Home

Please support mflenses.com if you need any graphic related work order it from us, click on above banner to order!
SearchSearch MemberlistMemberlist RegisterRegister ProfileProfile Log in to check your private messagesLog in to check your private messages Log inLog in

Unexpected favorite lenses
Post new topic   Reply to topic
Home   Manual Focus Lenses
View previous topic :: View next topic  


PostPosted: Sat Nov 28, 2020 11:28 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
An unexpected disappointment = Super-Multi-Coated TAKUMAR 1:1.4/50, on Fuji APSC.

An unexpected favourite = Super-Multi-Coated TAKUMAR 1:1.4/50, plus Pixco focal reducer, on Fuji APSC.

Go figure.


PostPosted: Sat Nov 28, 2020 11:49 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Tamron did indeed a great job with those zooms. I really like the 35-70 (have two copies since it is so darn cheap) and the 35-80 (which I had twice and bought three times). Wink

A lens that was somewhat unexpectedly amazing ist my Canon FD 1.8/85. I expected it to be good, but I did not expect it to thrill me that much. What an amazing lens. And it's well built and pretty compact as well.

Another lens that surprised me is the LensBaby Twist 60. I like it more than I expected.

One lens that sometimes totally amazes me, at other times really disappoints me is the LensBaby Burnside 35. I have not yet found out why.


PostPosted: Sat Nov 28, 2020 8:38 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
LucisPictor wrote:

A lens that was somewhat unexpectedly amazing ist my Canon FD 1.8/85. I expected it to be good, but I did not expect it to thrill me that much. What an amazing lens. And it's well built and pretty compact as well.


Most vintage 1.7/85mm and 1.8/85mm lenses i own (MC-II, MC-X and MD 1.7/85mm, FD and nFD 1.8/85mm and Nikkor K 1.8/85mm) perfom very similarly on 24 MP Ff cameras. All are well built (the nFD least so), and to me the MCs stick out because of their very smooth focusing.

The Konica is a bit more "versatile" in its character, being softer at f1.8 than the others, with lots of detail in the center, but quite low contrast. Ideal for portraits at f1.8, very sharp and contrasty at 5.6 ... 8, and less CAs than the other (CaMinNik) mentioned before.

S


PostPosted: Sat Nov 28, 2020 9:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I came again. Forgot one lens, the Mamiya SX 85/2,8.

Sharp enought for general use and good for portrait.
From f/2,8 to F/11 IT's sharp.
Very good lens.


PostPosted: Sun Nov 29, 2020 4:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I got another one too. A little back story is necessary. This was the second lens I ever bought. I wa a total noob at photography and had very noobish attitudes toward lenses. So when I bought it, I just assumed it would do as good a job as any other in its focal range. But the surprising thing about this lens was -- and is -- that it is actually an outstanding performer. Examples can be found on eBay and other sites in the $10 range.

The lens is a Korean-made Albinar 80-200mm f/3.9. Albinar marketed two 80-200s that I know of. The first was the f/3.9 optic, the second has a variable aperture. I've never used the second one, being content with the performance of the first.

I have only one photo handy that I know was taken with this lens. Shot at sunset on a beach in Santa Barbara, California back in 1984, Kodachrome 64. Camera was a Canon A-1. I don't know the exposure, but I can guess. Given my noobishness, I'm sure I had the camera set to program, and pointed directly at the sun, it probably stopped the lens down all the way and maxed the shutter speed to 1/1000. The viewfinder info was probably blinking at me that it was an overexposure, but what did it know? Turns out the exposure was almost perfect. I've posted this image here at the forum before, but since this is the only one I have handy from that time frame, I'm posting it again.



I sold it in 1989 when I changed systems from Canon to Nikon. But when I got back into MF photography about 10 years ago, I bought back two -- one in Nikon mount and one in Canon FD mount -- for old times sake and also because I enjoy shooting Canon FD cameras.


PostPosted: Sun Nov 29, 2020 9:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Cooltouch. Thanks. Very nice history and really good pic.

Is your version with macro mode?


PostPosted: Tue Dec 01, 2020 11:28 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
papasito wrote:
Oldhand wrote:
Sometime ago I was gifted an old Miranda camera from a friend
It came with an Auto Miranda E 50mm f1.8 lens
I am totally unsure who made this lens -Miranda themselves, or one of the numerous Japanese lens makers of the time.
Adapters for Mirandas are hard to find so I cobbled one together from parts so that I could shoot with it on my Fuji.
In reality I was not expecting a lot from this lens, but it surprised immediately.
It is a wonderful portrait lens on APSc and has become one of my favourites.
I searched out the Auto Miranda 50mm f1.4 which is also outstanding, but I keep coming back to the 1.8

#1


Agree. Great lens. Did you use it in FF?


Used at the weekend with film on Miranda Sensomat RE.
FP4+.
Both shots taken at full aperture - f1.8
Tom

#1


#2


PostPosted: Tue Dec 01, 2020 12:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
#1 - What a great spot and shot, Tom Like 1 . Congrats.


