Canon EF 40mm 1:2.8 STM, Ghostly Twilight

Vintage Lens Test: Image making with a Canon EF 40mm 1:2.8 STM on a Canon EOS 300D, an impromptu Auto Program twilight shoot.

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Perfect shots, true colors, couldn't ask for more. Exposures were taken in Program Mode, recorded at 1/2 and 1 second for the first four images, and 1/25 second for the sky shot. in the community park just across from where I lived.

Not a planned night shot, but rather an impromptu "Program Mode" handheld twilight session. I am still all excited about having the vintage digital Canon EOS 300D, a 6.3-megapixel entry-level DSLR camera. When launched in 2002, the EOS 300D camera was the first DSLR to hit the market with a price tag of below US $1000.

Canon EOS 300D, Canon EF 40mm 1:2.8 STM

My take? Find an alternative to the ever-spiraling cost of continuing the hobby, as I have been doing in the past, in film photography. Am I getting what I am looking for? I am warming up to it, and it looks like it's going to be a big Yes. I will have to forgo my love for film, though, and work on other challenges instead.

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Jupiter-37A 135mm 1:3.5, Square Cuts

Vintage Lens Test: In the garden with a Jupiter-37A 135mm 1:3.5, with images processed in the square format.

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Acquired another copy of the Jupiter-37A 135MM 1:3.5 lens recently, after the earlier copy went to a buyer, did my normal quick edit of the garden, and had the images edited on my desktop. As expected, images with the sturdy as-a-tank 37-A are very sharp, even when shot wide-open, with good micro-contrast, natural color rendition, and smooth bokeh.

Had the images cropped to the square format, or the 1:1 aspect ratio as well, which in itself is an interesting way to present images. Unlike images in either the portrait or landscape format, where the eye is either drawn from top to bottom or from left to right, the square photo format draws vision to the center of the composition and then lets the eye explore the entire frame without providing any implicit direction because of the frame.

Olympus E-P5, Jupiter-37A 135mm 1:3.5

Square format images are, of course, not new, as they were first introduced by Rollei in 1929, later by Holga and Hasselblad, and came back to focus with mobile photo apps like Instagram and Hipstamstic.

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Tamron Adaptall-2 SP 90mm 1:2.5, In The Garden

Vintage Lens Test: Image making with a Tamron Adaptall-2 SP (52BB) 90mm 1:2.5, close-ups in the garden.

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Still working with the Tamron SP 90mm 1:2.5 52BB Macro, mounted on the E-P5 this time around. I have also acquired a new Ai - M4/3 lens adapter with a tripod mount, making handholding slightly more stable with the tripod support cupped in my hand. Images are still from the garden, though, closed-up.

The Tamron Adaptall-2 SP 90mm f2.5 Macro (52BB) is optically identical to the earlier 52B model which was released in 1997. The original 52B features a lot more metal in its construction and has a screw-in hood, whilst the 52BB came with a redesigned barrel and a bayonet fitting for a hood, which the lens was sold with. The 52B/52BB was replaced by the 1:1 macro 90mm f2.8 72B.

Olympus E-P5, Tamron Adaptall-2 SP (52BB) 90mm 1:2.5

Note: My first post was with the lens mounted on the Olympus E-PM2.

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Tamron Adaptall-2 SP 90mm 1:2.5, Handheld

Vintage Lens Test: Handheld shots, image making with a Tamron Adaptall-2 SP (52BB) 90mm 1:2.5, impressive results.

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It was an exciting day, and I was elated when the lens came in. Didn't waste any time either as I got the lens unpacked and mounted on the Olympus E-PM2, and was out of the door grabbing these first few shots at wherever the camera was pointed. With a focal length equivalent to a 180mm telephoto lens on a full-frame camera, the lens needs more than just a steady pair of hands when shooting handheld. I pursued regardless and got away with these few images for the trial.

The Tamron SP 90mm 1:2.5, a "cult classic" macro lens, a favorite with many users, came with a great reputation for color rendering and excellent chromatic aberration correction. The lens does suffer a little from flare, so a lens-hood is recommended, where available. The first all-metal version of this lens was replaced by the 52BB, with a redesigned barrel with a bayonet fitting for a hood. An autofocus version 52E is also available.

Olympus E-PM2, Tamron Adaptall-2 SP (52BB) 90mm 1:2.5

Here's hoping for more images with this lens soon!

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