Tag Photography

Classic Canon FL 50mm f1.8 Lens – still going strong since the 1960s

Chris and Carol Leave a comment

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.

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to stop by my shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com – 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.

Copyright © 2015-2021 Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Chris Whelan
All rights reserved.

random pics part 2 – March 2021

Chris and Carol 2 Comments

More fun with some random and “found” pics.

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.

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to stop by my shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com – 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.

Copyright © 2015-2021 Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Chris Whelan
All rights reserved.

Looking through vintage glass – fun with classic lenses.

Chris and Carol Leave a comment
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 roof
Azalea blossoms shot at about one meter at f4 – soft circular highlights and gorgeous bokeh
Shot at 135mm at f5.6 – here the background is not pleasing as the sky is bright blue and cloudless – see image below
Better – shot at f16-f22
Nice separation and spot on focus of the top of the flagpole – 135mm at f8
Fujifilm 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.

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to stop by my shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com – 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.

Copyright © 2015-2021 Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Chris Whelan
All rights reserved.

random pics part 1 – March 2021

Chris and Carol 2 Comments
Samsung Galaxy S8+ unintended image
Found foto on a Sony SD card
Unknown chalk artist
Battery corrosion in a 58 year old camera (not fatal)
60 year old lens on a modern mirrorless digital camera

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to stop by my shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com – 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.

Copyright © 2015-2021 Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Chris Whelan
All rights reserved.

New Arrivals in my Camera Shop – March 2021

Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Hi all! I hope everyone is well and staying safe. I’d like to share some of the exciting new items I’ve added in my camera shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com

My shop is hosted by Etsy so most everything in the shop can ship worldwide with a variety of payment options. You can also purchase items direct from me by contacting me at ccphotographyai@gmail.com

Thanks so much for stopping by and if there’s something specifically you’re looking for just drop me a line and I’ll see if I have it.

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to stop by my shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com – 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.

Copyright © 2015-2021 Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Chris Whelan
All rights reserved.

SUNday Spotlight – I have Nikon gear in my shop!

Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Lots of recent Nikon items have been listed in my shop – if you’re a Nikon collector or are looking for some neat gear please check my shop out at http://www.ccstudio2380.com

Nikon F3 genuine leather semi-soft field case.
Nikon Nikkor AI 50mm f1.4 lens.
Nikon FM 10 35mm SLR.
Nikon N60 35mm SLR with zoom lens.
Nikon D80 DSLR.
Nikon F mount Tamron zoom telephoto AF lens.
Classic Tamrac Expedition 5 Pro camera and lens backpack.

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to stop by my shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com – 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.

Copyright © 2015-2021 Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Chris Whelan
All rights reserved.

Friday Fotos! – you’ve been warned!

Chris and Carol Leave a comment
Nikon Nikkor AI 50mm f1.4 lens test on Nikon D800.
Nothing yet. Lens test Nikon Nikkor AI 50mm f1.4 on Nikon D800.
32MP bricks with a lens from 1978.

I recently acquired a few cameras and lenses from a good friend who lives on Long Island. Some of her gear has been sitting around unused for a while so I like to test and inspect (and clean) them. The results with the Nikon Nikkor AI 50mm f1.4 lens are very pleasant. Now to test the Nikon FM10 and Nikon N75 that she also sent. It’s always great fun to “play” with new to me gear.

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to stop by my shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com – 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.

Copyright © 2015-2021 Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Chris Whelan
All rights reserved.

Late Bloomer – Christmas cactus blossom for Valentine’s Day

Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Normally our Christmas cactus plants bloom by late November or right on time for Christmas. This year most of the blossoms came in mid January with the exception of this beautiful flower.

Photographed in the fading late afternoon sunlight – a slightly cooler temperature image (above). The same blossom in full sun just moments before (below). Much warmer colors.

I like the shadow cast by the flower.

Camera – Fujifilm FinePix S9900W

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to stop by my shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com – 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.

Copyright © 2015-2021 Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Chris Whelan
All rights reserved.