PostPosted: Tue Dec 01, 2020 8:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Oldhand wrote:

Used at the weekend with film on Miranda Sensomat RE.
FP4+.
Both shots taken at full aperture - f1.8
Tom

#1


#2


I got one of those just a few days ago. Probably I really should get a Miranda => Sony E adapter now Wink (there are a few other Mirandas here waiting to be discovered, among them two different 2.8/28mm (one with 46mm filter, the other one with 55mm), a 1.4/50mm (probably the eight lens variant), a 2.8/105 and a 2.87135mm.

S


PostPosted: Wed Dec 02, 2020 2:53 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Oldhand

Thank you, very much.

Great pics.

Nice lens.


PostPosted: Wed Dec 02, 2020 6:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I was really surprised with my Yashica Super Yashinon Tominon 35/2.8 preset, absolutely love it's rendering, the subject looks like I can reach out and touch it/them, and the lens is beautifully made.

Another lens I love and is always with me is my Voigtlander 15v3, I didn't think I'd have as much fun with it, ultra wide and tiny makes it so easy to bring it with me on outtings.

My Canon S 35/2.8 LTM, one of my smallest lenses, I was expecting it to have magenta corners on my A7r, none what so ever, would be great on the A7c for a super compact kit.


PostPosted: Wed Dec 02, 2020 6:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
cooltouch wrote:


The lens is a Korean-made Albinar 80-200mm f/3.9.



I can confirm this is a quite good lens, especially given that most early Samyang lenses were very poor. I've had 3 copies that turned up in lens lots, I still have one today. In my testing, it loses out to the vivitar Series 1 lenses, as well as manufacturer lenses such as Canon, Nikon and Minolta, of a similar focal range and aperture, but only by the very slimmest of margins.

My other 'el cheapo' favourites are an early Quantaray 28-80mm 3.5-4.5 lens, made by Sigma. I have no photos handy, but at all focal lengths the corners clean up very well by F8, a remarkable acheivement given how poor every other Sigma zoom lens from that period that I've tried has performed.

Finally, my Focal brand, Makinon made, 28mm F/2.8 lens is also an unexpectedly good performer. Again, it's largely due to how distinctly 'average' most Makinon lenses are from that period, and maybe also because it cost less than a dollar.


PostPosted: Thu Dec 03, 2020 9:40 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
One more from the Auto Miranda E 50mm f1.8
Taken on Miranda Sensomat RE.
Aperture was probably f5.6
FP4+.
Vignette added


#1


PostPosted: Thu Dec 03, 2020 3:00 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Oldhand wrote:
One more from the Auto Miranda E 50mm f1.8
Taken on Miranda Sensomat RE.
Aperture was probably f5.6
FP4+.
Vignette added


#1


Another very nice pic.

What about that lens rendering in colours images?


PostPosted: Thu Dec 03, 2020 3:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Alun Thomas wrote:
cooltouch wrote:


The lens is a Korean-made Albinar 80-200mm f/3.9.



I can confirm this is a quite good lens, especially given that most early Samyang lenses were very poor. I've had 3 copies that turned up in lens lots, I still have one today. In my testing, it loses out to the vivitar Series 1 lenses, as well as manufacturer lenses such as Canon, Nikon and Minolta, of a similar focal range and aperture, but only by the very slimmest of margins.

My other 'el cheapo' favourites are an early Quantaray 28-80mm 3.5-4.5 lens, made by Sigma. I have no photos handy, but at all focal lengths the corners clean up very well by F8, a remarkable acheivement given how poor every other Sigma zoom lens from that period that I've tried has performed.

Finally, my Focal brand, Makinon made, 28mm F/2.8 lens is also an unexpectedly good performer. Again, it's largely due to how distinctly 'average' most Makinon lenses are from that period, and maybe also because it cost less than a dollar.


What the Makinon 28 borders?
And CA?


PostPosted: Thu Dec 03, 2020 4:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Alun Thomas wrote:
cooltouch wrote:


The lens is a Korean-made Albinar 80-200mm f/3.9.



I can confirm this is a quite good lens, especially given that most early Samyang lenses were very poor. I've had 3 copies that turned up in lens lots, I still have one today. In my testing, it loses out to the vivitar Series 1 lenses, as well as manufacturer lenses such as Canon, Nikon and Minolta, of a similar focal range and aperture, but only by the very slimmest of margins.

< . . . >

Finally, my Focal brand, Makinon made, 28mm F/2.8 lens is also an unexpectedly good performer. Again, it's largely due to how distinctly 'average' most Makinon lenses are from that period, and maybe also because it cost less than a dollar.


I own a Focal 28mm f/2.8 -- bought it at a pawn shop for $10. I was surprised at how good of a job it did. I've owned other cheap 28mm's that were rather poor performers, and I just assumed a Focal (which in the US is a brand marketed by K-Mart) would be similar, but I was wrong.

Glad to read you've tested your Albinar 80-200mm. I only did a comparison with one other zoom, a Nikon AI 80-200mm f/4.5. My conclusion, after rather extensive testing, was that the two lenses ended up tied. I couldn't see a clear difference between the two, and that old Nikon has always had a reputation as a good zoom. I have a couple of other 80-200s now that I didn't have then, so I should do another test with all four. Perhaps one day soon.


