heliosfan

Minolta Rokkor-x 50 f1.7

It all depends on what you are looking for.
 
1) The subject separation you only can have with a f1.2 aperture (limits your choice)
2) A good, fast 50 (of which there are plenty)
 
I have quite a collection of vintage 50ish lenses and this is my quick take on (some of) them :
 
Takumars (M42) - I don't really like the bokeh, can be quite nervous, blooming highlights and softness wide open, low contrast. Handling is excellent with both, I thought they were pretty smooth until I tried the Minoltas. Anyway, the 50/1.4 is better than the 55/1.8 IMO, but more expensive of course.
 
Minoltas - I LOVE the 45/2 (cheap, tiny, unique look and smooth focus), the 50/1.7 is even smoother (the smoothest focus ever!) and sharp!, the 55/1.7 unfortunately is in pieces at the moment, but should be similar to the 50/1.7 in sharpness and handling. Same bloom and slight softness when wide open, but different "look" that I like.
 
Canons - nifty fifty 50/1.8 II- wouldn't recommend it, even though I loved it on my Canons, the reason being the electronic aperture, which forces you to either shoot it wide open (or whatever aperture it was last at) or buy an adapter with a built-in aperture ring. The FL 55/1.2 - exquisite! My poor man's 56/1.2 (paid about $100). A lot of glass - a bit heavy. Focus ring is (on my specimen) too stiff for it to be comfortable. Perhaps re-lubing it will help? Doesn't look too big on the camera since the FD adapter is shorter than the Minolta/M42 adapters, which I quite like. Lovely colors and bokeh, but same problem with highlight bloom and slight softness wide open. Razor sharp from f2.8 onwards.
 
Helios 44M - This used to be on my Canon all the time. For some reason, I just don't find it compelling with X-Trans. Don't know why. Also a bit of a long throw and heavy focus ring. Fun bokeh though, sharp, low contrast. Max.aperture of f2 might not be that fast.
 
Pentax-A 50/1.7 - Also sharp etc. Virtually indistinguishable from the Minolta, was my favourite until I got the Minolta (as you might have noticed, I am a Minolta fan). Different colours.
 
I would recommend either the Minolta MC Rokkor PF 50 f1.7 (cheap, razor-sharp and ultra-smooth handling) or a Canon FD/FL 55 1.2. A Minolta 58/1.2 would probably also be great. The MD Minoltas should be similar, but more plasticky than the MC generation.

The face I'm making right now is the same as your avatar.
 
 
 

It is very sad when companies do this.
 
I may just but the nissin i40 as that works with HSS and X-T10
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RLUuF_XG0A

Unfortunately I think it is deliberate because the X-T1 is a flagship camera and the others not.....they need to draw the line somewhere to justify the higher price. Sad but true

Yes. It means that every single pixel is read out (electronically) at the same time. So no rolling shutter and other shutter problems.

Mare, daughter of a colleague
 
Fuji X-T1, 56 1.2 APD
 
 

My grandmother, 89 this year and still going strong.
 
Fuji X-T1, 56 1.2 APD

I experienced the same but I think that's how it's supposed to work Coming from Canon I never ever used Auto-ISO, so imagine my surprise when my X-T1 chose ISO 3200 with the EF-42 flash. So remember to set the ISO manually and it's actually a pretty good flash.

I experienced the same but I think that's how it's supposed to work Coming from Canon I never ever used Auto-ISO, so imagine my surprise when my X-T1 chose ISO 3200 with the EF-42 flash. So remember to set the ISO manually and it's actually a pretty good flash.

3rd one really wowed me! Brilliant!

I agree, but since mirrorless cameras have their sensor exposed to the lens at all times, oil from aperture blades can really mess things up. Warning to all old lens lovers out there! Clean out the oldlube and re-lubricate your helicoid with a modern grease that hopefully won't separate....

I was an Oly OM shooter before going digital.  Small, light camera and lenses.  Easier for backpacking/climbing, without sacrificing quality.  In keeping with the size and weight benefits of mirrorless over DSLR, I've collected a bevy of Oly primes on Ebay- generally paying about 1/10 of the original price.  I got the 500mm f8 Reflex, 300mm f4.5, 200mm f4, 135mm f3.5, 50mm f1.8, 35mm f2.8, and 28mm f2.8 for about $700 total.  All but one are in mint cosmetic and mechanical shape- the last is excellent mechanically.  Sometimes I use Piccure to snap-up a shot, often not.  These were taken with my X-T1, using the 500mm f7, and run through Piccure.
 
