Post your K-1 pics with vintage glasses

cyberjunkie · 01-16-2019, 04:54 AM - **5 Likes**

Here are two pictures of a giant Tokay Gecko that lazily rested for a long afternoon over one of my doors.
The photos don't give an idea of the dimensions. It's a big beast, almost 25cm long.
I had the Macro-Elmar-R 4/100mm I Leitax'ed some days ago on my K-1, and I decided to use this lens instead of a longer one.
The ceilings are quite high, so the photos are heavily cropped.
The sharpness of the lens does not suffer much from the cropping, though.
I should have used a closer diaphragm to have all the beast in focus, but the illumination was not ideal, so it's stopped down a click or two.
Even with the original image resized to 50%, viewing the photos in real size on Flickr reveals how such an old design withstands the injuries of time. Mandler's Leitz Canada optical projects are still working great, and are affordable enough to allow low budget pentaxians to get the thrill of shooting with a Leitz optic.

Leitz Macro-Elmar-R 1:4 100mm

Last edited by cyberjunkie; 01-16-2019 at 08:34 AM.

cyberjunkie · 01-20-2019, 11:12 AM - **1 Like**

After 41 years, got a new tattoo.
Who else could give you a classic (Thai) buddhist "protection" tattoo? A monk!

Made with a stick with three needless, and done at lightning speed.
I've been amazed by how fast he worked!

Took a few pics of other guinea pigs, using both a 77mm Limited and my new (to me) Leitax'ed Macro-Elmar-R 4/100mm.
First photo with the Pentax, last two with the Leitz.
The former was set at f/5, the latter at f/8.... which means that the Leitz was used at 1/15. The SR of my K-1 did a good job, but there is some shake.
There was a strong light coming from outside. The loss of contrast was so strong that I took the protective filter out of the Limited to see if it was smudged. No, it was just the outside light coming at an angle and hitting the front glass. No way to shade it.
I had to use a little of Lightroom's dehaze tool, and bump the contrast a little. Because of the different position of the camera, it affects the shots with the Leitz more than the one with the Pentax Limited.

[Pentax-FA Limited 1.8/77mm @f/5

Leitz Macro-Elmar-R 4/100 @f/8

Of course I don't consider the Limited a vintage lens (it's a film lens, but too recent). I just posted one shot to compare the rendition of the two lenses.
Maybe the coating of the Pentax is a tad better, but the Leitz is at least as sharp

5r82 · 01-22-2019, 02:41 AM

CZJ 20mm f2.8 @f2.8

5r82 · 01-23-2019, 01:04 PM - **2 Likes**

Pentax SMC-M 28mm f2.8 @f2.8

Original file

100% crop

5r82 · 01-28-2019, 02:02 AM - **6 Likes**

CZJ 20mm f2.8 @f16

cyberjunkie · 02-03-2019, 03:32 PM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by 5r82

CZJ 20mm f2.8 @f16

Beautiful pics, with one of the few vintage (extreme) wide angles that are not thrashed by modern designs.
I had it for a short while, back in film times.
Sold it (and the 4/20mm M) when I bought the Pentax-A.
I regret having sold them. Both.
Back then I saw optics only as picture taking tools, I didn't collect them as I do today.
Well, I had already started acquiring old large format lenses... just a few

I didn't need many lenses for my 35mm SLR cameras, just one for each main focal (or specific field of use). So I saw no reasons to keep more than one 20mm.
Now I don't have the same restraint

I like to experiment with old optics. I buy some of them because of their "weird" rendering, some others because I like the way they look.
The Flektogon 2.8/20mm looks gorgeous, with its huge front glass. To me it looks like the archetype of modern extreme wides.

