Foreword: This post is aimed at people who are just getting into vintage lenses, but maybe even a seasoned vintage lens user will find some useful info here. When it comes to buying lenses, things can get pretty confusing, especially at the start. There are so many brands, models, types, focal lengths, etc and there…
PENTAX-A SMC 50mm F1.2 Review
Pentax-A SMC 50mm F1.2 is an interesting lens. It’s one of those lenses that you either love or hate. Being an F1.2 prime, it’s not the cheapest vintage lens out there and even in comparison to other 50mm F1.2 vintage primes it’s quite pricey (average price is around $550), so it’s better be good, right?…
Super-Takumar 55mm F2 vs Helios 44-2 58mm F2
I am real Helios 44-2 58mm F2 “fanboy”; I recommend it to everyone who asks me for a vintage lens advice, but thanks to the video made by fellow vintage lens fan, Victor Bart, there is a “new” kid on the block that we should be taking the notice of. The lens in question is…
Vintage 20mm Shootout
This shootout has been long time coming! I’ve collected quite a few vintage 20mm lenses in the last few years with Canon FD being my latest addition. I just sold my Pentax-A 20mm F2.8 and I decided that I have to do this shootout before I send it out to its new owner. It would…
4 Low Budget Lenses for Amazing Lens Flare
There are many reasons why I love vintage lenses. Their character is much more obvious than on most modern lenses with lens flare being one of the most distinctive characteristics of such lenses. In fact, one of the main reasons why Helios 44-2 is one of my favorite lenses is because the flares this lens…
Asahi Super-Takumar 35mm f/2.0 Lens Test
Everyone loves 35mm lenses. Especially with so many crop censor cameras 35mm became the new 50mm. I absolutely love the Samyang 35mm f/1.4 lens and while it’s cheap for a modern lens, it’s quite a bit more expensive than vintage lenses. There are a lot of vintage 35mm lenses, but the faster one are not…
Tokina AT-X 80-200mm f/2.8 vs Pentax SMC 200mm f/2.5
After doing 2 separate tests on 2 of my better long lenses, Tokina AT-X 80-200mm f/2.8 and Pentax SMC 200mm f/2.5 I decided to put them against each other at 200mm to figure out which one is better. As I expected Tokina is much softer wide open. Pentax is sharp even wide open., which is…
Pentax SMC 200mm f/2.5 Lens Test
The Pentax SMC 200mm f/2.5 is quite a unique lens. The most impressive feature that jumps into your eyes straight away is a really fast aperture of f2.5. When you take the lens into your hand, you can tell it a serious one. Large, heavy, built like a tank, great long through, smooth focusing ring;…
