Lenses

[Aussie Ash]

9 hours ago, maxJ4380 said:

Too late. there's a f2 35mm takumar on its way, i may also get a warming filter for  the double whammy or more likely just for comparisons 

Lens should be here by the end of the month.  It kinda rounds out my takumer set, i have most of the focal lengths i think although none are matching, there's taks, super taks, and smc's. i don't think i have a 28mm and definitely no eight element either. Next item will be a speed booster i think, to claw back some of that crop and i presume it gives me  an additional focal length for each lens. Well thats how i'm looking at it anyway.

Glad you are making progress Max .I dug out the Soviet color filters both are red ! and were normally used to increase contrast with black and white film.

[mercer]

Been using the GH6 with the cheap  7artisans 24mm 1.4. I really like the lens, are there any other 7artisans hidden gems?

[alexander higgins]

The funny thing with vintage lenses is half the magic comes from the flaws people used to complain about. Lower contrast, weird flares, cat-eye bokeh, imperfect corners… now everyone is hunting for exactly that look again.

[kye]

On 5/19/2026 at 4:27 PM, alexander higgins said:

The funny thing with vintage lenses is half the magic comes from the flaws people used to complain about. Lower contrast, weird flares, cat-eye bokeh, imperfect corners… now everyone is hunting for exactly that look again.

100%

Of course, completely irrational biases still exist.  One of the major ones is that people seem to only want lenses so sharp they need to wear gloves to even pick them up, or lenses so distorted that it's like most peoples memories of Woodstock.

There is a secret third option.

These lenses have a subtle hint of the vintage vibe, but aren't completely out of control divas that need to be babied all the time.  They're also cheap, freely available, have modern features like AF and OIS, and are fast and easy to use.

To discover this secret, here's the thread where I talk about them, and reveal what they are and how to get them.