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

[pinholecam]

20141106-DSC05907 by jenkwang, on Flickr
So hard to plan a meal on a photo trip, by the time I found food and not missing out on hours of good light, its was already 1pm and breakfast was just a croquette (super good!) that I managed to find a booth selling early in the morning.
The thing about being adventurous about food is that sometimes it can be not what you expected, both in taste and quantity (emphasis on the latter in this case )
Sure no Bak-Chang that I thought it was for a very empty stomach.
But its really this sort of snippet shot that brings back those very personal memories of a trip.



The Pentax K50/1.2.
7 elements, 6 groups
Dimensions : 65x48.5mm
Filter Dia : 52mm

Not a big lens at all, the size of many 50/1.4 in fact but certainly not light.
Hefty and solid feel to it.

 

[pinholecam]

20141108-DSC06077-1 by jenkwang, on Flickr
On the last day of my trip, I did not venture too far.
Gloomy day too.
Just a wander around the place here I was staying and Zojoji temple was nearby.
Small statues called 'jizo' are placed in temples for unborn children.
Often lovingly adorned with cap, hood or small item.
Over time, the weathering process takes hold and they just seem to take on a character of their own.


Why a "B side beat" of a lens?


Well having a small user base certainly does not do this lens any favors.
How often in any f1.2 or 'bokeh' thread does anyone mention this lens?
Not often... unfortunately, imo.
Not because its bad, but just because there is really too few people out there with it and those with it are either too shy or not willing to post online. (or just too busy taking picts )

So this is a "B side beat" of a lens.
A gem often left undiscovered since no one ever mentions it as often (just like never flipping that record to the B side to have a listen)

 

[keithwee]

Love the short story that accompanies the lens this time round.

 

[pinholecam]

DSC05900 by jenkwang, on Flickr
This was a nice spot for sure.
I was famished starting out at 5.45am and not having much food (can't find any)till noon.
A nice small Japanese eatery was setup right on the spot overlooking the waterfall.
The rush of the Autumn stream and the splash of the waterfall accompanying a hot meal.
Got enough of the 'wide shots' with the wide lenses and went for the compression of the 50mm.

The nice thing about it was that you don't need to pay nor eat at the eatery to view the spot.
Which I can't say the same for many places in other countries.


A 50mm is certainly a very handy lens on a trip.
Fast for low light or isolation shots to pick up those little tidbits of photos that make a trip more meaningful.
Not just 'grand landscapes', which while fantastic, does not always form a full travel experience when I look back at the shots over time.
Its the little bits that kinda says "Ah... this place, they do it like this! ; or the eat it like that over here" .

The super high IQ stopped down f5.6-f11 on a 50mm lens and the very natural perspective compression is always welcome after the usual wide shots.

 

[pinholecam]

Love the short story that accompanies the lens this time round.

Thanks.
Just more rambling from a lens junkie...

 

[Nikonzen]

Thanks.
Just more rambling from a lens junkie...

Please do ramble on JK it is quite enjoyable to view your photography and read your posts...they are like mini lectures to me!

 

[pinholecam]

Please do ramble on JK it is quite enjoyable to view your photography and read your posts...they are like mini lectures to me!

Thanks for the support.
Just penning down my thoughts when I post the picts and my impressions of them, so many lenses and techniques to try that I'm only just learning them.

 

[pinholecam]

Nikko Autumn by jenkwang, on Flickr

Perhaps this lens is not as unknown as I say it is.
For my copy, sometime in its life, a Canon user wanted one and snipped off the aperture lever as well as ground down the lever guard.
Thats the only way to get it working on a Canon FF without the mirror hitting the said parts. (the other is to shave the mirror)
So at least I know some fellow lens junkie liked this lens enough to get one and modify it to his/her needs.

I'd usually not want to do this sort of 'smart' modifications on a lens, given that its often harder to sell off (not that I see much stuff actually), but also its about leaving something intact for posterity.
Not to mention angering the lens gods. :sweat:
Looking at how mirrorless cameras can now adapt most lenses and the cost of a FF Canon 5D, I'd have shaved the mirror of the 5D instead.
At least the modification does not harm the lens optically in anyway.
I just shudder to think of the nice legacy lenses out there that were accidentally destroyed by users who thought they were able to do 'smart modifications' and ended up with too much of what they could swallow.

