Ages ago, the guys at West Yorkshire Cameras posted a picture of a lens they “cobbled” together on Instagram. Apparently, behind the scenes they had joked about the fact that I would probably see it, likely be interested, and would even possibly get in touch with them about having a go with it. Seems I took the bait.
Not long later, I had this unusual contraption in my possession.
Recently, the lens market has seen a new fresh offering for us, vintage lenses enthusiastic people. Some workshops, like PPP, Omnar, MS Optics has been offering the possibility to shoot old lenses previously only available on some point and shoot cameras by converting them to the M-mount. By doing so, it is now possible to get these old vintage vibes on various, more serious cameras, from film M mount cameras to digital with various mirrorless brands.
Hello there! The important thing I want to note right in the beginning: I haven’t intended this article as a comprehensive, technical-focused review of the Zeiss Distagon 50mm f/4 lens for the Hasselblad V system. Others have done this before – and they have done it probably way better than I could do. So kudos to them; I’ll link related posts further down.
Instead, the article is supposed to talk more about the artistic possibilities (virtues) of this versatile lens. Or, to say it more precisely: how I use the lens’ artistic possibilities for my photographic pleasure. Oh yes, this piece of equipment is a lot of fun!
I first heard of the Chroma Double Glass lens in a post here on 35mmc. A new 24mm extremely compact and inexpensive fixed focus, fixed aperture lens for Leica screw mount definitely piqued my interest!
One of my very favorite cameras is my 1949 Leica Ic, it’s essentially a cut down (hot rodded in my mind) IIIc without the whole rangefinder/viewfinder assembly and without the slow speeds. I guess that makes it more of a cut down IIc. In any case, I love its compactness and straightforwardness of purpose. Since I mostly use wide to very wide lenses and zone or hyperlfocal focusing, and since you need an external viewfinder for the lenses I prefer anyway, a more full featured camera seems like unnecessary excess.
Nowadays, f/1.8 seems synonymous with entry-level. It’s often a compromise between speed, size/weight, and affordability draped in plastic and aimed at budding photographers looking for their first prime or those wanting something light and inexpensive but still faster than a zoom. Mostly associated with the nifty fifty but also often found in 35mm lenses, either those for crop sensors serving as normal lenses or moderate wide angle for full frame. The Nikkor 35mm f/1.8 DX used to be a very popular lens back in my DSLR days and you could get a used one for around a hundred quid. I briefly had one. I remember there being a slightly newer full frame version as well. Then I totally lost touch with lenses made in this century.
