Got Milk?

That’s my nephew Vasu – a real milk lover. I was cleaning my Olympus OM 2n, wiping it down after a hike when spotted him sitting at the dining table with a glass and gallon of milk. He didn’t notice I was photographing him until the last shot, when he caught me out of the corner of his eye. Natural light imparts a certain undefinable quality to pictures thats almost impossible to duplicate. These were in color, but I desaturated them since I liked the black and white effect much better with the milk theme.

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Got Milk?

Got Milk?

Got Milk?

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Photographed with an OM 2n and Panagor 90mm f/2.8 1/250 sec at f/5.6 on Fuji Superia 200 film

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text and images © 2007 ajoy muralidhar. all names, websites, brands and technical data referenced are the copyright or trademark of their respective owners.

 

Cheap Super Telephoto Lenses Part III – Handholding a Toyo/Five Star 500mm f/8 lens

A while ago I had written about the advantages and shortcomings of cheap super-telephoto lenses and mirror lenses – while similar lenses are still being manufactured and available new for about $120 or so from Ebay, there are a lot more older super telephotos from the 70’s still available for between $30-$60 – these lenses are acceptably sharp, since they were designed for slide film. These old lenses are a veritable smorgasbord of alphabet soup, and range from OEM lenses to well known brands like Vivitar and Spiratone to one-person importer offerings like Jack Gershon’s Albinar and genuine lesser known lens manufacturers like Toyo.

Here are the related Posts:
Cheap Super Telephoto Lenses Part I
Cheap Super Telephoto Lenses Part II
Learning to love your Mirror Lens

I recently purchased a Toyo Five Star 500 non-mirror long tube refractive lens.. it was in mint condition, and priced reasonably so… anyway I was curious about the lens, and wanted to test it out and see how it stacked up against my Soligor C/D 500mm f/8 fixed aperture mirror. I also have a Spiratone 400mm f.6.3 Zuiko 300 f/4.5 and Vivitar 300mm f/5.6 from the same era, so I thought it would be interesting to compare them. I’ll write about that at some future point.

About the Toyo – they were an independent lens maker back in the late 60’ sand 70’s who marketed lenses under the Toyo, TOU/Five Star and TOYO Five Star brand names. There’s not much information about them, but you can find anything if you dig deep enough. The Toyo name is pretty common, and applied to several diverse industrial and consumer products including automotive tires, so sometimes you have to take educated guesses based on sparse company history.

I found a thread on photo.net suggesting that Toyo lenses were made by Toyoview, a division of Mamiya, but I don’t think that’s correct. Toyoview does make a variety of optical stuff for view cameras and are still around. However, I believe that all the Toyo lenses were made by Toyotec – they are a conglomerate with a optical lens division that has been producing lenses since 1967. Their optical lens division has changed names a couple of times in the mid-seventies, from Toyo Seiki Kogyo to Aichi Lens to Toyo Kogaku Kogyo. Their history can be found at Toyotec.com. Obviously, they are still in business, and apparently doing quite well in the digital world, manufacturing CCDs and lens elements along with a range of other services.

First impressions – the Toyo 500mm f/8 looks very similar to the Spiratone 400mm f/6.3, down to the lettering and markings, except for the fact that the 500mm is considerably smaller than the 400mm. The Spiratone 400mm’s f/6.3 aperture is gained by having a larger front element – the Spiratone takes 72mm filters while the Toyo Five Star 500mm takes 67mm filters, so that’s very good. By contrast, my Soligor 500mm C/D f/8 Mirror lens takes hard to find, expensive 77mm filters. Luckily, they guy I bought in from threw in a Skylight filter and a 77mm Rokunar Polarizer. Not the best, but hey, it was free. I prefer the 72mm filter size any day, since I can easily get step-down adapters to fit my other lenses if need be. I love the Soligor C/D mirror, but the filter prices are another story.

Overall, the Toyo Five Star 500mm f/8 lens is smaller and shorter than the Spiratone 400mm f/6.3. It’s all metal, and as was common at the time, it’s a T-mount preset lens. Focusing has to be done wide open, and manually stopped down by turning the ring below the aperture ring from O to C (Open – Close). The aperture settings run from f/8 through f/32. Now that’s a big advantage over the mirror lenses, but the mirrors are very compact by comparison and easily handheld. To handhold the Toyo lens, I’d need to have a shutter speed of at least 1/500 (rule of thumb 1/focal length, remember?)