These are boring, test shots, and are only meant to convey the IQ available from the old Olys.
 
Enjoy!
 
    PS I use $15 Chinese/Ebay adapters, and don't think they sacrifice sharpness.  

It all depends on what you are looking for.
 
1) The subject separation you only can have with a f1.2 aperture (limits your choice)
2) A good, fast 50 (of which there are plenty)
 
I have quite a collection of vintage 50ish lenses and this is my quick take on (some of) them :
 
Takumars (M42) - I don't really like the bokeh, can be quite nervous, blooming highlights and softness wide open, low contrast. Handling is excellent with both, I thought they were pretty smooth until I tried the Minoltas. Anyway, the 50/1.4 is better than the 55/1.8 IMO, but more expensive of course.
 
Minoltas - I LOVE the 45/2 (cheap, tiny, unique look and smooth focus), the 50/1.7 is even smoother (the smoothest focus ever!) and sharp!, the 55/1.7 unfortunately is in pieces at the moment, but should be similar to the 50/1.7 in sharpness and handling. Same bloom and slight softness when wide open, but different "look" that I like.
 
Canons - nifty fifty 50/1.8 II- wouldn't recommend it, even though I loved it on my Canons, the reason being the electronic aperture, which forces you to either shoot it wide open (or whatever aperture it was last at) or buy an adapter with a built-in aperture ring. The FL 55/1.2 - exquisite! My poor man's 56/1.2 (paid about $100). A lot of glass - a bit heavy. Focus ring is (on my specimen) too stiff for it to be comfortable. Perhaps re-lubing it will help? Doesn't look too big on the camera since the FD adapter is shorter than the Minolta/M42 adapters, which I quite like. Lovely colors and bokeh, but same problem with highlight bloom and slight softness wide open. Razor sharp from f2.8 onwards.
 
Helios 44M - This used to be on my Canon all the time. For some reason, I just don't find it compelling with X-Trans. Don't know why. Also a bit of a long throw and heavy focus ring. Fun bokeh though, sharp, low contrast. Max.aperture of f2 might not be that fast.
 
Pentax-A 50/1.7 - Also sharp etc. Virtually indistinguishable from the Minolta, was my favourite until I got the Minolta (as you might have noticed, I am a Minolta fan). Different colours.
 
I would recommend either the Minolta MC Rokkor PF 50 f1.7 (cheap, razor-sharp and ultra-smooth handling) or a Canon FD/FL 55 1.2. A Minolta 58/1.2 would probably also be great. The MD Minoltas should be similar, but more plasticky than the MC generation.

Weather sealing, unified design and updated focus motors in the entire current lineup !! For instance, why doesn't the 56 1.2 have a clutch and WR ? Just weird (unless it is an actual engineering issue that prevents it). Some consistency Fuji, please!

Great post by the f/otographer about choosing right gear for yourself. Once I read article that was written by famous photographer, there was tips for beginners about choosing photo gear, starting photo practice and improving skills. And the best idea from this article was "you need only gear that arouse you to taking photos". Ok, some people like their toprated fullframe bodies with actual super fast autofocus lens, some people like their rangefinder cameras with oldschool manual lens, and some people need only iPhone to deliver current mood into the photo etc. The main idea in photo should be mood, feelings, and doesnt't matter that technical tools you use.
Once I decide to sell my kit 18-55 and take some manual fix lens instead of it. It was deliberate limiting of my technical capabilities. Of course I think that Fuji XF are the great lens, but they cost a lot, and I really like oldschool smell of manual lens. It's like some kind of game with your gear.
So, I really love my manual focus lens.
Most of the time OM Zuiko 24mm f/2.8 sits on my camera:
Alisa by crunch_tone, on Flickr
Spring fingers by crunch_tone, on Flickr
1 by crunch_tone, on Flickr
 
Also I have old Fujinon 135mm f/2.5 M42 lens that have great performance too:
Hauschka live at Erarta (15 May 2015) by crunch_tone, on Flickr
12 by crunch_tone, on Flickr
Comet tails by crunch_tone, on Flickr

flysurfer, on 23 Jun 2015 - 09:58 AM, said:

 
 
 
 
Fuji should make it work with MS+ES just like they did for flash, both involve potential confusion, but SOLVE much more common and annoying confusion.
 
