Marco Aries

  A few years ago I showed you the Pentax F 70-200 released in 1987 and today we’re checking out its successor: the 80-200 released in 1993. The lens is made mostly of plastic, it weighs around 300g, it is 100 to 108mm long and it has an external diameter of 65mm, with a 49mm front thread. The iris has 8 blades, the aperture is clicked and it goes from f4.7 at 80mm or f5.6 at 200 to f32 with half steps, plus auto. The focusing ring has no texture, it turns 120 degrees and the minimum focusing distance is 1.1m. The front turns when focusing and zooming happens internally. It uses the screw drive autofocus and the Pentax K mount. It feels very light and plasticy, somewhat cheap, but still well put together. While it was clearly designed to be used with autofocus, the focusing ring is still easy to use. The zoom ring feels light and cheap. Sharpness wide open at 80mm is good in the center but it falls off towards the edges, with only minor vignetting. At 200mm it is soft all over the ...

I ’ve stumbled upon this lens many a time but, for one reason or another, never bought; until now. At this point I have tested a few lenses from this series, so I knew what to expect: a simple but reliable lens. Let’s take a closer look. The lens is made of metal and plastic, it weighs around 170g, it is 36 to 44mm long and it has an external diameter of 64mm, with a 49mm front thread. The iris has 6 blades, the aperture is clicked and it goes from f1.7 to f22 with half steps. The focusing ring is rubberized, it turns 100 degrees and the minimum focusing distance is 45cm.  It uses the Minolta MD mount. Build quality is solid, the focusing ring has good resistance, maybe a little bit too stiff, while the aperture is just about perfect but it could use a more pronounced texture. Sharpness is good wide open, but lacking in the finer details and it falls off towards the edges along with some increased distortion and vignetting.  Stopping down to f8 it gets sharp all over the frame...

Quick disclaimer: Brightin Star did send me this item to showcase free of charge but they had no say on the final product and all the opinions in this video are my own. I have never owned a proper macro lens. I’ve played around with filters, extension tubes and vintage lenses that can focus closer than average, but never a dedicated macro lens. So when Brightin Star reached out asking if I wanted to showcase their new APS-C 60mm f2.8 2:1 macro lens I was more than happy to take the opportunity. It is made of metal, it weighs around 700g, it is 110mm long, with an external diameter of 72,8mm and a 67mm front thread. The iris has 9 blades, the aperture has soft clicks and it goes from f2.8 to f16 with half steps. The focusing ring is textured, it turns 160 degrees and the minimum focusing distance is 18.2cm. Focus happens internally and the front element doesn’t rotate. It has to be noted that the throw between 1 meter and infinity is only a couple degrees. It comes in all the mounts you...

Many people despise the look of catadioptric lenses, but I find it interesting and in the past I have owned a 500 and a 1000mm. I ended up selling them because they were, well, too much for me, and I was looking for something smaller and shorter and a few months ago I found this Kenlock 300mm, in the original box no less, so I had to give it a try. The lens is made of metal, it weighs 300g, it is 58 to 67mm long and it has an external diameter of 82mm, with a 77mm front thread. Mirror lenses usually have a fixed aperture, but this has a cylinder that goes up and down inside of the lens and apparently between f5 and f11. The focusing ring is rubberized, it turns 260 degrees and the minimum focusing distance is 1 meter. The front element turns when focusing. It uses the m42 mount. Get your adapter here: Global: https://amzn.to/4gi9OR7 ITA: https://amzn.to/4f5smST (As an Amazon affiliate I earn a commission from eligible purchases) Mine also has a metal sunhood, but I’m not sure it came ...

Although I am notoriously not much of a fan of soviet lenses, it is undeniable that they can be quite quirky. The tair 3s, for example, was made specifically for the fotosniper, a kit that resembles, as the name suggests, a rifle. I will go into more detail about the fotosniper in a dedicated video, So let's take a closer look at the lens. The lens is made of metal, it weighs a little more than 1 and a half kilos, it is 25 to 29cm long and it has an external diameter of 88mm, with a 72mm front thread and it comes with a rubber sun hood The iris has 16 blades, the aperture is clicked and it goes from f4.5 to f22 without half steps. It uses a preset system that might not be super intuitive, especially when adapting to digital. First you select the aperture, like f8, then you turn the red knob in the direction of the arrow to open up the blades so you can compose and focus more easily and when you pull the trigger on the support, it presses this lever and the aperture closes. It doesn...

In my opinion, the Pentacon 50mm 1.8 is one of the most versatile vintage lenses and one of my favorites. I’ve shot multiple rolls of film on it and used it countless times on digital and because of it I’ve been curious to try more lenses from the brand. Unfortunately, the 29mm didn't hold up to 50 and the 135 kept eluding me; until now. There are three versions of this lens that I know of: the first and most sought after has fifteen blades in the iris and it is a copy of the Meyer-Optik Görlitz Orestor. The second version is the one we're testing today and the third is the Praktica version with a Praktica mount. So let's take a closer look. The lens is made of metal, it weighs around 460g, it is 89 to 101mm long and it has an external diameter of 65mm, with a 55mm front thread. It has a built-in sunhood. The iris has 6 blades, the aperture is clicked and it goes from f2.8 to f22 with half steps. It has an auto/manual switch near the bottom. The focusing ring is textured, i...

  Some of you might remember that I was putting together a set of Konica Hexanon lenses, but unfortunately I had to sell them to pay the bills. I was sad to let them go, not only because they were all in great shape but also because I really like Konica Hexanon lenses as they have that vintage look without an overpowering character. There are at least three versions of the 135mm: the big and heavy 2.5 I showed you a few years ago, the highly praised 3.2 and today’s subject the 3.5. So let's take a closer look. The lens is made of metal, it weighs 315g, it is 83 to 99mm long and it has an external diameter of 63mm, with a 55mm front thread. It has a built-in sunhood. The iris has 6 blades, the aperture is clicked and it goes from f3.5 to f22 without half steps, plus auto. The focusing ring is rubberized, it turns 160 degrees and the minimum focusing distance is 1.5cm. It has a Konica AR mount. The lens itself is well built, compact and balanced. The controls turn smoothly and are ea...