Adapting Long Lenses on Sony E-Mount - Part I

If you are a die-hard manual focus lens user on digital cameras, sooner or later you will find that, although satisfying, your current collection of M42, FD, Nikon, Minolta MD, Contax, or whatever mount your lenses have, lacks excitement, uniqueness, weirdness, or, just not different enough, and you will be looking for less mainstream stuff, like enlarging lenses, projection lenses, and of course, medium/large format lenses.

Shorter focal length lenses are relatively easy to adapt.  They typically just need a short focus helicoid and some extension tubes, but large format lenses usually measure in inches, instead of millimeters, and adapting them is not as easy, for three reasons.

Except for some projection lenses, long focal length lenses usually have very long lens to film/sensor flange, usually in inches.  This means you will need very long tubes between the lens and the helicoid.  The other problem is minimum focus distance is very far; getting close-ups is not easy to do.  Lastly, long hood is required to shield the flare from these old lenses, which often are uncoated and very susceptible to stray lights.  We will address each of these issues in this mini series.

Long lenses without focusing mechanism.

Before we start, I just to show you how a typical lens looks like with my setup.  I have often been asked how I setup and shoot with my long lenses, hence these posts that follow.  We will be using the Wray London 7 inch f5.6 lens as an example. This lens requires approximately 6 inches of space between its rear element and the front of the mount on the Sony mirrorless cameras.  The focus helicoid I use is approximately 2 inches in length, that means we will need 4 inches of tube between the helicoid and the lens.  So far, this is not too bad, but 7 inches is equivalent to about 177 mm, which corresponds to a medium telephoto.  A 12 inch lens will need much long tubes.  But, let's look at how it looks with 7 inch Wray Lustrar on the camera:

It looks pretty long, no?  Note the double helicoids.  We will talk about that shortly.

With Hood - Looks monstrous, eh?  You will get curious looks and people will ask you what heck you are shooting with!

On our next post, we are going to look at the our options to adapt these long lenses.  Go to Part II.

The Sony A7s Price Disappointment

I was eagerly waiting for the pricing information on the A7s from Sony, and the price was finally revealed today, at $2500.  Disappointingly, this is too much for most enthusiasts, including me.  I was hoping the pricing would be close to that of the A7 or just slightly more. As it stands, the A7s is now $1000 more than the A7.

Personally, I think pricing the A7s this high is a wrong move for Sony and will put this camera into a niche market. Before the price announcement, Sony leaked out different price points to test the reactions from potential users, from $1800 to $3500, and then settled somewhere in the middle. There is nothing technologically advanced about the A7s; the very capable low light capability was made possible by lowering the pixel count of the sensor, which pretty much any company that makes sensors can do with current fabrication methods. The autofocus system, or even the video subsystem, is nothing earth shattering. In many ways, the Panasonic GH4 is a more capable video camera; it can literally focus in the dark, and records 4K video internally. Besides, the low light capability of the GH4 is no slouch either. But, I can see that the A7s is a perfect compliment to the GH4, when the full frame look is desired. What makes the A7s great, is that Sony actually dears to be different and has made a camera that no other company would do. Don't get me wrong, $2500 for a full frame camera with such low light capability is entirely reasonable; just that its price is not low enough for most people who want to use it as a camera for still photography, especially when today's cameras are already very good at low light.

In some ways, my heart is broken for not being able to afford the A7s. I guess I will pick one up used in a year or two, probably at half the price. In the mean time, I can now look forward to the A7, which has its price just reduced to $1500 in Canada.

Toronto from the 46th floor - Kiron 28mm f2.0 [OM Mount] & Sony NEX-6. Click for larger

Vivitar 24mm f2 - Sample Photos

Vivitar made some very nice fast wide angle primes, and the 24mm f2 is just one of these.  Interestingly, there are at least three versions of this lens, made by different OEM.  This particular one was made by Kiron (with serial starts with 22). It's a reasonably good lens optically, but the bokeh isn't my cup of tea, as most wide angles usually don't have very good bokeh.  Wide open the lens is quite usable and is relatively sharp stopped down. It does lack the microcontrast you see in lenses like the Zeiss S-Planar 60mm f2.8 Makro. The fast maximum aperture makes it a nice lens to use in low light.

Bokeh at f2 - Sony NEX-6 & Vivitar 24mm f2. Click for larger.

Getting Lunch - Sony NEX-6 & Vivitar 24mm f2. Click for larger.

