Vivitar Series 1 24-70mm f/3.8-4.8 Lens Test

December 17, 2024December 17, 2024Chris and Carol Leave a comment

It’s no secret that I enjoy using classic (vintage) lenses on modern mirrorless digital cameras. It’s a fantastic way to test an older lens and “see” things differently. Many of the older film camera lenses were designed to produce a specific look, given the era in which they were made. I believe that lenses from the 1950s have a different look to the images made compared to a more modern lens made in the 1980s.

This Vivitar lens was released in 1988 and was made by the Japanese lens maker Cosina from a design by Vivitar. I’ve attached the lens to my Fujifilm X-T2, which has a crop factor of 1.5. At 70mm, the lens has an equivalent focal length of 105mm.

It does make a handsome combo mounted on the Fuji. Have I mentioned how much I enjoy my X-T2?

The lens has lots of metal and glass; compact wouldn’t be how I’d describe it compared to a similar zoom lens from today. It has 11 elements in 10 groups and a large 67mm filter ring.

It was cloudy and late afternoon when I shot this plant outside my studio window. I believe it is at f/11 ISO 400, 105mm equivalent.

My garden gate at about 24mm (36mm equivalent).

Bald cypress tree in its late autumn blaze. 105mm equivalent (70mm).

I checked on eBay, and there isn’t another one of these lenses for sale currently or recently sold. It’s actually relatively uncommon. I like the images it produces. I have it in my Etsy shop if you are interested. Canon FD mount. Thanks for stopping by, Chris

Follow me on Instagram https://instagram.com/ccphotographyai

Facebook CC Photography of Amelia

Flickr Chasing Classic Cameras with Chris

Comments are always welcomed, as I’ve learned quite a bit from reader feedback. As always, thanks for stopping by, and while you’re at it, feel free to visit my camera shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com (CC Design Studios hosted by Etsy). – Chris Whelan

Please respect that all content, including photos and text, is this blog’s property and its owner, Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Yashica Sailor Boy, Yashica Chris, Chasing Classic Cameras with Chris. Copyright © 2015-2024 Chasing Classic Cameras with Chris (Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic), Chris Whelan. All rights reserved.

Out & About – quick shot

August 10, 2024August 10, 2024Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Fernandina Beach Fire Department
Engine 2 Ready to Roll
Fujifilm X-T2 with Tamron-F 135mm f/2.8 telephoto lens.
203mm equivalent on a 1.5-crop sensor camera.
Out and about photographing with classic film camera lenses on a modern mirrorless digital camera.
CC Photography of Amelia
www.ccstudio2380.com

Fujifilm X-T2 with classic (vintage) Tamron 135mm lens.

Thanks for stopping by, Chris

Follow me on Instagram https://instagram.com/ccphotographyai

Facebook CC Photography of Amelia

One subject, three cameras – surprising results!

April 23, 2023April 23, 2023Chris and Carol Leave a comment

I thought I’d share a few images from a quick photoshoot from the other day. The subject is a seed cone of a still young (about 4 years old) bald cypress tree that I grew from seed in a pot that’s presently sitting in my front yard.

See if you can guess which of these three cameras took which picture. All three were digital cameras – Canon, Nikon, and Sony. Only very minor post-production was used (no Photoshop or anything like that). The available daylight changed as the afternoon wore on so they’ll be slight differences in the quality of the lighting. There’s a wide range, and I mean a wide range in the number of megapixels of the camera’s sensors from 7.2MP to 30.3MP. Give it a go.

Did you guess?

OK, image number 1 was taken using a Nikon Coolpix P90 12.1MP bridge camera with a CCD sensor (1/2.33″) and a 24x optical Nikkor zoom lens. ISO 64, f3.2 at a full wide angle (4.6mm) using the macro mode. I think the capture is colorful and sharp and it holds up well zoomed in on a crop. Released in 2009.

Number 2. Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W7 7.2MP digicam with a Super HAD CCD sensor (1/1.8″) and a 3x optical Carl Zeiss zoom lens. ISO 100, f2.8 at 7.9mm in macro mode. The level of detail is amazing and the edition of the colors is very pleasing. It holds up very well zoomed in on a crop. Released in 2005.

Number 3. Canon EOS R full-frame mirrorless camera with a CMOS sensor at 30.3MP. The lens was a Canon RF 70-200mm f4L IS USM zoom lens. ISO 250, f4.5 at 200mm. I think I may have missed the best focus by shooting at f4.5 handheld at 200mm since when zoomed in on a crop the cone loses some of its sharpness especially compared to the other images. Released in late 2018.

