Stop it down to f/8 or smaller apertures and it’s tack sharp without losing its “vintage’ character.
DIGITAL CAMERA RETRO DESIGN MANUAL
It’s available in Contax bayonet (CRM), Leica screw (LTM) Pentax screw (M42) and Exakta bayonet mount, it has a 13-bladed manual diaphragm to enhance its attractive natural bokeh, it focuses down to 1 meter for frame-filling headshots, and it certainly captures the retro look at its widest apertures. In production for over 30 years starting in 1934 this classic triplet (3-element) lens was made in Germany in both uncoated and coated versions, in silver or black finish. If you're looking for something more afforable though, check out my seven favorite budget vintage lenses below. If you're in the market for some classic glass, you should also check out my story on our 10 favorite vintage lenses you can buy right now. That can be an attractive proposition whether you shoot film now or might in the future. Finally you can often acquire vintage lenses along with the vintage cameras they’re attached at about the same price you’d pay the lens alone. that can be expensive, difficult, or impossible to repair.Īlso steer clear of lenses sold as is or with no return privilege. Avoid lenses afflicted with haze or fungus, stiff or dented focusing or aperture rings, etc. Since the primary criteria for retro fans are vintage rendition and beautiful bokeh you can often save quite a bit by picking a lens that has minor cosmetic defects such as paint loss on the barrel or a few minor blemishes or cleaning marks on the front element. To that end I’ve selected 7 “great buy” affordable vintage lenses and described each one in detail below. The good news: You can still find great vintage “retro look” lenses at relatively modest prices if you know which ones to look for.
But it has become a cult classic and I’m not the first one to say that it’s overpriced. It’s a nice, well-made example of a simple triplet (3-element) design, and it delivers classic rendition and pleasing bokeh. Old uncoated lenses with modest specs you could have snagged for under $50 not too long ago are now selling for hundreds of dollars.Ī good example: the 100mm f/2.8 Meyer Trioplan in Exakta bayonet or Pentax (M42) screw mount, which typically sold for under 100 bucks 5-6 years ago now often fetches $400-$750. The downsides: manual focus, and manual or aperture priority metering at working aperture only.īecause so many contemporary photographers have been captivated by the retro craze, the prices for many vintage lenses have skyrocketed over the past few years. And while some vintage lenses are incredibly sharp, it’s their rounded “natural” rendition of 3-dimensional space and their distinctive bokeh that can help you capture images that evoke an authentic retro sensibility. It’s not that vintage lenses are better than new ones-indeed, some of their charm may be the result of optical “defects” such as lower contrast, resolution falloff in the corners at wide apertures, spherical aberration, vignetting, and even flare. Since I’m a big fan of retro, especially for portraits, I often mount ancient vintage lenses on my modern digital marvels using readily available adapters to render my subjects with a timeless classic look that few contemporary lenses can match. I use (at last count) three mirrorless cameras, four DSLRs, and a passel of modern lenses. For the remaining 60%, I shoot digitally, sometimes with a vintage lens attached to help capture a "retro" look. COMPLETELY different.I’m a film dinosaur-about 40% of the pictures I shoot are made on black-and white film, and my favorite analog cameras range in age from 50-100 years. And that tank will definitly give you a retro shooting experience. Medium frame, and some of the lenses for it are insanely cheap, especially considering they are some of the best ever. Or get really crazy and try a Pentax 645D. In many ways they're more fun, in that they really are retro with fewer bells and whistles. Or go real retro and buy an old CCD camera, or classic old models like a Panny GM1, or Pentax Q.
Seems you want new faux-retro styling, like the Zfc, but it you also want retro in the sense of controls and film sim, then Fuji, especially X100 models since rangefinder style and an optical VF is even more retro. Thanks!ĭo you mean actually retro, retro-looking exterior, ability to take retro photos, or retro controls but modern features? or combos thereof? I'd love to hear your experience and opinions. Looking at Fuji models as well as Nikon Z fc, but I'm open to all suggestions, feedback, warnings, etc. Anyway, I've decided this year's gift will be a retro style camera.
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