Speaking of nice looking lenses... I used two of my recent acquisitions to shoot some pictures at the Flower's Festival in Chiang Mai.
Both look very aesthetically attractive to my eyes, and their look/construction was a consideration in buying them.
The first is a Sankor-made black/chrome zebra tele: Spiratone Tc 1:2.5 105mm (T-mount, bought a new PK ring for it)
The second is a Soligor 1:2.8 35mm in PK mount. Was advertised as Tokina, but I believe it was made by Sun. The large front (55mm filter thread) and the aluminium ring at the mount side, together with the good quality of the build, make this lens an interesting acquisition and a pleasure to handle.

Here is how they look on my K-1.

And these are a few pictures, shot with the two lenses at different apertures.
Spiratone Tc 1:2.5 105mm @f/2.5

Spiratone Tc 1:2.5 105mm @f/4

Soligor MC Wide-Auto 1:2.8 35mm @f/5.6

The Sankor 2.5/105mm has a divine bokeh, IMHO. I regret having shot just a few flower shots wide open.
Stopped down to f/4 it gets sharper, but the bokeh is still mellow enough to tell this optic apart from any modern lens.
I am starting o see why he comments I have found online are so positive!

I need to find a small metal hood of the right length. The foldable rubber hoods that I use with other optics are too bulky for this one. It would be great to find one that can be fitted reversed, for ease of storage/transport. Any suggestion?

The Soligor was used with the rubber hood shown in the picture. Fully extended i vignettes in the extreme corners. I had to crop the photos because of that.
This lens is no as great as the other. I expected a little more sharpness at f/5.6. The performance is more than decent, but contrast, sharpness, saturation of the colours need a little bump in PP.
The mechanical quality is very good, almost at Takumar level, however I see no reason to choose it over similar Pentax/Takumar options.

EDIT:
I use Lens Tagger to edit the EXIF of pictures taken with fully manual lenses.
This time I made a mistake. If you check the originals on Flickr you'd see that he last two pics are wrongly tagged. I'm too lazy to fix it... just be aware that the Soligor is a 35mm, not a 28mm.

cyberjunkie · 02-04-2019, 02:22 AM - **2 Likes**

Two more pics from the same session.
The Soligor is sharp enough, but even using a tight hood (I had to crop the extreme corners) it still needs a bump in contrast.
The bokeh of the Spiratone/Sankor is quite peculiar, and fits very much my personal taste. YMMV, I guess that the evaluation of bokeh is a very personal thing...

Whatever your taste, this little preset tele does not disappoint. Not at all! The originals (on Flickr, resized to 50%) reveal good resolution, even wide open.

Spiratone Tc 1:2.5 105mm @f/2.5

Soligor MC Wide-Auto 1:2.8 28mm @f/5.6

Last edited by cyberjunkie; 02-04-2019 at 10:55 AM.

5r82 · 02-08-2019, 12:49 AM - **1 Like**

CZJ 20mm f2.8 @f16

biz-engineer · 02-08-2019, 10:30 AM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by 5r82

CZJ 20mm f2.8 @f16

You take really amazing photos with that lens.

5r82 · 02-09-2019, 02:23 AM

Thank you. These days I keep it on the camera most of the time as it's my latest lens and the widest prime I have. And I like using wide angle lenses. Trying to learn how it works and how to use its virtues to my advantage.

cyberjunkie · 02-09-2019, 11:16 AM

Chinese New Year 2562, Chiang Mai
A lovely backstage story shot with one of my new favourites, the Sankor-made Spiratone 2.5/105mm.
These pictures are shot wide open, with very little PP.
This lens is definitely a great solution for portraits: despite being single coated, and used without hood, contrast is good, sharpness is more than sufficient, and OOF areas are rendered in a lovely way.
Judge by yourself

Spiratone Tc 1:2.5 105mm @f/2.5

Another one from the same backstage, this time stopped down one click to f/2.8.
I love the mix of sharpness and glow that gives a sort of "make-up effect". This lens really shines for portrait use.
The rendering of the skin can be better appreciated checking the Flickr original at full size.

