On lens hype... and a bargain vintage set

I write a lot of blog articles in reaction to external stimuli, even if this is not immediately obvious. People ask me questions in the pub or on Facebook. I need to explain something in detail to my students. A topic required documentation before I myself forget what I already know. 

This post is in reaction to those YouTube videos fronted by some egotistical talking head who pretends to be a photography expert, discovering, as if struck with a bolt from above, the merits of some old system. You know the type. They use phrases like "game-changer" and "GOAT". 

This tendency leads to particular lenses shooting up in price beyond all reason. Let me provide a few examples of over-hyped gear, before suggesting a set of vintage lenses that won't kill your bank account. 

Schweppes with Pentax-A 28/2.8

Overhyped and over-priced

Carl Zeiss Jena lenses were once cheap as chips. They were made using fairly ordinary optics with poor quality control in East Germany. The lubrication dries out over time, making apertures stick. Similarly the focus goes tight. And parts fail. In terms of optics you will experience softness, poor corner resolution, busy bokeh, and various aberrations. Somehow these deficiencies become positive features to internet pundits.

I am not saying that these lenses should be avoided. The look of a Jena Pancolar 50/1.8 (to take one example) might be useful as a tool in your lens box. But given their age, any Jena sample you find will likely need thorough servicing, at a cost of €100-200 plus shipping. So even if the lens itself was free, this prices them well outside their value.

But they aren't free. Prices range up to €600 for some Jenas, which is ridiculous. 

A second example is the lowly Zuiko AUTO-S 40mm F2, produced for Olympus SLRs from 1984 to 1994. This is a cute lens but has certain practical disadvantages when miniaturised to this extreme. As many reviewers note, the tiny aperture ring on the front of the lens is difficult to use.

All reports concur that the lens has decidedly average image quality. Nonetheless, this item currently costs €1200. But that's nothing. Three years ago Mike Johnston reported one sold for $3800! That is peak hype when one considers the alternative: the Olympus Zuiko 50mm F1.8 is common as muck and optically superior. It's still small but more usable. Price? €50.

Just today I watched a YouTube video that pronounced that Olympus lenses were the greatest of all time. Sure, they are nice. I appreciate the small profile of the original series, even if this design mandate was abandoned for large fast lenses later in the OM mount lifespan. For a while I was even sourcing lenses for the Pen F half-frame camera... also now getting hyped (sigh).

Earlier this week I watched some professorial type (peering out from over the top of his glasses) claiming that several ancient M42 lenses were "razor sharp". No, they aren't. Contemporary lenses are, in almost all cases, far "sharper" (depending on what you really mean by that term) than those designed before CAD/CAM and new materials revolutionised the optics industry. There's no comparison.

But we don't buy vintage lenses because we want the sharpest possible image. We buy them for their unique rendering properties. The same dude says just as much in other videos but needs to continue feeding the hype train, I suppose. 

Limerick Junction with Pentax-A 28/2.8

A bargain vintage set

It's only a matter of time before someone "discovers" that Asahi made excellent Pentax lenses for their K-mount, with better IQ (in most cases) than the M42 lenses they previously marketed under the brand Takumar. Those Taks are already hyped to death. Naturally. 

Since I don't make hype videos, I will just drop this information here on my obscure little blog so that you special readers can benefit. 

I can recommend four primes to cover different focal lengths. Many of you might only need the 28mm and 50mm, but people have different shooting styles. All these lenses are quite compact, have a wonderful metal build (no plastics) and provide a consistent rendering that is free of gimmicks. The initial Pentax K series had some excellent optics, but the best of that series sell for a lot more than the second M series. With this line the lenses became significantly more compact, which is something many photographers (myself included) can appreciate.

The SMC Pentax-M 28/2.8 (€100) is only 37mm long and 170g. It focuses to 30cm and takes a 49mm filter. SMC Pentax-M 35/2.8 (€100) is identical in all particulars but covers an angle of view preferred by street photographers. 

The "normal" SMC Pentax-M 50/1.7 (€50) is even smaller at length 31mm and a similar 185g. Focusing to a close 45cm it too has a 49mm filter thread.

If you need something longer, for portraits perhaps, the SMC Pentax-M 135/3.5 (€60) is still only 270g. The close focus is 1.5m (not close at all) and the filter is the larger 52mm.

zone of cats with Pentax-M 50/1.7

One note when you come to purchase. The third "A" series of Pentax lenses were, in many cases, optically identical to their M predecessors. This is true of the 28mm and 35mm models that I've specified here. Normally the A series are more expensive, since they have automatic aperture control when used on Pentax SLRs. Adapting for mirrorless digital cameras, this makes no difference. So you can add these models to your search list and maybe find an even better specimen.

I have never bought a used Pentax lens that needed servicing or was in any way less than ideal. These were built to last! Check listings carefully and you should have equal luck. 

I've illustrated this article with photos taken on two of the lenses mentioned, so you can check out the colour rendering, bokeh, and other aspects of the image. Please note that internet compression will make these appear blurry in comparison to the originals. In fact, all these shots are suitably sharp and otherwise beautiful. They have a subtle vintage look that is compelling without being attention-grabbing. (As always, click on an image to get a larger version.) I should note that zone of cats has been colour-processed to get a more muted look. All were shot on the very wonderful Panasonic Lumix S5.

So, no lens hype, no goats to be seen. Just a wonderful set of affordable lenses at a bargain price. 

For now, anyway!

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