SMC Takumar 55mm f/1.8, Close-Ups I

Digital Moments: Image making with an SMC Takumar 55mm f/1.8, in the garden with a screw-mount lens of good repute.

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The SMC Takumar is a fast 55mm f/1.8 screw-mount (M42) lens of good repute as seen in several iterations of the same optical design. The series started with the Takumar 55mm f/1.8, in production in 1958, and ended with the SMC Takumar 55mm f/1.8, which was in production from 1972 to 1975.

Other iterations include the Auto-Takumar (1958 - 1962), Super Takumar (1962 - 1965), and Super-Multi-Coated Takumar (1965 - 1972).

Olympus E-P5, SMC Takumar 55mm f/1.8

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Olympus Zuiko OM 200mm f/4, Tele Shots

Digital Moments: Image making with an Olympus OM Zuiko 200mm f/4, not really a hand-holdable compact.

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The Olympus Zuiko OM 200mm f/4, a classic telephoto lens from the film era that remains highly regarded among photographers today, is a lightweight and compact telephoto lens capable of delivering excellent image quality.

The lens is a straightforward construction with 5 elements in 4 groups, which contributes to the lens's compact dimensions, and features a built-in retractable lens hood that helps against backlit shooting situations.

Had the lens mounted via a Leinox OM-M4/3 lens adapter, which came with a separate tripod mount (usable with other Leinox adapters as well) that makes it easy and convenient to use the lens at its equivalent of a 400mm telephoto lens on a 35mm full-frame camera.

Olympus E-P5, Olympus OM Zuiko 200mm f/4

Had the lens mounted via a Leinox OM-M4/3 lens adapter, which came with a separate tripod mount (usable with other Leinox adapters as well) that makes it easy and convenient to use the lens at its equivalent of a 400mm telephoto lens on a 35mm full-frame camera.

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Canon Autoboy 3, A Look Back

Analog Diary: Film photography favorites, image making with a Canon Autoboy 3, a walk by the Sultan Abdul Samad Building, Kuala Lumpur.

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A look back at one of the walkabouts I took in the city with the Canon Autoboy 3 (Canon Top Shot in Europe) before the COVID-19 pandemic constraints set in.

The camera, one of the more successful 35mm AF film cameras of the 1980s, had advanced features packed into a very ergonomic package, won many awards, including the Good Design Award from the Ministry of International Trade and Industry of Japan, and was selected as the European Camera of the Year (1986).

The camera has 4 elements in 4 groups Canon 38mm F2.8 lenses with spectra coating, a programmed electromagnetic shutter with a shutter/aperture range from 1/8 second at F2.8 to 1/500 second at F16, and a DX-coded sensor that will set film speed automatically to ISO 50, 100, 200, 400, 800, or 1600. Active autofocusing is by a triangulation system with a near-infrared beam. A tilting foot on the bottom of the camera allows the camera to be placed on a flat surface while shooting upwards at an angle.

Canon Autoboy 3

Though nice and enjoyable in every other way, the Canon Autoboy 3, however, does have a couple of quirks that might irk the user. First is the screwed-down battery compartment, which requires the use of a mini-screwdriver to replace the 2CR5 battery pack it uses. The other is the tiny rubber flash disable button located on the bottom of the camera that must be held down for use, a feat quite difficult to do quickly.

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Nikkor Ai-S 85mm f/2, Close-ups In the Park

Digital Moments: Image making with a Nikkor Ai-S 85mm f/2, close-ups in the park.

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The Nikon Nikkor Ai-S 85mm f/2, a classic manual focus portrait lens that has earned a devoted following among vintage lens enthusiasts, was introduced in 1981 as an upgrade to the earlier 1977 AI version, and stayed on the production run till 1995.

Both versions share the same optical formula of 5 elements in 5 groups, with the Ai-S version featuring improved coatings with a distinctive pinkish cast on the front element, as opposed to the greenish coating of its predecessor. As part of its historical development, the lens was created to replace the discontinued Nikkor 85mm f/1.8 (K).