Spiratone Tc 1:2.5 105mm @f/2.8

cyberjunkie · 02-12-2019, 02:00 AM

I started testing the Komine-made Vivitar Series 1 "stovepipe".
So far I have used it only in low light at full aperture. The results are in line with the impressions reported by other users on the "User Reviews" section of this site.
Good sharpness, pleasant bokeh, good resistance to flare.
Here are two examples.

Vivitar (Komine) Series 1 1:2.8-3.5 28-90mm

cyberjunkie · 02-12-2019, 04:43 AM

Another one with the Vivitar.
There is some glow wide open, but I don't dislike it.

Vivitar Series 1 1:2.8-3.5 28-90mm @f/2.8

thepedant · 02-13-2019, 03:07 AM - **1 Like**

SMC A 28mm 2.8

cyberjunkie · 02-13-2019, 10:42 AM

A comparative between a modern, expensive, fast zoom (Sigma EX DG HSM 2.8/24-70mm), used at f/4, and a very old preset prime (Spiratone/Sankor 2.5/105mm) used almost wide open.

Sigma EX DG HSM 1:2.8 24-70mm @f/4

Spiratone Tc 1:2.5 105mm @f/2.8

Spiratone Tc 1:2.5 105mm @f/2.5

It is quite evident that the old tele is better suited for portrait use.
It is smooth and sharp at the same time...

01-20-2019, 11:12 AM - 1 Like	#212
cyberjunkie Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Chiang Mai, Bologna, Amsterdam Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,198 Original Poster	After 41 years, got a new tattoo. Who else could give you a classic (Thai) buddhist "protection" tattoo? A monk! Made with a stick with three needless, and done at lightning speed. I've been amazed by how fast he worked! Took a few pics of other guinea pigs, using both a 77mm Limited and my new (to me) Leitax'ed Macro-Elmar-R 4/100mm. First photo with the Pentax, last two with the Leitz. The former was set at f/5, the latter at f/8.... which means that the Leitz was used at 1/15. The SR of my K-1 did a good job, but there is some shake. There was a strong light coming from outside. The loss of contrast was so strong that I took the protective filter out of the Limited to see if it was smudged. No, it was just the outside light coming at an angle and hitting the front glass. No way to shade it. I had to use a little of Lightroom's dehaze tool, and bump the contrast a little. Because of the different position of the camera, it affects the shots with the Leitz more than the one with the Pentax Limited. [Pentax-FA Limited 1.8/77mm @f/5 Leitz Macro-Elmar-R 4/100 @f/8 Leitz Macro-Elmar-R 4/100 @f/8 Of course I don't consider the Limited a vintage lens (it's a film lens, but too recent). I just posted one shot to compare the rendition of the two lenses. Maybe the coating of the Pentax is a tad better, but the Leitz is at least as sharp Last edited by cyberjunkie; 01-20-2019 at 11:22 AM.

