This little project has taken some time to complete but it’s finally done. A few weeks ago I found an old Asahi Takumar Pentax case on eBay for peanuts and decided to grab it and renovate it and then modify it slightly to store my Takumar lenses. I replaced the foam inside at the sides […]

After years of using a D300S and D700 it’s time to finally move on. A new chapter in the lives of the world seems to have begun and appropriately a new chapter in my photographic life has too begun. I’ve gone from DSLR to mirrorless and this will be my faithful steed for the next […]

The Nippon Kogaku NIKKOR-S Auto 50m F/1.4 is lauded and lamented in equal measures but for those who love that “old school film look” this is an interesting lens. Josh Solomon sums it up well in his article The Underdog Nikkor-S 50mm F/1.4 F Mount Lens, and Why it’s Josh’s Favorite Lens Ever.    

A lesser known macro lens is this 55mm f/2.8 Vivitar. It’s an all manual lens, so often overlooked by today’s buyers who have a tendency to forget that 90% plus macro images are focused manually, or at least should be. This old Vivitar is also one of the sharpest macro lenses produced so if you’re […]

There are some lenses that produce stunning images; there are some lenses that are simply stunning to look at.. and then there are a few lenses that just seem to have the lot! It is my personal opinion that the Asahi Takumar Pentax 135mm f/3.5 is one of them!

Today I said “Goodbye” to this little gem. It really wasn’t getting used and with the imminent arrival of the new Nikon Z5 I felt it was time for it to find a new home. I have to say, it had its quirks but all in all it was a joy to use and some […]

ASAHI TAKUMAR PENTAX 50MM F\1.4 8 ELEMENT – SERIAL NO. 1385773 The 8 element Asahi Takumar 50mm f\1.4 is a rare little lens, not often seen in the United Kingdom. Produced for a short period during 1964 and 1965 it was brought to market to compete with the Zeiss Planar and it did just that […]