Show the Old Glass Some New Love
Article by: Miserere
A few months ago I bought my first car at the ripe old age of 33. As a teenager I dreamt of one day owning a Porsche, or a Lamborghini, or why not a Ferrari? Dreaming was free, and it still is! But nowadays I find myself doing a lot less of it. As you grow up you realise that being practical and realistic is necessary if you hope to stay out of debt. In view of this, I left my childhood dreams parked to one side, so to speak, while my wife and I figured out what car to buy. It was her in the end who found what we needed: a '95 German beauty with 200k and a price tag lower than a Nikon D3. Sure, it's an old car, and it's been well used, but much like a classic, well-kept Zeiss lens, it still runs smoothly, is solid, classy, dependable, and a joy to use. I don't need no stinkin' Porsche!
One can approach photography in much the same fashion, settling for classic lenses that, while not offering most of the perks and commodities of their modern counterparts, can rival them in optical quality. At the end of the day, it's the pictures you take that matter, right?
I enjoy reading about all the latest photographic gizmos that are released each season as much as the next photography nerd. I like knowing what cameras the other companies are releasing, hearing all the rumours about future Pentax lenses, and reading the tests and reviews that come out in print and online. However, while I want to know about all the technicalities and innovations, I rarely identify with the products being reviewed because I know I'll never get to use them. I'm a budget shooter, and I know I'm not alone. Not many of us Pentax users can afford to shell out several hundred dollars for a DA* or Limited lens, because many simply cannot shoulder the expense. It is for these people that I write this week’s article.
One of the reasons I was attracted to Pentax was the backwards compatibility that the system offers, which is unrivalled in the mainstream DSLR world. Not only that, but given that the K mount was so popular in the 70s and 80s, there is an abundance of old K mount glass in the used market manufactured by third party brands. Add to this the huge amount of lens models Pentax itself released, and you have the largest assortment of lenses to choose from of any camera company ever. So why not make the most of it? Following are pictures I took with some old lenses that have crossed my path, which to me are like old German cars. They're not expensive, they're not flashy, but they deliver the goods and get the job done. They’re fun to use too! And I’m willing to bet you have never heard of some of them.
Sigma Super-Wide II 24mm f/2.8
Article by: Miserere
A few months ago I bought my first car at the ripe old age of 33. As a teenager I dreamt of one day owning a Porsche, or a Lamborghini, or why not a Ferrari? Dreaming was free, and it still is! But nowadays I find myself doing a lot less of it. As you grow up you realise that being practical and realistic is necessary if you hope to stay out of debt. In view of this, I left my childhood dreams parked to one side, so to speak, while my wife and I figured out what car to buy. It was her in the end who found what we needed: a '95 German beauty with 200k and a price tag lower than a Nikon D3. Sure, it's an old car, and it's been well used, but much like a classic, well-kept Zeiss lens, it still runs smoothly, is solid, classy, dependable, and a joy to use. I don't need no stinkin' Porsche!
One can approach photography in much the same fashion, settling for classic lenses that, while not offering most of the perks and commodities of their modern counterparts, can rival them in optical quality. At the end of the day, it's the pictures you take that matter, right?
I enjoy reading about all the latest photographic gizmos that are released each season as much as the next photography nerd. I like knowing what cameras the other companies are releasing, hearing all the rumours about future Pentax lenses, and reading the tests and reviews that come out in print and online. However, while I want to know about all the technicalities and innovations, I rarely identify with the products being reviewed because I know I'll never get to use them. I'm a budget shooter, and I know I'm not alone. Not many of us Pentax users can afford to shell out several hundred dollars for a DA* or Limited lens, because many simply cannot shoulder the expense. It is for these people that I write this week’s article.