02-03-2019, 03:32 PM - 1 Like	#216
cyberjunkie Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Chiang Mai, Bologna, Amsterdam Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,198 Original Poster	Originally posted by 5r82 CZJ 20mm f2.8 @f16 Beautiful pics, with one of the few vintage (extreme) wide angles that are not thrashed by modern designs. I had it for a short while, back in film times. Sold it (and the 4/20mm M) when I bought the Pentax-A. I regret having sold them. Both. Back then I saw optics only as picture taking tools, I didn't collect them as I do today. Well, I had already started acquiring old large format lenses... just a few I didn't need many lenses for my 35mm SLR cameras, just one for each main focal (or specific field of use). So I saw no reasons to keep more than one 20mm. Now I don't have the same restraint I like to experiment with old optics. I buy some of them because of their "weird" rendering, some others because I like the way they look. The Flektogon 2.8/20mm looks gorgeous, with its huge front glass. To me it looks like the archetype of modern extreme wides. Speaking of nice looking lenses... I used two of my recent acquisitions to shoot some pictures at the Flower's Festival in Chiang Mai. Both look very aesthetically attractive to my eyes, and their look/construction was a consideration in buying them. The first is a Sankor-made black/chrome zebra tele: Spiratone Tc 1:2.5 105mm (T-mount, bought a new PK ring for it) The second is a Soligor 1:2.8 35mm in PK mount. Was advertised as Tokina, but I believe it was made by Sun. The large front (55mm filter thread) and the aluminium ring at the mount side, together with the good quality of the build, make this lens an interesting acquisition and a pleasure to handle. Here is how they look on my K-1. And these are a few pictures, shot with the two lenses at different apertures. Spiratone Tc 1:2.5 105mm @f/2.5 Spiratone Tc 1:2.5 105mm @f/4 Soligor MC Wide-Auto 1:2.8 35mm @f/5.6 The Sankor 2.5/105mm has a divine bokeh, IMHO. I regret having shot just a few flower shots wide open. Stopped down to f/4 it gets sharper, but the bokeh is still mellow enough to tell this optic apart from any modern lens. I am starting o see why he comments I have found online are so positive! I need to find a small metal hood of the right length. The foldable rubber hoods that I use with other optics are too bulky for this one. It would be great to find one that can be fitted reversed, for ease of storage/transport. Any suggestion? The Soligor was used with the rubber hood shown in the picture. Fully extended i vignettes in the extreme corners. I had to crop the photos because of that. This lens is no as great as the other. I expected a little more sharpness at f/5.6. The performance is more than decent, but contrast, sharpness, saturation of the colours need a little bump in PP. The mechanical quality is very good, almost at Takumar level, however I see no reason to choose it over similar Pentax/Takumar options. EDIT: I use Lens Tagger to edit the EXIF of pictures taken with fully manual lenses. This time I made a mistake. If you check the originals on Flickr you'd see that he last two pics are wrongly tagged. I'm too lazy to fix it... just be aware that the Soligor is a 35mm, not a 28mm. Last edited by cyberjunkie; 02-04-2019 at 10:56 AM.

02-09-2019, 11:16 AM	#221
cyberjunkie Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Chiang Mai, Bologna, Amsterdam Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,198 Original Poster	Chinese New Year 2562, Chiang Mai A lovely backstage story shot with one of my new favourites, the Sankor-made Spiratone 2.5/105mm. These pictures are shot wide open, with very little PP. This lens is definitely a great solution for portraits: despite being single coated, and used without hood, contrast is good, sharpness is more than sufficient, and OOF areas are rendered in a lovely way. Judge by yourself Spiratone Tc 1:2.5 105mm @f/2.5 Another one from the same backstage, this time stopped down one click to f/2.8. I love the mix of sharpness and glow that gives a sort of "make-up effect". This lens really shines for portrait use. The rendering of the skin can be better appreciated checking the Flickr original at full size. Spiratone Tc 1:2.5 105mm @f/2.8 Last edited by cyberjunkie; 02-09-2019 at 11:47 AM.

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01-16-2019, 04:54 AM - 5 Likes	#211
cyberjunkie Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Chiang Mai, Bologna, Amsterdam Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,198 Original Poster	Here are two pictures of a giant Tokay Gecko that lazily rested for a long afternoon over one of my doors. The photos don't give an idea of the dimensions. It's a big beast, almost 25cm long. I had the Macro-Elmar-R 4/100mm I Leitax'ed some days ago on my K-1, and I decided to use this lens instead of a longer one. The ceilings are quite high, so the photos are heavily cropped. The sharpness of the lens does not suffer much from the cropping, though. I should have used a closer diaphragm to have all the beast in focus, but the illumination was not ideal, so it's stopped down a click or two. Even with the original image resized to 50%, viewing the photos in real size on Flickr reveals how such an old design withstands the injuries of time. Mandler's Leitz Canada optical projects are still working great, and are affordable enough to allow low budget pentaxians to get the thrill of shooting with a Leitz optic. Leitz Macro-Elmar-R 1:4 100mm Last edited by cyberjunkie; 01-16-2019 at 08:34 AM.