 Boarding -Sony NEX-6 & Vivitar 24mm f2. Click for larger.

Covered Walkway - Sony NEX-6 & Vivitar 24mm f2.

Tokina RMC 17mm f3.5 on NEX-6

The last time I used the Tokina 17mm f3.5 was to compare it to the Tamron 17mm f3.5 on the NEX-5N. I had not used that lens on the NEX-6, until yesterday. After processing some of the pictures, I was surprised to find that the corners on the NEX-6 is slightly better than pictures taken on the NEX-5N with the Tokina 17mm f3.5. It is definitely better than the not so great Sony 16mm f2.8 a the same aperture.

The depth of field of a 17mm lens is enormous. At f8, everything beyond a few meters will be sharp and therefore focusing is not critical at all, except at very close range. Basically, a lens like this can be used like an autofocus lens, except you don't need to focus. It really is liberating and allows you to focus on composition instead of worrying about focusing.

I do wonder, how it will perform on the Sony A7s, with a much lower density sensor. I do expect it to be better.

Transport Bike - Sony NEX-6 & Tokina RMC 17mm f3.5 @ f8. Click for larger.

Seagulls - Sony NEX-6 & Tokina RMC 17mm f3.5 @ f8 or f11. Click for larger.

Tree - Sony NEX-6 & Tokina RMC 17mm f3.5 @ f8. Click for larger.

Same Tree - Sony NEX-6 & Tokina RMC 17mm f3.5 @ f8. 

Sony NEX-6 vs Olympus E-M5

With a little more than a week of using the Olympus E-M5 under my belt, I think it's time for a little usage report, especially what it's like against the NEX-6, which is still one of the best mirrorless cameras I have used.

Image Quality
I am generally happy with the image quality of the E-M5, but make no mistake about it, you can not bend the rules of physics.  The larger sensor in the same sensor generation will always have an advantage over the smaller sensor, and there is no question the NEX-6 has cleaner images, especially in low ISO.  This is not to say the image quality of the E-M5 is bad; it's just not as good as the NEX-6. Not something I concern myself with.

Handling
I actually prefer the handling of the NEX-6. It has a larger hand grip, and the controls are easier to access. I am so used to be able to hold the camera in hand, and turn the camera on or off with my index finger. There has been a few occasions where I missed shots because I was fumbling with the power switch on the E-M5. This camera requires two hands to turn it on or off. I know I can leave the camera on and let it sleep, but this uses more power and I only have one battery at the moment. Also, if it powers off automatically (at the set time, say 30 minutes), you will have to physically turn the camera off, and then on again to turn it back on.

My other beef with the handling is the small buttons. Even without gloves, I find it hard to use the 4-way switch at the back.  My thumb keeps hitting other buttons. Understandably, this is a small camera so there isn't much can be done. I find the implementation is better done on the NEX-6.

Other things I like better on the E-M5 is the dual wheels on top of the camera, to control the aperture/shutter speed, among other functions. The placement of the Fn2 is excellent when it's assigned to magnify view. The memory card has its own door, whereas the NEX-6 has the card slot inside the battery door, and I cursed the #$%$# thing whenever I try to take out the memory card, because the card is not easy to grip and remove.

EVF
Being as good as the EVF in the NEX-6 is, it's not without shortcomings.  For one thing, in high contrast scenes, the shadows tend to block up and becomes hard to focus. With the E-M5, the contrast in the EVF is dialed way down, to a point that if you are trying to focus on something with low contrast, it's very hard to do.  The good thing is opens up the shadows and you can see a lot of details in the EVF. I do prefer the E-M5's implementation.

Even though the NEX-6 has a higher resolution EVF, honestly, I didn't notice much difference between them. The E-M5 seems to have a faster refresh rate and thus better and easier to see at low light.

Auto Focus
I have only one auto focus lens for M4/3. It's the excellent Panasonic 14-45 kit lens that came with my Panasonic G1 and I only shot a few test pictures with it when I bought the camera. For sure, the E-M5 beats the NEX-6 in quick focus and low light performance. Even in moderately good light, the NEX-6 has trouble locking focus. I see that the A-6000 has a much improved AF system, but frankly, AF is just not that important to me, at least at the moment.

Image Stabilization
This is the area where the E-M5 shines. Its In-Body stabilization system is fantastic and is as good as lens based systems, except, perhaps with very long lenses. I am completely blown away by its effectiveness.  Best of all, it works with ALL lenses mounted on it. The E-M5 wins hands down.

