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2026-07-17

"Up the Angara River" (1973)

The "По Ангаре (Up the Angara River)" documentary. It was made in 1973.




It is about three cities: Bratsk, Angarsk, and Irkutsk.

There is a camera pan of Angarsk's streets. I converted the video fragment into a sequence of 253 images.




Then, I created a panoramic image with Hugin.



The result (Equirectangular projection, no edge fill):



Posted by malykh в 08:08 0 comments

2026-07-15

My lenses by mount (2026-07): Lenses to keep

While I have a lot of lenses, there is no lens that is actually expensive (over $200-300). Some of them are very cheap. However, despite their cost, several of my lenses are important to me.

For the full-frame Sony a7c, I would keep two lenses. The Pentax K 30/2.8 and the Staeble-Werk Choro R 35/4.5.

Overall, I like Pentax lenses, and the K-series interests me the most. I didn't like the Pentax K 30/2.8 until I got a full-frame camera. Now, it is the most interesting of all my K-series lenses.

The Staeble-Werk Choro R 35/4.5 is not optimal, but it's a very rare lens. Some people think this lens doesn't exist at all. But I have a copy. And it works.

For a Samsung NX camera, I would keep the Samsung NX 30/2. This lens is optically good.

For a Pentax Q camera, I would keep the Pentax Q 01 8.5/1.9 Standard Prime and the Pentax Q 07 11.5/9 Mount Shield Lens. The former is the best prime lens for the system (and I prefer prime to zoom), and the latter is fun.

Posted by malykh в 07:34 0 comments

2026-07-13

RoadFisher 55/8: Samples [1] - FF - f/8

Camera: Sony a7c (FF, 24MP)
Lens: RoadFisher 55/8, f/8 only

During testing, it looks like the actual aperture is f/11 rather than f/8. I'll try to check by comparing it with another lens.

Another issue is the fixed focus. At least my copy is a "landscape" fixed focus lens. Subjects at 5 or 10 meters are noticeably out of focus. Perhaps, the lens is focused even beyond infinity. For me it is rather useless.

There is no a character-trait aberration, that I expected after the Pentax Q 07 11.5/9 Mount Shield Lens or the Holga HL(W)-SSN 29/8. The image is boring.

What's the point of the lens? I don't understand. You can use a cheap manual focus 50mm lens, set and fix the aperture and focus, and achieve similar results.








Posted by malykh в 14:30 0 comments

2026-07-11

JJC FDA-SFH6: Strip film holder

This is the JJC FDA-SFH6 strip film holder, for the JJC FDA-LED1, JJC FDA-K1, JJC FDA-S1, Nikon ES-2 film digitizing adapters.






It holds a strip of six negatives on 35mm film.




I bought it as a spare part for the JJC FDA-S1.



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Posted by malykh в 09:28 0 comments

2026-07-09

10 years with Jeep Cherokee KJ

Ten years ago, I bought a used Jeep Cherokee KJ 2007 (also known as Libery). I still drive it today.




In that time, I've driven about 89500 km, though I've driven much less since 2020. The car has consumed about 11300 liters of gasoline, or about 12.6 liters per 100 kilometers.

Overall, I still like the car. The main reason is its 3.7-liter V6 engine. It has a large displacement for modern times, but rather low power (204 ps). This makes it a pleasure to drive. I wouldn't buy a Cherokee with a 2.4-liter R4 (gasoline) or 2.8-liter R4 (diesel) engine.

However, there are two things I don't like.

First, the 42RLE automatic transmission is not perfect. It is slow at times, and the engine is the only thing that compensates. There are only four gears, which is not enough to utilize the engine's full potential. Would the 545RFE be better?

Second, after Hondas, I expected more from the front double wishbone suspension. Its behavior is actually closer to that of a MacPherson strut suspension, which I do not like.

Anyway, I don't plan to replace the Cherokee.

Posted by malykh в 16:53 0 comments

2026-07-07

My lenses by mount (2026-07)

This is an updated list of my lenses grouped by mount (previous version).


