[pinholecam] A week with ...... (random ramblings of a lens junkie) - 2015


I barely touched the surface with this lens even if I used it for 4 intensive days on a photo trip.
The lens options in my bag certainly did not help, since that did not force me to exploring more angles and possibilities with the 12mm FOV.
I am left wondering if I can totally cope if 12mm is my widest lens and the next focal length is a 28mm or 35mm. (in a 12mm; 35mm; 85mm combi for example)
Still lots to explore, so little time.....

Lens wise, I think the Voigtlander 12/5.6 is a gem.
A lens designed with a purpose.
No macho f2; f2.8 f-stop that makes the lens big and heavy.
A travel companion, certainly.
Perhaps its no wonder that such a lens has to come from a smaller player like Voigtlander.
The big boys of the industry are too busy with more mainstream stuff.
f5.6 on a lens can be suicidal these days when buyers pull out the spec sheets and marks down the lens without even really trying it.

I'm just glad that there are still lens makers out there who give us some variety like this 12/5.6.


First, thanks for the thread! Been silently camping a lot :) and it's hard to keep typing "great photo!" if every upload is so good!


Also, just wondering, what did you travel with then? I am considering bringing this VC 12, FE28 and maybe something around 80-100mm on my a7 that is small/light as I hike/camp on backpack. Believe that will cover for most landscapes! Any recommendations?

I've tried just 12mm + 50mm before but found myself missing a few shots/having to stitch, as the 12mm is quite hard to frame at times
 

First, thanks for the thread! Been silently camping a lot :) and it's hard to keep typing "great photo!" if every upload is so good!


Also, just wondering, what did you travel with then? I am considering bringing this VC 12, FE28 and maybe something around 80-100mm on my a7 that is small/light as I hike/camp on backpack. Believe that will cover for most landscapes! Any recommendations?

I've tried just 12mm + 50mm before but found myself missing a few shots/having to stitch, as the 12mm is quite hard to frame at times

Thanks for the encouragement.
Really appreciate it to know that at least someone reads my rambling. :)

I almost always go for UWA/Normal/Short-Tele combis when on travel.
In this this case, 12,20,55,100mm.

I've got mixed feelings about the 12mm then 20mm combi.
On the one hand, the 20mm did lots (I've got more shots with it than the 12mm for this trip)
On the other hand, I feel that 24mm seems my preference.
More versatile as a street+landscape lens.
Less feel of perspective exaggeration too compared to 20mm (and that 12mm already is another one that exaggerates perspective).
That said, 20mm is the nicer lens over 24mm as the 'only' wide.
There would have been times I went out with the 20mm and left the 12mm in the room, where a 24mm would not have bagged a shot w/o thinking real hard to get things into the frame.


I also had a 28mm in the form of the Sigma DP1m. (backup camera)
However, I am not much of a 28mm guy (perhaps film days with 28mm as my widest option scared me off it even till today) :D
28mm never seem wide enough for city stuff. (and this was film days, so no pano stitch though I did shoot multiframes and pasted the prints into panos. )


For your intended travel kit, I do think its fine.
That FE28 looks great from what I can tell trying out at the store. (real nice other than the distortion which can be corrected in post)
You did not buy the UWA attachment?

I also see that you have left out a 'normal' (eg. 35mm or 50mm).
Perhaps the 28mm can do that duty depending on personal preference though.

Your kit certainly looks fine imo. :)
 

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JK, Pls keep this great thread going. I am pretty sure there are many silent readers out there thanking you for yr efforts in penning down yr experience with these lenses. And not forgetting the accompanying images of what these lenses can do. I too feel like talking to a wall in threads I started but I still share my thoughts/experience in the hope that in future, someone can learn or benefit from my 5 cts contribution. Keep the faith !

Silent reader mostly here ;) imagine if i comment on every of his posts he prob gonna be banning me soon lol
 


20150329-DSC00930-2400-RED by jenkwang, on Flickr



20150329-DSC01007-2400 by jenkwang, on Flickr


In summary, to me, the FE55/1.8 is a fine lens.
There is always a concern over its cost, but put it this way....
Google up any Zeiss Dis-a-goon, Plain-lar, or what not and they are not cheap. ;)
Certainly in the ballpark of the FE55/1.8.
Yeah, its no dainty lens (in fact its bigger than a Pentax 50/1.4+adapter) nor is it "grenade grade brass" construction (so that it can be hurled at a mugger when the need arises)
But it does come with the creature comforts of AF, Auto aperture, EXIF data, built in lens corrections, etc.
Its also lighter than a more weighted brass/alu lens.
Basically, imo, its a give and take here.


Of course, as such things go, its really up to user preference.
I find myself of two hats sometimes.... fussing over the price, size, cat-eye in the OOF highlights, non-engaing usage over MF lenses.
But as I typed it myself, its just fuss.

To be fair, I think the price of the lens is commensurate for what it is.
Zeiss in name as well as rendition; Overall sharpness from wide open; Flare tolerance; light weight and AF.