My pick for the best shot is image number 2. It’s the most pleasing composition in my opinion. Overall the Sony handled the subject the best and was actually the easiest to shoot with.

Thanks for stopping by, Chris

Follow me on Instagram at @ccphotographyai

Comments are always welcomed as I’ve learned quite a bit from reader feedback. As always, thanks for stopping by, and while you’re at it, feel free to visit my camera shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com (CC Design Studios hosted by Etsy). – Chris Whelan

Christmas present – Canon EOS R

December 27, 2021December 27, 2021Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Canon EOS R with Canon EF 16-35mm f4L IS USM zoom lens.

My Christmas present this year is from my wonderful wife, Carol. Canon’s full-frame mirrorless camera features 30 megapixels of resolution in a somewhat compact body.

To be able to shoot with Canon EF and EFS lenses, you need to use the Canon Mount Adapter EF-EOS R seen here between the lens and the R body.

Garden cat at 16mm f4 about 2 feet from the cat.

Can you tell that I like trees? This majestic oak is in my front yard. Image at 16mm.

I’ll write more about my first impressions of the Canon EOS R. Now that it’s a part of my camera collection most if not all of my digital cameras will be listed for sale in my camera shop – starting with my Nikon D800. Thanks for stopping by and have a beautiful day! – Chris

Comments are always welcomed as I’ve learned quite a bit from reader feedback. As always, thanks for stopping by and while you’re at it, feel free to visit my camera shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com (CC Design Studios hosted by Etsy). – Chris Whelan

Canon EOS R first images

December 26, 2021December 26, 2021Chris and Carol Leave a comment

All three images were taken with my new Canon EOS R and Canon EF 16-35mm f4L IS USM zoom lens set at 16mm. No post-image production – straight from the camera set at full auto. Canon EOS R 30.3 MP.

Thanks for stopping by! – Chris

Testing my Nikon AF Nikkor 300mm f4 ED lens

December 23, 2021December 23, 2021Chris and Carol 1 Comment

This Nikkor lens is a bit of a throwback to another age (1987) when Nikon was still making rugged metal lens bodies (I’ll post pics of it soon). I tested it on my Nikon D800 just yesterday afternoon for the first time. It was pretty late in the day so the sunlight was getting a bit warmish.

What amazes me most about the image above is the detail at the top of this tall pine. My guess is that the tree is about eighty feet tall and is a couple of suburban yards away from my shooting location. The Nikon D800 is a full-frame DSLR with 36.3 megapixels. Both shots were handheld (no image stabilization).

Pictured with the built-in hood extended. It accepts 82mm lens caps and screw-in filters.

Thanks for stopping by. More test pics soon. – Chris

Fujifilm FinePix JX250 test pics

October 21, 2021October 21, 2021Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Garden Cat – medium telephoto fully automatic exposure.

Wide-angle on full auto. My driveway looks like heck.

For a compact digital camera that was released in 2010 the exposures are accurate albeit not super-sharp by today’s standards. Technology has come a long way since then where high-end camera phones can be crazy sharp and compact. This is from another era and it shows.

The camera is super compact about the size of a deck of cards which makes it a bit smallish for me to use comfortably. It’s biggest pluses to me is the steady shot capabilities at longer telephoto shots did its job and negated my shaky hands. The Fujinon lens is sharp with 5x optical zoom but not crazy sharp. Good contrast across the shooting range which produces accurate and pleasing exposures.

I like collecting these simple and compact P&S digitals from the past – it helps me appreciate just how far we’ve come in just over a decade. Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

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.

Tamron AF 28-300mm Aspherical Zoom Lens

October 5, 2021October 5, 2021Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Testing my Tamron lens on my Canon EOS 40D.

Its got everything except image stabilization which I need whenever I get above 175mm or so and or have a slow shutter speed (less than 1/125th or so (it’s an age thing).

Here’s some test shots taken with this lens and mounted on my Canon EOS 40D. The 40D is a 10.1 megapixel DSLR from 2007.

I purposely shot these wide open (f/6.3) at 300mm because that’s where a lens like this will show its weaknesses. They aren’t as sharp as I’d like but they aren’t horrible either. Everything was shot using the self timer to trip the shutter and of course the camera was mounted on a tripod. This lens will perform better at f/11 and a bit shy of 300mm I would think. That will be my next test. Stay tuned.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great evening!

Chasing Classic Cameras with Chris

Yashica cameras and so much more!

Category Lens Tests