Hello, everybody! Have you seen the art of Chen Shu-Fen (陳淑芬) and Ping Fan (平凡)? They’re a couple from Taiwan, a country filled with many amazing artists and artisans. The couple are known for making amazing illustrations and the art they produce as a team are known for having a soft, dream-like quality thanks to the use of “mix-media”, it’s a term used in art circles to define something that was made using several different mediums. The art they make exhibits soft tonality that’s only possible with the use of watercolor, pastels or aquarels but the lines are bold so they juxtapose well with the softness. The lines were drawn with pencil or crayons which adds another interesting layer to the final result. I am a big fan of their work so I encourage you to check what they do. I will introduce to you something today that has the ability to render something with a painterly-look, it can both render soft and bold details quite well but it has some flaws so I won’t call it perfect. Whatever the case is this is still something interesting and I encourage you to read what I have to say about this little gem.
Introduction:
The Cine-Nikkor 25mm f/1.4 is presumed to be the first Nikkor made for the C-mount. I have no data as to when it was made but I assume that it’s around the later 1950s judging from the design of the barrel and its construction. This little lens was updated later with a larger barrel that’s more in-line with the rest of the Cine-Nikkors that were made for the standard 16mm format. The latter lens may have been made up until the late 1970s judging from the boxes that they came with. These lenses sort of function like “standard” lenses for the standard 16mm format akin to the 13mm lenses that were made for the smaller standard 8mm format which uses the D-mount.
It feels quite dense despite being the smallest C-mount Nikkor thanks to its brass barrel. It’s merely painted so you will have to be careful when cleaning it. It resembles the smaller D-mount Nikkors such as the Cine-Nikkor 13mm f/1.8 and you could accidentally look-past one because of the resemblance. If that’s not confusing enough there’s an even faster model called the Cine-Nikkor 25mm f/1.2 which is considered rare, that one looks nearly-identical to this lens except it has f/1.2 engraved on it. The differences are so subtle but an expert could tell them apart by looking at how the barrel looks because the slope of the rings look different.
Hello, everybody! Do you like Japanese corn? I like Japanese corn a lot because of the sweetness and the larger kernels that goes great with butter and salt. The color is also deeper, suggesting a richness of flavor that is absent in pale ones that were grown elsewhere which seems best as fodder. Japanese corn is nutritious, it has high amounts of potassium, I am sure that it also rich in other stuff that is beneficial for our health. Foods that are yellowish are known to be high in potassium which keeps our muscles supple, without enough of it we’ll get cramps. Today, I’m going to show you a lens that’s known for its yellowish-hue but unlike Japanese corn there’s nothing nutritious about it because who eats lenses anyway?
Introduction:
This Super-Multi-Coated Takumar 50mm f/1.4 replaced the Super-Takumar 50mm f/1.4 in 1971 and its later variant was made until the mid-1970s. What’s notable about this one is it has a thorium-infused element which turns yellowish. It’s also known for being one of the sharpest Takumar of its time, creating a rivalry with the Super-Takumar 50mm f/1.4 for being the sharpest 50/1.4 from Asahi. There are many supporters of both camps and you could find heated discussions online.
Many people couldn’t distinguish this from the older Super-Takumar 50mm f/1.4 with an 8-elements design since they look rather similar. One sure way is to check the red-line in the depth-of-field scale, if it’s situated after f/4 then you are sure that what you have is the 7-elements version. Another way is to look at the rear-element but checking the where the red-line is situated will be the best way to determine which version you’re looking at.
Hello, everybody! Do you know someone who looks normal from the outside but is actually rather special inside? That person may be talented or very intelligent to the extent that is not normally achievable by the majority. You can call the person a genius, gifted or any superlatives and they would all fit. I sometimes think that the root of all this is hard-work but maybe there’s more to this. Maybe they just process things differently so they could grasp something in a different manner and easily digest it mentally. Today, I will show you something that looks normal but is actually unconventional inside. You can’t call it a genius because it’s not a person but I am sure the person who made this is a genius.
Introduction:
The Micro-Nikkor 200mm f/4 Ai debuted in 1978 and was sold until 1982 when this was replaced by the similar-looking Micro-Nikkor 200mm f/4 Ai-S. It was hailed as one of Nikon’s most-advanced lenses and it opened-up new avenues for expressing creativity or research. Most macro-lenses at that time were limited to shorter focal-lengths but this one has a focal-length 200mm which was something that no other Micro-Nikkor have so this is its claim-to-fame.
