My son Timothy was crazy about the TV show ‘Blue’s Clues’ – we had Blue’s Clues cups, plates, spoons, toys, games, and just about anything Blue’s Clues and her pals. Fun memories.
Please respect that all content, including photos and text, are the property of this blog and its owner, Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Yashica Sailor Boy, Yashica Chris.
Please respect that all content, including photos and text, are the property of this blog and its owner, Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Yashica Sailor Boy, Yashica Chris.
Please respect that all content, including photos and text, are the property of this blog and its owner, Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Yashica Sailor Boy, Yashica Chris.
Just a quick post to introduce you (again) to a great little time machine. Take a simple and in this case inexpensive digital mirrorless camera (Fujifilm X-A10) mount a Fotodiox adapter behind some vintage 35mm camera lens and suddenly your older lenses have a new life.
In this set-up, a Fujifilm X-A10 digital mirrorless camera, a Fotodiox Pro FD-FX adapter, and a Canon FL 50mm f1.8 lens from around 1965.
Set your camera to aperture priority and select the proper lens focal length in the camera’s menu, set to manual focus and you’re good to go.
In this example I’ve mounted a vintage Spiratone 135mm f2.8 lens on a Fotodiox M42-FX adapter. The ‘FX’ identifies the mount found on Fujifilm digital camera bodies. The ‘M42’ indicates the type of mount on this lens. M42 is also known as a universal screw mount and is used on film cameras like Yashica, Pentax, Fujica, and a bunch more.
This image of the ferns below was shot using the Canon FL 50mm f1.8 lens and the appropriate adapter. Captured at f2.8 at about one meter.
f2.8f8 or f11
This image of the same ferns below was taken using the Spiratone Tc 135mm f2.8 lens nearly fully wide open at f4 from three meters.
If you’re like me you have a bunch of beautiful vintage lenses just sitting around looking good in your display cabinet. Now and then you’ll shoot a roll of film and then it’s back into the cabinet. By purchasing a few inexpensive adapters for use on your mirrorless camera these classic lenses can see the literal light of day again. Remember that when these lenses were new they cost big bucks back in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. Why let that investment go to waste.
Please respect that all content, including photos and text, are the property of this blog and its owner, Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Yashica Sailor Boy, Yashica Chris.
Please respect that all content, including photos and text, are the property of this blog and its owner, Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Yashica Sailor Boy, Yashica Chris.
Please respect that all content, including photos and text, are the property of this blog and its owner, Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Yashica Sailor Boy, Yashica Chris.
In addition to my love of collecting almost everything Yashica made, my second love is collecting classic (and kind of modern) Canon cameras and lenses. As part of a rather large purchase of another collectors gear I ended up with my first ever Canon FL lens. The FL lenses came just before the FD lenses and replaced the Canon R mount models. The good news is that FL lenses can be used on more modern FD bodies (F-1, A-1, AE-1, T-70 among many others). Some vintage (1964-1971) FL lenses can be found online at relatively good prices compared to most FD lenses. The lower price allows you to maybe pick-up some super wide angle and telephoto lenses that would be beyond your collecting budget. A word of caution – since the newest FL lenses are 50 years old you have to be extra careful when inspecting them in person and you sometimes have to be real lucky to get a good one online. As always, if you buy from a trusted seller on Etsy, Mercari, or eBay then you stand a good chance you’ll get a nice lens that’s described and depicted accurately.
Here is my Canon FL lens (below).
Just the right amount of paint loss – pleasing patina.Beautiful classic Canon glass. Only a few small specs of dust. No fungus, mold, or separation. Some light haze.f2.8 at 1 meter – hand held. Soft and pleasing.f8 at 1 meter. Better depth of field. Better separation from the background. Late day muted sunlight.f8 at about 2 meters. Sharp and detailed – late day muted sunlight.About f5.6-f8 at 3 meters. Wonderful bokeh.
If you have a mirrorless camera and you buy some affordable digital adapters then a great big world gets opened up when you start shooting through some lenses that are probably older than you (not in my case however, lol).
I use a very affordable Fujifilm X-A10 body (16 MP) for all of my vintage lens shots. Sure you can go crazy and go big on the megapixels but why bother – the older lenses do just fine and produce stunning images without breaking the bank.
Please respect that all content, including photos and text, are the property of this blog and its owner, Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Yashica Sailor Boy, Yashica Chris.
Surprise shot. My Samsung Galaxy S8+ taking pictures on its own.“Drop the knife, Mack, and no one will get hurt”… found photo on Sony SD card. Unknown photographer.Sony SD card found photo. Unknown photographer.Another found photo on a Sony SD card. Unknown location and photographer.Street artist. Possibly upstate New York 2010. Unknown model and photographer.
Please respect that all content, including photos and text, are the property of this blog and its owner, Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Yashica Sailor Boy, Yashica Chris.
Maidenhair ferns at f2.8 – soft non-distracting background
This stunning image (above) was taken through a lens that was made in Japan in the 1950s. What I love about using these well-cared for bits of photographic history is that they produce a level of clarity and sharpness but without the razor sharp and sometimes unnatural look you get with today’s best digital cameras and modern lenses. In my opinion, vintage glass mounted on a mirrorless digital camera is the best of both worlds.
Japanese garden lantern shot at around f8 – nearly perfect focus of the entire roofAzalea blossoms shot at about one meter at f4 – soft circular highlights and gorgeous bokehShot at 135mm at f5.6 – here the background is not pleasing as the sky is bright blue and cloudless – see image belowBetter – shot at f16-f22Nice separation and spot on focus of the top of the flagpole – 135mm at f8Fujifilm X-A10 digital mirrorless camera with Fotodiox M42-FX adapter. The T-mount is changeable and in this case I’ve mounted an M42 screw-in adapter. M42 bodies are typically found on older Yashica, Pentax, Fujica, and many other 35mm SLR cameras.
Let me introduce the star of this post. A wonderful 135mm short telephoto lens made by Sankor for Spiratone. It’s a fast f2.8 lens of a sonnar design with multi-coated surfaces (Tc).
If you own or have been thinking of purchasing a digital mirrorless camera then definitely look into shooting with these classic lenses. I think you’ll find its an interesting diversion from the world of autofocus (and image stabilized) modern lenses. It tends to slow you down and makes you appreciate the photographic process.
Please respect that all content, including photos and text, are the property of this blog and its owner, Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Yashica Sailor Boy, Yashica Chris.
Chasing Classic Cameras with Chris 