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Super-Takumar 50mm F/1.4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Volna-9 50mm F/2.8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Helios 40-2 85mm F/1.5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Pentacon 50mm F/1.8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Helios 44m 58mm F/2.0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Mir-24 35mm F/2.0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Industar 50-2 50mm F/3.5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
MC Zenitar 50mm F/1.7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Super-Takumar 50mm F/1.4
This Pentax Super-Takumar 50mm f/1.4 8 element lens was
designed by Pentax to be a Carl Zeiss Planar-killer, and it is
rumored that Pentax lost money on every copy of this rare
1960’s lens. Once the achieving crown over Zeiss Planar
lenses had been awarded to Pentax by the press, the simplified
7 element version quietly replaced it before the 8 element
variety crippled Asahi Pentax’s financial profits.
The creamy bokeh of
the Super-Takumar has
a painterly quality.
CAMERA TERMINOLOGY
Bokeh: a “romantic” out-of-focus seamless
background that is produced when a
lens,usually telephoto, is used in picture-taking
at its wide-open aperture setting.
3
Pentaxforums.com
There are more
advantages to the
f/1.4 than mere
light-collecting
ability. The
huge aperture
causes the depth
of field to be
extremely shallow;
inconveniently
shallow in some
circumstances. This
shallow depth of field
causes objects outside
the area of focus to be
heavily blurred, which
can be used to the
photographer’s advantage.
Pentaxforums.com
Pentaxforums.com
Pentaxforums.com
Volna-9 50mm f/2.8
The Volna 9 50mm f2.8 has a very particular “camaleontic”
aperture, which goes from round wide open, to a sawblade,
then star, then exagon, then perfect circle again, it’s also
a macro lens with a minimum focal distance of 23cm
or so. The lens has strange iris, which changes shape
with different aperture values and majority of the shapes
reduces smoothness of the bokeh.
The Volna 9 features
tack sharp imaging
and creamy bokeh.
CAMERA TERMINOLOGY
Shutter Speed: This is how long your camera’s
shutter stays open for and it can be read on either
the back of your screen or within the viewfinder. It
is typically a fraction or a whole number.
7
Dpreview.com
appreciate your photo.
Details are often more interesting
than an overall view. Keep
moving in closer until you are
sure the photo will successfully
represent your subject.
Dpreview.com
Dpreview.com
Dpreview.com
Each time you
spot a subject,
snap a shot and
then move in
closer for a better
shot. Having your
subject almost
fill the frame
helps your viewer
understand and
Dpreview.com
Helios 40-2 85mm F/1.5
The strength of the 85/1.5 lies in its incredibly shallow depth
of field. The 56.67mm clear aperture makes the depth of
field almost as thin as on an 80/1.4 Summilux-R. The lens is
outstanding for facial portraits at about a meter. Outdoors, at
f/4 and faster, the lens has plenty of contrast. The lens does
have a high propensity for flare under backlit conditions. The
lens is solidly-built and inexpensive.
The Helios 40-2 85mm
features at wide open
a distinctive swirling
of the background.
CAMERA TERMINOLOGY
Aperture: This is also known as an F stop. It
controls how much of your image is in focus or
not. It also controls how much light comes into the
lens of your camera and hits the sensor.
11
Center-stage is a great
place for a performer to
be. However, the middle of
your picture is not the best
place for your subject.
Bring your picture to life
by simply moving your
subject away from the
middle of your picture.
Manualglass.com
Start by playing tick-tacktoe with subject position.
Imagine a tick-tack-toe
grid in your viewfinder.
Now place your important
subject at one of the
intersections of lines.
You’ll need to lock the
focus if you have an
auto-focus camera
because most of them
focus on whatever is in
the center of the
camera viewfinder.
Manualglass.com
Manualglass.com
Manualglass.com
Pentacon 50mm F/1.8
The optical construction of the lens consists of 6 elements
in 4 groups. The build quality of the lens is pretty good
with metal barrel and rubberized focusing and aperture
rings. The lens is quite compact and light, measures
48 x 51mm (1.88 x 2in) and weighs 250g (7.76oz). The
minimum focusing distance is only 33cm (12.9in) and the
minimum aperture is f/16.
The Pentacon 50mm is
good all purpose lens
and inexpensive to
aquire online.
CAMERA TERMINOLOGY
Bayer Pattern: The digital photography terminology
to describe how photosites are arranged on a
sensor. A Bayer pattern has 50% green photosites,
25% red photosites and 25% blue photosites.
15
Is your camera vertically
challenged? It is if you
never turn it sideways to
take a vertical picture. All
sorts of things look better
in a vertical picture. Make
every effort to keep it
balanced and beautiful.
On one level or another,
everyone responds better
to a picture that has all
elements in balance.
Pbase.com
From a lighthouse near a
cliff to the Eiffel Tower to
your four-year-old niece
jumping in a puddle. So
next time out, make a
conscious effort to turn
your camera sideways
and take some striking
vertical pictures.