 

[pinholecam]

20141107-DSC06051 by jenkwang, on Flickr
Usually, when Jap food is presented in a pict, its the dainty kind.
Well decorated, sparse ingredients , elegant but sometimes a bit light for me.
So here's a twist.
Perhaps what 'real' Jap food can also be like.
Simple everyday woker's fare, ask for greens and they give you a chunk of spinach and a wad of nori.

Dim shop below the highway out of where tourists thread in Azabu Juban, 9pm.
A 50mm on hand is always nice, focuses close, isolates the subject and fast aperture in the dim light.


If there is a compliant about using a f1.2 for a trip, its overkill.
A f1.2 50mm isn't the lightest 50mm out there.
A f1.4 is easily lighter and not losing out that much in the light gathering department

In return for the encumbrance, f1.2, a bit shallower DOF and slightly smoother bokeh with the K50/1.2.

 

[iluvs90]

Beautiful autumn colors in this one...

 

[Kenneth1704]

Nikko Autumn by jenkwang, on Flickr

Perhaps this lens is not as unknown as I say it is.
For my copy, sometime in its life, a Canon user wanted one and snipped off the aperture lever as well as ground down the lever guard.
Thats the only way to get it working on a Canon FF without the mirror hitting the said parts. (the other is to shave the mirror)
So at least I know some fellow lens junkie liked this lens enough to get one and modify it to his/her needs.

I'd usually not want to do this sort of 'smart' modifications on a lens, given that its often harder to sell off (not that I see much stuff actually), but also its about leaving something intact for posterity.
Not to mention angering the lens gods. :sweat:
Looking at how mirrorless cameras can now adapt most lenses and the cost of a FF Canon 5D, I'd have shaved the mirror of the 5D instead.
At least the modification does not harm the lens optically in anyway.
I just shudder to think of the nice legacy lenses out there that were accidentally destroyed by users who thought they were able to do 'smart modifications' and ended up with too much of what they could swallow.

I love the colours for this!

 

[pinholecam]

Beautiful autumn colors in this one...

I love the colours for this!

Thanks, I actually missed the peak of the colors, so I can't imagine how it will be if I managed to get there at the exact right time.

 

[Nikonzen]

JK

Last night I was reading through your entire thread here and the segment from 14. Gleaned more knowledge from the second pass but something in particular concerning the old Sonnars caught my attention so I turned to an old net acquaintance who is a well known/highly regarded master of 50 Sonnars and posed the question of whether or not he thought the old Sonnars were better for B&W as opposed to color. He said affirmative...the f2 is much sharper with yellow or orange filter and the f1.5 is as well plus it cuts out a lot of the CA when using a yellow. As for color he said softer tone...different look. I wonder if the other old CZJs and Russian lenses are the same way...

Just thought I would pass that along to you sir.

 

[pinholecam]

JK

Last night I was reading through your entire thread here and the segment from 14. Gleaned more knowledge from the second pass but something in particular concerning the old Sonnars caught my attention so I turned to an old net acquaintance who is a well known/highly regarded master of 50 Sonnars and posed the question of whether or not he thought the old Sonnars were better for B&W as opposed to color. He said affirmative...the f2 is much sharper with yellow or orange filter and the f1.5 is as well plus it cuts out a lot of the CA when using a yellow. As for color he said softer tone...different look. I wonder if the other old CZJs and Russian lenses are the same way...

Just thought I would pass that along to you sir.

Thanks for the additional info.
Its always good to see more info on how others use the lenses or how it used to be used last time.

If my subjects are people, I often use an orange or yellow filter.
Lighter skin tone and perhaps darkens the bkgnd (mostly if its blue or green) a bit to give contrast.

