| Review of: Cosina cosinon-w ( Petri ) MC 28mm F2 by clockworkrat on Sat September 26, 2015 | Rating: 8 | View more reviews | |
Views: 62449
Reviews: 9
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You may have noticed that I've given this lens a high overall rating, but lower for everything else; this is because the lens is more than the sum of its parts.
First off, I've no idea why but when I got it the auto-aperture wouldn't function either side of F5.6-8. I took apart the mount and put it back together, not really having any idea what I was doing and losing a screw in the process. Now the aperture works, but as a preset. This doesn't really inspire confidence in the build quality, but hey-ho, I paid only £40 for a 28mm F2 so what can be expected? Like the other Petri lenses I own, the aperture ring also only does full stops.
Perhaps having something to do with my bungled mount job, the lens also judders when I take photos with it. I think this has occasionally thrown my focus off, and means it tends to work best in Live View, or with the 2s timer.
Edge sharpness is pretty dire until stopped down to F8, but then it's pretty fine - on the crop sensor at least. Centre sharpness is surprisingly good all the way from F2 until diffraction sets in. Though of course the centre is sharper at F5.6, you're splitting hairs unless trying to print larger than A4.
Flare resistance is minimal, so in most circumstances a hood is highly recommended. There is also noticeable chroma at high contrast edges, though we do have the modern advantage of software CA correction.
So why would I rate this lens 8/10? Sounds pretty crap, right? Yeah, but now we're coming to the good bits.
The standout quality of this lens is the colour. I was utterly astounded by how vibrant the colours, and particularly the reds, were. When flare is under control there is absolutely no requirement to boost saturation in RAW development. It's damn beautiful and satisfying to see.
The second aspect of this lens that I enjoy is perhaps a bit more of a divisive issue. Despite the standard aperture design (6 flat blades) meaning that bokeh has no character most of the time, when wide open the OoF effect is utterly wild. I have so much fun pointing this lens at different textures and seeing what comes out the rear end.
Without further ado, pictures!
Sharpness at F8
Colour
Out of focus
A flawed beast, to be sure, but a fun ride when tamed.
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| Review of: Vivitar (Komine 28xxxxx) Close Focus 28mm F2.8 by clockworkrat on Fri July 31, 2015 | Rating: 8 | View more reviews | |
Views: 213531
Reviews: 22
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I picked this up going by previous reviews and would - for the most part - agree with them. It's a good fit for APS-C as a normal lens, and with a nice close focusing ability (1:5 ratio on mine) is pretty versatile. By these virtues it was my lens of choice for most of my last holiday in France, though not as sharp or colourful as my Petri 50mm F2.0, nor of course having the range of my DA 18-55. I've used it to good success for close-up photos of butterflies and flowers, a bit further out for some environmental portraits, and also for a spot of landscape though I never really hit my stride there. Whilst it spent most of its time on the K-30, I also used it on an MX with Velvia 50 slide film, though the latter is yet to be developed.
The sharpness is pretty solid for the most part, though as has been mentioned previously it is noticeably soft wide open. Corner sharpness peaks at F5.6-8, whilst centre sharpness has a slightly wider range at F4-8. This is really to be expected. Vignetting is only really significant wide-open. Chromatic aberrations are often there, even when you're not trying to push the contrast. They're clean and small, so usually easy enough to tidy up in PP, but you can lose some sharpness if you don't look out for them.
The focus and aperture rings both work well, though I found the former to have longer throw than I would have liked. When you're trying to switch from distance work to something close that you've just spotted, you might end up missing it on occasion.
Something that bugged me about this lens, and I don't know if it's just my copy, but I could swear it's dark, as in I actually lose a stop with it. Example: I took a photo of a mountain at F8 with this lens, but felt that it really could have done with being a bit tighter so switched to my 50mm. When chimping that shot I found it to be overexposed where the Vivitar wasn't. I haven't done anything resembling a scientific test of this, so take this anecdote with a pinch of salt.
Overall I'd probably recommend this lens if you're looking for a relatively cheap normal prime for an APS-C body. It hasn't got any spectacular characteristics, but it does have a good focus range and sharpness. If you're so inclined, the out of focus effect can be quite fun to play with as well.
Sample images:
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| Review of: Cosina / Petri Cosinon-s 50mm F2 by clockworkrat on Mon June 1, 2015 | Rating: 8 | View more reviews | |
Views: 40172
Reviews: 6
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Re-review.
I bought this looking for the cheapest lens on evilBay that wasn't broken to use for Single in June 2015. Having used it for a month I feel more qualified to give it a review. My original is below, for what it's worth.
First of all, I do actually love this lens. It's limited, but it's also cheap and having spent a month using little else I often find myself angling to go back to it. I like the colours that it gives me, the microcontrast, its resistance to flare, and all of this is made that much sweeter by the fact that it was only £15 plus p&p. This also comes with a nice, smooth out-of-focus effect.
Objectively it is by no means a high quality lens. When my copy arrived the focus ring was a tad sticky (this is less of an issue in the heat, so probably just old grease), though with a nice throw nonetheless. The aperture range is only from F2-16, and in full-stop increments at that. It's quite poor at close range as well, managing only just less than 0.5m. Its sharpness range is nothing special; at reasonable magnification it is acceptable from 2.8-11 in the centre, and 8-11 at the edges. Peak centre sharpness appears to be at 5.6, so depending on the subject 5.6/8 will be the sweet spot. The bokeh is smooth rather than busy due to the slightly curved aperture blades. I've also found chromatic aberrations to be negligible at all apertures; even wide open you really have to push the contrast to pull them out. The inbuilt hood has proven very effective at eliminating flare. Significant vignetting wide open.
So all in all, if you haven't by now gotten yourself a 50mm prime and you're on a real shoestring budget then I heartily recommend this lens. If you're just looking to mess around with one of the cheapest lenses on the market then this is still a good shout. If neither of these apply then it's up to you really. To round off this review here are a few shots from my Single in June 2015 run.
non functioning links removed
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Old review.
Picked this up deliberately searching evilBay for cheap lenses, and very happy with the purchase.
For such a bargain the wide-open sharpness is okay, but the real show-stealer is the silky smooth OoF effect. It's just a shame it can't focus terribly close, but that's what we have extension tubes for. :D
Photo was 'ere
I'm no expert so treat my scores with a handful of salt, though I stand by the 10/10 for value. | |
