Vintage

Panasonic S5II + SMC Pentax M 28mm f2.8

You know you’re old, when the word ‘vintage’ describes items that were made 20 years after you were born. technology moves at a pace these days hitherto not seen in the last 100 years. Camera technology and new models of camera body and lens are being brought out every year and with increasing levels of tweaking what is already there. Sigma for example, have released an update version of their 24-70 f2.8 dg dn art lens in the last couple of weeks. This replaces a lens created only a few years ago which was itself, considered excellent. Every camera manufacturer is forever updating their bodies and lenses to improve on what came before. I have the Panasonic S5II which replaced the S5. There was gap of a few years between models and the camera is a big improvement on what was a great camera.

Panasonic S5II + SMC Pentax M 28mm f2.8

‘Invest in good glass’ is a phrase photographers advise newbies into the world of photography. It is sensible advice and a good lens will make a good composition into potentially, a great one. What if the lens you are using is 50 years old though ? Did the camera companies know a thing or two about producing high end quality lenses back then? I have been user of old manual focus lenses for nearly 10 years now. To be fair, I used some of them when they were new releases back in the late 70’s and 80’s but that’s beside the point. The advent of mirrorless cameras and adapters have enabled photographers to experiment with film era camera lenses. I have tried a few mounts and different manufacturers in recent times. I am a fan of Olympus Zuiko lenses (beautifully made, generally very contrasty and sharp), Canon FD lenses good too but the manufacturer I always return are Asahi Pentax. Their SMC (super multi coated) lenses produced from the mid 1970’s to the late 1980’s are always my go to choice.

Panasonic S5II + SMC Pentax A 50mm f1.7

There is something about the process of taking a photo that is enhanced by using a manual focus lens. They make you feel more at one with your camera and the advent of focusing tools such as focus peaking, make capturing photos relatively easy. They can be quicker than autofocusing lenses as they don’t hunt for focus. You set the focal distance and everything will be in focus. Pentax made some lovely prime lenses back in the day. To be fair, they still make lovely lenses now but their film era glass have a certain quality about them. The colours are punchy but not lurid. They are slightly cooler than say Olympus Zuiko but attractive. The out of focus areas are very well controlled and you can get some beautiful bokeh with them. The biggest plus for a photographer however is the price of these lenses. The three focal lengths I use are 28mm, 50mm and 135mm. You can get a really good Pentax M lens in all these focal ranges for well under £40.

Panasonic S5II + SMC Pentax M 135mm f3.5

If you were to only use manual vintage lenses, you could have a complete lens kit (including maybe a 70-210) for under £150. That is half the price of a modern secondhand standard Panasonic kit lens. What you get for that money are high quality metal lenses with beautiful glass. Yes, in tests they don’t perform to modern standards but you learn to work around that. The double advantage for someone who also happens to own a modern Pentax DSLR is that these 50 year old lenses will fit your modern camera without the need for an adapter, That is a huge plus and I continue to take my hat off to Ricoh Pentax for that.

I still use my modern autofocus lenses on both my S5II and Pentax K70. Sometimes, I need their autofocus, their sharpness, their weather sealing. I love the modern lenses but I have more fun with my older ones. They can be unpredictable but that can also be a bonus. You get effects that you would otherwise not with a modern one. If you have never used vintage lenses, I urge you to do so. They are an affordable way of creating interesting photographs. Many filmmakers are now using vintage lenses to get a different, more creative look. I would recommend Pentax or Olympus Zuiko but classics like the Helios 44m. It is an amazing focal length lens, that produces wild swirly bokeh and pretty sharp detail. Get yourself an adapter to fit your camera body and choose according to what lens mount your vintage lens has. Remember to make sure your camera is switched on to shooting without lens. This allows you take a photo. You won’t get exif data but you’ll just have to remember that! Go and have fun and you might get hooked like me!

Autumn Has Arrived!

I’m not a landscape photographer. I tend to find that most landscape photographers think like landscape photographers. They have a love of nature, of painting a scene with an image. I am in awe of many great landscape photographers for both their work and their dedication to it. To be fair, most types of photography attracts slightly obsessive people. You put a camera in the hand of photographer and they begin to imagine the perfect scene. I do have that need to create but I’m not fixed or have a strong preference to any form of subject. Autumn however, does bring out the landscape photographer in me. The mixture of vibrant colours as the deciduous trees, turn their canopies of green into browns, yellows, orange, red. The light is different this time of year as it can be bright but not as intense.

I like the freshness, that slight nip in the air. It can also be more of a lottery as to whether it pours down all day, blows a gale or produces a frost. I went out yesterday morning up above Gibson Mill in West Yorkshire. I had no intention of walking to the mill but knew that the path down offered several opportunities for some compositions. I went armed with all manual lenses as there was no need to focus quickly. My Voigtlander 35mm f1.4 Nokton Classic is proving to be a wonderful addition to my kit. It’s small, easy to focus and very sharp even when fully open. I also used my old faithful Pentax SMC 135mm f3.5 and Olympus Zuiko 50mm f1.4. The 50mm is proving to be a lovely sharp lens even though the focus throw on it is quite a lot more than my Voigtlander. The beauty of shooting manually on the Leica is that often, the process is quicker than trying to nail autofocus (an issue I discussed in my previous blog post). The beauty of using old lenses is the way they render colour. Pentax lenses seem almost tailor made for autumn as they can be slightly more subdued than the exuberant depths of colour you can get from Zuiko lenses. One advantage of shooting manually whilst out amongst abound rich colours and mist is that you take your time more. I am naturally impatient but autumn tends to slow me down. Less desire to nail one photo and then move on.

Early autumn is often my favourite time of year. There is still enough daylight to explore without the worry of darkness appearing. You don’t have to get up at a silly hour to capture a sunrise. There’s something more respectable about 7.30 am than the 5am starts in Summer. As a photographer, you have to be able to adapt to whatever season or weather condition you’re faced with but we will all have a preference. Mine is now and for the next few weeks before winter grasps us in its foreboding icy clutches. I’m determined to capture the moments before the weather/lack of light and general stupidity of the festive season, takes hold.