PostPosted: Thu Dec 03, 2020 5:05 pm    Post subject: Focal 28/2.8 Reply with quote
#1


This is one of my two standard test pics.

#2


For a 28mm lens, if you can read the sign for the buried cable, I'm happy.

#3


This is my other favourite test pic. Actually, this is taken with a Hanimex version of the same lens, for some reason I can't find this for the Focal lens.

#4


The lower left gives an indication of performance at infinity or close to it. The smallest indication of purple can be seen in the tree, but little in the white letterbox.

#5


The upper left border is a standard torture test for CA. Not much to be seen, although here you can see this copy of the lens isn't sharp in the very far corner.

#6


#7


#8


The same 3 pics from a Pentax K 28/3.5 Of course the Pentax is clearly better, but the Makinon design is better than you'd expect.


PostPosted: Thu Dec 03, 2020 6:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I also recently picked up a Contax Zeiss 28-85 but wasn't surprised as I had researched that lens and got a host of good reviews. Supposedly near prime quality throughout the zoom range. I had been looking for a replacement for the A-mount 24-70 sonnar which was a fantastic lens but sold as it was too heavy for my taste and the value was dropping and I almost always used it in MF mode anyway. I have only had the 28-85 for a couple weeks and have not had much chance to use it yet.


PostPosted: Thu Dec 03, 2020 9:02 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
It's NOT prime quality at the wide end (from 28 to about 35mm).

And as I said, turn it to 85mm and leave the aperture wide open. Then see the rendering and out of focus backgrounds. There is the real magic of this lens.


PostPosted: Fri Dec 04, 2020 2:25 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
papasito wrote:
Oldhand wrote:
One more from the Auto Miranda E 50mm f1.8
Taken on Miranda Sensomat RE.
Aperture was probably f5.6
FP4+.
Vignette added


#1


Another very nice pic.

What about that lens rendering in colours images?


Yes, some colour images here:
http://forum.mflenses.com/auto-miranda-50mm-f1-8-t80364.html

Tom


PostPosted: Fri Dec 04, 2020 4:54 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Another lens I really love and would have to be a favorite in its category (medium tele lens) is the Vivitar 135mm f2.8 "close focus" lens. This lens was made by the mythical Komine factory for Vivitar, and lives up to its maker's reputation. It is extremely well made, sharp and has beautiful smooth bokeh. It is a wonderful lens. For me it was even more wonderful in that I found it in a "junk" box at a camera store priced at $10 despite being in perfect condition and clean, clean, clean. I can only surmise that the fact that it has a Minolta mount may have had something to do with that pricing.

Here is a review of it at Pentax Forums.

https://www.pentaxforums.com/userreviews/vivitar-135mm-f-2-8-1-2-close-focusing.html


PostPosted: Fri Dec 04, 2020 5:58 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
...

Last edited by Blazer0ne on Tue Feb 22, 2022 6:15 pm; edited 1 time in total


PostPosted: Fri Dec 04, 2020 4:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Blazer0ne wrote:
So I wonder, why Vivitar chose to no longer use "macro" as a description for a lens with MFD of 1:2? The 90mm f2.5 had to be paired with an adapter for 1:1.


A macro lens is close focussing, and has a flat field of focus. Both the 55/2.8 and 90/2.8 from the same series were marked 'macro', but not the 135/2.8. At a guess, it was either because it didn't also go to 1:1, or perhaps the field wasn't flat like it was for the other two.


PostPosted: Fri Dec 04, 2020 7:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Blazer0ne wrote:
This is one of those lenses where there is an earlier 135mm f2.8 not "close focusing" but some eBay users will list as this anyway. It's clearly engraved on the name ring "Excuse me, this lens is auto telephoto close focusing!", but I guess the excuse is that you cannot prove the older version is not "close focusing!" per the listing as that is probably an opinion.


You can prove or disprove by comparing MFD shown on distance scales. Smile

Alun Thomas wrote:
Blazer0ne wrote:
So I wonder, why Vivitar chose to no longer use "macro" as a description for a lens with MFD of 1:2? The 90mm f2.5 had to be paired with an adapter for 1:1.


A macro lens is close focussing, and has a flat field of focus. Both the 55/2.8 and 90/2.8 from the same series were marked 'macro', but not the 135/2.8. At a guess, it was either because it didn't also go to 1:1, or perhaps the field wasn't flat like it was for the other two.


+1 not flat field


PostPosted: Fri Dec 04, 2020 7:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I actually really like the Minolta AF 100/2.8 macro. I use mine as a MF lens. It's build like a tank and goes 1:1. If you don't mind the rather small focusing ring if you use this as a MF lens, it is about as good as a Tokina 90/2.5 IMO. I think I paid 100€ for mine.
Post new topic   Reply to topic
Home   Manual Focus Lenses
Goto page Previous  1, 2, 3, 4  Next
Page 2 of 4