC Mir-24N starts in 1983 by Abramov's text, but '1980–?' in his heading, and in the mid-1980s by Digital Camera Watch. Its end is given only by Digital Camera Watch, as about 1994, with the writer's own 'it seems'. The page uses 1976, the first production year of the Mir-24M, as the family's first year.
The figures for the two mounts differ and are not interchangeable. KMZ, via zenitcamera: 0.3 m, 62 mm long, 64 mm across, 370 g, f/2–16, for the M42 lens. Digital Camera Watch: 0.24 m, 59 × 64 mm, 320 g, for the MC Mir-24N. LensTip's database page for the MC Mir-24N prints KMZ's M42 figures (0.3 m, 64 × 62 mm, 370 g) and should not be taken as an independent measurement of the bayonet lens. The family fields above carry only what both agree on.
The 165 roubles is a Soviet state retail list price for 1985, from Abramov. It has no structured price field here because the site does not index roubles.
Digital Camera Watch warns that Arsenal's 'Н' bayonet is close to Nikon AI but not fully compatible, and that Soviet-era Arsenal lenses are prone to jamming on bodies with instant stop-down metering such as the Nikon FA, F-301 and F4; Maruhashi advised against forcing one onto a camera.
Lenses offered as a 'cine mod', in Canon EF or Arri PL with a geared focus ring, are later conversions of Mir-24N or Mir-24M lenses for video and film work, not a factory version, and have no variant row.

How to tell them apart (expand)

A 35mm f/2 with a 66° field, eight elements in seven groups and a 58 mm filter thread, in two mounts: Arsenal's 'Н' bayonet (Mir-24N) and the M42 screw (Mir-24M)
Tell the mounts apart by the letter after the number and by the rear of the lens: Н (sellers' N or H) is the Nikon-type bayonet of the Kiev SLRs; М (M) is KMZ's M42 thread. Sellers often name both a Nikon F and an M42 or Canon EF fitting in one title when they include an adapter, so look at the mount itself
Not the Mir-1 37mm f/2.8, an older and slower GOI wide-angle, and not the Mir-67 PCS 35mm f/2.8 shift lens that Arsenal also made in its 'Н' bayonet

MC Mir-24N (МС Мир-24Н):

Front ring engraved МС МИР-24Н 2/35 with the serial number above it. The last letter is the Cyrillic Н (Latin N) for the 'Н' bayonet, so sellers write Mir-24N, Mir-24H or both in one title; it is the same lens
Arsenal's Nikon-type 'Н' bayonet at the rear, the mount of the Kiev-17, 19, 19M and 20; a 58 mm front filter thread
Shorter and lighter than the M42 lens: 59 × 64 mm and 320 g by Digital Camera Watch's figures, against KMZ's 62 mm and 370 g for the Mir-24M, and focusing to 0.24 m rather than 0.3 m

Mir-24M (Мир-24М), KMZ:

M42 × 1 screw thread at the rear and Krasnogorsk's prism badge on the front ring; no MC before the name
A blinking (push) diaphragm that can be switched off, so the lens stops down at the moment of exposure on an M42 body that presses the pin and works stop-down on one that does not
62 mm long and 64 mm across, 370 g, focusing to 0.3 m, with an M58 × 0.75 filter thread and a 60 mm slip-on fitting (KMZ)

MC Mir-24M (МС Мир-24М), KMZ:

Front ring engraved МС МИР-24М 2/35 with the KMZ prism badge; M42 thread
Differs from the plain Mir-24M in its coating, by KMZ's description via zenitcamera; the MC before the name is the way to tell them apart