Pbase.com
Pbase.com
Helios 44m 58mm F/2.0
Helios was a brand of camera lenses, made in the USSR. They
were usually supplied with Zenit cameras. The Helios 44 is a
derivative of the Carl Zeiss Biotar optical formula. The much
more expensive old Carl Zeiss Biotar 58/2 is optically identical
with Helios 44. This unique formula renders a unique bokeh
which often seems to swirl, especially with out-of focus foliage
in the photo’s background.
The Helios 44M
features a razor thin
depth of field and
sharpness to match.
CAMERA TERMINOLOGY
Depth of Field: This is what is the range of distance
within the subject that is acceptably and sharply in
focus. It can be controlled using your F stops. The
affect still applies to digital cameras.
19
Take control of your picture-taking and watch your pictures dramatically
improve. Become a picture director, not just a passive picture-taker.
A picture director takes charge. A picture director picks the location:
“Everybody go outside to the backyard.” A picture director adds props:
“Girls, put on your pink sunglasses.” A picture director arranges people:
“Now move in close, and lean toward the camera.” Most pictures won’t
be that involved, but you get the idea: Take charge of your pictures and
win your own best picture awards.
Manualfocus.org
Manualfocus.org
Manualfocus.org
Manualfocus.org
Mir-24 35mm F/2.0
The MIR-24 is renown for its warm colors and above average
performance wide open. It appears to be quite sharp even with
aperture wide open. The bokeh has a Zeiss touch, without
the great pop the more recent Zeiss glass. Color rendition is
accurate. MFD seems to be about 9inches, which allows you
to get close to subjects. Stopped down it is razor sharp.
The colors produced
by the MIR-24 have a
depth and texture that
is pleasing to view.
CAMERA TERMINOLOGY
ISO- Light sensitivity of your camera’s sensor.
The higher the ISO, the more sensitive your
camera will be to light and the grainier your
images will be and vice versa.
23
Mflenses.com
Mflenses.com
If your subject is not
in the center of the
picture, you need
to lock the focus to
create a sharp picture.
Most automatically
focusing cameras focus on
whatever is in the center of
the picture. But to improve
pictures, you will often
want to move the subject
away from the center of
the picture. If you don’t
want a blurred picture,
you’ll need to first lock
the focus with the subject
in the middle and then
recompose the picture so
the subject is away from
the middle of the photo.
Mflenses.com
Mflenses.com
Industar 50-2 50mm F/3.5
The Industar-50 was a screw-mount lens for 35mm
rangefinder cameras. An M42 variant Industar-50-2 for
SLRs was available. This variant is popular for use as
“pan-cake” lens on modern SLR bodies by means of an
M42 screw-mount adapter. The Industar-50 was a 50mm
f3.5 lens, derived from Zeiss’s Tessar 4-element lens. It
was nicknamed the “Eagle’s eye”.
The Industar-50
couples well rounded
performance with an
impossibly small size.
CAMERA TERMINOLOGY
Focus: This is what the camera is mainly trying to
take a picture of. It is literally what can be clearly
and sharply seen in the depth of field. The larger
your F stop (f1.8) the less will be in focus.
27
Fourthirdsphoto.com
Behind every picture there
is a story. What makes the
story good is a great photo.
A great photo comes from
experiencing the moment.
To truly experience the
moment, take a photo with
fresh eyes. As a photographer
you should look for a new
approach, a new way to
capture the image. If you read
too much about an event or
location when you photograph
you may subconsciously be
Fourthirdsphoto.com
Fourthirdsphoto.com
photographing someone else’s story.
The best pictures will come from your
experience with the situation. Impactful
photos are created through knowing
the technical aspects of your camera
as well as be involved.
Fourthirdsphoto.com
MC Zenitar 50mm F/1.7
The Zenitar-ME1 is a fairly uncommon lens. It has a
maximum aperture of f/1.7 and a focal length of 50mm.
It was manufactured by KMZ in the 1980s and was the
standard lens for the Zenith-18. It has a pre-set diaphragm
and unususlly has a square aperture.
The creamy bokeh of
the Super-Takumar has
a painterly quality.
CAMERA TERMINOLOGY
RAW: The standard format is JPEGs, which most
cameras take and what you always see online.
RAW is a much larger file that contains lots of
information and allows for more flexible editing.
31
Dyxum.com
Although soft light often means less light,
it is worth the potential difficulties for the
flattering effect. Like with most subjects,
harsh sunlight can be difficult to work
with. Squinting and unfortunate shadows
become something to deal with.
Look for shade, or use bounced or
diffused light for shots outside. When
shooting inside try to find alternatives to
a direct flash. Look at the websites of
modern wedding photographers, you will
see a complete absence of flash evidence.
If there’s going to be
fidgeting, try bouncing
the flash off the ceiling
or a wall, or using one
of the many diffusers
and flash bouncers on
the market today.
The only limit in natural
lighting is your creativity,
energy, and imagination.
The same applies to attractive
and more natural-looking
photography for children.
Experiment with some
combination of higher ISOs on
your digital camera, a tripod
and slower shutter speeds if
the child is relatively stationary.
Dyxum.com
Dyxum.com
Dyxum.com
ISBN 978-1-60887-026-4
9
74470 35055
US $9.95
51995
2