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

[hjbyeo]

20150531-DSC03452 by jenkwang, on Flickr

Lens character is interesting.
I find that its almost like a Helios 44 (58/2 Biotar), only that its more controlled, better off center, less exaggerated swirly bokeh at large apertures.
That same painterly OOF rendering used up close and that swirly bokeh in some situations.
The swirl seems less in a good way, imo, providing that hint of interest (and sometimes centering the subject) while not too much to be funky.

Lens sharpens up well off center, gradually at f2.8 and plenty fine all round by f8.
I just wonder if it can be better once I send my A7 for a thin filter stack mod (happening soon enough.... can't wait... )

Nice framing! Literally.

 

[pinholecam]

Nice framing! Literally.

Thanks Bernard.

 

[pinholecam]

A week with a repeat of history??...



Rise of the new by jenkwang, on Flickr

(Disclaimer : fictional when I am on too much lens hashish )
I can imagine one warm winters day in a factory in Germany in the 1957.
Some factory manager of a prestigious camera maker approaches his large desk where on it, is an SLR which one of his engineers wants him to see.
Its an odd looking thing, a large hump on the top, on that silvered hump, is engraved a triangular shaped logo "AOG"
"You've got to see this." says the engineer keenly and a bit worried.
"Seems like the Japanese has co-oped a pentaprism into their cameras" he adds.

 

[keithwee]

20150531-DSC03452 by jenkwang, on Flickr

Lens character is interesting.
I find that its almost like a Helios 44 (58/2 Biotar), only that its more controlled, better off center, less exaggerated swirly bokeh at large apertures.
That same painterly OOF rendering used up close and that swirly bokeh in some situations.
The swirl seems less in a good way, imo, providing that hint of interest (and sometimes centering the subject) while not too much to be funky.

Lens sharpens up well off center, gradually at f2.8 and plenty fine all round by f8.
I just wonder if it can be better once I send my A7 for a thin filter stack mod (happening soon enough.... can't wait... )

bro, your photos really can teach one framing techniques. nice.
Seeing them made me think about framing in different perspectives

 

[pinholecam]

bro, your photos really can teach one framing techniques. nice.
Seeing them made me think about framing in different perspectives

Thanks Keith.

 

[pinholecam]

Stripped bare by jenkwang, on Flickr

"The build does not match the precision quality of our fine manufacturing."
"Peeping through the viewfinder is stupid! Waist level viewing is certainly superior."
"These guys don't know how to make cameras and all their lenses are copies"
The manager replies with a casual wave of his hand.


The camera was an Asahi Pentax SLR (the first Japanese SLR to use a prism finder)
The rest is history and now.
The Japanese went on to dominate the camera market as we know today.

 

[pinholecam]

Sit and enjoy the view by jenkwang, on Flickr

So why a musing of the past has anything to do with the lens of the week?

The Samyang 14/2.8 is perhaps representative of this sort of chance (not absolute certainty) for an outsider and newer entrant to capture the market entrenched with old players.

As with the old times, these new entrants be it the Mitakon, Samyang, will often be brushed off as low quality and/or optically inferior.
We may even laugh at the brand names.

But if history is to give any guidance to what can transpire, we should know better than to just treat them too lightly.

 

[pinholecam]

A sunset for two by jenkwang, on Flickr

I got this lens in anticipation of the coming Pentax FF, a long time waiting for me.
So 14mm, would be my widest lens on the system, and well match to the next focal length that I'd use which would be a 20mm or 24mm.
At the price I got it, it was a no brainer to not even try it out.
I've already read quite a bit online on the lens, but reading and test charts is one thing, actually using one can sometimes be a different experience, because of individual preferences, usage patterns, shooting genre, etc.

Overall, there is just so much to like about this lens.
Sharp all round by f8, and this is a 14mm coverage on FF, not a small feat for a lesser known 3rd party lens with a low price tag.

 

[pinholecam]

Barricaded calm by jenkwang, on Flickr

So somethings gotta give right?
No such thing as a perfect lens.
The bulging front element is sure one of them.
This trend seems to have re-surfaced in many recent lens design (Nikon 14-24; Sigma 8-16 to name a few notable ones).

To me this makes a filter option both very expensive, and very large.
The pict above for example, I had to wait a bit for the Sun to go down a bit more (risking loosing the shot if the light went away or changed to be not as good) to get a slower shutter speed that calmed the waters a bit more.

I am admittedly, not a very dedicated landscape/cityscape shooter (lack of time being a large factor...though)
The filter and holder size just makes me shrug away from wanting to go for one.
The space of these in my bag is certainly a con for me.
But no filters, is less one option for shooting water bodies.
Not that its the only way to shoot them though (Sebastiao Salgago does not use any filters btw, and his shots are amazing)

 

[pinholecam]

An Inconvinient reality of the wealth by jenkwang, on Flickr


The only other issue will be the distortion.
This has got to be the lens with the most of it that I have.
But I'm really of 2 minds here regarding distortion.
On one, I think distortion on a lens is just an easy way out for the lens design (and that's very common nowadays on many, esp, the MILC lenses)
On the other, with the software algos, high mp of the cameras nowadays, distortion correction via software seems the 'modern way' to do it (is it one fine day the particular lens profile is no more on the RAW converter we use?... )

But theory, brick walls and graph paper shots only really brings one so far in making photos.
It does seem up till this point, that this lens works well indeed with the software corrections in the context of real world images.

