It is based on the diagonal fisheye optical scheme, i. e.  this is a lens without distortion correction. The lens enables to have a 180° diagonal angle of view.  Thanks to that, the lens makes it possible to take original pictures and provides unique facilities for artistic photography. The Zenitar MC 16 mm  f/ 2.8 lens is one of the best representative of the fish-eye family of lenses in price-quality relationship. The multilayer coating, applied to the lenses, increases light transmission and decreases light diffusion, which ensures good contrast and sharpness of the image, considerably removes halation, flare and light spots even when shooting against the light.The Zenitar MC 16 mm  f/ 2.8 is extremely simple in use even in spite of the absence of autofocus. When focus is set to the hyperfocal distance, from f/ 5.6  onwards the DOF extends from 0.8 m to infinity, and no autofocus is necessary. The lens has an automatic jumping diaphragm that adjusts with the advance defined lens stop value while shooting . It allows to bring the picture into sharp focus at the entirely open diaphragm independent on the lens stop setting.
This unique lens ZENITAR for mirror cameras with the frame size of 24x36 mm and M42 screw mount.