One of the reasons I was attracted to Pentax was the backwards compatibility that the system offers, which is unrivalled in the mainstream DSLR world. Not only that, but given that the K mount was so popular in the 70s and 80s, there is an abundance of old K mount glass in the used market manufactured by third party brands. Add to this the huge amount of lens models Pentax itself released, and you have the largest assortment of lenses to choose from of any camera company ever. So why not make the most of it? Following are pictures I took with some old lenses that have crossed my path, which to me are like old German cars. They're not expensive, they're not flashy, but they deliver the goods and get the job done. They’re fun to use too! And I’m willing to bet you have never heard of some of them.
Sigma Super-Wide II 24mm f/2.8
Flowers finally start to bloom in the New England Spring.Toyo Optics 28mm f/2.8
The Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles makes for some great abstract photography:Tokina 28-70mm f/2.8-4.3
Menacing clouds herald a spring storm for Boston. This photo is hanging on my wall as an 18x22.5 poster.
Pentax 45-125mm f/4
When a baby Robin decides to sunbathe outside your office window, how can you not take a picture?Hanimex 200mm f/3.5 (M42 mount)
The innocent joy in a child’s face is best captured unobtrusively from a distance with a long, fast prime.
Sigma CAT 400mm f/5.6
A mummy mocking bird feeds a berry to her chick; another situation when a long, fast prime is imperative.
This is a small sample of lenses compared to what is out there, so next time you come across a lens of dubious heritage in a shop, auction or ad, don't scoff at it. Remember that one day, long ago, that lens was loved and made someone happy with the pictures it took, and now, for the price of a few coffees you can make it yours. Buy it, go out for a test drive, take it around the block a few times, and revel in how smoothly it runs. And what about the photos? Are they any good? I bet they are!
But beware, if you're not careful you might find yourself sitting on the couch on a rainy Sunday morning leafing through the 'classic autos' section of your local newspaper.
Thank you for reading,
Miserere
6 comments:
Right on Miserere.
I have a collection of old lenses as well and although I have never posted any pictures taken with them on this blog, I truely enjoy taking pictures with old lenses. The fact that they are manual lenses, forces you to think a little more before pressing that shutter release. The results are rarely bad. As for the quality of newer lenses, they may surpass the old M42 mounts and manual K mounts, but that's why we have the Lightroom and photodhop of the world. It's all about composition.
Congrats on this article. I really like it.
Nice article, thanks! I can certainly agree with that, some of my favorite pictures were taken with either Stak 135mm/f3.5 in M42 mount or my Vivitar 105mm/f2.5 series one macro, PK mount. Quality glass is quality glass anyway...
See this auto-portrait or this bug for examples. Or that one taken with the Stak...
Glad you liked it, Yvon.
Roberto, nice bubble and bug! It's all about knowing how to use what you have, which you obviously do :-)
Miss, That is is nice work...bravo.
Hi Yvon
Just a note to say thanks for a geat blog site.
In the past I have had several Pextaxes - S2, S3, Spotmatic, P30, SFX (known in US as SX1) and have had a K10D for some two months. What a change. Suddenly over 200 pages of instructions! Read most of the reviews and got the kit 18-55 and the 50-200.
Well I got bitten! Viewed the photodo reviews - 5 user ratings four extatic one scathing and felt the 50-200 was a good buy. Sad to say a series of shots at full aperture and 200mm showed very poor definition. This is comfirmed by the photozone Imatest results and review. What I should have done was up the ISO and reduced the aperture to f8. The problem was I broke the unwritten rule of not using lenses either wide open or nearly closed it good resolution is desired.
This brings me to that great article "Show the Old Glass Some New Love". I thought this was terrific! As you noted in anotther article the only area we are interested in is a 14mm circle compared with 21mm for full frame. There are no doubt many lenses which have been downgraded because of viginetting or poor edge detail. I've been giving my old lenses a try and am amased at some of the good results. Some old glass has now become new glass and will save me heaps.
regards
John
John, I'm glad you like my article, and I'm even happier that you're discovering the virtues of using some of your old lenses on your Pentax DSLR.
Post a Comment