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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
08-23-2010, 04:53 PM
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I had an opportunity to work with the preset takumar 135 3.5 this weekend at Deception Pass State Park on Widbey Island, WA. A last minute, end of summer camping trip with friends and my family... The photos below are of the Puget Sound coast and were taken on a tripod within minutes before and after sunset. This is a nice lens and a lot of fun to explore and use.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
10-19-2011, 05:06 PM
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I would hold onto the rarer lenses and consider holding onto the ones that you feel perform well.
Lots of choices besides Pentax to use older lenses. Any 4/3 camera - Sony has a nice new NEX camera out - Canon users like me also want these lenses for their low cost and great performance.
I think the market changes for the lenses if DSLRs get autofocus capabilities in video- presumably less videographers using the older MF lenses then. I also wonder what happhens as older shooters start moving on. I do not think there are many younger shooters with MF.
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Forum: Pentax Lens Articles
07-17-2011, 07:56 AM
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RioRico - that is a very good article and one that I would have benefited from when I was investigating macro.
I took the path of manual focus lenses and like you, especially enlarging lenses on a bellows. I have found it is a very good way to compose, obtain critical focus and stay on a budget. The only downside is I have a closet full of golf ball sized enlarging lenses and while inexpensive, it dose raise some issues at home with "how much gear does your hobby need?".
I posted this article about a year ago as a starter on enlarging lenses and bellows.
https://sites.google.com/site/inexpensivemacrophotography/ |
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Forum: Pentax Lens Articles
04-24-2010, 02:52 PM
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I hope this article helps with anyone interested in working with macro photography and some inexpensive choices for getting started. I started this journey a year ago and at that time I had lots of questions on what to use, how to use it and should I use it. The article focuses on manual focus prime lenses and a combination of bellows with enlarging lenses. The article includes a section for manual controlled flash. The bellows used are the spectacular Pentax Autobellows.
The article link is http://sites.google.com/site/inexpensivemacrophotography/Introduction
These are some photos taken with the equipment in the article.
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
08-04-2010, 10:40 AM
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I own one autofocus lens, a Canon 85 1.8 that is used if I am shooting a moving subject and I cannot miss the shot. I shoot for fun, so I rarely need to get the shot so to speak. Almost 100% of the time a manual focus lens is used for my photographs.
I own several manual focus lenses and the portfolio changes over time. It is relatively easy to collect and sell them. I never really thought about collecting as part of the experience until writing this post, but I guess with the cost of the older lenses, one can indulge in collecting and that is part of the enjoyment. I share the sentiments that by using manual focus lenses you will learn. You have to control aperture and focus by hand. I quickly started to control shutter speed by hand and now shoot mostly in pure manual mode. I have also learned about shooting with different focal lengths. I am not sure if I would have gained this experience as quickly if I stayed with an autofocus lens. The camera’s lcd makes it relatively easy to chimp to get the desired exposure.
I have owned several M42 Super Takumar and M42 SMC Takumar lenses and they are wonderful. Outstanding build, very good optics and very easy to focus when compared to manual focusing with a modern autofocus lens. Currently I use a SMC 35 3.5, SMC 200 4 and my favorite is a M42 Asahi Pentax Autobellows paired with a range of enlarging lenses (Nikon, Schneider, Fujinon, Minolta). Most of my recent photography has been macro using the Autobellows. My signature has a link to an article on using enlarging lenses for macro in case there is an interest.
I have a Vivitar 28 2.0 in a Olympus mount and M42 17 3.5 Tokina that is a blast to use. I also have a pair of Zeiss lenses in a C/Y mount. A 50 1.4 and a 135 2.8. While I truly enjoy the Zeiss lenses I could easily part with the 135 2.8 and go with a Takumar 135 3.5 and plow the savings into the bank or another lens.
The manual focus lenses I use have no automation, so you have to stop down the aperture and of course focus by hand. They have good image quality in my opinion and outstanding build. When I capture an image with one I get a lot of satisfaction.
The wild Cooper’s Hawk was taken in early July in a residential yard with the Zeiss 135 2.8.
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