HMD Nokia 3.1, Weeping Willows

HMD Nokia 3.1

Mobile Photography - Five frames with an HMD Nokia 3.1, of the weeping willows in the park.

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I was saddened, actually, at the demise of my favorite candy bar mobile phone, the Nokia Asha 300. The mobile, which was a 2011 release, had a 2.4-inch touch screen, and a 5 MP camera, which served me well with its set of super sharp images which I enjoyed very much. I was using the camera in favor of the current mobile that I am using, the bottom-of-the-line implementation of the new HMD Global Nokia series introduced in 2018.

Improved over time, the camera app that came with the set is now a better performer, with more selective functions, and images that are pretty much sharper and more delineated than when it was first introduced. This is my first re-trial of using the camera after having it lying around redundant for the whole time I was using the phone. Using a mobile phone for daylight shots, just as taking these shots here, is pretty much the art of guesstimate shooting, as you can hardly see anything much on the phone's display screen.

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Nikon Ai-S Nikkor 35mm F2, Keeping The Options Open

Vintage Lens Test - Five frames with a Nikon AI-S Nikkor 35mm F2, up close and cropped.

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I am keeping an option open as to which of the 35mm compact fast wide-angle primes (and a zoom?) I will likely retain it as part of my minimalist collection of lenses. First up is the Nikon Nikkor Ai-S 35mm 1:2, which, as my resources mentioned, has been a favorite lens by photojournalists for decades, at least until zoom lenses came into the market, and diminishes manual focus primes to the mantelpiece.

Olympus Pen E-P5, Nikon AI-S Nikkor 35mm F2

For normal shots, peak performance is said to be from F4 to F11, quite usable below F4 with corners that are not always perfect. On the other hand, close focus is outstanding, with great results even from F2, even with the soft corners. For this test, I used the lens mounted on the 2x crop sensor Micro 4/3 ILC, which makes the lens the equivalent of a 70mm prime on a full-frame camera. Images, up close and cropped, as seen posted.

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Minolta MD 28-85mm F3.5~4.5, First Take

Vintage Lens Test - Five frames with a Minolta MD 26-85mm F3.5~4.5 Zoom, a delightful experience.

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One lens I have been deferring from doing the normal image test that I do with most of the lenses in my collection. Fitted to the Olympus Pen E-P5 the lens is quite a monster both in size and weight. The lens itself is 65mm in length and weighs 470 grams, heavier than the 460 grams of the E-P5. Mounted on the E-P5 with the third-party MD-M4/3 adapter the extension is now a hefty 115mm.

My first test was to take the lens down to the park and settle on the children's play yard as the zoom range test subject. The images were shot at the lens's zoom setting of 28mm, 35mm, 50mm, 70mm, and 80mm. On the E-P5, of course, the focal distance is double of these settings. Unless you have very steady hands, hand-holding the camera while shooting at the long end of the zoom is an art you have to learn, while using your fingers to facilitate both the zoom and focus.

Olympus Pen  E-P5, Minolta MD 28-85mm F3.5~4.5

The test session went well images turned out to be a real surprise. Images were sharp and clear, and color rendition was fantastic, even when shot at almost full aperture.

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Zuiko OM 21mm F3.5, Cropped Skyline

Analog Diary - Film photography favorites, five frames with an Olympus Zuiko OM 21mm F3.5, a look back at a past edit.

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A look back at one of my past edits, and a chance to find a few images I have not posted before. The session I was looking at was long before the pandemic outbreak, I was with my OM-2S mounted with a Zuiko OM 21mm F3.5, and was one of the LRT stops that I regularly use before starting out for my walkabout sessions.

Olympus OM-2S, Zuiko OM 21mm F3.5

I am missing the days though, and the thought of being out on the streets again. I will, soon!

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