The Galleria: Photo of the Day, 10/16/26

Nikon D200, Nikon Series E 100mm f/2.8

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The Galleria: Photo of the Day, 10/15/26

Nikon D200, Nikon Series E 100mm f/2.8

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The Galleria: Photo of the Day, 10/14/26

Nikon D200, Nikon Series E 100mm f/2.8

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The Galleria: Photo of the Day, 10/13/26

Nikon D200, Nikon Series E 100mm f/2.8

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Nikon D200, Nikon Series E 100mm f/2.8

CCD Resurgence: Images with a manual-focus legacy renowned for its exceptional sharpness, the Nikon Series E 100mm f/2.8, on an equally applaudable 10MP CCD Nikon D200.

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The Nikon Series E 100mm f/2.8, a classic manual-focus telephoto prime lens, often mentioned as a 'sleeper' or a 'hidden gem' by vintage enthusiasts, was the first of Nikon Series E lenses. The Ai-S-compatible F-mount lens was launched in 1979 alongside budget-friendly film camera bodies like the Nikon EM (and later the FG), a series designed as an economical alternative to the traditional 'Nikkor' line while offering strong optical performance.

The lens, a 4-element, 4-group Ernostar-type design with 7 aperture blades, has a closest focusing distance of 1 meter, measures 63 mm (diameter) x 58mm (length), accepts 52mm filters, and weighs approximately 215-225 grams.

Others in the series includes the 28mm f/2.8, 35mm f/2.5, 50mm f/1.8, 135mm f/2.8, 36-72mm f/3.5, 75-150mm f/3.5, and 70-210mm f/4.0.

The lenses were also manufactured in two iterations, with the initial series featuring an all-black plastic (polycarbonate) barrel, reportedly with a rather flimsy aperture ring and a bland appearance.

The series was later updated with a chrome/silver ring for improved durability and a closer affinity to the professional Ai-S series lenses.

The lens is recognized for its solid center sharpness, low distortion, and strong contrast. With its single-coated optic, however, the lens is prone to lens flare when shooting into bright light sources. The lens works well with its original focal length of 100mm for head-and-shoulders portraits with natural depth-of-field separation. On the Nikon D200, the lens provides a 150mm equivalent field of view, ideal for discreet candid shots, travel, and close-up detail work.

The Nikon Series E lenses were also known to be manufactured in two iterations, with the initial series featuring an all-black plastic (polycarbonate) barrel, reportedly with a rather flimsy aperture ring, and a bland appearance. The series was later updated with a chrome/silver ring for improved durability and a closer affinity to the professional Ai-S series lenses.

Nikon D200, Nikon Series E 100mm f/2.8

The Nikon D200, a mid‑high‑end APS‑C DSLR introduced in 2005, remains highly regarded by legacy camera and lens enthusiasts as one of the best 'prosumer' Nikons ever produced. Built on a magnesium-alloy chassis, the camera features a weather‑sealed body, a large optical pentaprism viewfinder, and is equipped with a 10MP CCD sensor that produces a unique, saturated, and filmic look. Its classic Nikon handling layout makes it popular among film-style shooters and collectors alike.

The Galleria: Photo of the Day, 10/02/26

Pentax K-m, Kiron 28mm f/2.8 MC

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The Galleria: Photo of the Day, 10/01/26

Pentax K-m, Kiron 28mm f/2.8 MC

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The Galleria: Photo of the Day, 09/30/26

Pentax K-m, Kiron 28mm f/2.8 MC

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The Galleria: Photo of the Day, 09/29/26

Pentax K-m, Kiron 28mm f/2.8 MC

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Pentax K-m, Kiron 28mm f/2.8 MC

CCD Resurgence: Images with a legacy Kiron 28mm f/2.8 MC, a vintage manual-focus wide-angle prime recognized as a compact, sharp, and budget-friendly alternative to its faster sibling, the Kiron 28mm f/2, a sweet-spot 42mm full-frame equivalent on the Pentax K-m.

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The Kiron 28mm f/2.8 MC is a vintage, manual-focus wide-angle prime lens made by Kino Precision, a respected Japanese OEM known for producing many of Vivitar's legendary Series 1 lenses, during the 1980s. Although the lens is often overshadowed by its faster and more popular sibling, the Kiron 28mm f/2, the f/2.8 is more of a hidden gem, appreciated for its sturdy all-metal construction and classic vintage rendering.

The lens is a 7-element, 7-group construction, featuring 6 aperture blades and an aperture range of f/2.8 to f/22. It has a minimum focusing distance of 0.30 meters, measures 64 × 57mm, accepts 55mm filters, and weighs approximately 284 grams. It was made available with M42, Pentax K, Minolta MD, Canon FD, Nikon F, Olympus OM, and Yashica C/Y mounts.

