Find of the day

This auction is for a Super Multi Coated Takumar 50mm 1.4.  The seller claims that this lens is in “Perfect working...perfect glasses...CLA'd...super clean...super lens...”.   Currently the lens is at $16.50 plus $8 for shipping.

Top Tip:  Some old lenses such as this Takumar use trace radioactive elements in their glass.  As these lenses age, they will turn yellowish.  According to web, one can expose them to UV light (e.g. putting them in the window frame for a few days) to undo the effect of aging.  

SMC Takumar 50mm 1.4

Impressions: Many consider this lens the best lens ever.   I consider it to be a very lovely lens but certainly not the most loved lens in my collection.  Don't take me wrong this is an amazing lens but in the tough tough tough company of Zeiss 45mm, Topcor 58mm and Takumar 55mm, it has to be relegated to second tier.  One thing that this lens has on Zeiss and Topcor is its great construction.  The silky smooth focus mechanism of all Takumars is second to none.  I dont remember how much I paid for this lens but I see them go for around $70.

Below please find some of picture with SMC Takumar 50mm 1.4 and my Canon 5DII:

Mod:  No mod was necessary for my SMC Takumar but other versions of this lens can interfere with 5D's mirror.  Choose wisely.

Below please find some pictures of this lens:

Rating: 8 out of 10

Find of the day

This auction is for a Nikon Micro-Nikkor-P Auto 55 mm f3.5.  The seller claims that this lens is in excellent shape.

Top Tip:  Even though the condition of barrel does not deter me from considering any Nikkors (the uglier they are, the better they perform), the dings on the barrel do.  A filter on the lens and original caps are always good signs as well (though this seller does not mention any caps)

Mamiya Sekor SX 135mm 2.8

Impressions: It took me a while to find one these lenses at a reasonable price ($37 in 2014).  This lens and the Mamiya SX 35mm are both very hard to come by.   Now that I have the 135mm, I also want the 35mm.

I sold both my Takumar 135s (SMC 3.5 and Super 2.5 5 element) after I bought this lens.   Takumars were warmer; Mamiya may be a little sharper.  Takumars did not need any work to adapt to Canon.  Cant go wrong either way.

Here are some pictures from the Mamiya 135mm SX on my Canon 5DII:

Mod: Adapting Mamiya M42 lenses to Canon 5D2 has similar issues as the Fujinon (please refer to the Fujinon 50mm 1.4 article)

Below please find some pictures of this lens:

Rating: 7 out of 10

Find of the day

This auction is for an Asahi Pentax Super Multi Coated Takumar 28mm f3.5.   The seller claim it to be in mint condition.  I own this lens and always enjoy using it.  The bidding is currently at $20 + $19 for shipping.

Topcor RE 58mm 1.8

Amongst the lenses that are revered by the lovers of old lenses this gem has a special place.   Some claim that when introduced, this lens was the highest resolution lens available .  I have done some informal comparisons of my lenses in which this lens seem to perform near the top tear, right next to Zeiss 45mm 2.8, Takumar 55mm 1.8 and Fujinon 50mm 1.2.

However, I like this lens more for its color rendering and its blacks than for its resolution.  The blacks of this lens are really black and the other colors remind me of water color.   The images with this lens have a bright look that are unique to this lens.  I bought this lens in early 2014 for $105 from ebay and considered myself very lucky.

Here are some sample pictures:

Below please find some pictures of this gem:

Mod:  It was kinda of hard adapting the Topcor 58mm 1.8 to Canon 5DII.  I had to file down most of the upper portion the rear flange to eliminate the chances of mirror interference. As you can see the picture below, the upper bayonet lips is filed down so thin that it look like a blade.  Fortunately infinity focus was not a problem (I use one of the thin new Exakta adaptors).  I also had to remove the pin assembly that was protruding from the rear flange when I opened the lens up.  Certainly worth the effort.

Rating 9 out of 10.

Find of the day

This auction is for a Nikon Nikkor 28mm 1:2 lens.  The seller claims that this lens is in excellent condition.   Currently the price is at $41. + $9. shipping with no reserve.

Fujinon 50mm 1.4 EBC M42

Impressions: The web is full of references about the colors of Fujinon EBC lenses.   This lens combines the famous colors of Fuji with an ultra high image quality.  Not only you can see the quality of this lens in your images, you also will see in the construction of the lens when you open it up.  In fact you have to open this lens in order to convert it to manual aperture.  I bought this lens recently (in 2014) from ebay for $180 including shipping.