Menu System
The NEX menu system is chaotic. It seemingly has no organization and finding anything in the menu is a challenge. The E-M5 is much better, but due to its endless configuration possibilities, it's not the easiest to understand. The good news is that once configured, there is little need to go in the menu again.

Lenses
Obviously, it's much easier to find manual focus wide angle lenses for the NEX-6 than the E-M5, due to the larger sensor. But on the telephoto end, the E-M5 wins. So depending on what your needs are, this could dictate your decision. To me, owning both is the best. NEX-6 for wide angles, and E-M5 for long lenses.

Conclusion
Both are great and capable cameras with its own strengths and weaknesses. For taking pictures with manual focus lenses, I prefer using the E-M5, simply because the In-Body stabilization is so amazing, you can you use the majority of c-mount lenses without severe vignetting. On the other hand, the NEX-6 gives you wider angles on the same lens, and has better image quality. You can't go wrong with either camera; it all depends on what is more important to you. Ideally, keep both on hand, and use whichever you want :)

Lamp Post - Olympus E-M5 & Jupiter-3 5cm f1.5

Is Digital Full Frame the Holy Grail for the Masses?

I am no stranger to full frame, analog or digital. I shot 35mm film camera from early 1980s for almost 20 years, and have owned a few full frame digital, including the Canon 1Ds, Kodak SLR/c, Canon 5D, and currently 5D Mark II.  In the last few weeks I have been thinking about why, it seems, that digital full frame is the ultimate goal for a lot of people. Aside from a larger sensor that mates to the focal lengths of 35mm lenses 1:1, thinner shallow depth of field, and marginally better image quality, what makes people want to upgrade to full frame?

I have to ask myself that same question. Other than what's listed above, I can't think of any other reason. After using different (and concurrently most of the time) sensor formats, I am so used to adjusting myself to see and capture pictures through the viewfinder, regardless of what size the sensor is; Point & Shoots, Micro 4/3 (and 4/3), APS-C 1.5 (Sony), APS-C 1.6x (Canon), APS-C 1.7x (Sigma, yeah I had an SD-9, but it suffered from electrical problems so it was short lived), APS-H 1.3x (Canon 1D, 1D II, 1D III). I am as comfortable with a 50mm lens on a 1.5x crop camera as a 50mm lens on full frame. When I look through the viewfinder, my mind automatically compensates. I can't say I prefer shooting with full frame over APS-C or M4/3, although I have a preference to what lenses go with what camera.

Big Tree - Carl Zeiss Jena Biotar 58mm f2 & NEX-6

So, do people just want full frame camera because it's full frame, and they can say I shoot with a full frame camera?  In most shooting circumstances, the size of the sensor is all but irrelevant, given the right lenses. I can't deny there is a certain amount of influence of that, but the most important reason has been image quality. Full frame back then was the pinnacle of digital sensors, but how times have changed.

Even the M4/3 format sensors have achieved amazing image quality not possible just a few years ago. The Olympus E-M5/E-M1 sensor is as good as most APS-C sensors and may even be better than some 18MP sensors that's been around for more than five years from a certain manufacturer. But the most amazing low light sensor is in the Fujifilm X-E2/X-T1. If you compared the RAW output (on dpreview), it's on par, or even better than the Sony A7 full frame sensor. I am always attracted to weird and unique features and that's why I had a Kodak SLR/c and Sigma SD-9.

For the last few weeks, it has been a struggle for me deciding which camera to upgrade to. The Sony A7 is my top of my list with great image quality and using all the legacy lenses as they were designed is an alluring feature.  Then there is the Olympus E-M5/E-M1 and the Fujifilm XE-2/X-T1. These two cameras keep distracting me from firmly committing myself to the A7.

The E-M5/E-M1's In-Body-Stabilization is something I have always wanted, and I want to replace my dying Panasonic G1 so that I can start using those wonky c-mount lenses again. The Fujifilm X-E2/X-T1 for its amazing image quality, especially high ISO. Besides, the sexy look of the X-T1 gives me wet dreams; I can not shake its image off my mind! This is a camera with retro done right.

So, full frame digital is not the ultimate and the end all of camera quest. To some, unique features like in-body-stabilization is more important than full frame. If I get any camera other than the A7 in the near future, it also means full frame is not as important to me as other camera features.

