Samsung NX 45/1.8: Samples [1] - APS-C

Photos taken with the Samsung NX300M (1.5x crop factor, 20MP), the Samsung NX500 (1.5x crop factor, 28MP), and the Samsung NX 45/1.8 at f/1.8-2. The profiled lens (distortion) correction is disabled.

(NX300M, f/1.8)

(NX500, f/1.8)

(NX300M, f/1.8)

(NX500, f/1.8)

(NX500, f/2)

(NX500, f/2)

(NX500, f/2)

See also related notes:

• NX 45/1.8 же (2013-07-03)

Image albums:

• Samsung NX 45/1.8

Poor extension tubes (MF Sony FE)

This are typical Chinese non-electronic extension tubes. They come in many variations with different mounts.

There are two main parts: one with a camera mount, the other with a lens mount. In this case, both are Sony FE mounts. No electronic contacts, of course.

These parts have threads. Looks like M57x0.75, but I could be wrong.

And there are three intermediate tubes with the same threads. They are marked with the numbers 1, 2, 3.

It is possible to use these tubes to get the desired total length.

The shortest option uses the mount parts without intermediate tube.

The longest option uses the mount parts with all three intermediate tubes. The total (i.e. maximum) length is 64.3mm.

The extension tubes have few disadvantages.

1. The lens orientation relative to the camera changes depending on the intermediate tubes, and it is always wrong.

2. I don't know about other mounts, but the lenses have a lot of play on the Sony FE lens mount part. For example, with the Samyang 35/2.8 FE lens. It is just for demonstration, this lens doesn't work with the tube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=naEPKG25SzY

It is very annoying. I tried these tubes to estimate the length for the desired magnification. But for regular use I would prefer other tubes.

See also related notes:

• Pentax Auto Extension Tube Set K: Tube #3 (26mm) (2024-06-06)

Image albums:

• Lens accessories

Steinheil Quinon 50/2 (M39x1/44): "Planar" version

I bought a broken Braun Super Paxette II BL camera, but the purpose of the purchase was the four lenses that came with the camera. The first one is the Staeble-Telexon 135/3.8. The second is the Staeble-Lineogon 35/3.5. The third is the Steinheil München Quinon 1:2 f=50mm.

This is a lens from the late 1950s. There is an advertisement from 1957 February:

There were two M39x1 versions of the Quinon 50/2. The first was for the Leica M39x1/28.8:

This is a lens of the Sonnar (Sonnare) family: 7 elements in 3 groups. This lens is quite expensive today.

My Quinon 50/2 is a different version, it is actually M39x1/44 (for a Paxette camera). It has 6 elements in 4 groups.

It is an evolution of a Double Gauss: an asymmetric Planar (also known as Biotar or Xenon).

(similar optical design)

This Planar (Paxette) version is much cheaper than the Sonnar (Leica) version.

The rear part is protruding:

I think it is because of the 50 (52) mm focal length instead of the more common 58mm of SLR Biotar lenses.

The aperture has 12 blades:

The aperture ring has click stops at f/2, f/2.8, f/4, f/5,6, f/8, f/11, f/16.

The filter thread is 40.5mm. The front part of the lens (with the filter thread) rotates during focusing. The minimum focusing distance is about 1m. The front (threaded) part doesn't rotate when the aperture is changed.

So now I have 35mm, 50mm, 85mm, and 135mm lenses for a Paxette camera. The only pity is that it is impossible to use this Quinon 50/2 with a Pentax K-mount SLR (and I mean a film SLR first).

See also related notes:

• Filter thread: 40.5x0.5 vs 40.5x0.75 (2024-09-13)
• Steinheil Quinon 50/2: Samples [2] - FF - f/2 (2024-09-02)
• Meyer-Optik Helioplan 40/4.5 (M42x1/45.5): Simple dialyte lens (2024-05-09)
• Steinheil Quinon 50/2: Samples [1] - FF (2024-05-07)

Image albums:

• Steinheil Quinon 50/2

Staeble-Lineogon 35/3.5: Samples [1] - FF - f/3.5

Photos taken with the Sony a7c (FF, 24MP) and the Staeble-Lineogon 35/3.5 at f/3.5.

See also related notes:

• Staeble-Lineogon 35/3.5 (M39x1/44): Retrofocus evolution of a triplet (2024-04-27)

Image albums:

• Staeble-Lineogon 35/3.5

Pentax DA L 18-55/3.5-5.6: 24mm on FF (vignetting and Flat-field)

Now my widest rectilinear lenses have the focal length of 28mm (or equivalent). These lenses are the Pentax K 28/35, the Pentax DA L 18-55/3.5-5.6 (for APS-C), the Olympus 14-42/3.5-5.6 (for M4/3), and the fixed 18.3mm lens of the Ricoh GR (APS-C).

In real life, I rarely need a wider angle. I used to have the Variozenitar 25-45/2.8-3.5 for those rare cases, but I sold it because I didn't like its poor mechanical design.

While experimenting with the Pentax 18-55/3.5-5.6 on the full frame sensor, I found that the 24mm produces visible vignetting. But is the result acceptable if the vignetting is corrected by software?

To correct the vignetting, I decided to use the "Flat-field" option of the ART raw image processing program. In theory, this gives a better result than using the coarse "Vignetting Correction" option.

Sometimes people say that a flat-field image should be all white. But the color is not important, what is important is the solidity of the color. So if there is no cloud, the sky can be used to make a flat-field image (but be careful with the sun). 

When taking a flat-field image, the focal length, focusing distance, and aperture must be the same as for the primary image.