   SLR lenses:

Pentax K (MF)





Pentax K 50/1.4 (Album)










M39x1/45.2 (MF)



M40x1/44 (MF)





M42x1/45.5 (MF)








Nikon F (MF)





Pentacon Six (MF)






    Rangefinder lenses:

M39x1/28.8 (MF)




M39x1/44 (MF)









    Mirrorless lenses:

Sony FE (MF)





Sony FE (AF)




Samsung NX (AF)




Pentax Q (AF/MF)










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Posted by malykh в 18:20 0 comments

2026-07-05

TTArtisan 75/1.5: Samples [2] - 135 film - f/1.5

Camera: Pentax Super A
Film: Ilford Pan F Plus ISO 50 (135 B&W) exposed as ISO 20
Lens: TTArtisan 75/1.5 at f/1.5

At f/1.5, the lens is contrast and easy to focus. I was slightly disappointed with how it performed on a digital camera, but on a film camera, it is funnier.








Posted by malykh в 13:47 0 comments

2026-07-03

RoadFisher 55/8 (Nikon F): Wooden, focus-free lens

This is a wooden lens.




It is named the RoadFisher 55mm f/8. But it came in a box by Caye (Cangye Imaging Technology).





The body is [partially] made of wood.




There are several mount options. I would prefer a Pentax K or an M42x1 mount, but those options are unavailable. So, I chose the Nikon F mount because I have an adapter with the correct flange focal distance. This is very important for a focus-free lens.




There is no focusing ring, the lens is focus-free. There is no aperture ring, the aperture is fixed. And, there is no filter thread. And no front cap included.

The lens is not too large, but it is not a pancake lens either. It's slightly smaller than some 50/2, 50/1.8, or 50/1.7 SLR lenses.

It looks like the lens has just 1 optical element in 1 group. In any case, you should not expect good optical quality. The lens is just for fun.

A 30mm version is also available, but only for mirrorless mounts due to the short flange focal distance.



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Posted by malykh в 15:54 0 comments

2026-07-01

Forte Fortepan FP100

This is a B&W negative 35mm (135) film.




It is Forte Fortepan FP100 (ISO 100), made in Hungary. And, of course, it is expired (2005-10).






I have already tried using it. To be sure, I exposed it as ISO 32. I developed it with Pyrocat-HDC (22°C, 1:1:100, 14:30). Result is good.



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Posted by malykh в 18:44 0 comments

2026-06-29

Fouriers HA-S005-NT

This is an inner tube expander (compressor plug) for bike forks, Fouriers HA-S005-NT.




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Posted by malykh в 18:45 0 comments

2026-06-27

Kenko Soft 45/4.5: Samples [2] - Instax Mini - f/11

Camera: NONS SL42 II (Instax Mini, 0.57x "crop" factor)
Film: Fujifilm Instax Mini ISO 800
Lens: Kenko Soft 45/4.5 + NFE 1.89x (48 mm equiv.)

When closed to f/11, this soft focus lens functions as a standard prime lens. However, the camera's built-in light meter tends to cause overexposure at this aperture. Perhaps the aperture marking on the lens is incorrect. Alternatively, the lens may transmit more light than usual due to its simple optical design. I took this into account after taking a few shots.








Posted by malykh в 18:46 0 comments

2026-06-25

Spark SD52: User manual (Chinese, English)

This is the user manual for the Spark SD52 (SD52-NW, SD52-CW) headlights, in Chinese and in English.




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Posted by malykh в 14:56 0 comments

2026-06-23

Chain checkers

I have two chain checkers (for bikes).

1. This no-name one is too optimistic, showing zero wear on an old chain.




2. This Toopre TL-217 is better.





I verify it with several 11/12 speed chains: new, worn, and worn out. The measurement results are correct.


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Posted by malykh в 16:52 0 comments

2026-06-21

Pentax Super A: ISO scale

The markings on the Pentax Super A ISO film speed scale:



Ranges with 1EV step:

6 - 12 - 25 - 50 - 100 - 200 - 400 - 800 - 1600 - 3200
8 - 16 - 32 - 64 - 125 - 250 - 500 - 1000 - 2000
10 - 20 - 40 - 80 - 160 - 320 - 640 - 1250 - 2500



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Posted by malykh в 18:34 0 comments

2026-06-19

Staeble-Werk Choro R 35/4.5: Samples [4] - 1/1.7" - f/4.5

Camera: Pentax Q7 (1/1.7", 12MP)
Lens: Staeble-Werk Choro R 35/4.5 at f/4.5 (161 mm equiv.)

It was a challenging combination: an old, wide-angle, triplet lens and a small sensor. I tried this lens with the Pentax Q, but the results were unusable. The Pentax Q7 works better because it has a higher resolution and easier focusing.









Posted by malykh в 14:20 0 comments
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