Archive for December, 2008
As seen in the article “Digital to Analog, and Back” on Luminous Landscape, more people then me make use of the old ways ;) After reading my previous post “5 reasons I love manual lenses”, martin on YashicaForum.com gave the link to Stefan Heijdendael’s article from 2004. Thanks for the tip, martin!
I use manual lenses on my digital camera and love it, and I want to share with you the reasons for this. Manual in this case means manual focusing and aperture. My lenses are old, made between the 60′s and the 90′s. Here are my reasons:
I always had trouble using autofocus, I often missed and lost images due to unfriendly auto-focuses. Could be I just had crappy AF-lenses, but to get a good one I would need to spend a ridiculous amount of money on something I probably won’t use.
The autofocus also need space in the lens, making them bigger. If you try an old manual lens for the first time you might be surprised how slim they can be.
Most of the lenses have manual aperture, but that doesn’t make much difference to me. I used to set aperture with a button, now I do it with a ring. I use M or AV-mode on the camera.
Yashica ML 50mm/2
Non-AF lenses sells for next to nothing, even if they are good. Some of my best lenses was purchased for $10. Some lenses can cost more, that is usually makers that are still in business (and well known) or those that have some cult value like some of the russian lenses. Zeiss and Leica also cost a lot. With Zeiss you can try to get one marked “aus Jena”, this was made in the east for the export market and not allowed to use the “Carl Zeiss” name so they just labelled it “aus Jena”.
A few bucks
No modern lens I have tried can match the feeling of the metal and glass in a an old Asahi-lens, turning the focusing ring feels like an expensive precision tool. The same goes for some of my Yashica/Yashinon lenses. This is of course only true for some makers and models. You need to know how to choose the right lens (or ask for help on forums). And, it almost goes without saying, you need one that has been well preserved and taken care of.
I feel many old quality lenses have very good bokeh. Two of my favourite lenses are very sharp but also have amazing bokeh and colours. Yet they are single coated.
“But hey, single coated lenses are crap I’ve been told”
No they are not, it’s a silly assumption that can be sorted under the next point on my list – the “newer is better myth”.
Bumblebee with bokeh
As I said, some of my favourite lenses are not multi coated. I have to admit I’m a bit satisfied that I’ve seen through the myth that “newer is always better“. Now hear this: Of all my favourite photographers, none of them used the latest camera of today… so why should I need to?
The term “better” is subjective, my preferred properties might not be yours. The lensmakers might be trying to build lenses without the properties I like. On top of that, some new expensive lenses have the same optical formula as they did in the 60′s and 70′s! :)
It is not the camera that makes the photographer, the camera is only a tool that can help. I’ve seen some people suggesting professionals needed to buy the absolutely latest just to show how professional they are (this was in a discussion on Nikon Dx3). That was one of the most stupid things I ever read! the professional photographer would get most value to his company and make great IMAGES. Not show other photographers who big his ***** … oh, sorry camera/lens is.
The herd will pay for anything new
Image from WikiMedia Commons by 3268zauber, CC-license
But here’s a slight problem. I don’t like The myth, but it’s what’s keeping prices down. Since I started with old lenses, prices has been rising. Worrying. Indeed.
Disclaimer: Some old lenses are simply crap, precisely like some new lenses.
Here you can find a list of manual lenses I use and like. If you want to read other sites there is a lot of goodies under the links-page.
This sunflower was made with Asahi Super-Takumar 28mm/3.5 and now I got it in as stockphoto at Fotolia. It interesting in two ways, first of all I don’t think I’m normally a stockphoto guy. Dark, blurry nature images don’t make good stockphoto ;) I then it’s made with an old manual M42-lens. This 28mm-lens is good but if you get one try to look up serialnumbers first and get a late made one as it can be a big difference in quality.
Sunflower against blue sky
So if you want to buy my Super-Takumar sunflower as stockphoto, spend a dollar at Fotolia :)
This weekend its has been a lot of snow here, as you might have noticed on previous image :) Haven’t had much chance to photograph, but I got a hot of this trees heavy branches. As I sad, I’m going to town tomorrow and hope to get the chance to shoot some streetphotos.
Snow on branches
I like this zoom (Yashica MC 35-70mm 3.5-4.5). Did som portraits that feelt good this weekend, sharp. This image below might not show that much from the zooms qualities, but I like the feeling of the image. My wife is pulling the little plastic sledge with my dayghter.
Sledge with Yashica zoom
I’m going to take the zoom in to town tomorrow, if I will be able to carry it with everyting else.
A linktip today, I have a wrynecktorticollis (is that the english word?) so no photographing this friday.
Check out Robs blog. He’s a frequent poster on MFlenses.com and ManualFocusForum.
As you might notice Rob has some images form a church there. I love churches eventhough I’m an atheist. I specially like cistercian abbeys, they way they built for the light. One of my favorite books are “Cistercian Abbeys: History and architecture” by Jean-Francois Leroux-Dhuys and Photographs By Henri Gaud, great photographs in there.
While I feel inspired, here’s a perfomence made by the Tallis Scholars. Last year I bought their christmas recording, time to take it out from the shelf again :)
I was just wondering why my statistics dived. Now I discovered my htaccess-file was broken so no links on the site worked *doh*
Well, it’s fixed now anyways.
Below, “Window with a view” shot with Yashica DSB 50mm/1.9 in October.
Window with a view
Do you remember the project I wrote about – Something new from DIYPhotography? You swap gear temporarily with a photobuddy. It’s ten days left on the deadline. If you live in the city, I think you should give it a try. Here are some ideas on how to do it.
I’m trying myself, but we’ll see if I make it in time. I need to go on a photowalk with Susanne (if she want’s to? :) ), shoot a roll of film, develop it, write about it…
Something New
Maybe a reader could get the impression I like all lenses? ;) Well, I try to see the good and bad in them all, what to use them for, what properties do they have? But some are easier to love then others…
Auto Takumar 85mm/1.8 on Pentax Spotmatic Camera
The purchase
I bought this lens Asahi Auto Takumar 85mm/1.8 from my friend Daniel together with another lens. I guess this was about 800 SEK (approximately 76€, $98, £66 at the moment of writing) of the price, a bargain because I have later seen it on ebay for about $200. This is in good condition, only problem was a little stiff aperture ring but it loosened up with some exercise. Normal wear on hood and mount. A couple of other friends here in Örebro also bought lenses from Daniel at the same time and he shipped them all to me, so we had a little package-opener party.
Read the full article "Review of Asahi Auto Takumar…" »
I’m giving WordPress 2.7 RC 1 a try on Retrocamera.net, I have also installed new statistic in the Piwik application. In the future maybe I’ll get some new exciting features to the blog :)