 

[pinholecam]

Shoyoen #2 by jenkwang, on Flickr




To me, the fact is that all fast f1.2 50mm will have areas that they are good at (eg. sharpness wide open; bokeh when focused near; bokeh for urban stuff, bokeh for foilage; etc), and those that they are bad at.
Its just how the user likes it and the use situations that he/she typically gets into that makes the lens work for him/her.
Of course part of having a lens 'work' for the user is taking more photos with it in various situations (or genres) and learning what looks good to the user (or not).

The K50/1.2 has been nice for me in the sense that it has been rather balanced for the bokeh I prefer in most situations than some f1.2's I have tried (though the others can be stronger in one aspect or another).
Add to this, a nice and handy size (though a chunk of glass and not really light imo), so it does not take up so much space in the bag and its certainly a joy to use.

Its still a long learning curve for me for sure with this lens, but more heavy usage in many situations like on a tour, certainly helps.

 

[pinholecam]

A week right here waiting....


20151004-DSC06579 by jenkwang, on Flickr

Ok, I begin with some stirring of the waters a bit.
To me, the seldom mentioned thing about the stock A7 has been how problematic it is with RF lenses.
Not just wides (which are rather well written about) but even 50mm lenses.

Yes, 50mm, that foundation of optical performance and reliability.
Even this focal length, has edge and corner issues on a stock A7 system with its thick filter stack.
Its often easy to fall into the mistake of just taking a few shallow DOF shots, centrally composed (where the sharpness is mostly) and declaring "Eureka! it works well!"

But what about detail or landscape work where decent sharpness is needed thru most of the frame stopped down?
What about the shallow DOF shot where the subject is not centrally placed and in the rules of thirds area?
Or how about a wide open of f2.8 shot of 2-3 people where the subjects span beyond the central area of the lens?

Yes, many legacy RF 50's will give problems imo on the A7 series.

 

[pinholecam]

20151018-DSC06792-2400 by jenkwang, on Flickr

(In the context of RF lenses on A7 series cameras)
Often, the first line of thought for a better lens will be something "more branded; more costly"
"Pay money, solve problems, right?? "

If not how else to get a RF normal that won't give much edge smearing issues on an unmodded A7, good consistent performance, sharp, generally nice bokeh?

Now, the surprise and IMO seldom mentioned option is the rather common and cheap one (in RF land anyway).
Often unmentioned in preference for more costly and named lenses (which in fact some have issues as well on the A7 series).

 

[pinholecam]

20151025-DSC06854-BW by jenkwang, on Flickr
Not everything is just shallow DOF;
Often enough, as a generalist shooter, some things like this shot has to be an f4-f8 (whatever the available light allows)
So an all round capable lens that sharpens to the edges reliable by these settings help.


The lens is therefore the title for this weeks' "A week with.... "
Looking far for lens options when a nice, rather cheap and commonly available one is actually so near.

This is the Canon ltm 50/1.4.
A very common lens and wrt RF options very cheap for a f1.4 50mm.

 

[pinholecam]

20151025-DSC06862-1 by jenkwang, on Flickr
Another what I term a 'detail shot'.
Something that has such a wealth of intricate detail that it warrants being taken in full glory of its details.
f5.6 shot IIRC.
BTW, do check out the full size image left on the flickr via this link to see what 24mp FF w/o AA filter is capable of.


Surprisingly little info is available for this lens online.
Seems like the Canon ltm line has passed on in camera history with less people raving about them (to bother documenting about them.....unfortunately).

Mine is the Type II (1959-1972)
6 elements, 4 groups
Planar design scheme
1m minimum focus distance
48mm filter thread
246g


Uncommon 48mm filter thread, which I use a step up adapter to 49mm.
An all rounder Planar design which kind of explains why its a good all rounder (if less characterful )lens.
Nice size, but its starting to get big especially for a RF lens.

 

[pinholecam]

20151025-DSC06857 by jenkwang, on Flickr

Bokeh tends to be good in most situations (though one can always turn around and say that its less characterful too).
But its this plain but reliable aspect that makes it a nice all rounder to bring about if unsure.

Sharpness, is good from wide open (for a f1.4 ).
Certainly good enough.
Very good sharpness across by f5.6 making it one of the best RF 50mm options I have tried on the A7.