MC Yantar-14N Macro 28–85mm f/2.8–4
Arsenal · Nikon F · 1985
Also known as: Yantar-14N · Yantar 14N · Yantar-14 · Yantar 14 · MC Yantar-14N · MC Yantar-14N Macro · Yantar-14N Macro · Yantar-14N 28-85mm · Yantar 28-85 · Янтарь-14 · Янтарь-14Н · МС Янтарь-14Н · Янтарь 14Н
Variants & identification
| Variant | Mount | Years | Serial ranges | Production |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MC Yantar-14N Macro 2,8-4/28-82 (1985 batch) | Nikon F | 1985–1985 | — | A small batch (Abramov); no figure published |
| MC Yantar-14N Macro 2,8-4/28-85 | Nikon F | 1985–1991 | #900034 — 1990 (Leitz Photographica Auction, lot 507, catalogued as made in 1990) | — |
- Maximum aperture. Abramov gives 2.8–4 for both versions, as does the Leitz Photographica Auction catalogue (2.8-4/28-85mm). English Wikipedia's list of lenses for the Kiev F-mount SLRs gives f/2.8–3.5. The structured field carries the f/2.8 wide end, on which all agree; the long end is recorded as 4 on the strength of the two sources that give it.
- Abramov's specification: N bayonet, closest focus 1.2 m, M67×0.75 filter thread, 14 elements, angle of view 75–29°, 650 g (595 g by other data). The group count of 10 is Leitz Photographica Auction's, not his.
- The "Macro" in the name. None of the sources cited here gives a macro range, a reproduction ratio or a close-focus mode distinct from the 1.2 m minimum. The word is the factory's; what it delivers is unconfirmed here.
- End date. Abramov gives 1991, Leitz Photographica Auction 1990. Both are recorded; the family span uses Abramov's.
- Market. Leitz Photographica Auction offered #900034 (condition A/B, described near mint) in auction 47 with an estimate of €5,000–6,000 and a starting price of €3,000; it is listed as unsold. That is an auction estimate, not a sale and not a list price; no period rouble price was found.
How to tell them apart
- MC Yantar-14N (МС Янтарь-14Н) with 'Macro' in the name; the N is the Arsenal Nikon F bayonet letter
- 67 mm filter thread (M67×0.75) and a 1.2 m closest focus (Abramov)
- 650 g in Abramov's specification, 595 g by another figure he reports
MC Yantar-14N Macro 2,8-4/28-82 (1985 batch):
- Focal range read as 28-82 rather than 28-85. Abramov gives these as the parameters the lens was first presented and issued with; none of the sources cited shows a photograph of a lens marked 28-82, so this is the expected marking rather than an observed one
- Serial should begin 85 if the Soviet year-prefix convention holds for it (first two digits = year)
MC Yantar-14N Macro 2,8-4/28-85:
- Focal range read as 28-85; Abramov cites the revised technical specification (TU) of 1989 as evidence of the 28-85 figures
- Nikon F bayonet (the Arsenal 'N' letter after the name), the mount of the Kiev-17, 19 and 20
- MC Yantar-14N Macro 2,8-4/28-82 (1985 batch): G. Abramov's reference history of Soviet camera and lens making says the lens was first presented as a 2.8–4/28–82 and that a small batch was even released with those parameters in 1985, before it was made as a 28–85. He thinks the optical construction was hardly changed, which is why both sit on one page here. The illustration on his page is taken from the magazine Sovetskoe Foto.
- MC Yantar-14N Macro 2,8-4/28-85: The production version. Abramov dates the lens 1985–1991 and cites the TU revised in 1989 as evidence of the 28–85 figures; Leitz Photographica Auction's catalogue gives the small series as 1985–1990. The one example published with a serial, #900034, was catalogued as a 1990 lens, which agrees with the year prefix.
Serial-range notes
- the first two digits
- On Soviet lenses the first two digits of the serial are normally the year of manufacture. The one Yantar-14N published with a number, #900034, is catalogued by Leitz Photographica Auction as a 1990 lens, so the rule holds there; no other serials have been published, and no production total either.
Specifications
- Formula
- Zoom, 14 elements (10 groups per Leitz Photographica Auction)
- Construction
- 14 elements / 10 groups
- Aperture range
- f/2.8
- Min. focus
- 1.2 m
- Weight
- 650 g
- Filter
- 67 mm (0.75 mm pitch)
- Years manufactured
- 1985–1991
- Country
- Soviet Union (Ukrainian SSR: Arsenal, Kiev)
- Coating
- Multicoated (MC)
What reviewers say
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History
The MC Yantar-14N Macro is an Arsenal zoom for the Nikon F bayonet that the factory adopted for its Kiev-17, Kiev-19 and Kiev-20 SLRs: a 2.8–4/28–85 with fourteen elements, a 67 mm filter thread and a closest focus of 1.2 m. The N after the name is Arsenal’s letter for that bayonet. G. Abramov, whose reference history of Soviet camera and lens making is the main source for it, dates it 1985–1991. Leitz Photographica Auction describes it as made in a small series from 1985 to 1990, only a few each year, because the optics were complex and costly to build.
It came in two forms that differ on paper rather than in the glass. Abramov says the lens was first announced as a 2.8–4/28–82, and that a small batch was released with those figures in 1985. It was then made as a 2.8–4/28–85, which he says the revised technical specification of 1989 also shows. He thinks the optical construction was hardly altered, so a 28–82 and a 28–85 are best read as the same zoom under two specifications. None of the sources cited shows a photograph of a lens marked 28–82. Sources disagree on the maximum aperture at the long end: Abramov and the Leitz catalogue give f/4, while English Wikipedia’s list of Kiev F-mount lenses gives f/2.8–3.5.
Few have been documented. The one example published with a serial, #900034, was catalogued by Leitz Photographica Auction as a 1990 lens in Kiev-19 (Nikon) mount. It was estimated at €5,000–6,000, opened at €3,000, and did not sell. That is an auction estimate, not a price anyone paid. When buying, read the focal range engraved on the front ring, check that the serial’s first two digits fit a 1985–1991 lens, and remember that the “Macro” in the name is the factory’s word: none of the sources cited here gives a reproduction ratio for it. Do not confuse it with the MC Yantar-20N 35–200 or the Granit-11N 80–200, Arsenal’s other Nikon-mount zooms of the period.
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
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