Arsat H 50mm f2 Nikon Mount - Sample Pictures

The Arsat H 50mm f2 doesn't look or feel like the older Russian lenses that I know; it's more like a 1980s Japanese lens in terms of build and feel. Very well built with a good heft.  Focus is smooth with very long travel. This is an entry level lens, but does not feel or built like one.

I haven't used enough to pass judgements on many areas of the lens, specifically the bokeh, but so far, I think it's optically competent. Definitely no worse than most Japanese manual focus lenses in the same focal length and aperture. I like the long focus travel; it makes precise manual focus so much easier. But to me, f2 is a rather slow aperture for a 50mm lens; it's not so much as too slow but more to do with more shallow depth of field to isolate the subject.

Will update when I use it more.

Arsat H 50mm f2 on NEX-6. Taken with 5D II & EF 100mm f2.8L IS.  Click for larger.

Angry Birds - Arsat H 50mm f2 & NEX-6. Click for larger.

Snickers - Arsat H 50mm f2 & NEX-6. Click for larger.

Noise Curfew - Arsat H 50mm f2 & NEX-6. Click for larger.

A Walk in snow - Arsat H 50mm f2 & NEX-6

Voigtlander Color-Skoperax 35mm f2.8 QBM

The Color-Skoparex 35mm f2.8 in Rollei QBM mount was one of the lenses I bought from the camera show last Sunday.  I took it out today and shot a few frames.  Side by side, the Skoparex and the Zeiss Distagon look almost identical, except the name ring and the coating. The Skoparex has a newer, multi-coating on the elements and you can see from the picture below, that it has much less reflection than the Zeiss. Physically, the two lenses share the same design.

Looking at the pictures from the Skoparex, there is no surprise here.  It performs nearly identical the the Distagon 35mm f2.8. In other words, it's not a bad lens, but on the NEX-6, the edges are not quite as sharp as the center although at f8, it's quite good. I would imagine the edges would not be as good on the A7 full frame, but then I could be wrong. It all depends on how the sensor reacts to the lens.  Some lenses, namely, Leica M lenses, perform so well on film, but don't fare too well on the A7/A7r.

On the NEX-6, the center of the lens is excellent, even at f2.8, but as stated above, the edge is less than optimal. It's unfortunate that none of my QBM to EOS adapters can focus the lens to infinity, or else I would have tried the lens on the 5D II and see how the true edges are.

All the pictures below were taken with Sony NEX-6 & Voigtlander Color-Skoparex 35mm f2.8.

Quantaray 500mm f8 Mirror Lens Sample Pictures

One lens I bought from the camera show this past Sunday, but failed to mention, was the Quantaray 500mm f8 mirror lens. This is a very cheap lens and when I bought it, I already expected it to be a dud. Besides, I don't even like mirror lenses, especially the ones with f8 aperture. But the price was too good to resist, and it came in M42 mount, so I caved it.

The lens is actually well made, and focuses very smoothly. As it turned out, I was surprised that it's quite decent. Maybe not as good as the Minolta Rokkor 250mm f5.6, but it certainly is not a dud. In terms of sharpness, it's passable for a mirror lens, if you can focus it properly. You may notice that all the pictures below are kinda grainy, that's because I had to set the shutter speed to around 1/1000s to maintain safe shutter speed. At that kind of shutter speed, even in broad daylight, the ISO is around 1600. This is one reason I don't like mirror lenses. The 500mm focal length (750mm equivalent on NEX-6) is way too long for most purposes. Holding it to my eyes, I feel like suffering from ET; the view jitters so badly that focusing becomes a problem.  Seriously, I don't know what good a lens like this is for. It's too slow for action shots/birds, too long for most uses, and putting it on a tripod is almost mandatory. The only positive I see is the very light weight for the focal length.

I shot quite a few pictures, but the keeper rate is rather low, due to blur. I am sure if used on tripod, it will perform much better, but I am not a tripod guy. Maybe a camera body, like the E-M1 or E-M5, with in-body-stabilization, will make it easier to use.

All pictures below were shot using a NEX-6 & Quantaray 500mm f8 mirror lens. Except for the third picture, all were taken through very thick glass from 17th floor.

Rainy Day and a Thought on the Sony A7

After some of the coldest days I have experienced in Toronto, with a -40c on Tuesday with wind chill, and today, we have got rain. Yup, around 7c above zero. In fact, today feels more like a spring day than a winter day. However abnormal, I welcome the warmth. However, I do worry that if the snow is not melted completely in the next couple days, we will have icy roads again when the water freezes up.

