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2023-08-30

Sony a7c II and a7cR

The new Sony a7c II and a7cR full-frame mirrorless cameras have been unveiled. They are a follow-up to the Sony a7c.


I like the a7c, so I like these cameras too. 

The main thing is the higher resolution. The a7c's 24MP is the current minimum (in my opinion), and the new cameras have 33MP (a7c II) and 61MP (a7cR).

The controls are a little better, especially the separate lever for switching between video and photo modes. Also added a second custom button (labelled C1 as opposed to C2 for the old button).


The electronic viewfinder is certainly outdated (with its 2.36M dots), but at least the magnification is now 0.7x instead of 0.59x.


See also related notes:
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Posted by malykh в 00:00 0 comments

2023-08-29

Riconar/Rikenon 55/2.2: My experience [2/2]

(see part 1)

Background blur with the Riconar/Rikenon 55/2.2 at f/2.2 depends on the scene. It can be quite smooth.



But usually the background blur is busy.



But without obvious soap bubbles (unlike a triplet).




At short focusing distances soft focus appears stronger.



So much so that [manual] focusing becomes very difficult.



For this reason, the minimum focusing distance is around 80cm. That is a lot for a 55mm lens.



This lens is definitely different from the typical 50-55mm lenses of the film era.



See also related notes:
Posted by malykh в 00:01 0 comments

2023-08-28

Riconar/Rikenon 55/2.2: My experience [1/2]

If you shoot the Riconar/Rikenon 55/2.2 with the aperture closed (f/8 in this case), it becomes a typical normal lens from the film era. (All examples taken with the Sony a7c, 24MP FF)



And the resolution at f/8 is not bad.



But at f/2.2, besides the background blur, soft focus appears.




It depends on the lighting and the distance.



Sometimes it even seems to be a fault of the lens.



But this is a characteristic of a simple design (4 elements in 4 groups) and focusing by moving only the front element.



As I wrote before, this is the special feature of this lens.

See part 2.



See also related notes:
Posted by malykh в 00:12 0 comments

2023-08-27

Ricoh GR: once again about dust

It may seem like I'm over dramatizing the appearance of dust on the sensor of the Ricoh GR.

I have already shown the dust that is usually visible in images (in the sky). But there is a lot more dust than that.

f/2.8 - almost invisible if you don't know where to look:



f/5.6 - already visible, this is a common aperture for a landscape shot:



f/16 - the aperture is not used, but there is a lot of dust:



Since the Ricoh GR is a camera with a fixed lens camera, you can't just remove the lens and clean the sensor. This is a significant problem.

Posted by malykh в 00:04 0 comments

2023-08-26

15 years with Suzuki Jimny Sierra

I bought my Suzuki Jimny Sierra (JDM JB43W, 2005) in 2008, it arrived from Japan in August. This means that I have had the Jimny for 15 years (some history: 2015, 2018).

A photo from the first trip with the Jimny (to the mountains of the Eastern Sayan, August 2008).

[Pentax K10D (10MP, 1.5x crop factor) + DA 18-55/3.5-5.6 AL (i.e. first version) @ 40mm (60mm equiv.)]

You can also see that Polish tent in the photo.

Posted by malykh в 00:01 0 comments

2023-08-25

Praktiflex M40x1 lenses on modern cameras

The first German Praktiflex SLR camera (1939-1949) had the M40x1 lens mount before switching to the famous M42x1 mount. There were M40x1 lenses that could be used on modern cameras. I have one such lens, the Victar 50/2.9 (uncoated triplet).

Besides the smaller diameter, these lenses also have a shorter flange focal distance: 44mm for the M40x1 vs 45.5mm for the M42x1. This also makes them more difficult to use.

Now there are options to adapt the M40x1 to modern mounts using 3D printing. However, I was looking for solutions using mass-produced parts.

The first thing to do is to convert from the M40x1 thread to the M42x1 thread. The easiest way to do this is to wrap a (PTFE) thread seal tape around the lens thread. I have used this method successfully:



Since the layers of tape are quite thick, you should avoid tilting the lens when screwing it into the M42x1.