01-22-2019, 02:41 AM	#213
5r82 Pentaxian Join Date: Jan 2017 Photos: Gallery Posts: 462	CZJ 20mm f2.8 @f2.8

01-23-2019, 01:04 PM - 2 Likes	#214
5r82 Pentaxian Join Date: Jan 2017 Photos: Gallery Posts: 462	Pentax SMC-M 28mm f2.8 @f2.8 Original file 100% crop

01-28-2019, 02:02 AM - 6 Likes	#215
5r82 Pentaxian Join Date: Jan 2017 Photos: Gallery Posts: 462	CZJ 20mm f2.8 @f16

02-04-2019, 02:22 AM - 2 Likes	#217
cyberjunkie Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Chiang Mai, Bologna, Amsterdam Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,198 Original Poster	Two more pics from the same session. The Soligor is sharp enough, but even using a tight hood (I had to crop the extreme corners) it still needs a bump in contrast. The bokeh of the Spiratone/Sankor is quite peculiar, and fits very much my personal taste. YMMV, I guess that the evaluation of bokeh is a very personal thing... Whatever your taste, this little preset tele does not disappoint. Not at all! The originals (on Flickr, resized to 50%) reveal good resolution, even wide open. Spiratone Tc 1:2.5 105mm @f/2.5 Soligor MC Wide-Auto 1:2.8 28mm @f/5.6 Last edited by cyberjunkie; 02-04-2019 at 10:55 AM.

02-08-2019, 12:49 AM - 1 Like	#218
5r82 Pentaxian Join Date: Jan 2017 Photos: Gallery Posts: 462	CZJ 20mm f2.8 @f16

02-08-2019, 10:30 AM - 1 Like	#219
biz-engineer Pentaxian Join Date: Feb 2015 Photos: Gallery Posts: 12,225	Originally posted by 5r82 CZJ 20mm f2.8 @f16 You take really amazing photos with that lens.

02-09-2019, 02:23 AM	#220
5r82 Pentaxian Join Date: Jan 2017 Photos: Gallery Posts: 462	Thank you. These days I keep it on the camera most of the time as it's my latest lens and the widest prime I have. And I like using wide angle lenses. Trying to learn how it works and how to use its virtues to my advantage.

02-12-2019, 02:00 AM	#222
cyberjunkie Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Chiang Mai, Bologna, Amsterdam Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,198 Original Poster	I started testing the Komine-made Vivitar Series 1 "stovepipe". So far I have used it only in low light at full aperture. The results are in line with the impressions reported by other users on the "User Reviews" section of this site. Good sharpness, pleasant bokeh, good resistance to flare. Here are two examples. Vivitar (Komine) Series 1 1:2.8-3.5 28-90mm

02-12-2019, 04:43 AM	#223
cyberjunkie Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Chiang Mai, Bologna, Amsterdam Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,198 Original Poster	Another one with the Vivitar. There is some glow wide open, but I don't dislike it. Vivitar Series 1 1:2.8-3.5 28-90mm @f/2.8

02-13-2019, 03:07 AM - 1 Like	#224
thepedant Forum Member Join Date: Jul 2018 Location: Nottingham Posts: 70	SMC A 28mm 2.8

02-13-2019, 10:42 AM	#225
cyberjunkie Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Chiang Mai, Bologna, Amsterdam Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,198 Original Poster	A comparative between a modern, expensive, fast zoom (Sigma EX DG HSM 2.8/24-70mm), used at f/4, and a very old preset prime (Spiratone/Sankor 2.5/105mm) used almost wide open. Sigma EX DG HSM 1:2.8 24-70mm @f/4 Spiratone Tc 1:2.5 105mm @f/2.8 Spiratone Tc 1:2.5 105mm @f/2.5 It is quite evident that the old tele is better suited for portrait use. It is smooth and sharp at the same time...

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