Outside the Shot

Up Close with the Canon FD 50mm f/3.5 Macro Lens (Review)

The Canon FD 50mm f3.5 macro was released in 1979. It is on par with all of the other manual focus film era lenses. At f8, everything is going to be tack sharp, corner to corner.

The Minolta SR-Mount: An Overview of Cameras and Lenses

The Minolta SR-mount, a bayonet mounting system, was used in 35mm SLR cameras produced by Minolta from 1958 to 1998. Over the years, several iterations of this mount were introduced, leading to occasional references to the mount by the names of the corresponding lens generations, such as “MC”, “MD”, and “X-600”.

Minolta Spotmeter F Review - Better Than the Pentax Digital Spotmeter

Affordable spotmeters are difficult to come by as there were never very many options. The Minolta Spotmeter F is one of the least expensive digital meters available. It uses AA batteries instead of discontinued batteries that are no longer produced.

Lester A. Dine 105mm f/2.8 Macro Lens Review

The Lester A. Dine 105mm f/2.8 was made by Kino Precision in the 1980s. The lens was “white labeled”, meaning it was sold under several different brand names.

Vivitar 55mm f/2.8 Macro Lens Review [Komine]

There is lots of lore and hype built up around this Komine lens, and it is all deserved. This is the sharpest standard focal length vintage macro lens I have ever used.

The Legendary Vivitar 90mm f/2.8 Macro Lens Review

The Komine made Vivitar 90mm f/2.8 macro is a legendary cult classic because of how sharp it is. From f/5.6 to f/11, the lens is tack sharp with no signs of chromatic aberration or distortion.

Yashica 55mm f/2.8 ML Macro Lens Review

55mm lenses , Macro lenses

The Yashica 55mm f/2.8 ML macro lens is well constructed, sharp, and has little distortion. Compared to other vintage macro lenses, the only standout feature is that it is expensive.

Tamron SP Di 90mm f/2.8 Macro AF Lens Review

Used copies of the Tamron SP Di 90mm f/2.8 Macro lens have the best price/performance. The lens is sharp from f/5.6-f/11 with no chromatic aberration. Weighing 418g (14.7oz), the lens is the lightest macro lens I have reviewed in the 90-105mm focal length range. Working distance is comparable to 105mm lenses because the front element is recessed.