Konica Hexanon AR 50mm f/1.7, A Second Look

Cameras and Lenses: Images with a fully functional second copy of the Konica Hexanon AR 50mm f/1.7, a legacy celebrated as an exceptional vintage optic, a 100mm full-frame equivalent on the Olympus Pen E-P5.

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After the failure of the first Hexanon AR 50mm f/1.7, which came with a faulty aperture ring, I had a second copy ordered, and it came in through the mail a couple of weeks later. This one is definitely better physically than the earlier one and is a full working copy with clean and clear glass, glide-smooth focus, and a fully functioning aperture ring and blades.

My first chance at testing the lens was, as usual,  out in the mini garden in front of the house, shooting away at the few and only plants available in the garden, and the mango tree just outside the yard. Initial images do show the indication that the lens may be true to its words as one of the sharpest 50mm lenses ever produced during the era.

Olympus E-P5, Konica Hexanon AR 50mm f/1.7

The earlier version of the lens was first introduced in 1973 as a kit lens for the Autoreflex T3, gaining a reputation for its optical performance, particularly its sharpness. The lens was later updated as a smaller and lighter version for the Autoreflex TC, as seen here, mounted on the Olympus Pen E-P5 with a hood on the front end.

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Micro Photography, Analog Reverse Ring Macro Setup

Macro Photography: Reverse ring analog macro setup with a Super-Takumar 55mm f/1.8 mounted on an Olympus OM-2S with a reverse ring lens adapter.

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A belated post. My first try at doing reverse ring macro photography on film, after having done the same with the Super-Takumar 55mm f/1.8 reverse mounted on the Olympus Pen E-P5 earlier on. For the session, I had the lens reverse mounted on the Olympus OM-2S instead.

This setup was simpler as all you need is the reverse ring adapter, which now attaches straight to the lens mount of the OM body, and the lens reverse screwed to it. Color characteristics of the images were quite similar in both setups, with magnification half that of the digital capture.

Olympus OM-2S, Super Takumar 55mm f/1.8, Reverse Ring

As can be seen from the images, the handling of the film negative strip during development and the subsequent scanning session shows a fair amount of shoddy work, which, of course, could have been better.

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Yashica ML 35mm f/2.8, A Monotone Edit

Cameras and Lenses: Images with a legacy Yashica ML 35mm f/2.8, a vintage prime acclaimed for its high contrast, superb color rendition, and compact build quality, a 70mm short-tele equivalent on the Olympus Pen E-P5.

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Another session with the Yashica ML 35mm f/2.8 mounted on the Pen E-P5, with images shot in RAW, post-processed, and print-enhanced for web publishing. Images were edited with Auto Tone Correction, enhanced further with a higher dose of contrast setting in Monochrome & Sepia, Tone Curve, and Unsharp Mask.

Olympus E-P5, Yashica ML 35mm f/2.8

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Found Slides, As the Sun Sets

Vintage analog color and black-and-white slide images from way back in the 1980s, scanned, edited and post-processed for enhanced web publishing.

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Lumix G 14mm f/2.5 Asph., A Morning in Monotone

Cameras and Lenses: A Morning in Monotone, images with an ultra-compact pancake lens for MFT (Micro Four Thirds) cameras, a Lumix G 14mm F2.5 Asph., celebrated for its tiny form factor, and lightweight design.

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Here I am, back again with a new batch of JPEG images, shot in monochrome with the Lumix G 14mm f/2.5 Asph. mounted on the Pen E-P5. Images were post-processed and tweaked with my normal dose of edits, which include Tone Curve, Brightness & Contrast, Gamma, Unsharp Mask, and a bit of additional Contrast in Monochrome and sepia.

Olympus E-P5, Lumix G 14mm f/2.5 Asph.

While it may not be the practice of a professional who will always say that images are always better shot in RAW, there are always some who do the opposite and still claim good results with their images. You be the judge here.

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