Generally speaking I'd rather leave the camera on MS+ES all the time and having AF-C work with it just makes sense. If they can't work together and I am in MS+ES it drastically increases the steps to switch to continuous, as I have to change shutter AND AF mode (BTW I'll also need to change the Face Detection setting much of the time, further dissuading me from using the feature.)
 
There are clearly times when, in a given situation, the camera is actively switching between MS and ES as lighting changes, but is it really so common in AF-C that Fuji can't make it work? IMHO as long as it picks one shutter type for the beginning of the burst and uses it until you stop shooting most users will not be shocked at the results. 
 
The worst case scenario is you have a burst that starts in MS (you confirm this before starting by looking at the screen) and ends with blown-out shots that you THOUGHT would be accounted for by the ES, but weren't because the burst was forced to use the same shutter throughout. This is of course the same thing that would happen if you were in MS only in that same bright-light situation. Either way, this will almost never come up and is no more annoying or likely than the matching situation involving flash. 
 
On the other hand, there are already tons of people who have been confused by the fact that AF-C fails when their camera is using the mechanical shutter, and in many cases those users are likely to never realize what the problem is, instead concluding that the Fuji AF-C "just isn't there yet" and "that's why I keep my DSLR". 

I hope they update FW akin to what they did to make the flash work when MS+ES is on, when shutter speed is within the MS range it re-focuses, when in the ES only range it will not re-focus.
It will be very annoying to remember to switch between the modes (I usually use MS+ES all the time)

Technically ‘rolling shutter’ refers to the way the electronic shutter operates, namely by a sequential reset and read-out of the sensor pixels (see http://dvxuser.com/jason/CMOS-CCD/, for example). The rolling shutter artefacts are named after the shutter. ‘Rolling’ doesn’t imply there was any physical movement involved but is used metaphorically.
 
Electronic shutters come in two kinds, rolling and global shutters. With a global shutter all the sensor pixels get exposed at the same time whereas with a rolling shutter the exposure starts and ends at slightly different times, depending on the pixel’s position on the sensor. Many compact cameras have interline-transfer CCDs with a global shutter; these are free from rolling shutter artefacts (obviously) but can suffer from smearing. CMOS sensors usually have a rolling shutter; there are CMOS sensors implementing a global shutter but these are optimised for industrial and scientific applications rather than for photography as we know it.

All adapters I have bought from eBay sellers (there are many) that are branded "K&F Concept", including their FD adapter have all been cheap, of good build and generally a very good deal. Highly recommended!

These days I received my Helios 44M-6!!
By just taking some simple test shots I can say that this is a great lens!!! And I really had huge expectations cause of owning the awesome and sharp Fujinon EBC 50/1.4 M42! Thanks!!!
Now my just ordered Canon FD 50/1.4 S.S.C. has to compete with it
 
OMG I'm addicted to lenses!!!!

I find this fact quite sad really. They are producing fantastic kit and should be praised, respected and feel good about what they do. Instead, it sounds like they are treading on eggshells worrying about how a large bunch of over demanding customers will react like. Some of them remind me of you spoilt brats that got everything they asked for from their parents and if they didn't get it, they'd scream and scream and scream until they were sick 
 
The self-entitled brigade do tend to wind me up a little   

F4 had to be announced before the X-T10 to avoid a shitstorm of epic proportions. Fuji knows very well that many of their customers are quite unreasonable and complain about everything, not only the what, but also the when. Whatever they do or don't do, it's always wrong. Just think about the endless complaints about the "missing" X-E2 update, or the X100S firmware update whining.

As one of those who took a leap of faith, I needed to verify that the camera would allow a re-install of the same version. Seems to work as the camera goes through the paces by displaying the progress bar of the install. Once completed, my X-T1 is behaving the same as it has been since I've installed the new "beta" FW.
 
I also tested to see if I could re-install 3.11. I can't, which confirms what has been previously stated about not being able to install a previous firmware release. Also, I verified that that the firmware updater does indeed use checksum to verify the integrity of the FW file. It does.
 
Cheers!
Rolly