What have you just BOUGHT?

At a camera fair a week ago I picked up a little Enna Werk Lithagon 35mm f3.5. On testing it I found that it is surprisingly not bad - typical of middle ranking lenses from Europe in that era - moderately sharp with surprisingly pleasant colors on my Sony A7s. There is a picture below of the 28mm f3.5 which I have included only because I cannot find one of a silver 35mm f3.5 and the 28mm in this livery looks about as identical as they get. It looks surprisingly handsome too.

At the same fair I was lucky enough to also pick up a Yashica Auto Yashinon 5cm f2. Wow I am so impressed with this pretty little lens. Made at the famous Tomioka plant it looks virtually identical to the Auto Takumar lens of similar specification (it's a 55mm of course). I have not had the chance to test the two side by side yet, but my impression so far is that although I very much like the classic rendering of the Takumar the Yashica lens is superior especially in color rendering and seems also to have rather special bokeh. And boy, is it dense. It feels like it is at least 50% heavier than the Pentax lens which itself is quite heavy for its diminutive size (their sizes are about the same BTW). I had heard of the reputation of this lens and was looking to grab one if I had the chance so there was no way I was passing up on this beauty when it came along. It is certainly a lens I plan to use on my mirrorless cameras when looking for a smaller package to carry about as opposed to larger SLR lenses.

The photos below are from the web.

ef3aaaa6c6f960218c19a526c5e4714a.jpg (650×488) (allphotolenses.com)

s-l1600.jpg (1600×1071) (ebayimg.com)
 
After a lengthy search I found the relatively rare Kodak 28mm finder for the Retina-Curtagon 28mm f/4 on the Retina IIIS. Unfortunately, the hard plastic mounting foot was broken off this one--a fault that may explain why they are so hard to find. So with some scrap plastic, J-B Weld, and the foot from a Petri tele-wide finder I re-created the mounting foot on the Retina 28 finder, complete with 16mm offset to center the finder over the lens. Click image for larger version  Name:	DSC06033 -bw.jpg Views:	53 Size:	478.7 KB ID:	4805641
 
A Rokkor PF 58 f/1.4 in excellent condition with an original minolta filter and a dedicated Minolta lens hood and pouch.
No one bid for it.
Cost me £50.
 
- TTArtisan 35mm f/1.4 Lens for Leica M (Silver) @ $399
- TTArtisan 28mm f/5.6 Lens for Leica M (Silver) @ $326
- Magnus Aluminum Travel Tripod with Monopod and Arca-Type Ball Head @ $90

Cheers, OtL
 
- TTArtisan 35mm f/1.4 Lens for Leica M (Silver) @ $399
- TTArtisan 28mm f/5.6 Lens for Leica M (Silver) @ $326
- Magnus Aluminum Travel Tripod with Monopod and Arca-Type Ball Head @ $90

Cheers, OtL

I think if I ever got back into Leica M cameras, I’d outfit the camera with nothing but TTArtisan lenses. They’re doing some really interesting things - I have the 90/1.25 lens for my Hasselblad 907x and I think it’s great. I’ll be interested to know how you like your new lenses.
 
I'll be using the TTArtisan lenses on the Leica SL2-S and, occasionally on the Leica M6. A new venue for me and I'm encouraged by the reviews and posted results. I'll let you know how I like them. Cheers, OtL
 
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Needs some work but nothing terrible. The helicoid is fairly stiff, slow shutter speeds are very slow, frame counter doesn't reset, the mirror is degraded and the focus screen is cracked. I have a replacement mirror ordered and will likely get a screen from Rick Olsen. Considering the "135W horizontal panoramic" frameline option. 35mm canisters will fit in the body and since film travels side to side in the Superb this could be an oddball 35mm panoramic TLR.

Shawn
 
Needs some work but nothing terrible. The helicoid is fairly stiff, slow shutter speeds are very slow, frame counter doesn't reset, the mirror is degraded and the focus screen is cracked. I have a replacement mirror ordered and will likely get a screen from Rick Olsen. Considering the "135W horizontal panoramic" frameline option. 35mm canisters will fit in the body and since film travels side to side in the Superb this could be an oddball 35mm panoramic TLR.

Shawn

Nice! Apart from its reputation as being, well, a "superb" camera, the Superb is one of the most beautiful cameras of its era. This looks like a project that will be well worth the effort.
 
I rebought a Fuji XF16-55mm f2.8 which was at a bargain price. I sold my old copy as it was not well balanced on the X-T2. It suits the X-H2 much better with the larger body and grip.
 
1950 ZK 50/1.5 in LTM purchased from a eBay seller from Japan for 380 USD. The glass in the lens is really nice, lens focus and aperture controls are good.
 
"I rebought a Fuji XF16-55mm f2.8".

I've extensively used this lens between 2018 and early 2022 -with the X-H1. Hefty but also one of the best zoom lenses in the ''24-70'' segment. Some complain that it's too sharp but I can live with that. Have fun with yours! Cheers, OtL
 
Another charity shop find - £25 for this one due to a massive ding on the lens filter. Managed to straighten it enough to screw another filer on it.
Now i am in the process of testing it.

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Hasselblad parts, because "Someday", as in "Someday, I'll get around to repairing it" was beginning to seem like "Never" unless I got busy! As of yesterday, I got new barn doors installed on the 500c, and have the gear train properly synchronized. Should have this job completed shortly.
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