Nikkor Ai 35mm F2, A Fast Wide-Angle

Olympus E-P5, Nikkor 35mm F2 Ai

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Nikkor Ai 35mm F2, A Fast Wide-Angle

'Vintage lens on mirrorless camera lens test, five frames with the Nikkor 35mm F2, a Nikon classic'

Favored by both Nikon photo enthusiasts and used extensively by photojournalists as a standard prime, the Nikkor 35mm F2s have been in production since 1965. The lens is a solid all-metal and glass construction, with an excellent focus ring, and a long focus throw, excellent for a manually more accurate focus.

The Nikon Nikkor Ai-S 35mm F2 came with strong credentials as well. Ken Rockwell used it as his normal lens on his Nikon cameras until he replaces it with the 35mm F1.4. His main advocate, however, is that the lens should not be used for night photography with bright points and light sources, as the lens has a tendency to produce strong ghost effects.

Beyond that, other users give the lens their thumbs up as well. Image quality was the strong suit, sharp and contrasty even from f/2, sharpest at f/4, and good through f/11.

Nikkor 35mm F2 Ai, Olympus E-P5, Fotga Nikon M4/3 Manual Adapter

Shot wide open in 1:1 image aspect ratio on the 2x crop sensor E-P5, these images are not up for evaluation of edge or sweet spot sharpness, coma, or comatic aberration which can be an advantage to some as much as it disadvantages others. A lot can be done while the image is post-processed as well.

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Holga 120-Pan, Trying To Get It Right II

Holga 120-Pan

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Holga 120-Pan, Trying To Get It Right II

'Film photography favorites, five frames with the Holga 120-Pan, and a roll of expired Fujifilm Pro 160-S'

Well, here I am, back again with the Holga 120-Pan at the park right near to where I live, and as per my previous visit, I had the camera loaded with a roll of expired Fujifilm Pro 160-S.

The Holga 120-Pan is a medium format 6x12 panoramic camera released around 2010. Its form factor is based on the Holga 120-WPC pinhole camera body, as can be seen, by the same field of view lines are on top of the body.

The camera comes with a viewfinder attached, two hot shoes, and a level bubble, features that make the Holga almost a complete contraption all set and ready for tilt and yaw adjustments.

The 90mm optical lens has the same four focusing distance positions as seen on other Holgas as well - 1M,  2M, 6M, and 10M-Infinity. Same as other Holga cameras are the single (N) 1/100 second shutter with a B(ulb) setting. The film back has a fixed film counter window.

To get the correct frame count, the film must be advanced to the next odd-numbered exposure number, otherwise, the film will not be properly forwarded to cover the panoramic film frame and overlapping exposure will occur. An optional 35mm film kit is also available which can expose 24 x 108mm images.

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Nikkor Pre-Ai 35mm F2.8, In Black-n-White

Olympus E-P5, Nikkor 35mm F2.8 Pre-Ai

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Nikkor Pre-Ai 35mm F2.8, In Black-n-White

'Vintage lens on mirrorless digital camera lens test, five frames with the Nikkor Pre-Ai 35mm F2.8 Pre-Ai'

The Pre-Ai Nikon Nikkor 35mm F2.8, an improved version of the Nikkor S Auto model, was first introduced in 1959. The version is more compact than its predecessor, extending only 44.5mm out when mounted on the camera body, and comes with NIC (Nikon Integrated Coating) on all air to glass surfaces which contributed to the improved performance, reduced flare and ghost, and improved color rendition.

From its basic 6 elements in 6 groups construction, the lens evolved through both multiple optical and cosmetic variations and ends with a 5 element optical design. The Ai version was made from 1979 through 1981, while the Ai-S was made available from 1989 through 2005.

The lens is a nice fit on the Olympus Pen E-P5, giving my smallish hands just the right leverage and finger distance for both aperture and focusing control. Focusing was, of course, soft and smooth, as smooth as a Nikkor should be, while aperture clicks were just right, not that I used much of it. Most of my quick take images were taken at full aperture and almost at the lens's shortest focusing distance.

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Olympus XA1, The Car Wash Revisited

Olympus XA 1

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Olympus XA1, The Car Wash Revisited

'Film photography favorites, five frames with the Olympus XA1, at the car wash, again'

The Olympus XA1, though not really favored by most as one of the fine flavors of the Olympus XA clamshell series, is still one of my favorite film cameras for its point-and-shoot simplicity. It comes fitted with a fixed focus 4 element Zuiko D 35mm f/4 with an aperture range from f/4 to f/22, shutter speed is automated from 1/30 to 1/250 second. Framed images are in focus from 1.5m onward.

The camera, however, does not come with the red membrane touch shutter the others in the clan have, but a standard press-down button in the norm of other Olympus cameras from a slightly earlier period. Exposure control is a selenium cell unit fitted surrounding surrounds the lens as per the hugely popular and successful Olympus Trip 35.

The camera does not need or require a battery to run or to manage its exposure system. A red pop-up flag system blocks the shutter from being released if the image is underexposed, simplicity itself.

Post-processing on Olympus Viewer 3 (OV3) includes a slight Crop to adjust for scanning misalignment, Shading Compensation to adjust edge darkening, a slight drag of the Tone Curve to darken the image ever slightly, and Brightness & Contrast to add volume to the image.

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