A side from the weather, the Sony A7 has been on my mind. No, I DO NOT NEED IT! But, I can't help it, regardless of how much I tried to talk some senses into myself. I think I will get one eventually, probably in the spring. Winter has never been very productive for me photographically. I think this Taylor-Hobson 75mm f2 would be very nice on the A7. It would cover the full frame sensor, though the edges aren't that great. But then again, I do not need sharp edges with a 75mm lens. Very few situations would necessitate sharp edges from portrait lenses with my shooting style.

Can't wait.

Park Bench - Sony NEX-6 & Taylor-Hobson Ortal 75mm f2 TV Lens. Click for larger.

Happy New Year!

Lens Bubbles would like to wish its readers a very happy new year.  May the new year bring you and your family good health and good luck. Be safe and please do not drink and drive.

Bells - Sony NEX-6 & Rollei 50mm f1.8 HTF @ f1.8

Merry Christmas

Today is Christmas day, celebrated by many in North America. Here in Toronto, we have had soft snowfall this morning, enough to cover the trees, and we are truly having a white Christmas!

I received my Christmas present from a loyal Lens Bubbles reader, my daughter Megan. It was two frames, one with picture of the words Lens Bubbles, made from her favourite pictures from this blog; the other is a collage of pictures from the blog. This has been one of the best Christmas presents I have received. In addition, I am blessed to have my wife and four kids, a gift I celebrate every year.

I want to wish all my readers a very merry Christmas, if you celebrate it, and may Santa bring you all the toys you ever wanted.  Even if you don't celebrate Christmas, you never know, some jolly fellow might bring the toys you want anyway in his sleigh, er, delivery truck.

Lens Bubbles - Created by Megan.

Outside my window - NEX-6 & E16-50mm f3.5-5.6 OSS

Super Takumar 105mm f2.8 - Photo Set

In the hay days of manual film cameras, the 105mm focal length was quite popular, especially from the cheaper third party lens makers/resellers. Soligor, Sun, Hanimex are among them.  Pentax also had one in the M42 mount (they also made one for 6x7 medium format as well).  Despite the popularity of the 105mm focal length, the Pentax Takumar M42 version isn't as common.  Unfortunately, this is also one of my least liked Takumar lens.  I don't know why, but having had at least three copies of this lens, I never seemed to warm up to it.  The reason I still have one, is because it was cheap when I bought it, and I haven't sold a lens for a while.

The lens looks like the Takumar 135mm f3.5 and almost the same size as well.  The copy I have is not Super Multi-Coated, just Super Takumar so it doesn't have the famous multi-coating. This may explain why the lens has very severe colour fringing, especially green, in backlit and sometimes not even contrasty scenes. It's trivial to correct in Lightroom, but still, it's bothersome. The lens does not have very high contrast, properly designed like that as it's a portraiture lens.  It's also not very sharp until stopped down to around f5.6 to f8; again, this might be designed like this.  The other thing I don't like about this lens is the relatively long minimum focus distance of 1.2m.

Too bad I am not using this lens as a portraiture lens like it was designed for.  Still, it makes a nice short telephoto lens and is quite versatile.  The small size and the lightweight are nice. It also inherits the legendary build quality of the Takumar lenses and focuses butterly smooth.

And, you may like it more than I do.

The girl & her dog - NEX-6 & Super Takumar 105mm f2.8. Click for larger.

Lone Leaf - NEX-6 & Super Takumar 105mm f2.8 with Yeenon Helicoid. Click for larger.

Park Bench - NEX-6 & Super Takumar 105mm f2.8. Click for larger.

Stairs - NEX-6 & Super Takumar 105mm f2.8

Internal Gear Hub Revisited

I have been riding, on and off, the 4-speed bike that I put together about 3 months ago using the Shimano Inter-4 4-speed internal gear hub. Generally, I like it quite a bit, but at times, the gear ratio leaves me wanting. I know this sounds strange coming from a guy who rides a single speed bike most of the time, but when you are on a single speed bike, you don't think about shifting, and riding a bike with gear shifter, it's a different mindset.  