MC Mir-24N (МС Мир-24Н): Made by the Vega plant at Uman, first inside the Arsenal production association and later on its own, to the same optical scheme as KMZ's Mir-24M but in a different mechanical construction (zenitcamera, whose text Abramov reproduces). Abramov gives 1983 as the start of production and a 1985 retail price of 165 roubles; the heading of his own entry reads '1980–?' for it, the same year he and zenitcamera give the MC Mir-24M, and nothing in either text supports 1980 for the bayonet lens. Maruhashi Kaoru, writing for Digital Camera Watch in December 2005, says production began around the mid-1980s and seems to have continued until about 1994, shortly after the Soviet Union ended, and lists the lens among discontinued Arsenal 'bayonet N' lenses at about US$75 locally (in Russian and Ukrainian shops) and about ¥20,000 in Japan. He says lenses no longer made are necessarily bought second-hand, so these are used prices, not a list price. He gives seven groups and eight elements, 66°, 0.24 m closest focus, 59 × 64 mm, 320 g and a 58 mm filter, and says KMZ's M42 lens has the same optical construction but, because of the different flange distance, a different diameter and design. His list of Arsenal lenses still made in 2005 has no Arsat 35mm f/2; its only Arsat 35mm is the PCS shift lens, an f/2.8.
Mir-24M (Мир-24М), KMZ: zenitcamera, which works from the 1976 instruction booklet and KMZ's internal orders, gives a 1975 development date (Abramov says 1976), production from 1976, a specified resolution of 40 lines/mm at the centre and 21 at the edge, and an f/2 to f/16 aperture scale. Among its sources zenitcamera lists KMZ order no. 82 of 21 May 1975, on new products to be put into series production that year. The page on this site is filed under the Nikon F mount because the Arsenal lens is the one made for the Kiev reflexes; the KMZ screw-mount lenses are the same optical design and are carried here as variants rather than on a page of their own.
MC Mir-24M (МС Мир-24М), KMZ: zenitcamera gives the production years as 1980 and then 1983 to 1986, from KMZ's orders: no. 164 of 1 August 1980 on new lenses for that year, no. 97 of 20 May 1983 on meeting the plan for the MC Mir-24M, and no. 238 of 6 August 1986 ending production of the Industar-50-2, the Zenitar-M and the MC Mir-24M. KMZ gives a light transmission of 0.90 and a colour-rendering index of 11-0-0 for this version.

Serial-range notes

970594, 932784, 890053, 692469: Six-digit numbers seen on MC Mir-24N lenses: 970594 on the example pictured by zenitcamera, the others in dealer listings. They cannot be read by the usual Soviet rule that the first two digits are the year: 692469 would be 1969, before the lens existed, and 970594 would be 1997, after the c.1994 end Digital Camera Watch gives. No numbering key for Vega or Arsenal lenses of this kind has been published, so the number does not date the lens.

Specifications

Formula: Eight elements in seven groups, calculated at GOI (author's certificate 288346, published 1970)
Construction: 8 elements / 7 groups
Aperture range: f/2–f/16
Filter: 58 mm (MC Mir-24N (МС Мир-24Н)) · 58 mm (0.75 mm pitch) (Mir-24M (Мир-24М), KMZ, MC Mir-24M (МС Мир-24М), KMZ)
Years manufactured: 1976
Country: Ukraine (MC Mir-24N, Vega plant, Uman); Russia (Mir-24M, KMZ, Krasnogorsk)
Coating: Single-coated (Mir-24M); multicoated (MC Mir-24M, MC Mir-24N)
Original price: 165 roubles, the Soviet retail list price of the MC Mir-24N in 1985 (Abramov)

What reviewers say

Maruhashi Kaoru (Digital Camera Watch) (blog) — His favourite of the Arsenal Nikon-mount lenses, tried on a Nikon D70 and D200: much bigger than an AF Nikkor 35mm f/2D, slightly amber in colour and lower in contrast than a modern Nikkor, with colour fringing on branches against the sky and edges that made him suspect slight decentring. Not for precise or straight-line subjects or backlight, but a 'sharp when stopped down' lens with a soft three-dimensional rendering he values.
Chris (iamchangas blog, 'Chris lives here.') (blog) — A first look on a Nikon D3s: comfortable and smooth to focus, though about two full turns from close focus to infinity, and surprising for how close it focuses. Sharp enough rather than razor sharp, with pleasing skin tones and background blur at f/2. single source, unconfirmed