The lens was also marketed under different badges across the region, with the most notable being the Vivitar MC Wide Angle 28mm f/2.8, with serial numbers starting with "22" to denote its Kino Precision parentage.

On the Pentax-Km, the Kiron 28mm f/2.8 MC is equivalent to a 40mm lens on a full-frame camera. The focal length, often referred to as the "sweet spot lens for photography," provides a field of view that is more like a natural “normal” lens than a very wide one.

The focal length mimics human vision with minimal distortion, making it a very versatile option for capturing realistic scenes without feeling too wide or too tight, excellent for travel, street, and documentary photography, as well as for close-ups, architecture, and casual portraits.

In street photography, for example, the focal length helps capture the scene's atmosphere while enabling detailed compositions and framing. For environmental portraits, the lens offers enough field of view for context, along with gentle subject isolation and slight background compression.

With a closest focusing distance of 0.30 meters, crops and close-up shots with the lens are equally exemplary.

Images, as processed, are uniquely warm and vintage, sharp when stopped down, with minimal vignetting, flaring, or chromatic aberration. While not as razor-sharp when shot wide-open, the lens does evoke artistic qualities that legacy lenses have when compared to the clarity and sharpness favored by digital enthusiasts in modern glass.

Pentax K-m, Kiron 28mm f/2.8 MC

The Pentax K-m (K2000 in some regions), an entry-level digital SLR camera fitted with a 10.2MP APS-C-sized CCD sensor, was introduced in 2008, with features that include a KAF2 lens mount system, has a built-in Shake Reduction (image stabilization) and dust removal system, an optical viewfinder with approximately 96% field of view and 0.85x magnification, a 230,000 dot 2.7-inch LCD screen, ISO sensitivity range from 100 to 3200, Auto Picture modes with scene recognition for portrait, landscape, macro, and night scenes, and is powered by 4 AA batteries (Lithium, Ni-MH rechargeable, or alkaline).

The Galleria: Photo of the Day, 09/18/26

Nikon D200, Nikon Ai-S Nikkor 85mm f/2

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The Galleria: Photo of the Day, 09/17/26

Nikon D200, Nikon Ai-S Nikkor 85mm f/2

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The Galleria: Photo of the Day, 09/16/26

Nikon D200, Nikon Ai-S Nikkor 85mm f/2

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The Galleria: Photo of the Day, 09/15/26

Nikon D200, Nikon Ai-S Nikkor 85mm f/2

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Nikon D200, Nikon Ai-S Nikkor 85mm f/2

CCD Resurgence: A vintage, character-rich aesthetic featuring vibrant color rendering, a 127mm equivalent field of view, and manageable sharpness that improves notably when stopped down.

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One of the delights for an older or legacy camera and lens enthusiast interested in vintage aesthetics is to end up with a kit that includes a vintage or retro digital camera from the early 2000s, say a Nikon D200 (2005), paired with an equally vintage legacy prime, say a Nikon AI-S Nikkor 85mm f/2 (1981).

Though the Nikon D200 itself is not a classic, its 20-year-old CCD sensor technology is known to offer a unique, film-like aesthetic and excellent color rendition that is highly valued, and the AI-S Nikkor 85mm f/2, a compact, lightweight vintage lens and a favored portrait lens, is renowned for its sharpness, cool color rendering, and creamy bokeh that performs well even at wide open.

Historically, the Nikon AI-S Nikkor 85mm f/2 (an update of the Nikkor AI 85mm f/2, introduced earlier in 1971) is part of the lens ensemble for Nikon F3 (with AI-S compliance), FE2, FM2, and later FA series cameras. The D200, on the other hand, with its robust magnesium alloy body and filmic CCD sensor output, is the workhorse that bridges the gap between Nikon's lower-end consumer models and the flagship D2X.

The AI-S Nikkor 85mm f/2 is a 5-element in 5-group optical design with 7 rounded blades, an all-metal barrel, and a high-precision helicoid with an aperture range from f/2 to f/22, a minimum focusing distance of 0.85 meters, measures 63mm in diameter and 52.5mm in length, accepts 55mm filters, and weighs 310 grams.

Its 'rabbit ears' coupling and AI-S metering ridge allow the lenses to be used in program, shutter-priority, aperture-priority, and fully manual exposure modes on virtually all Nikon F-mount cameras, both film and digital.

