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Share your photos with legacy lenses
- Thread starter Jonathan-Mac
- Start date
I made an online purchase of a kit that included a Pentax ES II (apparently working except the light meter), a 55mm f/1.8 SMC Takumar, a 24mm f/3.5 Takumar (not known if Super or Super-Multi-Coated) and a 100mm f/2.8 Takumar, plus cases and an original hood for the 24mm. I knew the last of those lenses doesn't exist and looking at the bad pictures I thought it would be a 135/3.5. All I really wanted was the 24mm plus hood and calculated that if the rest was in a good state I could sell it off and the 24mm would be around €70 at the end of the day.
The package arrived today and I've finished checking it out. The 24mm is Super-Multi-Coated and in good condition except for slow aperture blades, not too much of a problem as it doesn't matter on digital and on an M42 film camera I can use it in manual mode instead of auto. The 55mm is fine. The camera is mostly OK but sometimes the mirror sticks up and doesn't come back until I've fired the shutter a few times, I may be able to fix that. And what I expected to be a 135mm f/3.5 is actually a 120mm f/2.8! That's a lens I've had my eye out for for some time, so I was very happy to see it. A closer look shows it has a ring of balsam separation all the way around one of the lens groups, which is a shame but it doesn't seem to affect image quality that I can tell.
So overall I think that worked out quite well, although I'm going to have to gather up some other stuff to sell off if I'm to keep the 24 and the 120.
A few shots with the 24mm wide open where it's certainly not super sharp
Autumn in park morning light by Jonathan MacDonald, on Flickr
Start of autumn by Jonathan MacDonald, on Flickr
Park morning by Jonathan MacDonald, on Flickr
And a few with the 120mm, all wide open except for the butterfly which was taken at f/4 and is cropped to 25% of the original image
Light blue butterfly by Jonathan MacDonald, on Flickr
Pod by Jonathan MacDonald, on Flickr
Small flowers by Jonathan MacDonald, on Flickr
Rose and stick-y bokeh by Jonathan MacDonald, on Flickr
All of these were taken in the local park, I haven't had a chance to go any further afield yet.
The package arrived today and I've finished checking it out. The 24mm is Super-Multi-Coated and in good condition except for slow aperture blades, not too much of a problem as it doesn't matter on digital and on an M42 film camera I can use it in manual mode instead of auto. The 55mm is fine. The camera is mostly OK but sometimes the mirror sticks up and doesn't come back until I've fired the shutter a few times, I may be able to fix that. And what I expected to be a 135mm f/3.5 is actually a 120mm f/2.8! That's a lens I've had my eye out for for some time, so I was very happy to see it. A closer look shows it has a ring of balsam separation all the way around one of the lens groups, which is a shame but it doesn't seem to affect image quality that I can tell.
So overall I think that worked out quite well, although I'm going to have to gather up some other stuff to sell off if I'm to keep the 24 and the 120.
A few shots with the 24mm wide open where it's certainly not super sharp
Autumn in park morning light by Jonathan MacDonald, on Flickr
Start of autumn by Jonathan MacDonald, on Flickr
Park morning by Jonathan MacDonald, on Flickr
And a few with the 120mm, all wide open except for the butterfly which was taken at f/4 and is cropped to 25% of the original image
Light blue butterfly by Jonathan MacDonald, on Flickr
Pod by Jonathan MacDonald, on Flickr
Small flowers by Jonathan MacDonald, on Flickr
Rose and stick-y bokeh by Jonathan MacDonald, on Flickr
All of these were taken in the local park, I haven't had a chance to go any further afield yet.
CaliforniTexican
New Member
Thank you for your very interesting and well-written article. I have been looking into buying a mirrorless camera and one of my main goals is to use old manual lenses (given I prefer to manually focus my modern automatic lenses anyway).
I particularly am glad to know focus peaking works with the old manual lenses because it is my preferred focus method.
Your images are wonderful — as a B&W guy I particularly like “Smoke in the Crystal Palace.” Is the atmospheric aspect of that image due to the site and light that day, or due to the Tamron lens?
Thanks so much for sharing!
I particularly am glad to know focus peaking works with the old manual lenses because it is my preferred focus method.
Your images are wonderful — as a B&W guy I particularly like “Smoke in the Crystal Palace.” Is the atmospheric aspect of that image due to the site and light that day, or due to the Tamron lens?
Thanks so much for sharing!