The Good:
"Silent" shifting
Simple and low maintenance
Gear ratio is good enough for most situations

The Bad:
Heavy
More drag than normal wheel
Noisy when coasting
Trigger shifter sucks (er, sticks)
Coaster Brake is a real drag; engages far too easily
A nightmare to change a flat tire

As you can see, there are more bads than good.  So I have been looking for an alternative. Came across a very cheap, decades old Sturmey Archer 3-speed gear hub; installed it, works great, and less heavy than the Shimano 4-speed, and lower drag too.  Again, coasting is noisy, and even less gear ratio than the Shimano, and the trigger shifter was not designed for flat handlebar. I was able to make it work, but it's not elegant. More searching...

"New" 8-Speed Bike - Sony NEX-6 & Super Takumar 105mm f2.8. Click for larger.

Enter the Shimano Nexus 8-speed Red Band. Like the Canon L lenses, this one came with a red band around it to differentiate itself from the normal Nexus 8-speed; it's a premium line, but below the top of the line Alfine hubs.  The hub, unfortunately, came with a wheel that's not the right size for me, not to mention the weird and uncommon 24 spoke holes.  Took me a little while to find the rim with 24-spokes, but I really prefer a double-walled rim.  Oh well, didn't want to wait so I laced it up.  This is the 4th wheel I have laced, but still can't master the skills of truing it longitudinally. I find it very hard to make the wheel round; a problem compounded by the lack of a wheel truing station.

Anyways, as imperfect as the wheel is, I mounted it on a more sturdy MASI single speed steel frame with horizontal dropout.  I had to get the yellow non-turn washer as the original was grey, for a slanted angle dropout.  It was not easy to find locally.

Shimano Nexus Red Band 8-Speed shifter - NEX-6 & Super Takumar 105mm f2.8. Click for larger.

Since I have decided to build a new commuter bike, and winter is coming, I was more careful about the components used. For the chain, I used a heavy gauge and heavy duty YBN-MK918 BMX/single speed chain.  I have been using this chain for a few years now and it's bomb proof, but more noisy than the SRAM PC-1 chain that I also use.  The cranks are Sugino VP with a 50t chainring. The front wheel is a Shimano with a DH-2N71 dynamo hub. The dynamo hub will eliminate the need to worry about batteries for the light. Front light uses a very bright single LED and I can turn it off if I don't need it on.  I had one light that had no switch, and used the halogen bulb and it wasn't bright enough and uses much more power and thus creates more drag for the dynamo hub.  LED dynamo lights used to be very hard to find, but now they are relatively common.  A search on eBay will give you lots of choices.

Shimano Dynamo Hub - NEX-6 & Super Takumar 105mm f2.8. Click for larger.

Still looking for an LED rear light that can be powered by the dynamo; there are lots of choices too, but I will decide after I get a bike rack and pannier. The rack has to provide mounting provision for a rear light. Unfortunately, the frame was not designed to take bike racks and fenders; an adapter needs to be made so that I can mount the rack on the hub axle.

The bike, even with a front dynamo hub engaged, runs smoother and less drag than the bike with the 4-speed hub.  In fact, this setup feels like riding a conventional derailleur bike, and I am very happy about.  The weight of the dynamo hub in the front balances the weight of the gear hub at the back, and the bike doesn't feel rear heavy and the overall weight is very manageable.

So far, my observations of the Nexus 8 hub:

The Good:
Very quiet shifting and coasting; almost like a normal wheel
very low drag
Adequate gear ratios (until I get hold of an 11 or 14 speed hub, haha)
Lighter than the Inter-4 4-speed hub and provides more gears


The Bad:
Expensive - ok this is relative. If you consider a good derailleur group set, the cost could be more.
Still more drag than a derailleur system
Gear shifter only comes with flat bar option; if you like drop bars, you will have to buy a third party shifter

Hopefully, this bike will get me through winter without giving me any troubles.

Bike Accessory Theft in Toronto

Within the last few months, I have lost two mud guards and today, someone removed the brake, complete with lever, from my bike. I only had the front brake on my bike and was riding on a freewheel single speed, and without a brake, it was not easy to ride home. I was, and still am, so freaking mad. The mud guards were stolen on rainy days, so that might have been impulsive, but removing the brake is clearly a planned theft. Frankly, I am more disappointed than angry, at how some of my fellow Torontonians have become. The bike was locked right in front of the video surveillance camera, but the low life thief just didn't care. I just shook my head in disbelief when they took my mud guards the second time, but removing the only brake from someone's bike is downright inconsiderate and dangerous.

I guess the only option is to ride an ugly beat-up bike so worthless that nobody wants to take it for free.