Optical formula — Eight elements in seven groups, calculated at GOI (author's certificate 288346, published 1970)

Optical diagram of the Mir-24 on zenitcamera (eight elements in seven groups)

History

The Mir-24 is the fast 35mm of the Soviet reflex catalogue: a 35mm f/2 covering 66°, eight elements in seven groups, calculated at the State Optical Institute (GOI) in Leningrad under an author’s certificate published in 1970. Two factories made it to that one optical scheme. KMZ at Krasnogorsk built the Mir-24M for M42 bodies from 1976, and the multicoated MC Mir-24M in 1980 and again from 1983 until an order of August 1986 stopped it. The Vega plant at Uman, part of Kyiv’s Arsenal association, built the MC Mir-24N for the ‘Н’ bayonet of Arsenal’s Kiev-17, 19, 19M and 20 reflexes. That is the Nikon-type mount, and the lens fits Nikon F bodies.

The two are not the same lens in different mounts. Zenitcamera, whose text Abramov reproduces, says the Uman lens shares the optical scheme but has a different construction, and Digital Camera Watch says the same: the flange distance differs, and so do the diameter and design. The published figures bear it out. The bayonet lens is 320 g and focuses to 0.24 m, by Digital Camera Watch’s figures. KMZ gives its M42 lens as 370 g, 62 mm long and focusing to 0.3 m. Abramov dates the start of Mir-24N production to 1983 and gives its 1985 retail price as 165 roubles. Digital Camera Watch’s 2005 survey of Ukrainian and Russian Nikon-mount lenses puts the start in the mid-1980s, says production seems to have ended about 1994, and lists the lens as discontinued. After the Soviet Union ended Arsenal sold its Nikon-mount lenses as Arsat, but the survey’s list of Arsat lenses still in production has no 35mm f/2; its Arsat 35mm is the PCS shift lens, an f/2.8.

The letter after the number tells the mount. The front ring of the bayonet lens reads МС МИР-24Н 2/35, and the Cyrillic Н comes out as N or H in a listing. Many sellers write both, as in ‘MC Mir-24H Mir-24N’. The KMZ lens is the Mir-24M, with an M42 thread and a blinking diaphragm that can be switched off. Titles that name Nikon F, M42 and Canon EF together usually mean an adapter is included, so check the rear of the lens itself. Some of the lenses on the market have been converted for video work as ‘cine mods’, with geared rings and EF or PL mounts. They are not factory versions.

Owners differ on how far it must be stopped down. Maruhashi calls Soviet and Ukrainian lenses of this kind sharp when stopped down rather than wide open, and found the Mir-24N lower in contrast and warmer in colour than a modern Nikkor, with colour fringing in backlit branches. One LensTip owner found the wide corners soft even at f/8 to f/11; another found the centre sharp wide open and the frame sharp edge to edge by f/5.6. Owners praise its close focus and its skin tones, and Maruhashi thought it better suited to people than to precise subjects. When buying, check the glass. Digital Camera Watch notes that many Arsenal lenses have specks or uneven coating inside, which the factory instructions say do not affect the picture, and that lenses made as the Soviet Union collapsed are roughly finished. On a Nikon body, mount it gently. The Arsenal bayonet is close to Nikon AI but not identical, and Soviet-era Arsenal lenses can jam on bodies such as the FA, F-301 and F4. The serial numbers seen so far do not follow the Soviet year-prefix rule, so they do not date a lens.

Expand Collapse

This history is AI-written, from the sources listed at the foot of the page. Where the record is silent it says so rather than filling the gap — but no human wrote these sentences.

Example photos

More sample photos elsewhere

zenitcamera's archive page for the Mir-24, with photographs of an MC Mir-24N made at the Vega plant (serial 970594), the MC Mir-24M and an MC Mir-24M kit, and the optical diagram

These photographers keep all rights to their work — enjoy it at the source.

