Every year I get cought up in the autumn bokeh again, the leafs turning red. It is one year ago I did the same thing with the Auto-Takumar 85mm/1.9, this year it’s Super-Takumar 85mm/1.9. It’s bokeh suits me for this type of images. I just hope I can grow as photographer even if the motifs are the same ;)

I wonder how you look upon this question, “What makes a good picture?”. I believe it is when the artist manage to communicate a feeling.

This image of grass, I wanted to relay the sence off standing in a field with waving straws, the freedom. One might even start thinking about what happened to the straws not standing up any more: Crop field circle by aliens? Animals having a feast? Winds?

But the image is very simple. I have tried to cut out what I wanted to show and no distractions. That’s why I sometimes have a hard time with photographers who want the biggest effect out of everything, to use the most extreme angle or perspective or color just because they can not because the image needs it. It’s also why I have a hard time with photographers only concerned by technical qualities – they bore me to death. But that’s just me.

This field was made with the 60’s M42-lens aus Jena Sonnar 135mm/3.5 zebra on Canon EOS 350D.

I have read in several places now that Kodachrome production will end. I thought this was old news, but I might be suffering from deja vu. Sad, surely, but I have to admit I never actually used it. But that’s true for many old things which I love, I use them today instead. If you wan’t to read more there’s a thread on MFlenses, feel free to give more source in the comments.

Update:
Tribute on Kodak
On FLickr blog

Jim claims film is dead
Jim was writing the other day that film is dead. But I’m not so sure. Small cameras shops and filmprocessing haven’t really been around here in Swedens smaller towns for a while, and interest is still catching on with young people. I have no proof of that, just a feeling when discussing on the internet and watching price-development for used filmcameras in Sweden.

Good post though, Jim – interesting reading.

New 120mm film
Kodak is releasing the Ektar-film in 120mm format. Wow, that is great news I think. Just to think that there is still film for my old bellow Agfa Isolette makes me happy :)

By the way…, I’m no filmfanatic, I love digital too ;)

Ripped film

I was thinking today about what makes a good lens? Well, I don’t believe there is a straight answer to that question. I know some photographers think in terms of resolution, sharpness and charts. But I don’t want to take images where everything is sharp, that would be boring to me eventhough I can respect others who do that sort of thing. I don’t believe art can be measured in charts.

My point is what you look for in a lens is subjective, but here is what I like:

• Bokeh
  I started of as a painter (and still look upon myself as one eventhough it has been ages since I painted anything). I want soft transitions, a painty feeling. Bokeh is very important to me in a lens. I often try to use the contrast between soft and sharp.
  
  

  Butterbokeh of tha Auto-Takumar 85mm/1.8

• Build quality
  My theory is if I like the feeling of the lens, holding it and looking trough it, I will take better pictures becuase I can feel comfortable with the tool. I like the feeling of the lenses I keep, if I don’t like the feel I usually sell it.
  
  

  Yashica MC Zoom 35-70mm 3.5-4.5

• Speed
  A faster f-stop make the viewfinder brighter. This is important if you use manual lenses like I do, brighter viewfinder means easier to focus. But sometimes there can be other reasons – some of my f3.5 lenses give a clearer, brighter viewfinder then others.
  
  

  Yashica ML 50mm/1.4

• Colours
  Contrasty, saturated? Actually I can see the use of most qualities here for different occasions, but I tend to like saturated colours or black and white photographs with good contrast.
  
  

  Colours of the S-M-C Takumar 55mm/1.8

• Sharpness
  Ok. Sometimes I want to make a sharp image to, or at least a part of it.
  
  

  Waterline with Yashica Zoom

• Peculiarity
  Some lenses you just got to love. Like the Industar 50-2, small baby pancake and silly looking. Russian-improved tessar ;) That lens has personality.
  Or the Yashinon-DX 50mm/1.7 with it’s silver frontrim, it’s buttery bokeh and sharp details. Made by Tomioka.
  I guess the header for this paragraph could also be “personality”.
  
  

  Industar 50-2 on Zenit ET

The last year was a big one for my photography, I discovered a new world in 2008. I’m talking of manual lenses and old cameras, but also my own views and skills in photography.

The start of this blog
24th July – Installation and first post (modest) on Retrocamera.net as an international version of my swedish blog. At the end of the year – 21st December – I reached 4500 unique visitors on my article “5 reasons I love manual lenses”

Retrocamera article

Winning a contest
21st – 27th July I participated in a contest in Sweden which I won. One picture a day from nature, for seven days. Partly using manual gear. I was very proud of this, since the competition was some photographers I respect.

Set with the 7 images I won with

Circle of lenses
I started cheap last spring trying Pentacon 29mm/2.8 on and ended testing Yashica ML 50mm/1.4 on the same spot in the woods. I have reached a collection of lenses I like, except for long telephoto.

With Pentacon 29mm in march 2008

With Yashica ML 50mm/1.4 december 2008

1000 posts on YashicaForum.com
During the year two brands in particular caught my attention, Asahi (Takumar) and Yashica. Asahi/Takumar/Pentax sites exists, but I wondered why there was no YashicaForum.com so I decided to start it. Before new year we reached over 1000 posts and 77 members.

YashicaForum

What does 2009 have in mind?
Well, looks like I will participate in at least two exhibitions, of which one is my own. Me, me and myself ;)

Have a good year 2009!

For us with this kind of condition I’ve put together a list of 10 signs you got GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome). This particular variant, CameraGAS, is a condition which some of us interested in old cameras develop ;)

• You have more cameras and lenses then you can use, but can’t help yourself placing a bid on that fantastic lens 50mm/1.4 lens from your favorite maker.
• You are a member of forum.mflenses.com, forum.manualfocus.org, www.yashicaforum.com, www.rangefinderforum.com, www.pentaxforums.com, and all the right Flickr-groups.
• You have great trouble every day choosing which cameras and lenses to take with you outside.
• You buy a lens not because you need it, but because you want to “save” it from being unsold or a worse faith.
• The main argument when you buy a DSLR is “Which adapter can I put on this thing?”
• You buy two copies of a camera or lens, one in great condition and one for spare parts…. or two in great condition.
• You have more then 5 normal primes (50mm-lenses).
• A lot of items on your christmas wishlist is links to ebay auctions.
• You’re thinking about investing of a large toolkit for repairs on cameras and lenses.
• You run several websites about old cameras and lenses… hmmm

Maybe a list like mine is signs you got small GAS-condition? ;)

Shoppingwindow Leica

Some links for you, to support your GAS:

Camera Junkie (Gear Acquisition Syndrome) @ Flickr
Camera Junkie (Gear Acquisition Syndrome) @ Ipernity

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:

• Full control
  • The AF-troubles

    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.

  • Slim or fat lenses?

    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.

  • Manual aperture

    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

• Price

  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

• Build quality

  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.

• Bokeh

  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

• The myth, “newer is better”

  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.