The lens follows Nikon's traditional approach of all-metal and glass construction typical of that era, a solid metal body with a wide, checkered focusing ring that operates smoothly and allows for end-to-end focusing without needing to readjust your grip. The aperture ring is particularly noteworthy, often described as "probably the smoothest" among vintage Nikon manual focus lenses, with positive clicks and buttery smooth operation all the way on the aperture ring.

Physical attributes of the lens include a compact form factor, which is 61mm in length and 60mm in diameter, a weight of around 310 grams, which makes the 85mm a remarkably compact lens, roughly the size of most other 50mm lenses of the era, and significantly smaller than competing 85mm options. The lens accepts 52mm filters and normally comes with an optional HS-10 lens hood.

The focusing mechanism of the Nikkor Ai-S 85mm f/2 features a 170-degree focus throw on the Ai-S version, which is shorter than the 255-degree throw of the original AI version, making it faster to focus while maintaining precision. The lens focuses down to a minimum distance of 0.85 meters.

Olympus E-P5, Nikkor Ai-S 85mm f/2

On the Olympus E-P5, with a focal length equivalent to a 170mm tele on a full-frame camera, the lens is sharp across the frame when stopped down slightly, accentuated by its almost perfectly flat field at portrait distances, a characteristic that is one of the lens's strengths, aside from its color accuracy and contrast. The lens features a 7-blade diaphragm that may tend to produce somewhat angular bokeh balls rather than perfectly circular ones.

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SMC Pentax-M 100mm f/2.8, Random

Digital Moments: Image making with an SMC Pentax-M 100mm f/2.8, random images to end a session.

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Random images to finish off my stint with the SMC Pentax-M 100mm f/2.8, a very well-built lens with a lightweight body. I have also used the lens previously on the analog Pentax MZ-7, and now on the digital Pen E-P5.

With an equivalent of a 200mm lens on a 35mm full-frame camera, the SMC Pentax-M 100mm f/2.8 is about the longest focal length I was able to shoot with the camera handheld.

Olympen E-P5, SMC Pentax-M 100mm f/2.8

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Nokia Asha 300, A New Morning

Mobile Photography: Image-making with a Nokia Asha 300, a beautiful favorite, always handy and always on the ready.

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Still, one of my favorites, the candy-bar Nokia Asha 300, is small enough to slip in your shirt or pants pocket and goes wherever you go, comes with a single 5MP image sensor that is nothing to shout about, yet capable of capturing gorgeous images such as these.

Using the Nokia Asha 300 is straightforward and simple. With nothing to adjust, all you have to do is point and shoot, and wait for ages for the image to record before you're ready for the next shot.

Nokia Asha 300

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Nokia Asha 300, Twilight Pending

Mobile Photography: Image making with a vintage candy-bar Nokia Asha 300, the evening cometh.

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Olympus Zuiko OM 28mm f/3.5, In the Still and Quiet

Digital Moments: Image making with an Olympus OM Zuiko 28mm f/3.5, in the still and quiet of the morning.

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My first few shots with the G.Zuiko Auto-W 28mm f/3.5, with images of the children's play area of the small community park right across the road, literally meters away from where we live. It is sad to see the area looking forlorn and dejected, as the pandemic constraint is still with us, while locals stay away from utilizing the facility.

The G.Zuiko Auto-W 28mm f/3.5 is a very affordable, compact, and excellent wide-angle lens first introduced for the Olympus OM system. The lens was among the original batch of lenses introduced. Still, unlike most other lenses within the range, the 28mm f/3.5 remains un-updated until discontinued and replaced with the Zuiko 28mm F2.8.

Olympus E-P5, Olympus OM Zuiko 28mm f/3.5

The lens is a 7-element in 7-group construction, weighs 180 grams, and comes with a minimum focusing distance of 0.3 meters. Mounted on the E-P5 (2x crop-sensor) I was using, the lens is equivalent to a 56mm lens on the full frame, almost to that of a standard prime, with sharpness and contrast that is legendary of a Zuiko lens.

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