Here are some pictures at f11:

Here is a picture at f1.4:

Here are some pictures of the Fujinon 50mm 1.4 EBC on my Canon 5DII:

Mod: Two little mods are required to use this lens on 5DII.  They are both quite easy and reversible.

1) Conversion of the auto aperture to manual aperture otherwise the aperture always stays wide open.  Please refer to this link for the conversion instructions.  Be careful if you use a thick tube around the pin, it will interfere with focusing.

2) Freeing up the aperture ring:  I had to shave the adaptor so that it does not interfere with the little protrution on the back of the aperture ring.  You can see the rectangular protrusion at 4 o'clock on the aperture ring.

Here is the picture of the rear side with the shaved M42/EF adaptor:

and here are some more pictures of the shaved adaptor next to a new adaptor:

PS:  The same two mods are necessary for all Fujinon and Mamiya M42 lenses.

Rating: Not enough data yet (An educated guess: 9 out of 10)

Find of the day

This ebay auction is on what the seller claims to be a nice condition 6 BLADES SUMMICRON-R f=50mm 1:2.0 LENS.

The seller claims the optical performance of this lens to be 10 with clear glass, no scratches, haze or fungus.  The focus mechanism and aperture supposedly move smoothly and freely.

Contax Zeiss 45mm 2.8

It is apropos to start this blog with my very first lens, Zeiss Tessar 45mm 2.8.  My first camera was my dad’s camera, a Zeiss Contessa.  It just happens that the same exact lens with the exact same T* coating is available in Yashica/Contax mount.   May be I get impressed too easily but I think this tiny lens is magical.  The colors and sharpness of this lens are hard to beat.  The sharpness is biting and colors are jewel toned.  In fact this lens may well be my sharpest lens at f11. Sometimes I think this lens is too harsh but then I use it and....

Here are a couple of samples at f11.

And one at f4

Using a cheapo ebay adaptor, I had to shave/shorten about a millimeter from the flange around the rear element to gain infinity focus.  You may have better luck with your adaptor.  If I recall correctly,  I paid around $175 for this lens in 2013.

Here are some pictures of the Contax Zeiss 45mm 2.8 on my Canon 5DII.

Here you can see how I had to file down the top part of rear flange.  I then tried to paint the bare metal black with a sharpie :-)

Rating:  9 out of 10

My collection

I love old lenses.   Over the years, I have amassed what I consider to be pretty good collection of lenses.  Here is a list of my lenses, my rating of these lenses and well as what I believe to be reasonable price for them at the time of my review:

Canon 40mm 2.8 EF STM

Canon 50mm 1.8 EF

Contax Zeiss 45mm 2.8 (9/10 $200)

Contax Zeiss 50mm 1.7

Fujinon 50mm 1.4 EBC M42 (?/10 $150)

Fujinon-X 50mm 1.2 EBC

Kodak Retina Xenar 50mm 2.8

Nikkor 50mm 1.4 AIS

Takumar SMC 50mm 1.4 (8/10 $70)

Takumar SMC 50mm 4.0 Macro

Takumar Super 55mm 1.8

Topcor RE 58mm 1.8 (9/10 $75)

Yashica ML 50mm 2.0 (3/10 $20)

My collection also include some non-normal lenses:

Canon 28mm 2.8 IS USM

Canon 100mm EF Macro

Contax Zeiss 28mm 2.8

Funinon 35mm 2.8 EBC M42

Mamiya SX 135mm M42 (7/10 $35)

Meyer Primagon 35mm 4.5 V (8/10 $70)

Nikkor-P 105mm 2.5 (8/10 $75)

Olympus Zuiko 24mm 2.8

Olympus Zuiko 28mm 3.5

Takumar 20mm 4.5 (8/10 $150)

Takumar 28mm 3.5
Takumar 35mm 3.5 (8/10 $40)

Topcor RE 25mm 3.5 (8/10 $150)

Topcor RE 35mm 2.8

Topcor RE 135mm 3.5

Some of these lenses like the Takumars, Nikkors and Zuikos required almost no work to adapt to my camera, a Canon 5DII while others such as the Primagon and Topcors needed major surgery before they could work on my camera.  I look forward to share some of my experiences and impressions regarding these lenses with you. Additionally, I continue to spend too much time looking for nice lens deals on ebay.  I am happy to share my finds in these pages as well.