JCPenny Auto Lens 135mm 1:2.8, Take II

Vintage Lens Test: Image making with A JCPenny Auto Lens 135mm 1:2.8, Take II on the Olympus E-P5.

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An extension to my previous images with the JCPenny Auto Lens 135mm 1:2.8, a manual focus prime telephoto lens from the 80s. While many comments and reviews mentioned that the lens was made in Korea, mine comes with a 'Lens Made in Japan' stamp, and no mention of it having multi-coated (MC) optics. So I am assuming here that the lens is an earlier version made before its production was moved to Korea.

The (MD Mount) lens is a solid glass and metal construction, has a 55mm filter ring, and comes with a built-in lens hood. Nice and handy in the hand, it is a bit of bulk though, and tips my kitchen scale at 390 grams The lens was mounted on my E-P5 with a common variety lens adapter that comes with a tripod support.

Olympus E-P5, JCPenny 135mm 1:2.8

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JCPenny Auto 135mm 1:2.8, Mild and Mellow

Vintage Lens Test: Image making with a JCPenny Auto Lens 135mm 1:2.8, Take I on the E-P5, impressive images.

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The JCPenny Auto Lens 135mm 1:2.8 manual focus prime telephoto lens that I tested is probably an early version manufactured in Japan (as it carries the 'Made in Japan' mark) before production was moved to Korea and the elements multi-coated (as seen on a few other images of similar items posted on the Net).

Looking up the heritage of the lens was also quite impossible. Aside from a very scant mention that 'Pentax had a deal with JCPenny and some other department store chains some years ago...', there are no clear indications as to which manufacture the lens originates from either.

Olympus E-P5, JCPenny Auto Lens 135mm 1:2.8

The test unit is an MD-mount, very well done, in all metal and glass, with superb mechanics and very smooth focal action, and as far as I can see, is still in top-mint condition. I had the lens mounted on the E-P5 for these shots, wide open, handheld. Impressive images.

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Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ18, Living Colors

The CCD Sensor: Image making with an 8.4MP CCD Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ18 CCD images, high-quality low-noise images, almost film-like.

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Top and backlighted images from just outside my door captured with the vintage Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ18, a super zoom bridge camera with a 1/2.5" 8.3MP CCD sensor, an 18x (28-504mm equivalent) zoom lens, also is capable of doing images with a 1cm macro mode. The camera was launched in 2007 and has a 188,000 pixels EVF and A 2.5" 207,000 pixels LCD monitor, switchable to function only alternatively. The function, which can be confusing at times, is controlled by a button switch located near the thumb rest area (when holding the camera up to the eye) on the upper part of the backplane of the camera.

The camera itself, compact and lightweight, weighs 360 grams without battery and measures 117.6 x 75.3 x 88.2 mm. The low pixel count from both the EVF and LCD monitor (by today's standards) is insufficient to give you a thorough image of the frame you are looking at, but, believe me, the proof will be in the images themselves, which will blow your mind away. CCD sensor images have a following among photographers who prefer the images' different look and feel, which are high-quality, low-noise images that some say are almost film-like.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ18

If you are wary about the ever-spiraling cost of film, and the equally high cost of acquiring new high-end digital camera products, vintage cameras with CCD sensors are more than adequate to cater to your interest. Even though CCD sensors on digital cameras have virtually been replaced by CMOS sensors, there is still a following among photographers who prefer the images from these sensors that have a different look and feel, with some saying they are almost film-like. CCD sensors are more sensitive to dynamic range, and lower noise output, with more vibrant colors.

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