Playing With Lenses

Friday, 24 November 2017

Prime Killer: Olympus Zuiko MC Auto-Zoom 35-70mm 1:3.6

Cost: $24.99 (average market price $40, but often up to $200 or more in perfect condition)

I'm actually very excited to do my first review of an Olympus Zuiko lens. If I wasn't such a sucker for Pentax lenses, I'm convinced that Olympus would be my first choice to collect (I only have so much space). The Olympus Zuiko brand stands for high quality, with some of the Zuiko lenses being amongst the best in the world.

The 35-70mm is one of the most common standards for high quality zoom lenses, in so much that it is regarded as a "standard" zoom and replaces 3 of the most common primes (35mm, 50mm, 70mm). The Zuiko MC Auto-Zoom 35-70 1:3.6 was the first 35-70 lens designed for the OM-System, and regarded as the best in the range due to a sharpness that was equal to most primes of that period. Later designs (branded under S-Zuiko), in order to be more price competitive, had a simplified optical design and although still pretty good, never reached the same level of quality as the original. This also explains that the Zuiko 35-70mm 1:3.6 typically go for twice the price of it's successors. And this specific copy is in an amazing shape. No scratches or any other visible sign of usage.

This lens is a two-touch design (separate ring for focus and zoom), and handles very smoothly (yes, almost Pentax smooth). Easy to focus, achieving a fixed focus across the whole zoom and aperture range, making it very suitable for video. The lens is solidly build and therefore a bit heavy. But size remains reasonable, so the weight just adds to the stability while holding.

Nice to know that this is probably the only lens ever made with a maximum aperture of 3.6, instead of the more common 3.5.

This lens is suitable for both professional as hobby environments.

Not the fastest 35-70 zoom lens out there, but due to the excellent sharpness and image quality, can truly regarded as a Prime-killer.

Lens Specification:

Focal Length: 35-70mm
Maximum Aperture: F3.6
Minimum Aperture: F22
Image Format: 35mm
Lens Mount: OM
Optics: 10 elements in 8 groups
Blades: 8
Focussing: Manual
Minimum Focus: 80cm
Filter Size: 55mm
Weight: 400g
Length: 74mm
Production: late 1970's
Serial Number: 202127
Made in: Japan

Samples:

1/640 sec - ISO400 - Handheld

1/400 sec - ISO400 - Handheld

1/400 sec - ISO320 - Handheld

1/640 sec - ISO400 - Handheld

1/500 sec - ISO400 - Handheld

1/160 sec - ISO400 - Handheld

1/400 sec - ISO400 - Handheld

1/250 sec - ISO400 - Handheld

1/500 sec - ISO400 - Handheld

1/160 sec - ISO400 - Handheld

Other samples on flikr.com

Sunday, 22 October 2017

A better Focal MC Auto 1:2.8 135mm

Cost: 19.99$ (average market price $32.50)

What a coincidence! At a recent trip to the local thrift store, I saw the other mentioned version of the Focal MC Auto 1:2.8 135mm that I reviewed last year. The previous lens was a different model, and had some parts missing... but was not a bad lens at all. So worthwhile to take a look at this model also. And I was not disappointed.

I prefer to looks and solid feel of this version. All metal, painted mat black, and a nice build-in hood. Operation is very smooth, almost to a Pentax level (and that says a lot!). The lens was easy to focus due to a wide range on the focus barrel, working great together with the peak focus feature of my Sony.

Good but not exceptional sharpness that improves when getting closer to infinity. As noticed on the sample with the geese, it was very well able to resolve the details. Nice colors, but a little washed out when taking pictures against the sun, even with the hood.

As conclusion, a pretty nice lens that provides good fun to do a walk-around. A second good experience with Focal, so if you see one, and the price is right, scoop it up. It will not disappoint!

MC or Multi Coating: A multiple of chemical coatings for lens surfaces with minimum light loss. The result is a dramatic improvement in both color fidelity and brightness and the elimination of flare and ghost images."

Auto: The ability to pass on aperture information to the camera via a mechanical lever.

Lens Specification:

Focal Length: 135mm
Maximum Aperture: F2.8
Minimum Aperture: F22
Image Format: 35mm
Lens Mount: PK
Optics: ?
Blades: 6
Focussing: Manual
Minimum Focus: 150cm
Filter Size: 58mm
Weight: 515g
Length: 87-101mm
Production: 1980's?
Serial Number: 831834
Made in: Japan

More information on Focal

Samples:

Pictures taken with Mitakon PK to Sony E Turbo Adapter Mark II

1/250s - ISO100 - Handheld

1/500s - ISO100 - Handheld

1/100s - ISO100 - Handheld

1/320s - ISO100 - Handheld

1/200s - ISO100 - Handheld

1/40s - ISO100 - Handheld

Sources:
Camera Wiki: Kmart
Pentaxforums

Friday, 13 October 2017

Truely a gem amongst many: Vivitar 28mm 1: 2.5 Auto Wide-Angle

Cost: $14 (average market price unknown)

As you can find on the The Great Vivitar 28mm Bestiary, there have been many different 28mm Vivitar's. Over 30 to be specific, made by different manufacturers, with different designs and aperture ranges. Some are true gems, and other are duds. This is a true gem...

Sure looks nice, with a cone at the front. Smooth handling of both the aperture and the focus rings. Reasonable compact and all metal, making the lens a bit heavy for such a small focal length.

But my, o my, what a pleasure to use! Focus is so easy that you hardly even need the peak focus feature. It just falls right into focus. Just click away, and it will all be fine. I had almost no waste due to lack of sharpness. The only mark against this lens is the strong tendency for flares, especially when direct sun light falls on the front element. A hood would likely be no luxury.

This lens will likely take a good, well used, spot in my ever growing lens collection. A keeper for sure, and I can fully recommend this lens to anyone, and again at a super low budget for such a special lens.

Lens Specification:
Focal Length: 28mm
Maximum Aperture: F2.5
Minimum Aperture: F22
Image Format: 35mm
Lens Mount: PK
Optics: ?
Blades: 6
Focussing: Manual
Minimum Focus: 20cm
Filter Size: 67mm
Weight: 348g
Length: 60-66mm
Production:
Serial Number: 22805762
Made in: Japan

More information on: Vivitar Corporation
More info on: Kino Precision Industries Limited

Samples:

All pictures taken with the Lens Turbo II adapter