On the subject of vintage primes, I couldn't agree more. Out of all my lenses, my SMC Takumar 50mm f1.4 is probably my favorite lens to shoot with. It cost me all of 15 euros when I bought it many years ago. Unsurprisingly, many mirrorless shooters have rediscovered these vintage primes in recent years, and they now tend to demand a higher price. Yet even at the higher price, they are still very much worth it in my opinion, for several reasons. Being manual lenses they are obviously not suitable for all subjects, but for the right subjects, the shooting experience is superb: Because they are manual they tend to slow you down and they make you think about your subject more; The better ones are plenty sharp to shoot wide-open, edge sharpness is not necessary with many subjects; They are still a fantastic bargain compared to fast modern primes; Finally, I'd like to mention the feel of these lenses, especially the older f1.4s tend to be very high-quality. I just love how they feel when operating them. Just love these old beauties and wouldn't sell my Takumar, not even for 1000 euros. Lovely video and a lovely exhibition. :)
I couldn't agree more. I had an 8 element SMC Takumar 50mm f1.4 but managed to let a friend talk me out of it. I now use that 55mm f2.0 in the video. It is equally as sharp, even wide open, although bit slower, it is much more compact. Testing a 55mm f1.4 Mamiya Sekor that is a Tomioka lens and is incredibly sharp. Thanks for watching and commenting!
I always enjoy your videos, so well presented. My Lumix 20mm 1.7 is almost permanently on my EPL 8 which I find to be a perfect combination. Your comment about vintage/legacy lenses is interesting as I am finding that I am using them more often now. My favourites at the moment are my pair of Minolta FD lenses 50mm and 28mm both being super sharp on my Oly EM1 mk1. Totally agree with your views on museums, there were very ingenious peoples on the planet before the 20th century.
Agreed Don, I bought the Lumix 20mm F1.7 to shoot in the National Railway Museum here in the GB. The lighting was terrible, but the lens saved the day, that,s a keeper for sure.
New to your channel. Thanks for this video. I typically take two kits on outings (the secondary is a backup), each with a relatively broad range 3.5-5.6 zoom and a fast prime of 35, 40, or 50mm (FF=) for low light shots. I may adjust lens selection depending on what I anticipate I will need for the shooting subjects of the day. Also a fan of the EP5, which I still shoot in 2023, with a VF-4 EVF. Look forward to viewing your other vids.
On the subject of vintage primes, I couldn't agree more.
Out of all my lenses, my SMC Takumar 50mm f1.4 is probably my favorite lens to shoot with. It cost me all of 15 euros when I bought it many years ago. Unsurprisingly, many mirrorless shooters have rediscovered these vintage primes in recent years, and they now tend to demand a higher price. Yet even at the higher price, they are still very much worth it in my opinion, for several reasons. Being manual lenses they are obviously not suitable for all subjects, but for the right subjects, the shooting experience is superb:
Because they are manual they tend to slow you down and they make you think about your subject more;
The better ones are plenty sharp to shoot wide-open, edge sharpness is not necessary with many subjects;
They are still a fantastic bargain compared to fast modern primes;
Finally, I'd like to mention the feel of these lenses, especially the older f1.4s tend to be very high-quality. I just love how they feel when operating them.
Just love these old beauties and wouldn't sell my Takumar, not even for 1000 euros.
Lovely video and a lovely exhibition. :)
Totally agree, my two favourites at the moment are the Minolta 50mm and 28mm .
.
I couldn't agree more. I had an 8 element SMC Takumar 50mm f1.4 but managed to let a friend talk me out of it. I now use that 55mm f2.0 in the video. It is equally as sharp, even wide open, although bit slower, it is much more compact. Testing a 55mm f1.4 Mamiya Sekor that is a Tomioka lens and is incredibly sharp.
Thanks for watching and commenting!
I always enjoy your videos, so well presented. My Lumix 20mm 1.7 is almost permanently on my EPL 8 which I find to be a perfect combination. Your comment about vintage/legacy lenses is interesting as I am finding that I am using them more often now. My favourites at the moment are my pair of Minolta FD lenses 50mm and 28mm both being super sharp on my Oly EM1 mk1. Totally agree with your views on museums, there were very ingenious peoples on the planet before the 20th century.
Thank you for your kind words and thanks for watching!
Agreed Don, I bought the Lumix 20mm F1.7 to shoot in the National Railway Museum here in the GB. The lighting was terrible, but the lens saved the day, that,s a keeper for sure.
Indeed it is! That reminds me, we have a railroad museum here in Oklahoma City. I should go there! Thanks for watching!
Please do and post some images Don.@@dongummphotography
New to your channel. Thanks for this video. I typically take two kits on outings (the secondary is a backup), each with a relatively broad range 3.5-5.6 zoom and a fast prime of 35, 40, or 50mm (FF=) for low light shots. I may adjust lens selection depending on what I anticipate I will need for the shooting subjects of the day. Also a fan of the EP5, which I still shoot in 2023, with a VF-4 EVF. Look forward to viewing your other vids.
Sounds like you have a well thought out kit. Thanks for watching and commenting!
excellent presentation
Thank you!
Hi Don, from England.
You’d think that a ‘low light lens’ would have a bigger glass to let the light in.
That is one of the unique things about micro four thirds. Even fast lenses are fairly small. Thank you for watching and commenting!
Very Good Video Don!
Thank you!