Long super telephoto lenses 300mm and above generally come with an integral tripod mounting ring – that’s a good indication that they are hopeless to handhold. I don’t mind the slow speeds – I generally shoot at f/8-f/16, and being able to maintain a decent shutter speed for hand held photography is a challenge.

Sports photography applications generally call for fast lenses, since freezing action reliably in varying light conditions needs shutter speeds of 1/500 second and above, which means shooting wide open since a shallow depth of field is acceptable. If you’re into landscape photography, depth of field becomes more important. Nature photography combined with the occasional landscape shot is a challenge if you’re an amateur and can’t lay out the big $$$ for that mmmmmmmm 300mm f/2.8. Being on a very limited budget, I’m always open to cheap super telephoto options, and it’s all the better if one can hand-hold the lens.

So, working backward…. In order to hand-hold the Toyo 500mm, I would have maintain a 1/500 shutter speed. Assuming a bright sunlit day (so we can apply the Sunny f/16 rule, I would have to use 400 ASA film at the very least and set the aperture at approximately f/8 with a polarizer ( maybe go down to f/11). This would give me a hand-held shot, but risks underexposing the whole scene.

On a bright sunny day, slight under-exposure actually improves the picture, rendering bright colors more accurately – the light scatter causes colors to be slightly washed out. However. .. under-exposure can also make subdued colors muddy and ruin the picture.. when in doubt, or when dealing with a sun-shade situation, a 400 ASA is usually sufficient, but on occasion, an 800 ASA film may be indicated. The 1/500 shutter speed setting will now provide a slight (about 1/3 stop???) underexposure. If you’re in a cloudy situation, or in open shade, remember to either open up the lens to f/8 or increase exposure time to 1/250. It helps to play around a little to get the hang of it.

In actual practice, I’ve found that Fuji 400 ASA film was adequate at 1/500 sec in bright sunlight. I used a Maxxum T mount adapter to fit the lens to my Minolta Dynax 800si. Since the Toyo is smaller (and a bit shorter) than the Spiratone 400 f/6.3, it is marginally easier to handhold. The proof of the pudding is in the eating, though… the results will have to speak for themselves. Here are some of the pictures…

Note: To convert a Minolta Maxxum to manual operation ( and allow the shutter to fire) – mount the lens on the camera with the T mount adapter, and then hold down the mode (button with portrait) and AEL buttons simultaneously while turning the camera on. “OFF” will show briefly in the display – this means that the camera will not keep looking for an electronic signal from the lens, and just fire when the shutter release is depressed. Same principle applies when mounting Zuiko lenses on a Minolta using a Bower Maxxum-OM adapter.

For the following pictures, the distances ranged from 75 feet to 125 feet – with this series of pictures, I was trying to:

#1 establish that the 500mm Toyo Fivestar lens could be handheld, and
#2 that I could use it on the Minolta Dynax 800si with a Maxxum T-mount adapter, and
#3 Whether the lens resolution was worth a damn – pine needles and fence wire is always a good test

The fence gate and tree trunk show the ability of the Toyo 500 to reproduce texture. I like this lens.. cheap, well built, easily available, Universal T mount to fit on my Olympus OM or Minolta Dynax 800si, and fairly sharp at the edges. What more could I ask for? This definitely qualifies as a “Cheap Awesome Lens”. I’ll post another set of pictures I took with this lens fitted on my OM-2 with a Olympus T-mount.

Toyo FiveStar 500mm – 125 feet

Toyo FiveStar 500mm – 75 feet

Toyo FiveStar 500mm – 200 feet

Toyo FiveStar 500mm – 75 feet

Toyo FiveStar 500mm – 75 feet

Photographed with a Minolta Dynax 800si and Toyo Fivestar 500 f/8 lens. 1/500 second at f/8-f/11.
I’ll have some pictures of the Toyo 500mm f/8 setup on a Minolta 800si up soon…

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text and images © 2007 ajoy muralidhar. all names, websites, brands and technical data referenced are the copyright or trademark of their respective owners.

 

Fireworks in Bloomington IL: Panagor 90mm f/2.8, OM-10

As far as fireworks, I had stupidly forgotten to take my Tripod along – I usually have it in my car, but we were using the old minivan for the long 15 hour trip from Maryland to Illinois, so I was only able to shoot handheld. I used the OM-10 with the Olympus Winder 2 connected. The lens was a Panagor 90mm f/2.8 lens

When we reached Miller Park in Bloomington, and finally located ourselves, I realized almost immediately that a 90mm was the wrong lens. I had picked the lens since I had figured that we’d be pretty far away from the fireworks, and the medium telephoto would pull the image in closer.