Some examples of the 24mm of the Pentax DA L 18-55/3.5-5.6 lens on the full frame sensor (Sony a7c, 24MP).

1. At f/4, focus far away.

The image without correction:

The image with flat-field correction:

The flat-field image:

2. At f/4, focus near.

The image without correction:

The image with flat-field correction:

The flat-field image:

See also related notes:

• Pentax DA L 18-55/3.5-5.6: Using on FF (2024-03-19)
• Pentax DA L 18-55/3.5-5.6 (K) (2024-02-15)
• Вариозенитар 25-45/2.8-3.5 (2022-12-23)
• RawTherapee (2022) и ART (2022-03-30)

Image albums:

• Pentax DA 18-55/3.5-5.6

The fuel filler neck: Cleaning in EDTA-Na2 [1]

As planned, I put the fuel filler neck removed from my Jimny in EDTA-Na2 solution (to remove rust).

Before:

After some time and solutions:

After some more time and solutions:

At this point my supply of EDTA-Na2 is finished.

There is still a lot of rust, but I will continue later.

See also related notes:

• Replacing the fuel filler neck [Jimny] (2024-04-18)
• Трилон Б: удаление ржавчины, накипи и т.п. (2021-05-06)

Image albums:

• Suzuki Jimny

Pentax DA 14/2.8: Samples [1] - APS-C

Photos taken with the Pentax *ist Ds (1.5x crop factor, 6MP), the Pentax K10D (1.5x crop factor, 10MP), and the Pentax DA 14/2.8 at f/6.3-9. The profiled lens (distortion/vignetting) correction is disabled.

(*ist Ds, f/8)

(*ist Ds, f/8)

(*ist Ds, f/6.3)

(*ist Ds, f/8)

(K10D, f/9)

(K10D, f/8)

(K10D, f/8)

See also related notes:

• Pentax DA 14/2.8 (2006-12-23)

Image albums:

• Pentax DA 14/2.8

Staeble-Lineogon 35/3.5 (M39x1/44): Retrofocus evolution of a triplet

I bought a broken Braun Super Paxette II BL camera, but the purpose of the purchase was the four lenses that came with the camera. The first one is the Staeble-Telexon 135/3.8. Another one is the Staeble-Lineogon 1:3,5/35.

This is a lens from the 1960s (or 1950s?).

As expected, the Lineogon has the M39x1 mount with the flange focal distance of 44mm (for a Braun camera). It has a rangefinder coupling.

The lens has 4 elements.

It is assumed that the Lineogon has the same optical design as the later Novoflex 35/3.5:

It is a retrofocus modification of a triplet: 4 elements in 4 groups.

Now I have two 35mm lenses for the Paxette series:

The triplet (3/3) Staeble-Werk Choro R 35/4.5 (on the right) has a much more protruding rear than the retrofocus (4/4) Staeble-Lineogon 35/3.5 (on the left). The goal of retrofocus is to move the rear optical element far out of the film plane (for example, to place a mirror or a leaf shutter). Increasing the number of elements also makes it possible to make the lens faster (f/3.5 vs. f/4.5) while maintaining image quality.

The aperture has 10 blades:

The aperture ring has click stops at f/3.5, f/4, f/5,6, f/8, f/11, f/16.

The filter thread is 40.5mm. The front part of the lens (with the filter thread) rotates during focusing. The minimum focusing distance is about 1m.

The front (threaded) part also rotates when the aperture is changed. Therefore, removing a cap may inadvertently change the aperture setting.

This lens is not as exotic or rare as the Choro 35/4.5. However, it is interesting for me to use such an old lens.

See also related notes:

• Staeble-Lineogon 35/3.5: Samples [2] - FF - f/3.5 (2025-04-29)
• Filter thread: 40.5x0.5 vs 40.5x0.75 (2024-09-13)
• Meyer-Optik Helioplan 40/4.5 (M42x1/45.5): Simple dialyte lens (2024-05-09)
• Steinheil Quinon 50/2 (M39x1/44): "Planar" version (2024-05-02)
• Staeble-Lineogon 35/3.5: Samples [1] - FF - f/3.5 (2024-05-01)

Image albums:

• Staeble-Lineogon 35/3.5

Nokia 5.3 (in 2024)

I still use the Nokia 5.3, an Android phone. It was waiting for Android 12. But the 00WW_2_290_SP04_RU can't be updated to Android 12. The latest version is Android 11.

This does not matter now, the current (non-dev) Android is 14. And SZ Viewer is targeting Android 14. To achieve this, I used other people's phones that I took for a while.

Since the Nokia 5.3 is suitable for all my other tasks, I don't plan to change it. If it breaks I have a simpler Nokia 4.2 as a replacement.

See also related notes:

• Nokia 5.3 (2025-01) (2025-01-29)

RockStar/AstrHori 35/1.8: Samples [1] - FF

Photos taken with the Sony a7c (FF, 24MP) and the RockStar/AstrHori 35/1.8 at f/1.8.

This RockStar/AstrHori lens has a good resolution. And I really like the background blur with this lens. But the lens produces very strange colors. It is hard for me to get the white balance right (even in raw). It reminds me of enlarger lenses (Vega-5U, for example).

Without this color drawback, and with a normal focusing mechanism, it could be a very good lens.

See also related notes:

• RockStar/AstrHori 35/1.8 (Sony FE/E): Full-frame lens (2024-03-06)
• Вега-5У 105/4: впечатления (2022-06-23)

Image albums:

• RockStar/AstrHori 35/1.8