Another option is the M40x1-M42x1 ring. It is similar to the M39x1-M42x1 ring, but much rarer and more expensive.



This ring allows you to screw an M40x1 lens into the M42x1 mount.



There are also M40-M42 adapters that are step-down adapters for filters.



But they have a smaller thread pitch (not 1mm), so I don't recommend using them.


When it is possible to use the M42x1 thread, there are several options:

1. The most obvious option is an M42x1 adapter. In my case, the M42x1-Sony FE/E adapter:



But the flange focal distance is longer than it should be: 45.5-44=1.5mm, so it won't focus at infinity.

The Victar lens has a very narrow flange:



So it screws in deeper than it should, but still does not focus at infinity.

To solve the problem of focusing to infinity, you will need to reduce the thickness of the M42x1 adapter if it's possible.


2. Another option is a thin M42x1 adapter with a shorter than 45.5mm flange focal distance. You should use extension tubes or something similar to get a total flange focal length of 44mm (or slightly less).

I used the 5mm M42x1-Sony FE/E adapter and two M42x1 extension tubes (7mm and 14mm).



7mm (M42x1 extension tube) + 14mm (M42x1 extension tube) + 5mm (thin M42x1-Sony FE/E adapter) + 18mm (Sony FE/E flange focal distance) = 44mm (exactly what is needed)



3. And you can adapt the lens to the M39x1/28.8 (rangefinder) mount.

For this I use the rare M42x1-M39x1 adapter (4.5mm) and two 5mm M39x1 extension tubes.



4.5mm (M42x1-M39x1 adapter) + 5mm (M39x1 extension tube) + 5mm (M39x1 extension tube) + 28.8mm (M39x1 rangefinder flange focal distance) = 43.3mm. This is slightly less than 44mm, but acceptable for use.

The M39x1-Sony FE/E adapter is added to mount it on the camera:




Of course, instead of extension tubes, a suitable close focus (helicoid) adapter can be used, which at the same time reduces the minimum focusing distance. This is useful for older lenses.

Posted by malykh в 00:02 0 comments

2023-08-24

Samsung NX2000 shutter count

A way to find out the shutter count of the Samsung NX2000 camera:

===

I recently by accident discovered a way to get log files dumped to the memory card: Press and hold home button and press in the top dial until the green focus light comes on. Now on the root of the card you have some log files. Mine looked like this:

20141007_134827_dlog.inf
20141007_134827_log.inf

If you open the one with "dlog" in its name and search for "shut" you can see this line:

SHUTTER RELEASE COUNT : 2488
===

Note: "The green focus light" means the camera's front AF illuminator.


For example, my NX2000 camera with v1.13 firmware, *_dlog.inf file:

===
...
LOAD SHUTTER RELEASE COUNT : 18615
...
===

With v1.18 firmware (and after a few shots):

===
...
SAVE SHUTTER RELEASE COUNT(MODE) : 18629
...
LOAD SHUTTER RELEASE COUNT : 18629
...
===


Posted by malykh в 00:00 0 comments

2023-08-23

Noname [OEM] 50/1.1 (Sony FE/E): Full-frame lens

This is a Chinese fast 50mm f/1.1 lens that is better known as Syoptic (aka Mr.Ding), sometimes as ARTRA LAB, Andoer, JABS, etc. But I have the unnamed [OEM] version of it.



The lens has a Voigtländer-style body with Sony FE/E mount. And it's a stated f/1.1 lens, and it's for full frame.



It only cost me $150. But now it's hard to find it on sale at that price. The lens is really has no name on the body, although it was sold as Vlogmagic.

Of course, this is a manual focus non-electronic lens.

The lens has a 52mm filter thread. The aperture has 11 blades:



The aperture ring has fixed [clicked] positions: f/1.1, f/1.4, f/2, f/2.8, f/4, f/5.6, f/8, f/16 (note that there is no f/11).