Certainly a Zeiss and not a Zony ;)
 

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Thanks for the encouragement.
Really appreciate it to know that at least someone reads my rambling. :)

I almost always go for UWA/Normal/Short-Tele combis when on travel.
In this this case, 12,20,55,100mm.

I've got mixed feelings about the 12mm then 20mm combi.
On the one hand, the 20mm did lots (I've got more shots with it than the 12mm for this trip)
On the other hand, I feel that 24mm seems my preference.
More versatile as a street+landscape lens.
Less feel of perspective exaggeration too compared to 20mm (and that 12mm already is another one that exaggerates perspective).
That said, 20mm is the nicer lens over 24mm as the 'only' wide.
There would have been times I went out with the 20mm and left the 12mm in the room, where a 24mm would not have bagged a shot w/o thinking real hard to get things into the frame.


I also had a 28mm in the form of the Sigma DP1m. (backup camera)
However, I am not much of a 28mm guy (perhaps film days with 28mm as my widest option scared me off it even till today) :D
28mm never seem wide enough for city stuff. (and this was film days, so no pano stitch though I did shoot multiframes and pasted the prints into panos. )


For your intended travel kit, I do think its fine.
That FE28 looks great from what I can tell trying out at the store. (real nice other than the distortion which can be corrected in post)
You did not buy the UWA attachment?

I also see that you have left out a 'normal' (eg. 35mm or 50mm).
Perhaps the 28mm can do that duty depending on personal preference though.

Your kit certainly looks fine imo. :)

Did not purchase the UWA attachment as I felt it is too close between 28 and 12 (I know they're not, but not when I'm already trying to reduce weight on other lens!)

Gonna go back to silent camping and enjoying good photos! Keep it up! :D
 

A week with the Rarest Takumar


20150328-DSC00828-2400 by jenkwang, on Flickr


Yes, no Bull.
Rarest Takumar.
So rare was it that when I chanced on it in a store, I had to rub my eyes to see if my eyes were playing tricks on me and that if it was not a common f2.8.
Next thing I did was to look up info via my phone..... none....
Not even comprehensive sites like the PentaxForums lens database of Taunusreiter.de.


As far as there is any info on this lens, what I can gather is this :
1. About 200 made for the Japanese market
2. Sold from 1965-1966 (1yr, but in actual fact just a few months between Sep'65 to Apr'66)
3. No considerations to product cost (maybe as a 'We can do THIS' sort of publicity)

On the English forums, I can only find 5-6 of this lens ever being mentioned.
5 of the 6 of them being sales records (ebay/taobao)

Of these 6, it seems I am the only guy taking pictures with it, posting them up and saying I own one. (...strange... )
Don't believe, just do a google seach....

My suspect is that the rest are still in Japan and at most non-English places like Taiwan; China.
 

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Lens info :
Pentax Takumar 100/2
Elements/Groups : ?
Filter diameter : 58mm
Length : 75mm

Not a big lens at all for a f2.
Nicely built and very smooth focusing.
It has a aperture ring and a stop down ring, so that one set the aperture on one, and can quickly turn between wide open and the pre-set aperture setting (or anything in between).


20150329-DSC01113-2400 by jenkwang, on Flickr


I am usually a 50mm guy when it comes to people shots, so 100mm needs some warming up.
Especially so on the streets, and between switching lenses which affects my expectation of the working distance and framing of the mounted lens.
During that small transition between 50mm to 100mm, I'd always have that slight unease that maybe I should just stick to the FL that I am more used to.

But, when I reviewed the shots I had using the 100mm, I think it was worth the effort.


20150329-DSC01119-1 by jenkwang, on Flickr

Not to mention it being better to break off from my comfort zone.
 

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A week with the Rarest Takumar


20150328-DSC00828-2400 by jenkwang, on Flickr


Yes, no Bull.
Rarest Takumar.
So rare was it that when I chanced on it in a store, I had to rub my eyes to see if my eyes were playing tricks on me and that if it was not a common f2.8.
Next thing I did was to look up info via my phone..... none....
Not even comprehensive sites like the PentaxForums lens database of Taunusreiter.de.


As far as there is any info on this lens, what I can gather is this :
1. About 200 made for the Japanese market
2. Sold from 1965-1966 (1yr, but in actual fact just a few months between Sep'65 to Apr'66)
3. No considerations to product cost (maybe as a 'We can do THIS' sort of publicity)

On the English forums, I can only find 5-6 of this lens ever being mentioned.
5 of the 6 of them being sales records (ebay/taobao)

Of these 6, it seems I am the only guy taking pictures with it, posting them up and saying I own one. (...strange... )
Don't believe, just do a google seach....

My suspect is that the rest are still in Japan and at most non-English places like Taiwan; China.

Love the treatment , the rendering from the lens (and of course the model - 1 of my fav for the show).
 

Love the treatment , the rendering from the lens (and of course the model - 1 of my fav for the show).

Bernard, thanks.
Yeah man.. The Sony both models were super..
 