It’s a very rugged lens, with a removable tripod-collar. It also has a built-in shade which I find quite useful. It’s smallest aperture is f/32 as typical with many Micro-Nikkors, this is a big-deal when shooting at higher magnifications but this is not ideal if sharpness is a concern because diffraction will certainly make your photos look terrible. I normally never use my Micro-Nikkors beyond f/16 since it’s common for them to lose sharpness just before that value.
Hello, everybody! I’m not someone who is concerned about eating healthy but I do stay away from really oily foods. It’s sad because I love to eat friend chicken, curries, stir-fried stuff and stews. However, I do treat myself occasionally and I will have a couple of juicy gyoza (pot-stickers) to satisfy my cravings. Today, I will show you something oily but it’s not something that you couldn’t correct. It’s common to find these with excessive oil and I will show you how to fix this.
Introduction:
The Asahi Super-Takumar 35mm f/3.5 is a rather popular lens that was produced from 1959 up until 1971 and it comes in several variants. The one we have here was made from 1966 until it was replaced in 1971 by an improved model. It’s worth noting that all variations of this lens have roughly the same optics, whether it was modified between models is something that we’ll never know.
The barrel is made from metal, it should be able to withstand abuse in the field. One interesting feature is the bulbous front element, it’s so curved that the curvature surpasses that of some fisheye lenses. Other than that the lens is rather standard-looking as far as Super-Takumars go.
Hello, everybody! I have a weak right wrist due to a training injury so it’s sometimes hard for me to grip with this. That makes it difficult when repairing cameras but thankfully my left wrist is still fine. I am not ambidextrous at all and I can not use my left hand as good as my dominant arm but it’s good-enough for a lot of things. Many things were made for right-handed people, I could imagine how hard it is for a leftie. Thankfully, there are some things that were made for a leftie and I will show you a camera that will be perfect for those of you who are married to your left hand.
Introduction:
The Ihagee Exa was introduced in 1951 and was made until 1962 as a cheaper alternative to the Ihagee Exakta. There’s a couple of variations and the one in this article is a later model from around the late 1950s. While there are later ones that were made many people don’t consider them to be true Ihagee Exas so these early versions were called “original”, the later ones don’t have the same charm and quality as these ones do.
It’s a very handsome camera, the chrome-trims look beautiful as the black leatherette contrasts with the shiny parts. It’s also charming thanks to the old-school design that looks like a jukebox. What’s unusual with this and most of Ihagee’s cameras is the left-handed ergonomics. The speed-selector and plunger are both situated on the left-side but the knob for film-advance is located at the right. If you’re a leftie I’m sure that you’ll appreciate using this camera. Rumor is that the designer for the original Ihagee Exakta is a leftie and that probably explains why this is the case.
Hello, everybody! Do you remember the movie “Misery“? It’s Kathy Bate’s best performance in my opinion, a masterful portrayal of a psycho. Her ability to change her acting at-will is disturbing to watch because you don’t know which side of the character to expect in the next cut. It’s not an easy job, the only other actor I know of who could do this without any effort is Anthony Wong (黃秋生) in his several roles as a psycho. Today, I’ll show you something that’s able to shift its character at-will, is it a modern, high-performance camera or is it a hobby-camera for those who wants to shoot at their own pace? It’s both and it does either really well.
Introduction:
The Nikon Z fc was recently announced and the response was overwhelming in the sense that it’s mostly positive. Many people are expecting a replacement for the well-loved Nikon Df but we got something else instead, not quite like it but it’s close enough. It’s tiny since it’s based on the Nikon Z50 which is a tiny DX camera, the decision to go with DX is not something many people expected nor embraced but I guess there’s a reason for this. Its performance and looks turned most of its critics around and it looks like Nikon has another hit. In this article I will give you my impressions about this exciting camera and I will mostly focus on the context of shooting with it using manual lenses because this site centers around enjoying older equipment. This is not a review at all despite what the title says so don’t take all of my opinions as truth.
I like how this camera handles, the design-language is familiar to all who have used a Nikon so you it won’t take time before your fingers get familiar with its controls. I held it and I immediately got myself going, taking photos in no time at all. A Nikkor 24mm f/2 Ai-S is a nice partner for it as it offers you a field-of-view that’s similar to 36mm. Since it’s DX it works more like an f/3 lens with it.
Help support this site by donating to richardHaw888@gmail.com over at Paypal! If you want to buy me a beer or a roll of film then that would be great,too!
Richard Haw's Classic Nikon Repair and Review 