Sample photo wanted — shot with a Mir-24 35mm f/2? We'd love to feature it (with credit).

Live listings

Asking price, USD: a median of $300 across 11 fixed-price listings on 2026-11-10 (middle half $260–$310). First day tracked.

Asking prices from the listings scanned, not sales; junk-flagged rows and auction lots excluded; other currencies are not converted.

MC Mir-24H Mir-24N 2/35 35mm f2 lens, Nikon, Kiev. EXCELLENT — $160.00 · eBay · likely MC-mir-24N
MC Mir-24N 2/35mm Arsenal Auto lens with Nikon mount — $195.00 · eBay · likely MC-mir-24N
MC Mir-24H 35mm 2.0 , Nikon F Mount — €199.00 · eBay · likely MC-mir-24N
MC MIR 24H 2 / 35 mm Objektiv für Nikon F Mount gebraucht — €199.99 · eBay · likely MC-mir-24N
LUMINEUX objectif Nikon F 35mm f2 MIR-24H boîte-bouchons-filtre-pare-soleil TBE/ — €235.00 · eBay · likely MC-mir-24N
MC Mir-24H F2 35mm Soviet SLR Lens * M42 * Canon EF * Nikon F * EOS * AI Mir-24N — $259.88 · eBay · likely MC-mir-24N
[Top MINT+++] Soviet USSR MC MIR-24H 35mm f/2 Wide Angle Camera Lens From JAPAN — $259.99 · eBay · likely MC-mir-24N NEW
Lens USSR MC MIR - 24H 2/35mm Mount Nikon F Soviet Wide Angle lens #890053 — $279.99 · eBay · likely MC-mir-24N
[Top NEUWERTIG+++] Sowjetische UdSSR MC MIR-24H 35 mm f/2 Weitwinkel Kamera... — €261.85 · eBay · likely MC-mir-24N NEW
Sowjetische UdSSR MC MIR-24H MIR-24N Objektiv 35 mm f/2 2/35 Weitwinkel Kamera Kiev Nikon F — £224.91 · eBay · likely MC-mir-24N NEW
Soviet CCCP USSR MC MIR-24H MIR-24N Weitwinkel Kamera Objektiv 35 mm f/2 Kiev Nikon F — £224.91 · eBay · likely MC-mir-24N
Lens USSR MC MIR - 24H 2/35mm Mount Nikon F Soviet Wide Angle lens 932784 — $299.99 · eBay · likely MC-mir-24N
🇺🇦RARE Mir-24N 35 mm Vintage optical Lens Soviet lens Nikon F Ai mount +BLENDA — $300.00 · eBay · likely MC-mir-24N
Nikon Kiev Objektiv MC MIR-24H 35mm f/2 Objektiv für Nikon F AI Mount SHP 311677 — €279.00 · eBay · likely MC-mir-24N
1992 Rare MC Mir 24H (Mir 24N) F2/35 lens Nikon F — $307.86 · eBay · likely MC-mir-24N
MIR MIR-24H 2/35 35mm f/2 manuell Weitwinkel Nikon F Nr. 692469 — €280.00 · eBay · likely MC-mir-24N
Seltenes MC Mir 24H (Mir 24N) F2/35 Objektiv Nikon F von 1992 — £269.90 · eBay · likely MC-mir-24N
Mir 24N 35mm f2.0 Lens for Nikon F Mount Excellent Condition — $449.87 · eBay · likely MC-mir-24N
USSR Lens MC Mir-24M 35/2,0 M42 — $480.00 · eBay
MC Mir-24M 35/2,0 M42 Canon EF Sony wide-angle Prime Lens Zenit Pentax Bessaflex — $495.00 · eBay

Show 1 more listing

MC MIR-24H MIR-24N 35mm f/2 Wide Angle Camera Lens Kiev Nikon F for spare parts — $120.00 · eBay · likely MC-mir-24N junk / for parts

Listings updated 2026-11-10. Links go to the shop or marketplace that carries the item.