why i probably wont buy a new modern lens again..

why i probably wont buy a new modern lens again..

So i have been playing with my legacy lens, my Helios 44-2 f/2 58mm, attached to my fuji, for a few weeks now, and i have used it almost daily, most times when out walking the dog through the local woods, or when browing for shrooms at bigger woods a bit further away.

I think it was love at first sight!

The images i get from that cheap little lens is unreal! The bokeh just sends me in a spin! Literally, it has a wonderful, characteristical bokeh that i have never seen on a lens before.

At the moment i have not really done any self portraits with it, because the depth of focus is so shallow, i cannot focus sharply on my eyes at all right now, though that will come i am sure, but, for wildlife, for still subjects like mushrooms and berries, it is perfect.

My trouble is, i like to use the lens wide open at f/2, never any less, so the focal plane is just 1mm, maybe less, maybe more, but it is tiny, so small. I could use f/4 to bring more of my subject into focus for sharper images but i don't really care too much for total sharpness at this stage, though i am sure in the near future i will want sharper images from this lens but for now, i love the shallow focus it gives.

It is also an amazing lens for video, specially pulling back the focus etc, works a treat and always looks stunning no matter the subject.

Is it any wonder that i now search for m42 lenses on ebay? No! And is it a surprise to find i have bought more vintage glass? Probably not...

On a complete whim i bought a Jupiter 8, an f/2 50mm lens in the m39 mount, as well as a Jupiter 3, an f/1.5 50mm, again in the m39 mount.

The jupiter 3 goes for about £150, i got it for much less, though it is optically sound, there is some damage to the filter thread at the end. They have not arrived yet so am i yet to tes tthem or discover if they will actually work on my fuji x-a2, if they work, fine and dandy, i have more lenses to play with, if not, sell them again, no worries...

At these prices, one can afford to experiment with these lenses, i am sure that some wont work for some camera's, but most m42 lenses, and some m39's, work on digital cameras easily without any trouble.

I probably will buy a modern lens again, but if i do it will probably be the fuji xf 60mm f/2.4 macro lens, which works out to about 90mm i think, which will give gorgeous bokeh while still being able to focus for those all important self portraits