Usually Chinese lenses are factory adjusted to focus beyond infinity (I think because of possible play in the focusing mechanism). Surprisingly, this lens focuses to infinity at the hard stop of the focus ring.

The lens has 8 elements in 6 groups:



(body with Leica M mount)



It comes with a threaded cap and a bayonet hood:



The lens itself is quite small for an f/1.1 (full-frame!) lens.

Comparison with the Юпитер-3 (Jupiter-3) 50/1.5 (with the adapter for Sony FE/E) and the Pentax K 50/1.4 (with the adapter for Sony FE/E):



First impressions are good. Of course, it is not as high performance as "sterile" modern expensive lenses. But it also doesn't produce a vintage look with lots of aberrations like older lenses. It's something in between.

There is the question of whether f/1.1 is the real thing. But in any case, I see this lens as an alternative to old f/1.4 film lenses.

Posted by malykh в 00:02 0 comments

2023-08-22

Microdistricts of Angarsk (February 2004)

Angarsk, microdistricts. February 2004. The horizontal panorama:



Higher resolution: 6973x1710 3773.6KB

Pentax Optio 450 (4MP, 1/1.8") @ 39mm (187mm equiv.)


See also related notes:
Image albums:
Posted by malykh в 00:03 0 comments

2023-08-21

Noname M39x1-Leica M adapter

An adapter to mount M39x1 lenses on Leica M cameras.



There is no blank template for 6-bit code (as found on the Pentax K-Leica M adapter, for example).



The adapter is thin because it is designed specifically for M39x1/28.8 (rangefinder) lenses. It is 1mm: 28.8-27.8mm (flange focal distances).

The adapter is in the (50-75) configuration, which means it should activate the viewfinder frame lines for 50/75mm focal lengths. (28-90) and (35-135) versions are also available. I'm going to use this adapter with another adapter, so it doesn't matter to me. 

Desired combination: this M39x1-Leica M adapter and the Leica-M-Sony FE/E close focus (helicoid) adapter.



Unfortunately, the M39x1-Leica M adapter fits too loosely and wobbles noticeably. Focusing slightly beyond infinity is also present. Not very good for regular use.

Posted by malykh в 00:01 0 comments

2023-08-19

Youtube main page

The main page of Youtube now looks like this for me:



There is no recommendation. Perfect.



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Posted by malykh в 00:05 0 comments

2023-08-18

Revue 24/4 lens (M42x1)

The Revue 1:4/24mm lens with M42x1 mount.



This is a cheap plastic (bakelite) lens. However, it is an OEM version of the rare Enna München Lithagon/Ennalyt 24/4 from the 1960s. It was sold by Quelle trade company under the brand name Revue and later as Revueon.

(Lens made in W.Germany)

Optical design: 7 elements in 7 groups (no cemented elements).



I have an early version with preset aperture. Quite an unusual design. You have to press the lock button to preset the aperture (only five values: f/4, f/5.6, f/8, f/11, f/16).



And the grip of the aperture closing ring is not all the way around. But it's okay to use.

Later versions of the lens had "automatic" aperture control.

Only 5 aperture blades, which is normal for a wide angle lens.



The lens is not too big, but not small either. The filter thread is 52mm.

Unfortunately, the bakelite construction of the lens is not good for long term use: low accuracy and high wear. My copy turned out to be much worse than the seller promised. The focus ring is very stiff, strong looseness, haze optical elements, and heavy decentering.

I serviced the lens, it got better, but still far from perfect, unfortunately.

The lens is not very good for landscapes. The center is good, but the edges and corners are low resolution. Worse than the Вариозенитар (Variozenitar) 25-45/2.8-3.5, it seems to me.

But this lens has a very short minimum focusing distance: 170-175mm from the film/sensor plane, and that's about 65mm from the front optical element. That's very close.

Accordingly, the maximum magnification is 1:3.1, x0.32. This is very good for an old wide angle lens. You could even call it a macro lens in terms of film lenses. This is the main highlight of the lens.



Posted by malykh в 00:08 0 comments
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