vallejo wrote:
So I bought the Rokkor 58/1.2 for peanuts after seeing some shots here. Funny lens. My copy at f 1.2 it's only a very soft focus lens, which may be interesting if that's what you're looking for. At f 2.8 and above it's excellent. Made the same shot at f1.2- 2.8 - 4 to illustrate it. Have you been finding the same pattern or this is just my copy? All photos taken on a Canon 20D with Jim Buchanan's transformation.
Yep, full frame. I have not shaved the mirror and I can't focus to infinity with it. If I stop it down to f/5.6-f/8 and focus as far as it goes mechanically then infinity is within the DOF.
vallejo wrote:
So I bought the Rokkor 58/1.2 for peanuts after seeing some shots here. Funny lens. My copy at f 1.2 it's only a very soft focus lens, which may be interesting if that's what you're looking for. At f 2.8 and above it's excellent. Made the same shot at f 2.8 and f 1.2 to illustrate it. Have you been finding the same pattern or this is just my copy? All photos taken on a Canon 20D with Jim Buchanan's transformation.
André Vallejo
www.vallejo.smugmug.com
doesn't look promising, but it's kinda tough to say from that image. it looks to me like it is backfocused - the crates on the truck look like they are in focus the front looks out of focus (tough to say at that small size though). that lens should be nearly impossible to focus at f/1.2 on a 20D with no liveview. do you have the stock screen or a focus screen design for faster lenses? the other thing is a scene like that with bright white and reflective elements getting direct sunlight will really magnify the spherical aberration and veiling flare making it look worse than it is. i would put it on a tripod and take focus bracketed shots of something in the shade before i make any conclusions for sure about it.
sebboh wrote:
doesn't look promising, but it's kinda tough to say from that image. it looks to me like it is backfocused - the crates on the truck look like they are in focus the front looks out of focus (tough to say at that small size though). that lens should be nearly impossible to focus at f/1.2 on a 20D with no liveview. do you have the stock screen or a focus screen design for faster lenses? the other thing is a scene like that with bright white and reflective elements getting direct sunlight will really magnify the spherical aberration and veiling flare making it look worse than it is. i would put it on a tripod and take focus bracketed shots of something in the shade before i make any conclusions for sure about it....Show more →
I agree, looks like the focal plane is behind the cab of the truck.
and therefor more testing is required to confirm how sharp the lens truly is.
that conversion looks great, was it a pretty simple where you just have to replace the mount, or did it require some fiddling with the aperture mechanism?
Krosavcheg wrote:
Sebboh: Great stuff as usual! 1st is my favourite.
Just picked up MD 50/1.4. Is conversion doable?
also toying with the thought of converting my 20D to Minolta mount...
thanks, which MD 50/1.4 did you get? there are 49mm and 55mm filter thread versions with slightly different optics. both are convertible though one might be a more difficult conversion than the other or more prone to mirror hanging (don't remember).
sebboh wrote:
that conversion looks great, was it a pretty simple where you just have to replace the mount, or did it require some fiddling with the aperture mechanism?
Thanks! It was about as difficult as it gets in honesty :-(, for Rokkors, but I was snowed in for a couple of days, so had plenty of time to think it over :-). The aperture mechanism is inside a cam, seperate to the rest of the lens. I had to disassemble all of that, remove ~2mm from it, leaving a very thin base, and then drill and thread new holes in a wall that is only ~1.27mm thick :-(. I also had to re-make the ring that holds the aperture ring down in place, with the slot to let the DOF lever protrude. Almost makes it sound like a 5minute job when i write it out like that... This is for Sony a-mount of course, if it were Canon EOS, it would have been less destructive.
sebboh wrote:
thanks, which MD 50/1.4 did you get? there are 49mm and 55mm filter thread versions with slightly different optics. both are convertible though one might be a more difficult conversion than the other or more prone to mirror hanging (don't remember).
Got the 49mm thread. In unconvertable case, I planned to rev mount it for macro shots
...before I actually convert my 20D to Minolta mount...
Krosavcheg wrote:
Got the 49mm thread. In unconvertable case, I planned to rev mount it for macro shots
...before I actually convert my 20D to Minolta mount...
all lenses are convertible, just depends how much trouble you're willing to put in.
ricardovaste - thanks, i thought i remembered hearing that one was a pain. good to know what it entails as i'm thinking of getting a sony dslr at some point in the indeterminate future.
Grenache wrote:
Few shots from a farm with 58/1.2. Lots of great relics to be discovered amidst the barbed wire, cow pies, poison ivy, and tall grasses.
Jim
great variety, i really like the color on that first one.
I hope you'll all forgive my intrusion into this thread as I don't measure up to the owners of any of the fine samples posted herein, but I'm still rather unsure about my recently acquired 58/1.2. I know the model is excellent in general, but there are still good and bad (relative term) copies. I'd love some advice about evaluating mine that doesn't involve buying up every copy I can find and reselling all but the best. Any ideas? How do you know you've found the one?
The only physical anomaly (flaw?) I can find is that the front part of the lens (that which includes the focus ring) can be tilted back and forth ever so slightly (not any amount that can be measured, just enough to make a tiny rattle). A 58/1.4 I've handled doesn't seem to do this. Other than that, there's the requisite dust inside and some yellowing from the radioactive decay.
But enough talk. Here are a couple quick shots I just took while getting my caffeine fix:
Hard to tell from size of the images, but to me, it looks like missed focus: letter at bottom of image looks sharper than the center of the image where you showed the 100% crops.
Might need to adjust your viewfinder diopter and practice the manual focusing. With a wide aperture lens, that takes some getting used to but you'll get there.
