An unused M42 lens (+test imgs)

[hinioman]

Praktica 28-70mm f/3.5-4.8 Multi coded zoom lens in m42 mount

This lens was tucked away in an old camera bag not used for 25+ years. When I bought my K100D about 8 months ago, I did not realize the pracktica lens share the same m42 mount. This lens was one of the 3 M42 lens in my old bag that are of least interest to me as I find the focusing ring too short and very slippery for manual focusing work. I was trying it out today not expecting much from it.

I used my bower M42 to K mount adapter and it is one of the lens that I have not used for a long while until today

bower m42 adapter:
Pentax M42 adapters - Hin's Tech Corner

my pentax lens:
http://techtheman.blogspot.com/2007/10/inexpensive-gear-with-pentax.html

The manual focus lens come out unexpectedly sharp and it is my first time shooting flying birds with a manual focus lens. Please allow me to show bigger size for few test snapshots that I like:

#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

and I use my DA 50-200 on some flying birds before and even with AF.C, I am never close for a keeper. Some strange logic applies here and I really like the short and slippery focusing ring on this Praktica zoom 28-70 in m42 mount.

All shots are hand held in Manual and stop down metering with adjustment to double the speed as I find the metering is off 1+ stop in my K100D. C&C are welcome especially for shooting in manual focus mode and stop down metering. I find all of my M42 lens to be underexposed by a full stop to +1.7 Ev compensation in Av mode.

Thanks,
Hin

 

[ceecookie]

Where was this taken?

 

[hinioman]

In foster city of California in a lagoon area where I lunched earlier today. The place is called Waterfront. Without the birds, the lagoon look like these, the sky was not pretty today due to cloudy weather

#6

#7

#8

Thanks,
Hin

 

[gigahz]

The birds damn sharp hehehe

 

[Gengh]

Besides the amazing sharpness, I find the colours very vibrant too!

 

[istDeS]

Hi hinioman, nice pics you got there with an old lens. I like #2 and #4. Would be interested to see #1 in colour.

 

[hinioman]

Thank you for all the comments and feedbacks. Few others in b&w and different cropping

#6
added color saturation in picasa

#7
b&w

#8
a thinking bird in b&w

I did all of my editing in Picasa
http://techtheman.blogspot.com/2007/07/picasa-tutorials.html

Thanks,
Hin

 

[polantics]

wow, picture 8 is amazing...there's a nice feel to it.

but it looks more sleepy than thinking to me...

 

[aosis]

Hi, did you use a tripod to take them or just bare hands? These lens is extremely heavy for me. When I use my Praktica I dont even bother to use zoom lens as they are just too heavy.

 

[hinioman]

Hi, did you use a tripod to take them or just bare hands? These lens is extremely heavy for me. When I use my Praktica I dont even bother to use zoom lens as they are just too heavy.

All are hand-held shots, I did not bring the Praktica 28-70 zoom for shooting birds, it just happen that I was in the spot outside a restaurant next to a lagoon and a boy tossed some bread crumbs into the flying birds. I was high in adrenaline the next 10 minutes. I didn't have time to think but f/8, f/11, f/22, manual zooming to rough spots, pan the movement of the birds, wishful thinking for the reasonable focus, stop down metering with AE-L in M mode with K100D, double the time for 1+ stop compensation. My Praktica zoom is very light and small and it is much smaller than my DA 50-200.

The rough location of the shooting look like this:

And I think the short and slippery focuing ring in my m42 lens with Praktica actually helps me with the zooming. It is very odd for me to say that as I originally thought I would have lesser a chance to use this zooom lens due to the poor focusing ring compared to others and the lens seems to be very soft and dull in color when shot in wide open aperture.

Thanks,
Hin

 

[hinioman]

I manage to get some shots of my 1st film camera -- Praktica MTL5
along with my Prakticar 28-70 zoom f/3.5-4.8. I used my K100D with
Pentacon 50mm f/1.8 to make it a complete shoot on M42 lens shooting
M42 lens -- all in hand-held snapshots with manual focusing and stop
down metering. First 5 shot with Pentacon 50mm f/1.8 in iso400
ranging from f/1.8 and f/2.8 to upper f/5.6. I shot this indoor
around 5:00pm.

#1
Praktica MTL5 + Prakticar 28-70 f/3.5-4.8 MC zoom

#2
f/3.5-4.8 not sharp picture but it is listed on the front

#3
love this shot for the contrasty feel

#4
my favorite today with Pentagon 50mm f/1.8 in probably f/1.8 to f/2.8
and
I don't remember my f/setting

#5
serial #

Please don't go shop crazy for these lens as the Prakitcar 28-70 is
really hard in focusing with a short focusing ring. I am dumb
founded today in using it on shooting the Pentacon 50mm f/1.8 &
SuperTak 35mm f/3.5

All editing in post processing are done with Picasa minor tunning on
'I am feeling lucky', 'shadow', 'highlight' and light tunning

My Picasa usage:
Picasa Tutorials - Hin's Tech Corner

My pentax gear:
Inexpensive gear with Pentax - Hin's Tech Corner

Thanks,
Hin

 

[hinioman]

#6
Pentacon 50mm f/1.8
and I use my Prakticar 28-70 to shoot this in iso800 on f/3.5

#7
Pentacon 50mm f/1.8 has closest distance listed as 0.33m

#8
Pentacon 50mm f/1.8 open wide

#9
SuperTakumar 35mm f/3.5

#10
SuperTakumar 35mm f/3.4
love the small size and short neck, the focusing ring is the best
that I have used in manual focusing, it is as good as the Pentacon
50mm f/1.8, if not better.

Please don't go shop crazy for these lens as the Prakitcar 28-70 is
really hard in focusing with a short focusing ring. I am dumb
founded today in using it on shooting the Pentacon 50mm f/1.8 &
SuperTak 35mm f/3.5

All editing in post processing are done with Picasa minor tunning on
'I am feeling lucky', 'shadow', 'highlight' and light tunning

My Picasa usage:
Picasa Tutorials - Hin's Tech Corner

My pentax gear:
Inexpensive gear with Pentax - Hin's Tech Corner