G.A.S Attack

Last week, I had a bad case of Gear Acquisition Syndrom (G.A.S).  Spent hundreds of dollars ordering a total of six lenses.  So far, I have received the Apollo 135mm f1.8, a monstrous sized (for a 135mm focal length) lens that's 1/3 of a stop faster than the famous Canon 135mm f2L, but is there more than just super fast speed?  We shall look at that in a  later post.  Also received, and I was very anxious to try out, is the Wollensak 50mm f1.5 and to a lesser degree, the Elgeet 102mm (4 inch) f2.7, both are c-mount lenses.  Unfortunately, the Elgeet is D.O.A (Dead On Arrival).  The focus ring is completely seized, and it has quite a  few clean marks inside/outside the lens optics, but it's cosmetically in very good shape.  Right now, don't know what to do with it yet.  It would cost more than the lens itself to ship it back.

The Wollensak 2 inch (50mm) f1.5 is such a gorgeous lens in typical chrome finish as many c-mount cine lenses are. It's a very hefty lens, which is much heavier than the Kodak 50mm f1.6 that I also love.  Both the aperture and focusing rings work, thankfully.  I couldn't wait so as soon as I got the package, I put it on my NEX-5N and snapped a few pictures.  First thing I noticed was that flare will be a huge problem (like most c-mount cine lenses).  Secondly, it's as sharp as the Kodak 50mm f1.6, but has a much larger imaging circle.  There is visible vignetting, but the corners are much better than the Kodak. Consequently, the larger image circle makes the swirling effect less visible than the Kodak.

I have a feeling I will be using this lens quite a bit for the next little while.

Mannequin on Younge & Gerrard - NEX-5N & Wollensak 50mm f1.5 @ f1.5. Click for larger.

 

Creamy Delicious Bokeh - NEX-5N & Wollensak 50mm f1.5 @ f1.5. Click for larger.

Schneider-Kreuznach Xenon 50mm f1.9 DKL - Set #2

Here is another set of pictures taken with the Schneider-Kreuznach Xenon 50mm f1.9 lens.  I am enamored of this beautiful lens.  It has the good looks and delivers the picture quality.  A gem among DKL mount lenses.

Lady with red hair - NEX-5N & Schneider-Kreuznach Xenon 50mm f1.9 DKL. Click for larger.

Street Crossing - NEX-5N & Schneider-Kreuznach Xenon 50mm f1.9 DKL. 

Smoke break - NEX-5N & Schneider-Kreuznach Xenon 50mm f1.9 DKL. 

Flowers - NEX-5N & Schneider-Kreuznach Xenon 50mm f1.9 DKL.

Bicycle Posts in Toronto

Bicycle posts in Toronto has been slowly increasing in number as more people are riding their bikes.  You can see them practically everywhere in public places.  For decades, they remained unchanged, like the one below.  A ring bolted to a post.  It's functional, if not boring.  Last year, a project was started to create more interesting bike posts, mostly designed by students.  Unfortunately, there aren't that many of them and most of bike posts are still the same old.

Bicycle Posts near Bellevue Square Park - NEX-5N & Canon FD 85mm f1.8 @ f1.8. Click for larger.

Yet Another Sony NEX Camera, But No New Lenses

Once again, the rumor is spot on regarding the Sony NEX-5R.  Another EVIL camera from Sony, but where are the lenses!?!  This I do not understand.  Sony churns out cameras like clockwork, and yet they are not able to produce more decent lenses for the NEX.  The E-50mm f1.8 is a very nice lens and is in right direction, with stabilization and a fair price.  The Zeiss 24mm f1.8 is nice, but priced for the select few, not the masses.  We need more lenses like 35mm f1.8 (which is coming), redesigned 16mm f2.8, 20mm f2/f2.8, 28mm f2 and 85mm f1.8.  All these lenses should also work on the future Full Frame NEX.

Come on Sony, your NEX customers have waited long enough.  We deserve some good but reasonably priced glass.

NEX-5N & Pentacon 29mm f2.8 @ f2.8. Click for larger.

Schneider-Kreuznach Xenon 50mm f1.9 DKL - Bokeh Samples

The Schneider-Kreuznach Xenon 50mm f1.9 is by far my favourite DKL mount lenses, and I am sure for a lot of people who own this lens as well.  It's such a beautiful lens to hold and behold, not to mention the fabulous optical performance.  Went out with it today and shot some pictures to show the bokeh of this lens, for those who may want to know.

Bokeh #1 - NEX-5N & Schneider-Kreuznach Xenon 50mm f1.9 DKL. Click for larger.

Bokeh #2 - NEX-5N & Schneider-Kreuznach Xenon 50mm f1.9 DKL. Click for larger.

Bokeh #3 - NEX-5N & Schneider-Kreuznach Xenon 50mm f1.9 DKL. Click for larger.