20150329-DSC01137-2400 by jenkwang, on Flickr

It does seem that this lens is very much pre-SMC (the famous Super-Multi-Coat) ( more info here : http://www.bdimitrov.de/kmp/technology/SMC.html )
The lens does pre-date the SMC by about 5-6yrs.
My impression is that contrast is the lowest of the Pentax lenses I have.
However, there should still be some sort of multi-coating, as its certainly more contrasty than my other brand lenses of the same era or earlier which either have no-coating or few/early coatings.
I kind of like the contrast, almost 'just right' in many situations (people shots usually).

Bokeh, imo, I like a lot.
It reminds me of watercolor daubs in the OOF areas in many situations.
 

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20150329-DSC01068-2400 by jenkwang, on Flickr


I feel that I do mostly people/candids/portraits for street photos.
Just a collection of people who catch my eye, perhaps a "This person who looked like this and this, existed, was here, when I captured him on camera" .

100mm, coupled with a fast aperture does give that isolation better for such types of shots, where I'd want a tighter crop, shallow DOF to isolate the subject better.



20150329-DSC01131-2400 by jenkwang, on Flickr
 

It does seem that this lens is very much pre-SMC (the famous Super-Multi-Coat) ( more info here : http://www.bdimitrov.de/kmp/technology/SMC.html )
The lens does pre-date the SMC by about 5-6yrs.
My impression is that contrast is the lowest of the Pentax lenses I have.
However, there should still be some sort of multi-coating, as its certainly more contrasty than my other brand lenses of the same era or earlier which either have no-coating or few/early coatings.
I kind of like the contrast, almost 'just right' in many situations (people shots usually).

Bokeh, imo, I like a lot.
It reminds me of watercolor daubs in the OOF areas in many situations.

Oooh nice lens. I used to have a Pentax SMC Tak 85/1.8 on my m43, very nice flare control and creamy bokeh. But had to make way for m43 lenses, sold it to Fengwei :)
 

Oooh nice lens. I used to have a Pentax SMC Tak 85/1.8 on my m43, very nice flare control and creamy bokeh. But had to make way for m43 lenses, sold it to Fengwei :)

Cool...
The Tak85/1.8 is a nice lens
 


20150329-DSC01128-2400 by jenkwang, on Flickr


I am glad I chose the 100mm for the trip.
It added another dimension/option to what I had in the bag, rather than an 85mm, which would imo be a somewhat longer version of the 55mm I had brought as my 'normal' FL.
Yes, it needed some usage learning curve upon immediate change from 55mm to 100mm when in the field, since working distance for framing, handling and even shooting strategy/methodology had to be changed to cope.
But overall, it was well worth it.


The Takumar 100/2 is of course special to me.
Its not always easy to chance on a 1 in 200 lens.
Even more so when its more like 1 in 8 from the internet transactions of this lens in English websites.
I have received queries and offers before for this lens via my Flickr account, but to me, what price does one place on history, rarity and the chance to even chance on one.
So I'm certainly keeping my copy (and using it..... :) )
 

Master at Work! awesome series and awesome gears ^_^ I am slowly releasing my gears bro and wife starts noticing them and she knows its $$
 

Master at Work! awesome series and awesome gears ^_^ I am slowly releasing my gears bro and wife starts noticing them and she knows its $$

Thanks. :)
No master for sure, just a 'Jack' :D

Fully understand on selling off some of the stuff.
The most important thing is to buy within one's comfort zone.
 

A week with the Pentax M20/4


Reflection on solace by jenkwang, on Flickr



20150327-DSC00460-2400 by jenkwang, on Flickr


Coming to the last lens in the four that I brought with me to Bangkok.
I wrote about the lens once already here : http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1488003&p=9077180&viewfull=1#post9077180

The size of the Pentax M20/4 never fails to amaze me.
Its portability makes it almost a de-facto wide to just add in the travel bag, which is what I did.
I wanted to get a better feel of the lens too as either a walkabout wide or as a combi with a wider lens like the CV12 or Samyang 14mm.
 

Thanks. :)
No master for sure, just a 'Jack' :D

Fully understand on selling off some of the stuff.
The most important thing is to buy within one's comfort zone.

hehe yeah true bro I am becoming gear hoard and my wife started noticing my dry cab so must release (to fund the next set of gears lolz)
 

A week with the Pentax M20/4


Reflection on solace by jenkwang, on Flickr



20150327-DSC00460-2400 by jenkwang, on Flickr


Coming to the last lens in the four that I brought with me to Bangkok.
I wrote about the lens once already here : http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1488003&p=9077180&viewfull=1#post9077180

The size of the Pentax M20/4 never fails to amaze me.
Its portability makes it almost a de-facto wide to just add in the travel bag, which is what I did.
I wanted to get a better feel of the lens too as either a walkabout wide or as a combi with a wider lens like the CV12 or Samyang 14mm.

nice little gem bro there's a lot f gem in the pentax line up seeing some like 17/4 fisheye which is really smallish and some pancake lenses also... my next hunt is for pentax series lolz