Unbelievable.

Rain drops on maple leaf -  Sony NEX-6 & Taylor-Hobson 75mm f2 TV Lens. Click for larger.

A Few Thoughts about Sony's New Products

Sony maybe a giant in the electronics and broadcast TV industry, but they are an underdog when it comes to interchangeable lens cameras. While the giants are becoming complacent, iterating their product lines with minor changes and call them new products, Sony is truly creating new and unique products or product niches. This may sound funny coming from a long time Canon user, but I am not a Sony fanboy. I use products that meet my needs and budget and at the moment, Sony products are the best match for my needs right now.

The RX series are brilliant ideas. Certainly not a new category, but Sony combines great sensor technology with very good optics and body design that is appealing and desirable. If I want good quality and pocketability, I would go for the RX-100/RX-100II; if I were rich, I wouldn't think twice buying an RX-1/RX-1R; if I were a serious enthusiast who demands great image quality and optical performance, I would get an RX-10.  In fact, despite the high price, I think Sony will sell a lot of the RX-10s; the zoom range and constant f2.8 aperture of the lens on this camera is simply too good to resist. If I were not a lens slave, the RX10 would satisfy 99% of my photography needs and in the long run, saves me tons of money buying mediocre lenses that most people would buy for their low end cameras, like the 55-200mm f4-5.6.

But my desirable camera is the A7/A7r. The A7/A7r may not appeal to some, especially those who only want to use it with auto focus lenses. The auto focus lens selection is a bit limited at the moment, but the two prime Zeiss lenses are exceptionally good, though pricy. To a lens whore who has lenses in many mounts, the A7/A7r is like a wet dream. Like everyone else, I realize there are issues with ultra wide angle rangefinder manual focus lenses which exhibits colour shift and severe vignetting. It's totally a non-issue for me.  I don't own any wide angle range finder lenses. The widest I have is the 40mm f1.4 Voitglander Nokton. Most of my lenses are in reflex mounts, like Canon FD, Minolta MC/MD, and of course EF mounts. The A7/A7r can use all of them through adapters; exactly what I am doing with my NEX-6, except now all the lenses will see the light as they were designed with no cropping.

Exciting times.

Downtown Toronto - Sigmarit 30mm f2.8 @ f8 & Sony NEX-6. Click for larger.

Kiron 28mm f2 Photo Samples

Kiron made some very nice wide and mini-wide angle lenses in variety of mounts. Two of my favourites are 24mm f2 and 28mm f2. Being consumer grade lenses, these little gems do not have the sharpest corners but much better than the zooms of the same era. I have two or three 28mm f2 in different mounts and they all suffer from oil getting into the aperture blades.  My 24mm f2 is now so bad that the aperture blades are all stuck. This is a common problem for Kiron lenses and you may want to make sure yours does not have a stuck aperture.  I won't consider a little bit of oil on the blade is a deal breaker if the aperture can be opened and closed smoothly, but if you see excess amount, sooner or later, you will have problems.

Aside from the oil issue, there is much to love about this lens. It's very well built and small, and it focuses smoothly. Optically very good for just a little bit of money.

Converging lines - Kiron 28mm f2 [MD] & Sony NEX-6. Click for larger.

Yellow and Red - Kiron 28mm f2 [MD] & Sony NEX-6. Click for larger.

The old soap factory - Kiron 28mm f2 [MD] & Sony NEX-6. Click for larger.

Sunset in the city - Kiron 28mm f2 [MD] & Sony NEX-6

An Afternoon Walk with the Schneider-Kreuznach Xenon 50mm f1.9 DKL

At my last job where I work, I routinely went out and shoot pictures during lunch hour, and didn't feel much resistance most day. In fact, I rather enjoyed it, possibly because I worked on the first floor of the building and it was easy to just go out. But, this job I work, if I have to go out, I would have to wait for the elevator, then go down 17 floors, and finally outside. Maybe it's an excuse, but I find it has become one of my obstacle to tackle every time I wanted to go out and shoot at my lunch hour.

The Xenon 50mm f1.9 DKL is one of my favourite 50mm lenses. I especially like the bokeh it produces, but it also performs excellent as a normal lens. Extremely sharp, and well made, and I think it would be wonderful on the NEX full frame :)

All pictures below were taken with the Schneider-Kreuznach Xenon 50mm f1.9 DKL mount and Sony NEX-6.