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Production
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Country
Japan
Optical
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Updated
Jul 13, 2026
Petri Petri 55mm f1.8
M42 · 55mm · f/1.8
AI-assisted · from real reviewsUpdated 13 Jul 2026
Overview
The Petri C.C. Auto 55mm f/1.8 was Petri's standard prime for the M42 screw-mount era, made by Japan's Petri Camera Company as the 'normal' lens bundled with or offered alongside its SLR bodies. Like most Japanese standard fifties of its generation, it was designed to be the affordable everyday optic — competent, fast enough for available-light work, and built to last. What sets its reputation apart is not marketing but word of mouth: the very same optical unit was rebadged and sold under other names, including Carenar (as a 55/1.7-1.8) and Exaktar/Exactar in M42, so many photographers have shot this glass without realizing it was a Petri underneath. Community jargon around it is consistent and genuine: reviewers and forum members repeatedly call it a 'sleeper' and an 'underdog' — a lens that quietly exceeds the low expectations set by the Petri name. There is no glamorous cult nickname like 'Bokeh Monster' or 'Radioactive' attached to it; its following is grounded in the surprise of buyers who expected a mediocre budget fifty and instead found a genuinely sharp, well-rendering lens. The affection is real enough that at least one user regretted selling a copy and bought another — a small but telling detail about how the lens grows on people who use it.
Verdict: The Petri 55mm f/1.8 is a genuine sleeper: a tank-built, sharp standard fifty whose corner-to-corner performance and smooth, honest bokeh reward anyone willing to look past the modest Petri name (or its Carenar/Exaktar rebadges). It is for the value-minded manual-focus shooter who wants a dependable everyday fifty with pleasing rendering and doesn't need the last increment of bokeh polish that the SMC Takumar 55mm f/1.8 provides. Expect a slightly softer, lower-contrast look wide open that firms up beautifully stopped down — a characterful, underrated optic rather than a flashy legend.
Optical Character
Bokeh
Smooth and mild out-of-focus rendering, pleasing for an f/1.8 lens and good with transparent surfaces, though rated 'not the best but still good' and a notch behind the SMC Takumar 55mm f/1.8.
Sharpness wide open
Sharp with next to no corner softness even wide open and good rendering at all apertures; slightly lighter and lower in contrast in the centre at f/1.8, which cleans up stopped down.
Contrast
Good across all apertures but loses some contrast wide open at f/1.8, firming up as it is stopped down.
Vignetting
No classic corner falloff reported; the centre appears a little lighter and loses some brightness at f/1.8, easing when stopped down.
Community Insights
What people love
- The 'sleeper/underdog' surprise: buyers expecting a mediocre budget Petri fifty find a genuinely sharp, well-rendering lens that exceeds expectations
- Excellent sharpness with next to no corner softness even wide open, and good rendering at every aperture
- Smooth, mild bokeh that is pleasing for an f/1.8 lens, plus notably good rendering of transparent surfaces
- Tank-like build quality and a nice handling feel that make it satisfying to use
- The value angle — the same optic appears rebadged as Carenar and Exaktar/Exactar, so this rendering can be found cheaply under several names
- Enough charm that at least one owner rebought a copy after regretting the sale
What people dislike
- Wide open at f/1.8 it loses some contrast and the centre looks a little lighter and lower in brightness
- Its bokeh, while good, is rated a notch behind the class benchmark SMC Takumar 55mm f/1.8
- Not the most refined-looking lens despite the solid build
- Some copies have clickless (de-clicked or click-less) apertures, which not everyone wants
Pro Tips
- If you want maximum contrast and even centre brightness, stop down slightly from f/1.8 — the wide-open frame is sharp but a touch softer in contrast and slightly lighter in the middle
- Shoot it wide open when you want the smooth, mild bokeh and subject separation; it holds sharpness well even at f/1.8 so you rarely need to close down for detail
- Lean on its strong across-the-frame sharpness for scenes with detail into the corners — it needs little stopping down to render evenly
- Take advantage of its clean rendering of transparent surfaces (glass, water, reflections) where it performs notably well
- If your copy has a clickless aperture, set exposure carefully by feel or by meter since there are no detents to confirm the f-stop
Compatible Adapters
Real adapters from our shop that fit this lens mount.
Standard · ฿325 · In stock
Standard · ฿325 · In stock
Standard · ฿325 · In stock
Standard · ฿325 · In stock
Standard · ฿540 · In stock
Standard · ฿540 · In stock
Standard · ฿540 · In stock
Standard · ฿540 · In stock
Standard · ฿540 · In stock
Standard · ฿1,250 · In stock
Standard · ฿890 · Out of stock
Standard · ฿890 · Out of stock
Sources (3)
Petri 55mm f/1.8 C.C Auto M42 Review — bkspicture.com-
http://bkspicture.com/blog/review_Petri_55mm_f1.8_C.C_Auto_M42.html
Petri C.C. Auto 55mm f1.8 — MFlenses forum-
https://forum.mflenses.com/petri-c-c-auto-55mm-f1-8-t82260.html
Web-grounded synthesissecondary
The Petri C.C. Auto 55mm f/1.8 was Petri's standard prime for the M42 screw-mount era, made by Japan's Petri Camera Company as the 'normal' lens bundled with or offered alongside its SLR bodies. Like most Japanese standard fifties of its generation, it was designed to be the affordable everyday optic — competent, fast enough for available-light work, and built to last. What sets its reputation apart is not marketing but word of mouth: the very same optical unit was rebadged and sold under other names, including Carenar (as a 55/1.7-1.8) and Exaktar/Exactar in M42, so many photographers have shot this glass without realizing it was a Petri underneath. Community jargon around it is consistent and genuine: reviewers and forum members repeatedly call it a 'sleeper' and an 'underdog' — a lens that quietly exceeds the low expectations set by the Petri name. There is no glamorous cult nickname like 'Bokeh Monster' or 'Radioactive' attached to it; its following is grounded in the surprise of buyers who expected a mediocre budget fifty and instead found a genuinely sharp, well-rendering lens. The affection is real enough that at least one user regretted selling a copy and bought another — a small but telling detail about how the lens grows on people who use it.
http://bkspicture.com/blog/review_Petri_55mm_f1.8_C.C_Auto_M42.htmlhttps://forum.mflenses.com/petri-c-c-auto-55mm-f1-8-t82260.html