| Latest Review Posted | Porst Color Reflex MC Auto 55mm F1.2
First, this review is of the Vivitar-branded Porst 55/1.2. It's the m42 version, with a minimum aperture of f/16, 8 blades, an auto/manual switch, and a weight of approximately 335 grams.
It's my first 55/1.2, and I'm pretty happy with it. True, wide-open it's a bit dreamy, reminiscent of the Kiron 28/2 I once owned. But by f/4 it's sharp. And the bokeh is, as the other reviews attest, pretty wonderful.
The test images below, made the day I purchased the lens, show what it's capable of wide-open. These are full-frame images, but I did adjust exposure in post, as well as contrast (typically +17), clarity (+17 to +27), and sharpness (57/1.9), and had LR apply the standard sharpening during export as jpgs. So the unabridged versions of the following three images are actually a bit dreamier than these. But these show the results of moderate adjustments in post, which is more useful, I think, that the straight as-is image, especially since RAWs are too large for posting here anyway.
I expect my perspectives on the Porst/Vivitar 55/1.2 will change as I use it more, but I'm already pretty happy with it. One thing I don't think will change is how useful this lens will be for live concert photography: not very. I use manual focus lenses roughly 90% of the time, but focusing at f/1.2 is a whole other animal than focusing at f/2 or f/2.8, or even f/1.4. My right eye isn't that good, and musicians rarely stay still that long. ( I was surprised that Tuulikki, one of our cats, stayed s... |
