[Jewelltrail]

8540tomg: Jason inspired me to take out my M 400. Managed a shot of a cold Black-Capped Chickadee this morning.

Tom, that is very nice--looks like the kind of quality you expect to see in glass costing a ton of money.

[G-Diesel]

I have a couple of shots from my extremely cheap SMC Pentax-M 50mm F1.7 (on my K-x) I'd like to share:







I really enjoy using this lens. I'm even using it for portraits and getting extremely good results. I have a feeling my kit lens is getting worried.

[yeatzee]

Here ya go Jsherman: View on black large You can see my reflection in her eyes pretty easily...

here are some random plant shots while walking. I didn't attempt to compose the shots well, just more test shots to check out when I got home:





all at F/2

Edit: and me w/ the M 85mm

[8540tomg]

Tom, that is very nice--looks like the kind of quality you expect to see in glass costing a ton of money.

Thanks Jewelltrail. Very kind of you.

I think clubs like the M club, K club etc. give us a chance to see how well some of these old lenses perform. Jay reminds us of this every time he posts one of his wonderful M 85/2 or M 20/4 images. While these old timers may lack the amenities of modern lenses they remain very capable performers if you take the time to learn their strengths and weaknesses. Under the right conditions, with time and effort, you can get some pretty good results. Personally I enjoy the challenge of manually focusing, setting aperture and shutter speeds. When I get a good shot I actually feel I had something to do with the result. I’ll admit not everyone is willing to take the time and that is their loss. They are missing out on a lot of fun.

Tom G

[8540tomg]

That is a great image, Tom! How much did you have to crop it? I know that a chickadee isn't going to fill the frame like that at minimum focusing distance of 5 meters! Or did you use extension tube? My 400 with the 50mm tube would come out close to that coverage. It images a 5x7 inch object on film at close focus with the 50mm tube.

Thanks Albert,

I was at the minimum focusing distance of 5 meters. I cropped the image 25 to 50% or so. I don't recall actually. I just stopped when it seemed to fill the frame. Nothing more technical than that.

Tom G

[yeatzee]

here's a super crop of the eye jsherman: You can clearly see me

This lens is my favorite for intimate close up portraits.... I constantly use it at or close to its MFD and wideopen

[Recercare]

Wow guys! Great pics!

It's so true what Tom says about the resolution tests vs real life shooting. For example, Yoshihiko's resolution tests suggest that the M85 and M100 are very soft. That's really not my experience.

Kind regards
.lars

[8540tomg]

Wow guys! Great pics!

It's so true what Tom says about the resolution tests vs real life shooting. For example, Yoshihiko's resolution tests suggest that the M85 and M100 are very soft. That's really not my experience.

Kind regards
.lars

Good point lars.

Resolution tests have a place but they only tell part of the story of how one lens performed in a series of tests on a given day. Yet many of us treat these results like the sermon from the mount. Poor results just might be a botched test or it may have been a poor example. Years ago I recall reading a photography book in which the author suggested most lens tests were little more than fiction. There may be some truth in this. I think you have to live and work with a lens for while before you get a good handle on its attributes. Initially, I was unimpressed with the M 400/5.6. I couldn’t see past the CA and PF issues. I’ve been using it for about a year now and my opinion has changed. While it has its limitations I now know how and when I’m likely to get the best out of this optic. I suspect any lens from a major maker be it Pentax, Nikon, Canon etc. will deliver good images if you take the time to learn its idiosyncrasies.

Tom G

[tokyoso]

wow those portraits shots are amazing yeatzee!

is there a particular focusing screen anyone would recommend for the K-x ?

[tokyoso]

another M 50 f1.4

[yeatzee]

Wow guys! Great pics!

It's so true what Tom says about the resolution tests vs real life shooting. For example, Yoshihiko's resolution tests suggest that the M85 and M100 are very soft. That's really not my experience.

Kind regards
.lars

I always hated that kind of stuff. I take the pictures and you guys can make your own conclusions......

IMO the M85 is a beast worth checking out

[goddo31]

Lovely colourful shots yeatzee!

[jsherman999]

all at F/2

.

Yeatzee, I think you get it! Nice to have another M 85 f2 shooter among us, there are not many. This shot above in particular rocks.

[jsherman999]

Thanks Jewelltrail. Very kind of you.

I think clubs like the M club, K club etc. give us a chance to see how well some of these old lenses perform. Jay reminds us of this every time he posts one of his wonderful M 85/2 or M 20/4 images. While these old timers may lack the amenities of modern lenses they remain very capable performers if you take the time to learn their strengths and weaknesses. Under the right conditions, with time and effort, you can get some pretty good results. Personally I enjoy the challenge of manually focusing, setting aperture and shutter speeds. When I get a good shot I actually feel I had something to do with the result. I’ll admit not everyone is willing to take the time and that is their loss. They are missing out on a lot of fun.

Tom G

.


The M Club! wouldn't be what it is without you Tom, thx for all the images and perspectives on this M glass.


.

[Recercare]

wow those portraits shots are amazing yeatzee!

is there a particular focusing screen anyone would recommend for the K-x ?

Tokyoso, very nice pictures, I think you nailed the colors 100%.

Kind regards
.lars