Pentacon 100mm f2.8 Sample Picture

When I bought this lens at the camera show, I saw no action on the aperture, so I assumed the blades were stuck.  Later I disassembled the lens and found that there were no blades inside!  There are also some haze inside the elements, but for $20, I thought I would give it a shot and perhaps it can be cleaned/repaired.  But, without aperture blades, there isn't much can be done unless I can find the missing parts.

This lens should be the same lens as the Meyer-Optik Trioplan 100mm f2.8.

Anyways, took some shots with it today and sure enough, most of the pictures came out hazy, especially those shot against strong lights.  But, some level/contrast adjustments brings back some usable pictures.  But I guess I will be stuck with shooting at open apertures for a while.  Even at f2.8, the lens is very usable and quite sharp.  But the lens can not see any side light or strong lights, or it will become hazy.  I think a functional and clean version of this lens would be quite a nice lens to shoot with.

Crab Apples - Sony NEX-5N & Pentacon 100mm f2.8 M42 Mount

Shooting Wide Open with Carsen-Polaris 85mm f1.7

A while ago, I got a few lenses from the photo show with stuck apertures, and one (Pentacon 100mm f2.8) without aperture blades!  Naturally, these lenses are much cheaper and I was hoping to either find a place to fix them inexpensively or do it myself.  Well, there is always a question of time.  I haven't gotten any of them fixed, but decided to shoot with them anyway, wide open.  Today we have the Carsen-Polaris 85mm f1.7 in YS mount.

The YS mount looks almost identical to M42 mount, except the thread size.  It's 42mm x 0.75 whereas M42 is 42mm x 1.00.  For a few minutes I was puzzled by why it wouldn't be screwed in all the way, and then realized it's YS mount.  Luckily I have a bunch of YS mount adapters, so I used the YS-MD mount and shot with it for a couple of times.

This Carsen-Polaris lens was a house brand.  Like many retailers of the 70s and 80s, they put their name on some OEM lenses and sold them as their own.  Other similar house brands are JCPenny, Sears, and Spiratone.  I have no idea who made these lenses, but for some reason, it reminds me of the Minolta Rokkor 85mm f1.7, probably because they both have same maximum aperture, and are very well made.

In terms of optical quality, I can only judge for its wide open performance, and I must say it's not bad at all.  Not exceptionally sharp, like the Canon 85mm f1.2L, but it does render pictures very nicely, and as a portrait lens, bokeh is quite sweet.  Like most older lenses, purple and green flinging is quite bad, and flare control is not very good either.  This lens does not seem to have multi-coating.  I really would like to see how it performs slightly stopped down, but that has to wait until the aperture is fixed.

Pink Flower - NEX-5N & Carsen-Polaris 85mm f1.7. Click for larger.

Wall-E's Evil Twin? - NEX-5N & Carsen-Polaris 85mm f1.7. Click for larger.

Purple Flower - NEX-5N & Carsen-Polaris 85mm f1.7. Click for larger.

Young Sun Flower - NEX-5N & Carsen-Polaris 85mm f1.7. Click for larger.

Afternoon Reading - NEX-5N & Carsen-Polaris 85mm f1.7. Click for larger.

Shades of Gray

Dark Clouds over Port of Toronto - NEX-5N & Olympus OM 35mm f2. Click for larger.

All my pictures are shot in RAW, and naturally, in colour, but I also love black and white (technically, gray). With certain subjects, the elimination of colours seems to add more impact and power.  Unfortunately for me, I am not very good at converting colour to black & white, so most of my black and white pictures are converted with pre-sets in Lightroom or filters in Photoshop with some slight tweaks.

Set of Pictures with Schneider-Kreuznach Componar 50mm f4.5 Enlarging Lens

Even though I am not a big fan of the Schneider-Kreuznach Componar 50mm f4.5 with the square aperture, I decided to take it out again for some general shooting as a normal lens.  Found that it's not overly sharp at infinity, though it's not bad, except the corners is fairy bad, compared to other enlarging lenses I have used.  At close range, the sharpness is excellent.  Of course, this could be due to the mounting of the lens that created unevenness.  Overall, it's definitely an interesting lens to shoot, especially the weird bokeh.

Reflections - NEX-5N & Schneider-Kreuznach Componar 50mm f4.5 Enlarging Lens. Click for larger.

Close up - NEX-5N & Schneider-Kreuznach Componar 50mm f4.5 Enlarging Lens. Click for larger.

Grocery Shopping - NEX-5N & Schneider-Kreuznach Componar 50mm f4.5 Enlarging Lens. Click for larger.

Disturbing Bokeh - NEX-5N & Schneider-Kreuznach Componar 50mm f4.5 Enlarging Lens. Click for larger.

Please Pray for obakesan's Wife

Fellow blogger obakesan, who's wife is fighting for her life at the moment, as stated in his latest blog post. Please send your prayers and well wishes to help him through this difficult time.  I am praying for her to a complete recovery.  As you know, there is power in numbers.  Please, let us all pray for her, and let obakesan know that we care.  Leave your comments at his post.

Thank you.