[pinholecam] A week with ...... (random ramblings of a lens junkie) - 2015

[pinholecam]

DSC08530-2400 by jenkwang, on Flickr
Perhaps, if I could afford to wait till 7.15pm, the light would fall nicely under the thick clouds and create a better moment, but shooting using 'nobodies time', my window is really limited....


Oh... did I mention that I got to the various spots using bicycle either before or just after work?
Hopefully, that justifies my craziness about going for this small lens over larger/heavier more 'macho' options

 

[pinholecam]

20150129-DSC08557-2400 by jenkwang, on Flickr

Just can't tell about how a sunset will turn out.
I was lamenting about the condition being bad during 4pm with the thick clouds, but what turned out by 7pm was something that was so wonderful.
Sent my girl for lessons and quickly grabbed the gear and bike to the nearest spot that I could think of.

 

[pinholecam]

A start of a beginning by jenkwang, on Flickr

Edit:
W̶i̶t̶h̶o̶u̶t̶ ̶a̶n̶y̶ ̶s̶l̶o̶t̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶b̶e̶t̶w̶e̶e̶n̶ ̶s̶u̶n̶r̶i̶s̶e̶/̶s̶u̶n̶s̶e̶t̶ ̶h̶o̶u̶r̶s̶,̶ ̶i̶t̶ ̶l̶o̶o̶k̶s̶ ̶l̶i̶k̶e̶ ̶I̶ ̶h̶a̶v̶e̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶s̶e̶t̶t̶l̶e̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶ ̶a̶ ̶s̶h̶o̶t̶ ̶f̶r̶o̶m̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶s̶i̶m̶i̶l̶a̶r̶ ̶s̶i̶t̶e̶ ̶a̶s̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶p̶r̶e̶v̶i̶o̶u̶s̶ ̶s̶h̶o̶t̶.̶

Edit :
Changed the last photo for the APAD/APAW.
I seemed to have run out of sunrise/sunset time slots and had to post another photo that I had taken during the weekdays.
But I spoke (typed) too soon it seems.
The weather was good and I decided to bring the kids together with me for some time in the park instead.
Light was wonderful and the sky was clear.
Perhaps not a real landscape shot, but to capture the moments for a photographer is what a lens ought to do too....
It may not be the gorgeous landscape pic to close the use of the lens for the week, but to me, its still the best photo for me as a father.


Personally, the new trend of lens designs are all numerical based and driven by online type lens reviews.
A score card of one up-manship like kids playing soccer cards in the playgound.
My Ronaldo got a "Kick rating " of 8, my Zidane got a "Save score" of 9 .... Yeah!! ... I up you!

But what about the other aspects of a lens.
Size, weight, encumbrance means nothing?
Or even just the joy of use, be it handling, ease of the focus throw or again just the handiness of the lens?

Its these other aspects that sadly is often unmentioned in most lens reviews.
We are left with sharp and fast, the "low lying fruit".
Or rather, thats the only type of fruit that the makers are driven to make nowadays.

Its perhaps why I like some lenses.
Not because of someone online with a review site that agrees with me.
Heck! I think a lot of lenses I like don't even have much lens reviews online being old (and sometimes less well known)
But its really the total user experience, unique qualities that each of such lenses bring that make me reach for them again and again.

I can see that the Pentax M20/4 being one of such lenses.

 

[simon6z]

Sibei poisonous leh hahahaha looking for ones with aperture for my little project, need not be expensive to start so any advice is nice

 

[pinholecam]

Spoke too early about needing to use a shot from one of the weekday shooting sessions.
Managed to get perhaps my most happy photo for the week and updated post #23 with it instead.


Happy weekends everyone!

 

[pinholecam]

Sibei poisonous leh hahahaha looking for ones with aperture for my little project, need not be expensive to start so any advice is nice

Ha..ha...
Do come back every now and then.


Lots of UWA options actually.
Why not just get the Samyang 14?
Imho, except for distortion, its a nice performer for not much.

 

[hjbyeo]

A start of a beginning by jenkwang, on Flickr

Nice shot!

 

[pinholecam]

Nice shot!

Bernard, thanks.

I was lucky to have done the 1 week of photos last week.
This week, the weather ... really CMI

 

[hjbyeo]

Bernard, thanks.

I was lucky to have done the 1 week of photos last week.
This week, the weather ... really CMI

Still got wind! Get moving clouds, do monochrome ... can one.

 

[pinholecam]

Still got wind! Get moving clouds, do monochrome ... can one.

My long exposure skill sucks....
Got to learn more from you.

Move on to next lens for the week.

Man!... too many lenses, not enough time to focus....not healthy...

 

[pinholecam]

A week with the Canon FD100/2


20150201-DSC08781-2400 by jenkwang, on Flickr

The 100mm seems to have fallen from grace as a portrait lens.
Maybe,with the hunger for 'fast' and/or the hunger for 'big and long', it seems what was a classic focal length for portraits has largely been replaced with 85/1.4 and 70-200/2.8 or 135/2 options.
Perhaps too with the switch to digital, 100mm also became rather long (a 150mm or 160mm EQ) to use easily.
Or it might just be that the 100/2.8 macro has become the better dual purpose lens.

Still, the 100mm focal length does have a lot of merit.
Usually optically easier to make than many shorter or longer options, with the benefits of fast aperture and good optical performance at relatively cheap prices.



20150201-DSC08747-2400 by jenkwang, on Flickr

The Canon FD100/2 is one such lens.