On the D200, the AI-S Nikkor 85mm f/2 is equivalent to a 127.5mm lens on a full-frame camera, a versatile telephoto prime highly revered for portrait, event and stage, landscape and cityscape, as well as macro and close-up photography.

The lens is a perfect fit on the D200, which has an AI aperture indexing ring that allows lenses configured in the camera's "Non-CPU Lens Data" menu to be used on all the camera's metering modes (including Matrix metering).

Nikon's Matrix Metering, incidentally, is an advanced, default exposure mode that analyzes the entire scene—brightness, color, contrast, and distance - using a multi-zone sensor and a database of thousands of scenarios to determine the optimal exposure. The matrix mimics human perception, often automatically applying the Zone System to prevent overexposure of highlights or underexposure of shadows in complex lighting situations.

Nikon D200, Nikon Ai-S Nikkor 85mm f/2

The Nikon D200, launched in 2005, is a very well-built and robust DSLR camera with a magnesium alloy chassis, environmental seals, and an excellent user interface. The camera is fitted with a 10.2MP CCD sensor, a shutter speed range from 30 to 1/8,000 seconds, an ISO range from 100 to 1,600, a top LCD panel for display of operating parameters, a 2.5 inch 230,00 pixels rear LCD, 7-area AF, and operates in Program, Shutter priority, Aperture priority, and Manual modes. Images are captured in JPEG and RAW (NEF).

The Galleria: Photo of the Day, 09/11/26

Pentax K-m, Meyer Optik Görlitz Oreston 50mm f/1.8

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The Galleria: Photo of the Day, 09/10/26

Pentax K-m, Meyer Optik Görlitz Oreston 50mm f/1.8

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The Galleria: Photo of the Day, 09/09/26

Pentax K-m, Meyer Optik Görlitz Oreston 50mm f/1.8

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The Galleria: Photo of the Day, 09/08/26

Pentax K-m, Meyer Optik Görlitz Oreston 50mm f/1.8

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Pentax K-m, Meyer Optik Görlitz Oreston 50mm f/1.8

CCD Resurgence: Images with a legacy Meyer Optik Görlitz Oreston 50mm f/1.8, high praise for its dreamy vintage glow, exceptionally close minimum focus distance, and unique, characterful bokeh, a 75mm short-tele equivalent on the Pentax K-m.

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I had an earlier session with the Meyer Optik Görlitz Oreston 50mm f/1.8, a highly regarded vintage lens, mounted on a 6MP CMOS APS-C Canon EOS 300D a while back. I am back with the lens again, which was manufactured in East Germany during the 1960s and 1970s, this time mounted on a 10.2MP CCD APS-C Pentax K-m.

The Oreston 50mm f/1.8, normally available with an M42 or Exakta mount, is popular for its "zebra" or all-black styling, manual focus, and distinctive rendering.

The all-metal and glass single-coat 6-element construction in 4 groups is robustly built, comes with 6 straight aperture blades, has a minimum focusing distance of 0.33 meters, measures 52mm x 48mm, takes 49mm filters, and weighs approximately 220 grams.

It has a fast f/1.8 maximum aperture, which sets it apart as being ideal for portraits, low-light, and shallow depth-of-field images. Images, which sharpen up significantly from f/2.8 onward, are known for their creamy bokeh, subtle swirls, and a soft, dreamy character when shot wide open.

The lens also has the potential to perform well in low-light situations, especially for indoor events or night photography. Its increased reach, when used on a digital SLR with a crop sensor, allows for a non-intrusive stance while maintaining proper social distancing etiquette.

While the lens was initially manufactured by VEB Feinoptisches Werk Görlitz (formerly Hugo Meyer & Co) in East Germany, it was later rebranded as the Pentacon 50mm f/1.8 when Meyer-Optik merged with VEB Pentacon.

On the Pentax K-m, the Meyer Optik Görlitz Oreston 50mm f/1.8 is equivalent to a 75mm short-telephoto lens, a very versatile focal length for portraiture, as it isolates subjects and compresses perspective, providing a flattering compression of facial features and a tighter field of view than the human eye.

Pentax K-m, Meyer Optik Görlitz Oreston 50mm f/1.8

The Pentax K‑m (K2000 in the US), launched in 2008, is a 10MP CCD entry-level APS-C digital SLR camera with Pentax KAF2 bayonet mount, an optical viewfinder, a shutter speed range from 30 seconds to 1/4000 seconds, a 5‑point AF system, a 230,00 dot 2.7-inch LCD, ISO sensitivity from 100 to 3200, and in‑body image (sensor‑shift) stabilization. The camera runs on 4 AA batteries. Images are praised for color and depth, suitable for both portrait and landscape photography.