Marco Aries

Those of you who follow me on Instagram  might remember that a couple months ago I bought a box of... stuff, and one of the items inside was this Avanar 135mm. There is no information on the internet about this brand, although some people speculate is was a European rebrand for Chinon, a Japanes manufacturer founded in 1962 and later acquired by Kodak, and, in fact, the Chinon 135mm f2.8 looks identical to the Avanar If by any chance you happen to know anything mote about the brand Avanar, feel free to share your knowledge in the comments; meanwhile, let us take a closer look. The body is made ot metal and it weighs 400g, it is 87mm long when focused to infinity and 101mm when extended, with a 55mm front thread. Plus, as many vintage 135s, it has a built in sun hood. The iris has 6 blades, the aperture is clicked and it goes from f2.8 to f22, with a switch for automatic and manual aperture. The focusing ring has a nice rubberized grippy texture and it turns roughly 240°, minimum focu

We made it to the last of the three Yashica lenses I bought last winter: the 50mm f1.7 ML. If you want to check out the reviews for the 28mm  and the 135mm you can find them here on the blog and on my channel . I gotta say: it is no that easy to review 50mm lenses, because there are so many of them and most are just as good as the next one, with only a few really standing out and the Yashica is, well, one in the bunch. The body is made of metal and it weighs 220 grams, it is 40mm long when focused to infinity and 48mm when extended, with a 52mm front thread. The iris has 6 blades, the aperture is clicked and it goes from f1.7 to f16. The focusing ring turns 180 degrees and minimum focusing distance is 50 centimeters. Contax Yashica flange distance is 45,5mm and adapters are easy to find In terms of size, weight and build, the 50mm is basically identical to the 28mm 2.8 that I have already shown you, minus some aesthetic differences and the different coating, being single on the 28m