 

[pinholecam]

Lonely and barricaded by jenkwang, on Flickr


To me, the Samyang 14/2.8 just shows that no OEM can rest on its laurels.

Just 50yrs ago, Japanese goods were considered copies of the west and poor quality.
That changed.
30yrs ago, the Korean stuff, we said the same.
So who knows....

 

[hjbyeo]

Wah ... all these locs ... BO JIO!

 

[pinholecam]

Wah ... all these locs ... BO JIO!

Ha..ha...

Very snap decisions for all of them.
Wake up, decide to go, and went.

 

[hjbyeo]

Update please!

 

[pinholecam]

Update please!

Was away for the past weeks

Updates coming real soon.


Thanks for the support.

 

[pinholecam]

A week with the Pentax A50/2


Embracing Aberlour (color) by jenkwang, on Flickr

I'd be upfront about what I feel about this lens.
Its certainly not the best of the Pentax 50's that I have.
The weakest in fact. (more on why later)

But when I was planning the trip to Bandung with some Pentax photo kakis, this was the lens I eventually reached for.
For one, I had used it less often in favour of faster options.
The other being that it was real small (think Canon EF 40mm) and I wasn't too serious about lugging more gear since I had to bring strobist equipment for the trip as well.

 

[pinholecam]

I forgot to add that this is a series on 3 lenses I used for a short trip to Bandung.


Love of a Woman by jenkwang, on Flickr

When I mentioned that its the weakest lens in the Pentax 50's I have, of course it is.
Its the cheapest of its brethren and the slowest at f2.
Fewer aperture blades too that produce OOF highlights that are hexagon shaped and to me that is distractive.
Not that its bad, but just that its brothers are better.

But to me, looking beyond that, it holds the same genes as its 50mm brothers.
Still fast at f2 for most real world usage, starts to get very sharp from f2.8 and really nothing to complain about for sharpness by f4.

That hexagonal OOF highlights is only in the case where I'd need to have such backgrounds.
In practicality of travel photography, I find that its seldom necessary nor often any problem at all.

The size and price is a pro to me.
If I get mugged (since I had 0 knowledge of Bandung), I'd only loose a $60 lens.
So, cheap, small, low encumbrance, reliable in most applications.
That was some of the criteria that came to my mind choosing the lens for the trip.


Edit : Bandung turned out to be safe and wonderful, btw

 

[pinholecam]

20150619-DSC03649 by jenkwang, on Flickr

How often we get a post "Which lens should I get for XXXXX? "
Insert genre of choice for XXXXX.

The usual discussion will go on about some short tele for portraits, some fast aperture requirement, etc.
I am sure guilty of this sort of advice too.
I feel that very often, what is missed to bring up is engagement/working distance.
Some lenses in the general working environment encountered can be fine, or very hard to work with.

This can change when the place/location changes.
For the portraits above, I had planned to use a short tele, but when I stepped into the room with its big queen bed, filled it with lighting equipment, moved around furniture and fellow shooters, that working distance to cover a full body shot was just not possible.
(Unless I am the Vision or Kitty Pryde who can phase between walls to stand further)
The 50mm came in as a ready replacement for the job.

For streets/people/candids, its the same.
Shorter focal lengths can give more context (showing more of the surroundings) and better working distances in cramped alleys, markets, etc.
Longer ones give more isolation and working distance that may be less alarming/noticed by the subject or more comfortable for the photographer.
Of course there are other ways to shoot with shorter FL lenses to give isolation, etc and vise versa, but just generally harder in most practical cases.
Eg. Standing very far to with 135mm to get and shot with more environmental context while people are moving about into the frame for example.

For me, the 50mm lens is my usual go to lens that often strikes a balance between this working distance/environmental capture/isolation.
Some prefer a 35mm, 28mm and even some go for 85mm.
Just a personal choice on what each photographer prefers working with and each selection makes it easier/harder to get some aspect into the shot.


20150619-DSC03646 by jenkwang, on Flickr

 

[pinholecam]

Ivory Tower by jenkwang, on Flickr

An aspect of lens usage that I really need to explore more of, the use of longer focal lengths for cityscapes/landscapes.
The relative lack of perspective exaggeration and a tendency to isolate , is certainly a fresh aspect that I'd like to explore more.

As usual, like most 50mm, in the f5.6, f8 region, like in this shot, the 50mm is at its most excellent.

 

[pinholecam]

20150620-DSC03854 by jenkwang, on Flickr

The irony of the Pentax 50/2 (in either its M or A iterations ) is that there was always a 50/1.7 and 50/1.4 option as well.
The f1.7 especially is actually as small, slightly better built and f1.7.
To make matters worse for the 50/2, the price nowadays between a f2 and f1.7 version is so little.
If I were to be asked to recommend between the two, it will certainly be the 50/1.7 for the above reasons.


Glimpse of a 1st President by jenkwang, on Flickr

But I hope for my trip to Bandung (and have tried to show in real use picts), very often that gap can be closed in real world usage.