Marco Aries

Nikkor lenses seem to have a bit of a cult following, with many people swearing by their amazing quality, so I was curious to try them myself. A few months ago I finally found two of them, the 28mm we’re checking out today and the 50mm 1.4 that I’m still testing out. Right off the bat, I have to say that Nikkor lenses are kind of confusing; while they all share the same F-mount introduced in 1959, there a number of different variations, often almost indistinguishable one from the other. Luckily for me, none of that matters when adapting to a mirroless camera. This lens is made out of metal, it weights 220g, it is 45mm long when focused to infinity and 50mm when fully extended, with a 52mm front thread. The iris has 7 blades, the aperture is clicked and it goes from f2.8 to f22. The focusing ring is rubberized, it turns 180 degrees and minimum focusing distance is 30cm. When focusing the front element turns as well. Flange distance for the Nikon F mount is 46,5mm, here' an adapter ...

By now, you probably know that 1: Canon FDs are some of my favorite vintage lenses and 2: 135mm is one of my favorite focal lengths So when I saw this guy, in perfect conditions and for an honest price, I just had to buy it.  Needless to say, I’m not disappointed. Quick history refresher: the Canon FD mount was introduced in 1971 and updated to the nFD, or new FD, in 1976 and then replaced by the EF mount in 1987. Today’s lens is from the nFD era. The Canon is made out of metal and hard plastic, it weights 300g, it is 87mm long when focused to infinity and 105mm when fully extended, with a 52mm front thread. It has a built-in sunhood, lined with an opaque material to avoid reflections. The iris has 6 blades, the aperture is clicked and it goes from f3.5 to f32 with half steps, plus auto. The focusing ring is textured and it turns 230 degrees and minimum focusing distance is 1.3m. Flange distance for the Canon FD mount is 42mm, easy to adapt to mirroless cameras . ...

Soviet zooms are very rare and only few of them were produced; the Granit 11 we are looking at today, is one of them. Manufactured from 1978 in the KMZ and Arsenal plants, it went through at least a couple different iterations, until the 90s when it was renamed MC zoom Arsat. Older models don’t have a letter after the number 11, but after a while it was added to indicate the mount. The letter M stands for M42, just like the Jupiter 21.   This lens is made out of metal with rubberized focus and zoom rings, it weights 780g, it is 157mm long when focused to infinity and 175mm when fully extended, with a 58mm front thread. The iris has 6 blades, the aperture is clicked and it goes from f4.5 to f22 with half steps. The zoom ring turns 90 degrees and zooming happens internally. The focusing ring is textured, it turns 300 degrees and minimum focusing distance is 1.5m. When focusing the front element turns as well. Flange distance for the  m42 mount  is 45,46mm   Sharpness ...

Takumar lenses are well known and praised for their quality in the vintage lenses community, to the point that they have achieved almost an iconic status and prices in recent years have risen like a cake in the oven. But not all Takumar were created equal; somewhere in between the 80s and 90s, Asahi Optical produced a sort of obscure line under the name Takumar Bayonet and the lens we’re talking about today is one of those. Unlike previous lines with the same name, these more recent lenses lack the Super-Multi-Coating, have bayonet mounts, from which their name, and they look just like the Pentax-M series. Allegedly, they were intended as a budget option, so let’s take a closer look and see for ourselves. The Takumar is made out of metal, it weights around 390g, it is 78mm long when focused to infinity and 97mm when fully extended, with a 52mm front thread. It also has a built-in sunhood. The iris has 8 blades, the aperture is clicked and it goes from f2.5 to f22 with half steps. The f...

There is plenty of good, great, even amazing vintage lenses out there, but very few of them are zooms. In fact, a good chunk of them are just too big, too heavy and produce soft images, but not all of them. For example, the Sigma 35-70 that I’ve reviewed in 2020 is small, lightweight and sharp. Many of you have suggested me to check out Vivitar and Canon FD zooms, so when I had the chance to buy this guy, I didn’t turn it down. The Canon 100-300mm is made out of metal, it weights around 800g, it is 21cm long when focused to infinity and 22.3cm when fully extended, with a 58mm front thread. The iris has 8 blades, the aperture is clicked and it goes from f5.6 to f32 with half steps. When focusing, both the external barrel and the front element turn 210 degrees and minimum focusing distance is 2 meters. Flange distance for canon FD lenses is 42mm, so they can be easily adapted to mirrorless cameras.  (affiliate link) Sharpness wide open is good across the frame and that shou...

  Canon FD lenses have gained a lot of popularity in the last few years, amongst professionals and enthusiasts alike. Yet, there are some lenses from this line that everyone seems to forget about and end up being left behind, like today’s subject: the Canon FD 300mm f5.6. I believe I made it quite clear in past reviews of Canon FD lenses that I like them and by now you all know that I prefer longer focal lengths, so when I saw this lens in good conditions and at a fair price, I had to buy it. LET’S TAKE A CLOSER LOOK. The Canon 300mm is made out of hard plastic and metal, it weights around 580g, it is 20cm long with a 58mm front thread. Focusing happens internally, so it doesn’t get any longer, except when you extend the metal sunhood, bringing it to 26cm. The iris has 8 blades, the aperture is clicked and it goes from f5.6 to f32 The focusing ring is textured, wide, smooth and it turns 320 degrees. minimum focusing distance is a little less than 3 meters. Flange dist...

Soligor was a supplier of photographic equipment based in the United States and Germany, active mostly between the ‘60s and the early ‘90s. They had a very comprehensive catalog of lenses, made in Japan by manufacturers like Tokina and Tamron, covering a wide array of focal lengths and they were available for all major camera brands. Soligor lenses were also sold under alternative brand names like Hanimar, Porst or Super Carener, in different geographical areas. From my research, the 28mm 2.8 alone has at least 21 different versions, so chances are that yours looks different than mine. Specifically, the one I own is part of the C/D line released in the mid-1970s as a premium line of lenses. The Soligor 28mm is made out of metal, it weights 200g, it is 33mm long when focused to infinity and 37mm when extended, with a 49mm front thread. The iris has six blades, the aperture is clicked and it goes from f2.8 to f22 The focusing ring is rubberized and it turns 180 degrees an...