• Anemone nemorosa with the solid Pentacon 50/1.8
• Early spring flower with preset Takumar lens
• Hepatica nobilis with Super-Takumar 28mm/3.5 and macroring
• Even closer with the Super-Takumar 28mm/3.5
• Review of Pentacon Auto 29mm / 2.8 m42

• Point your lens at the sun
• Colourphotos with Yashica J-7
• What makes a good picture?
• The hazards in the life of a naturephotographer
• Spring setback

Praktica LTL with Pentacon 50mm/1.8

Unfortunately the filtererings on the lens was bad, dented. I fixed it by smashing a greenfilter and attached to the lens. Not great for collectors probably, but I like to use this m42 lens… with filters and hood :)

• Review of Pentacon Auto 50mm/1.8
• Miracles from the fleemarket – Pentacon tulip
• Review of Pentacon Auto 29mm / 2.8 m42
• Review of Pentacon Electric 135mm f2.8 M42
• Funny retro commercials for Praktica

Mosquito resurrection

It has been dark for so long

And it’s so small, this little russian Tessar-formula M42-lens. Here it is on the small film SLR Canon EOS 300V:

• What makes a good lens?
• Is film dead? A thought and Ektar 120mm
• Review of Yashica ML 50mm/2
• A day with Yashinon-DX 50mm/1.7
• Scans from Yashica J-7 on Tri-X images

Below, “Window with a view” shot with Yashica DSB 50mm/1.9 in October.

Window with a view

• Miracles from the fleemarket – Pentacon tulip
• Photolinks, part 1
• International film buying day
• New site for old camera gear
• Hepatica nobilis with Super-Takumar 28mm/3.5 and macroring

Yashica ML 50mm/2 Front

The purchase
I got this lens from Richard for free – thanks :) I also bought one on swedish ebay Tradera, just because it was so cheap and I didn’t wan’t it to go unsold. They are easy to find, buy one if you can!

Side of the lens Yashica ML 50mm/f2

The lens
This is perhaps the most common Yashica ML 50mm lens, but there are other faster versions also f1.4, f1.7, f1.9. It is small in size. The build quality seems good – turning rings feels smooth and reminds me of the feeling with some Pentax-lenses. It is multicoated and fully manual (it has no auto/manual-swtich or preset or anything like that). It is Contax/Yashica-mount so you need such a camera or adapter. I have used the lens on a Canon EOS 350D, for which I bought an adapter from China.

Mount of this manual lens

Results
It’s very sharp. The bokeh is soft and wideopen it reminds me of some russian lenses, with almost a spinning feeling in the background. Good saturated colours. It gives a clear bright image in the viewfinder to focus on. Imagewise I can’t find anything to complain about with this lens.

Yashica ML 50 f2 from front

The Yashica ML 50mm/2 is small. The size feels nice but there is one thing that can be annoying sometimes: the aperturering is the most inner thing on the lens, that is it sist nearest the camerabody and can be hard to get a grip on. The focusring is easy to grip and feels very well built.

As mentioned above there are faster Yashica ML 50mm. However, I think many underestimates this lens because it’s the slowest in the series. In fact I think it can match many faster lenses I’ve tried.

Images

Bokeh example

Long exposure on water

Tree and branch

Autumn tree

Ice with bokeh

Post your Yashica ML 50mm/2 images on YashicaForum.com :)

Pros

+ Sharp, like most wide and normal ML-lenses I’ve tried.
+ Good bokeh, similar to some expensive russian lenses.
+ Saturated colours.

Cons

- Not the fastest 50mm lens, but f2 is often enough.
- Aperture ring very close mount (and therefore camerabody).

Reading & images
On pbase
My flickr-set

• Review of Asahi Super-Takumar 135mm/3.5 M42-lens
• Review of Pentax Super Takumar 35mm/3.5
• Review of Yashica MC Zoom 35-70mm/3.5-4.5
• Review of Asahi S-M-C Takumar 55mm/1.8
• Review of Auto Yashinon-DX 50mm/1.7 m42-lens

Flowers with Yashica DSB 50mm/1.9

I will soon post some more on the yashicaforum.

• Review of Tele-Tokina 105mm/2.8 preset T2
• Autumnleafs with Yashica DSB 50mm/1.9
• 5 reasons I love manual lenses
• Review of Yashica MC Zoom 35-70mm/3.5-4.5
• Review of Yashica ML 50mm/2

Tree against clouds

Tree genitals

Berries with bokeh

• Yashinon DX 50mm f1.7 – interesting bokeh
• Review of Yashica ML 50mm/2
• Review of Pentax Super Takumar 35mm/3.5
• Cold bokeh with Yashica ML 50mm/1.4
• Review of Tele-Tokina 105mm/2.8 preset T2

Yashinon DX 50mm/1.7 berries

• First try with Yashica ML 50mm/f2
• Review of Yashica ML 50mm/2
• Point your lens at the sun
• Bokeh – what is that?
• Review of Carl Zeiss Jena Sonnar 135mm/3.5 Zebra