Unrequited Love.....In Lenses

The last few posts that have been camera-heavy have really gotten me thinking about my photographic past. For many men (mostly) of my age, we grew up dreaming/lusting after camera equipment. It's just simply part of our history and psyche that we will probably never be able to separate from our lives. Although we're commonly able to acquire that coveted camera and a few lenses, but they were often compromises. It didn't matter whether you were a Canon guy (like I was), or a Nikon guy or whatever. The lenses from the manufacturers were simply too expensive since they were generally designed for professionals and to be sold in a different world where things were expected to last a lifetime. So, as I've said before, we teenagers would often look at the fabulous color brochures or go down to the "camera shop" and hang around. 

The object of our desires were often not just some particular focal length that we thought we wanted, but some combination of that, and what we wanted our camera to look like. Here's a good example: a Nikon F3 with the full motor drive, 250 Exposure Bulk-Film back and that really impressive looking 55mm Nikkor f1.2 Nok. that you could darned near shoot things in the dark with.....never mind that you didn't have the slightest idea what you were going to shoot "in the dark" in the first place! It looked COOL!!! Of course, nobody we knew owned one since they only sold to National Geographic photographers and NASA.

So, we bought the 50mm f1.4 lens for several hundred hard-earned dollars instead, because we couldn't be seen with a measly f1.8 that most any "family guy" bought with his camera still in the "ever-ready" case with that included narrow vinyl strap attached. As part of this little fantasy that we all played, there were certain lenses that we all wanted, but probably never bought. I've already talked about the 500mm mirrors, so lets look at the others.

You might be asking yourself; "what's so impressive about this little thing"? I'm starting here, because I just bought it. It's actually a lens that I once owned....kind-of. It's the 70-150mm/f3.8 out of the regular Vivitar line of the mid/late 70's. I know; it's not even a Series 1; what gives? This lens was VERY compact and pretty darned sharp. It was made by Kino of Series 1 fame, and so compact that it takes a 52mm filter, which is the same as the Nikkor main line of lenses, PLUS it could be had with a "matched 2X doubler", making it a 140-300mm, 35mm or a 210-450mm "APS-C" equivalent. Back in 1977 as a Junior in high school, I chose this lens to go along with the Canon AE-1 to replace our "long-in-the-tooth" Mamiya-Sekor camera. It was a nice lens that fit the compact AE-1 well as our budget. Although the school owned it, I carried it a lot, that is until I bought my A-1 with lenses. I've always had a fondness for this lens and last week, I bought it for.......$10, complete with the doubler on eBay. It will be nice to play with adapted to the GF-1 as well as the Nikon D300.

 

Since I'm on the topic of Vivitar, let's look at the Series 1 lenses that I really wanted at that time. From top to bottom, they are: 70-210mm/f3.5 Zoom, 35-85mm/f2.8 Varifocal, 28mm/f1.9 Wide, and 90mm/f2.5 Macro w/Doubler. These lenses need no introduction to photographers alive at that time. They were simply the fastest, and most innovative of their type, some of which even the top OEM firms such as Nikon/Canon didn't produce......and their cost were commiserate with this status. In my APS-C digital world, the one that I really want is the 28mm. It'd basically be a fast normal on the D300. 

Another lens/focal length that I really wanted was the 85mm. It originally started with our high school photography instructor/icon Milton Adams using the Nikkor version for his "normal". He really like his look "tight" and up-close. Probably has to do with his being paid as a photo-journalist. Which also explains the 500mm mirror as well. I loved the look of his pictures with this lens and I never forgot it. Later in the years that was building my Pentax system, I really wanted the SMC-M, 85mm/f2.0 that they produced, but just never could justify the expense.

 

The modern (for APS-C) equivalent would be the Cosina produced Voigtlander 58mm/f1.4 Nokton which translates to roughly 87mm lens. It that it on my D300? No, wish it was! With it's modern Nikon mount with communicates with the digital Nikons, I'd love to have it, but until then, I'll have to stick with my chip-converted 50mm/f1.4 Nikkor. 

Then there's the more obscure of my interests: "pancase" lenses, the Russian Tair 300mm on the "Fotosniper" and the rare Minolta Rokkor 300mm mirror lens mounted on an Olympus 4/3rds camera via an adapter. I've talk about these types before (and will probably do a post on "pancakes" some time), so I'm not going to talk about them much here.

Last, but not least today, is this oddity. While looking for images of lenses I ran across this and it stirred some odd corners of my memory. It's the Nikon FB-5 case, designed to hold a body with several lens ready to go since they were actually held in place by a Nikon mount! Virtually every camera company had them and were supposed to be a case for "professionals", although that intended audience virtually never used them and they generally only sold to well-heeled customers. The design was too bulky and the obvious intent as well as branding made them thief magnets. They are rarely if ever seen, but I've always wanted one. No surprise there!