Thursday, January 20, 2011

JML 50mm f0.95 on NEX-5

The JML 50mm f0.95 lens has a c-mount, but the lens barrel is way too large to fit either the M43 or NEX mount.  Luckily, the mount is removable.  I did modify the mount by taking out the original mount and glue a c-mount to M43 adapter to the lens, so that it would work on my G1 and achieves infinity focus.  You can see more details here and here.  Now that I am using the NEX-5 more and would like the JML 50mm to be used on a larger sensor, so I removed the M43 mount from the lens, and stuck on the NEX-C-Mount adapter.  It now works beautifully on the NEX-5 and able to focus to infinity.  The lens vignettes pretty heavily at f0.95 on the NEX, but that was expected.  Even the Leica 50mm f0.95 vignettes wide open.

The lens is amazingly good wide open, given its cheap price.  It's very sharp at the center of the frame, but shooting wide open at point lights produces some bizarre effects -- the point lights sources have a fan like shape.  Check out the BMW Dealership building in the first picture.  But, by about f1.4, it's largely gone.
 
Widen Open -- NEX-5 & JML 50mm f0.95. Check out the shape of the lights.  Click to see larger.

Waiting -- NEX-5 & JML 50mm f0.95 @ f0.95. Click to see larger.

At F2 -- NEX-5 & JML 50mm f0.95. Click to see larger.

2 comments:

  1. Hi there I couldn`t help but notice that these photos were taken in Toronto. I live in Toronto as well and was wondering if you knew of any shops that sold vintage lenses especially c mounts in Toronto or if all your purchases are made online. In particular I was wondering where you got your JML lenses, because they don`t seem very common on ebay either... thanks! :)

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    1. Hi, I got my JML lenses from Craigslist. Pure luck, I think. However, you can still order a brand new one from JML Optics, or Navitar equivalent from Navitar.

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