[iheiramo]

Day 364 was a ripper photo for someone having the end of month blues, roll on 365

Well, I did take it 1 meter from the door. Just got lucky with the weather

[garywakeling]

Well, I did take it 1 meter from the door. Just got lucky with the weather

I think it is a case of the harder you work the luckier you get, congratulations on your years work, see you in February

[pepperberry farm]

end of the month review: Cosina Cosinon 55mm f1.4

what a month (for me); my first SIC with an M42 lens, first SIC with the K-5 IIs body....

obviously, I bought a used copy of the Cosina (from eBay - $65) with the expectation that this Tomioka-design should provide excellent shots.....

the Cosina 55/1.4 is a joy of a lens to use - sharp and crisp when you want it, beautiful dreamy bokeh when you want it...

super color rendition (mine tends to oversaturate blues, but once I learned that, I could compensate in post), superior build quality (built as well as any of my Takumars); the only downside to using this lens all month was it's lack of modern coatings on the glass - I tried a couple of sunset shots with it and the direct blast of light into the lens creates an amazing reflection and you can see the aperture-shape in the image...

additionally, my copy's aperture ring, while still 'clicky', tends to turn easily if I don't pay attention to my finger on the lens - if I drag my fingers during focusing, I'll catch the aperture and turn it also...

but there is so much Art in the captures, I didn't mind these two issues.... a few of my favorites from December:










easily a favorite and a keeper for me - if you are into vintage/legacy M42 glass, you owe it to yourself to try one of these classic lenses, no matter what flavor (Cosina, Sears, Porst)....


the remainder of my SIC for December album:

Single In Challenge - December 2018 | Flickr

[babywriter]

Some thoughts/impressions about the Mamiya/Sekor 55mm f/1.4:

- Excellent sharpness through most of the aperture range, and even at f/1.4 the sharpness is very good on a crop camera. I felt no hesitation shooting wide open.
- The lens focuses close - just over a foot - which opens up tremendous opportunities for close-up shots.
- The rendering of this lens isn't Pentax, by any means, but isn't really "vintage," either. The colors are accurate and pleasing. Honestly, I'd classify the rendering as modern, even though the lens is easily 40+ years old.
- Handling is excellent. Subjects snap into focus, and the action of the focus ring is well damped.
- As one would expect, the coatings on this lens don't help much at all with flare.

I love this lens. It fits my shooting preferences well, is easy to use, and feels even faster than f/1.4 in actual use. I'm going to be looking for another copy to replace this one, since I dented the filter ring by accident early in the month. It's a lens choice that I plan to keep around for a long time.

Some pictures from the month:

[robgski]

The SMC-A 50mm f1.7 lives up to its workhorse reputation. Great clarity, and when I use it with the Catch In Focus feature at f4.0 or higher , I'm likely to be happy with the results. From f2.8 to f1.7, the results are wonderful as well but the DOF is pretty thin, so I'd only use if for portraits. YOu can usually pick up a used copy for US $25 - $50, and it is a great all-around lens.