4 groups, 6 elements
52mm Filter size
Dimensions :63 x 70 mm
445g

Not a particularly big lens, which makes it a nice short tele option for travels.

 

[pinholecam]

The FD is an orphan mount as Canon introduced the EF mount in 1987, with the last FD camera model in 1992.
Being unusable on any other DSLR, lots of FD lenses can be found at cheap prices.
Prices have gone up a bit due to the introduction of MILC, as these mount the lenses w/o issues nor need for complicated modifications.


100mm can certainly give a good shallow DOF for isolation.


20150201-DSC08777-2400 by jenkwang, on Flickr

Lens is rather ok with flare so long as its no direct into the Sun.
CA is present at wider apertures in high contrast areas, but thats no big deal imo (easily correctable in post in necessary and seldom too offending).



20150206-DSC08805-2400 by jenkwang, on Flickr

The reach of a 100mm of course can be use for people/candids at a shy distance.
It does well to pick out subjects with the subject isolation.
I do find that it tends to get a bit long a working distance though.



20150206-DSC08809-2400 by jenkwang, on Flickr

 

[pinholecam]

Ah Heng executes the 10 piece pawn eating move + checkmate! by jenkwang, on Flickr

I do find that the FD lenses seem to give cool colors.
Some articles or comments on other forums seem to mention that some of the lenses are not color corrected, though I have no idea how true that is.
Comparatively, I find my FD135/2 better and its been commented that its color corrected, so perhaps there is some truth in that...



20150206-DSC08819-2400 by jenkwang, on Flickr



20150206-DSC08816-2400 by jenkwang, on Flickr



Overall, a nice lens, especially if inexpensive.
I don't always go macro on walkabouts with close focus being good enough, so I can live with the lack of the 'macro' on a 100mm.
f2 aperture is great for isolation or lower light, even better when the lens is still a good size and not too heavy.
As this is a FDn lens, mounting is much less clunky too, which is a good thing.

 

[pinholecam]

A week with an Old Proletariat



20150207-DSC08837-2400 by jenkwang, on Flickr

Another 'kit' 50mm lens in its day.
This time, so many were made of it that it remains dirt cheap till this day.
Reputation (or infamy) certainly keeps it low cost.

The FED 1 lens or 50mm f3.5 Industar-10 started life as copy of the Leitz Elmar 50mm f3.5 between 1934-46.
It is mentioned that sometime in the late 40's, with the first KMZ Fed-Zorki cameras being assembled at the KMZ factory in Moscow with collaboration of Fed engineers that the copy of the Leitz Elmar 50mm f3.5 was replaced with Zeiss Tessar 50mm f3.5 in the same collapsible mount.
Probably the same 'spoils of war' that came over as part of the German defeat in WWII as with the Jupiter3,5,8,12 lenses.



20150207-DSC08855-2400 by jenkwang, on Flickr

Lens wise :
LTM mount
Collapsible
Tessar design (4 elements; 3 groups)
8 aperture blades


This is a small lens.
Collapsible in ltm mount.
Very cool.
They sure don't make them like this nowadays...
I won't call it badly made, though more on the functional side than 'jewel' grade.
Nice feel and heft to it despite the size.

 

[pinholecam]

Don't Shoot! Mata Liak (police catch) by jenkwang, on Flickr

Sharpness, wise, esp on the A7 with its thick sensor stack, forget it.
Its mainly center sharp.
Field curvature and the lens own MTF profile does not help at this either.
Its easy to play 'theory phototography' and write off this lens just based on these.
Not to mention the f3.5 starting aperture and lack of coatings.

But imo, in practical use and in trying to think of how to use the lens, its perfectly alright.
Compositions tend to be centered due to the poorer off center, and perhaps I get a clue as to why many old photos took to this way to compose.


20150213-DSC08957-2400 by jenkwang, on Flickr
A hint of the field curvature here. Notice how the vendor on the left is slightly less sharp than the big guy customer in the middle; and how the lady on the right and a bit to the front of focus seems sharper than the vendor.


20150207-DSC08853-2400 by jenkwang, on Flickr

I like the way this lens has a low resistance to front lighting and it produces a nice veil like flare.
Just a certain 'look' to it in BnW.
Add to that, its very low contrast.
Very Very low contrast.
To give an idea, I'd have to pull the blacks in PP like -50 or more to clip the shadows.

 

[newghost]

What a thread! :thumbsup: more please!!!

 

[pinholecam]

What a thread! :thumbsup: more please!!!

Thanks for the support!

 

[pinholecam]

20150208-DSC08930-2400 by jenkwang, on Flickr

I seem to get a glimpse of how people would have shot with this lens in the past.
A slower time from now, where things are at an easy pace and with purpose.
Take out the camera, extend the collapsible lens, set the f-stop, set the camera settings, focus, compose and take a shot.
Film was usually limited, and costly.
Lens technical performance was limited, but to the guy who could even afford one, it did its job.
It took pictures/memories.


20150207-DSC08910-2400 by jenkwang, on Flickr


As with all humble 'kit' lenses, there is often little respect nor thought about it.
Perhaps the Fed 1 is also such a lens.
The old proletariat, trudging on, helping the owner (me) make memories without much grumble.
No fame, no riches, but a job well done.

 

[hjbyeo]

Poison thread w many great images!

 

[Nikonzen]

I am back on board your thread sir...probably my favorite thread here. I love old glass. Thanks again senior for taking the time to educate us!