# Hello Old Friend.



## paul13walnut5 (Oct 25, 2013)

Today I was passing a camera shop (passing, haha, it's 2 miles out my way) when I noticed a good used copy of a lens I owned a few years back and had regretted selling ever since, so now I am the proud new owner of a new (to me) old school 28mm f2.8. I know the world has moved on, and the current versions are immensely better, but this was immensely cheaper and I always liked the images I got in the past.

Nice and clean. Clean blades, Hoods and box and I got it for a song as well.

Have you ever went back to any old favourites?


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## Grumbaki (Oct 25, 2013)

paul13walnut5 said:


> Have you ever went back to any old favourites?



Only with ladies and other gaming devices.


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## paul13walnut5 (Oct 25, 2013)

But is it as good the second time round? I would waste a day on a snes with mariokart. I remember some past conquests but have never went back. In fact I remembered one twice this morning.


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## BozillaNZ (Oct 28, 2013)

Grumbaki said:


> paul13walnut5 said:
> 
> 
> > Have you ever went back to any old favourites?
> ...



Old secondhand ladies, ewwww!!! Aren't they kind of loose and saggy? :-X


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## eml58 (Oct 28, 2013)

I think this is a large part of the attraction of the "Nostalgia" Cameras, Leica M9, Nikon's new DF, Fuji's range of X series, Sony's new a7 etc, these Cameras have that 1950's look and feel about them, certainly an attraction for myself, as long as they have 2013/14 specs, which deals out the M9.


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## Jim Saunders (Oct 28, 2013)

I bought a 50D to replace a 40D I'd long since sold; That doesn't go quite so far back but I think it is the same phenomenon.

Jim


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## distant.star (Oct 29, 2013)

.
Yep.

A Minolta SRT-102.

Now that the nostalgia has passed, it's properly for sale.


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## docholliday (Oct 29, 2013)

Two words: Barrel Lenses


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## mwh1964 (Oct 29, 2013)

Pentax ME Super + 28 f2.8/ 50 f2.0 / 135 f3.5. Beats the heck out of any so called small DSLR or Mirrorless - in my opinion and for absolutely $.


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## jdramirez (Oct 29, 2013)

I want to go back to the 100mm f/2.8L is macro... but that will take some doing.


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## pwp (Oct 29, 2013)

paul13walnut5 said:


> Have you ever went back to any old favourites?


Camera gear? Definitely not. Like most tech, I'll go for the newest every time.
Houses? Ever built a brand new house? It's the _best_. Wish I'd done it a decade sooner.
Clothes? Whenever denim is back in, I have a 1980's jacket I just LOVE.
Women? Old favourites are best left well alone. Love the one you're with.

Cars? Well this retro Derelict taps into something very deep in me. Wow. How good is this thing? 
http://smh.drive.com.au/motor-news/icon-derelict-first-drive-review-20131018-2vr2h.html
http://www.rodauthority.com/videos/car-features/video-jay-leno-tests-out-the-icon-%E2%80%9Cderelict-desoto%E2%80%9D/
Let's face it, for a photographer it's also _100_% _practical_. I'd get way more gear in this than my tiny Mazda CX5.

-pw


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## Eldar (Oct 29, 2013)

Back in the prehistoric film days, I had those experiences. In the late eighties I went from Canon New-F1 to T90 and then on to EOS5 etc. But some time around 1993-4 I got a too-tempting offer on a mint condition New-F1 with a FD 50mm f1.2L. I remember the first slide I got back (which was of a tanned 25 year old woman on a sailing boat by the way), shot on kodachrome 25 (!). Jawdropping (at least at the time).

But since we went digital I feel everything has changed. I am now always looking forward to the next technology tweak and I wonder where it'll stop. I remember my first large prints from the 5D (version I) and I thought Wow, this is great. Today, only a few years later, we describe that body and the EF 50mm f1.2L as a prehistoric crap camera and an outdated lens in desperate need of renewal. The other day I shot a lynx with my 1DX and brand new 200-400 f4L (posted on a different thread). And looking at the color, resolution, sharpness ... you name it, it becomes a relevant question; Do we really need more, or should we consentrate on getting the best out of what we have? But, I know myself well enough to know that when the new megapixle body and the 50mm f1.2L IS comes out, I'll be all over it ...


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## alexanderferdinand (Oct 29, 2013)

I dont know if this is going back.
After using 2 T90s in the late 80s and the whole 90s I discovered at the beginning of the 90s the Olympus RD35 of my mother, collecting dust in a locker. Must have been there for about 10 or 15 years.
Loved to use it. Small, moderate 40mm with an 1,7 aperture. Silent, like a Leica.


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## eml58 (Oct 29, 2013)

Eldar said:


> But since we went digital I feel everything has changed. I am now always looking forward to the next technology tweak and I wonder where it'll stop. I remember my first large prints from the 5D (version I) and I thought Wow, this is great. Today, only a few years later, we describe that body and the EF 50mm f1.2L as a prehistoric crap camera and an outdated lens in desperate need of renewal. The other day I shot a lynx with my 1DX and brand new 200-400 f4L (posted on a different thread). And looking at the color, resolution, sharpness ... you name it, it becomes a relevant question; Do we really need more, or should we consentrate on getting the best out of what we have? But, I know myself well enough to know that when the new megapixle body and the 50mm f1.2L IS comes out, I'll be all over it ...



Yep, know exactly what your saying, unfortunately I feel the same way about Photography Software, Coffee Makers, My iPhone, MacBook Pro, MacPro..... I'm sure you know what I'm saying.


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## paul13walnut5 (Oct 29, 2013)

distant.star said:


> .
> Yep.
> 
> A Minolta SRT-102.
> ...



I had a t-101 and a t-303. Loved them.


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## paul13walnut5 (Oct 29, 2013)

docholliday said:


> Two words: Barrel Lenses



Whats a barrel lens?

New one on me!

I loved the old scalloped lenses of the Minolta SR early MC era! It felt like you were building a rifle when you were putting your camera together.


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## sanj (Oct 29, 2013)

Nice story.


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## docholliday (Oct 29, 2013)

paul13walnut5 said:


> docholliday said:
> 
> 
> > Two words: Barrel Lenses
> ...



They're my favorite lenses to shoot. Stuff like old Dallmeyer or Wollensak lenses - makes the Minolta SR stuff look brand new and futuristic. Most use Waterhouse stops (no adjustable "f/stop") and most are shutterless. Some used truly exotic materials in the manufacturing, such as uranium. Most are brass barreled...

I had converted an older LF camera to have the rear plate set up with an EF mount (making my own Cambo X2-pro) and the optics of the barrel lenses on the front board. Beautiful character in the lenses. Not always the sharpest, but very unique and dreamy lens qualities. However, some were sharper than the best lenses today (but only in that very narrow plane of focus).

The nice part was when I wanted to do B&W, I wasn't limited to the lack of character and definition shooting digital and printing on a wide-format - I would just change the back and shove in a piece of 8x10 film.

I used to have an old Minolta SR-7 - it was the camera that made me hate small format. From there, I went to medium and then large format. It wasn't until the 1DsMkII that I came back!


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## paul13walnut5 (Oct 29, 2013)

Oh right, like the forebear to the lens lomography are developing then?

Never cared much for the electronic xe or xg minoltas much either, I had a later x500 for a bit (more transparent in use than the x700) but generally pretty yukky. The SR's were quite different though, huge, solid.

I went as large as 645 with my ETRSi, I found the smaller and medium formats more immediate and more portable, quite like the idea of an EOS body with front and back shifts and movements, but little time to fully explore it at present.


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