Tag: Manual Focus
Konica Hexanon AR 40mm f1.8
The Konica Hexanon AR 40mm f1.8 is a tiny, wide-normal lens for the Konica system, released in 1978. It fits right between wide-angle 35 mm and 50mm lenses. Konica wanted a small size, fast speed, and wider-angle normal lens, and in my eyes, they succeeded. Generally, photographers praise it, but does it live up to…
Canon nFD 50mm f1.2 Review
The Canon New FD 50mm f1.2, not to be confused with its more expensive and rare ‘L’ brother, is the more affordable of Canon’s two ultra-fast nFD 50mm lenses released in 1980. Unlike the big brother, it does not have the aspherical elements and commands a much lower price. Canon used a different optical formula…
Canon FL 58mm f1.2 Review
Canon FL 58mm f1.2 is an early fast lens from the 1960s. It is relatively soft at f1.2, exhibits many aberrations, and is radioactive – just how I like it. Nonetheless, it delivers sharp images when stopped down even a small amount, has lovely colours, and produces artistic vintage-looking pictures. I got more out of…
Canon FD 35mm f2 S.S.C. Review
Canon FD 35mm f2 S.S.C. is a highly rated medium-wide-angle lens for the Canon FD system. It was initially released in 1971 and still offers excellent performance today. Canon made six slightly different versions, some more sought after than others. Details about Canon FD 35mm f2 Canon FD 35mm f2 lens is a collection of…
Voigtländer Nokton 50mm f1.5 Lens Review
Voigtländer Nokton 50mm f1.5 is another outstanding lens designed by Albrecht Wilhelm Tronnier and released with the Voigtländer ProminenT rangefinder camera in 1950. It is fast enough to allow shooting without additional light and sufficiently sharp to out-resolve the film. It is still well-regarded today and has even inspired a series of modern Nokton lenses –…
Schneider Kreuznach Rollei SL Xenon 50mm f1.8 Lens Review
Schneider Kreuznach Rollei SL Xenon 50mm f1.8 is a reasonably uncommon lens for the Rolleiflex SL35 camera utilising the QBM mount, and it also probably has the longest name. In 1973 this Xenon lens replaced the Carl Zeiss Planar 50mm f1.8 as a standard kit lens for the SL35 but was only manufactured between 1972…
Canon FL 50mm f1.4 Lens Review
Canon FL 50mm f1.4 is a classic lens from 1966. I wanted to try this lens because the early Canon OM 50mm f1.9 gave me excellent results, and I wanted to see if these slightly later lenses would provide similar results. Due to their age, they fly under the radar of most vintage lens hunters,…
Canon OM 50mm f1.9 Lens Review
Canon OM 50mm f1.9 is an unusual, rare lens – created through a unique collaboration between Mamiya, Canon, and Osawa – resulting in a Canon lens for the Exakta mount sold only alongside a Mamiya 35mm SLR camera body. Build, Ergonomics and Radioactivity Canon OM 50mm f1.9 is built like a tank. I have used…
Carl Zeiss Contarex Planar 50mm f2 Review
Carl Zeiss Contarex Planar 50mm f2 is an engineering marvel, just like the other Contarex lenses. Carl Zeiss introduced it in 1957 as the first lens for the Contarex system, and even today, its mechanical beauty, precision and usability are unmatched by anything else – even Carl Zeiss itself. This lens is in the middle…
Konica Hexanon AR 35mm f2 Short Review
Konica Hexanon AR 35mm f2 is a premium lens from the Konica AR lineup. A whole stop faster than the other 35mm, it was more expensive, and therefore now much rarer to find. Performance is good, just like the other Konica lenses, but it does have its weaknesses. First impressions Build quality is excellent –…
Konica Hexanon 50mm f1.7 AR Lens Review
Konica Hexanon 50mm f1.7 is the entry-level standard lens in the Hexanon lineup, along with a faster 50mm f1.4 and the iconic 57mm f1.2. All three lenses are great but have slightly different characteristics. Konica AR Lens guide describes it eloquently as “Budget priced standard lens. Lightweight and compact. Focuses down to 18 inches“. Although…
Canon FD 55mm f1.2 S.S.C. Lens Review
Canon FD 55mm f1.2 S.S.C. is a great performer! I bought this lens along with a few other FD lenses and a Canon A-1 camera. I did not specifically seek it, nor was even aware that such a lens existed before I had it. ‘Best manual lenses’ lists or reviews rarely mention it, so I did…