Boy, was I wrong – The fireworks at Miller park were shot from across the small lake, and the viewing area was directly across from the firing area, which means that the fireworks were almost directly overhead… really!. A Zuiko wideangle such as 28mm f/3.5 or 35mm f/2.8 or even my regular “normal” 50mm f/1/8 lens would have probably been better. Oh, well. Next time I’ll remember the Tripod.

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Fireworks

Fireworks

Fireworks L

Fireworks

Fireworks

Photographed with an OM-10, Panagor 90mm f/2.8 and Fuji Superia 400 film. 1/2 sec at f/4

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text and images © 2007 ajoy muralidhar. all names, websites, brands and technical data referenced are the copyright or trademark of their respective owners.

 

Robert Strawbridge House and Church

I never cease to be surprised at what I run into on the lonely country roads in Carroll County. I was on Rte 31 from Westminster to New Windsor, when I came across this little road that had a sign saying there was a historic Methodist church. It’s mostly farmland and dairy country out here, with a few orchards thrown in for character, so naturally I was curious.

I took this little road deep into the countryside, and came upon a perfectly preserved house and meeting room, with a collection of barns and sheds, and get this – life size statue of a minister called Robert Strawbridge.

Apparently, that was the site of the first Methodist church in the United States, dating back to the 1760’s. The sign says it all. It was late in the evening and I shot a few pictures with my OM-1 and a plain-jane Zuiko 50mm f/1.8 with Kodak 200 film. The setting sun made the scene pre-dominantly gold and yellow.

I decided to return there early in the morning sometime for better lighting with the sun at a different angle – never got around to it. Then it was winter, and the roads get pretty icy out in the Country. Anyway, to make a long story short, I managed to get back over there this Spring – this time with an OM-2N, a Zuiko 50mm f/1.4 and an Zuiko 200mm f/4 (Don’t ask – I just felt like having the 200mm that day).

If you’ve never used a 200mm lens, it’s a treat… the perspective at 200mm is very interesting – the background gets pulled in, making it look bigger than it is, leaving the foreground pretty much the same. It doesn’t distort, but definitely flattens. The Zuiko 200mm f/4 is one of Olympus Opticals best lenses, tack sharp and feels solid in the hands. One of the legendary ‘perfect lenses’, and a must have.

Unfortunately, you’ll have to BUY one to experience it, since no Olympus owner will ever LEND you their 200mm f/4. Other lenses perhaps.. but not the 200mm. No owner wants it out of their hands and sight. Trust me on this. The Zuiko 200mm f/4 also has magnificent bokeh, which is a plus point when using it wide open (perfect for birding).

The sign says it all, there’s not much else out there explaining what it was like out there in the 1750′s and 1760′s when the minister took up residence there. I looked up Robert Strawbridge, and here’s what I found . Not much in Wikipedia either. However, I found a bit of interesting Robert Strawbridge history here. The house and meeting place are a museum, and there is a person who lives in the house next door that provides a little more information and interprets the site on request.

In any case, I’m glad I visited. The Strawbridge site has a very peaceful atmosphere, I can understand why the Reverend decided to build his church there.

Update Jan 2008: Here are some pictures from a recent visit – they’ve added a statue of Elizabeth Strawbridge at the shrine.

Robert Strawbridge House

Robert Strawbridge House

Robert Strawbridge House

Photographed with an OM-1, Zuiko 50mm f/1.8, Kodak 200 Gold film

Robert Strawbridge House

Robert Strawbridge House

Robert Strawbridge House

Robert Strawbridge House

Robert Strawbridge House

Photographed with an OM-2N, Zuiko 50mm f/1.4 and Zuiko 200mm f/4 and Fujicolor HQ Super 200 film. i used a graduated ND filter for the last picture in the series.

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text and images © 2007 ajoy muralidhar. all names, websites, brands and technical data referenced are the copyright or trademark of their respective owners.

 

Strawberry Time, Mt. Airy, MD

Pick your own Strawberries – A favorite Maryland late Spring ritual, especially in Montgomery, Frederick and Carroll Counties. There are a number of fine orchards along Rte 27 and Rte 355, and fresh picked strawberries come into season June 1st – 25th every year. Then there are the cherries and blueberries, but that’s another post.

That’s my Sunny with the Strawberries. We went strawberry picking at the Rock Hill Orchard in Mt. Airy. It’s closer to Damascus though, just outside the Damascus town limits. It was a very hot day, very bright and hazy. I had carried my OM-1 along with the 90mm lens, and a polarizer. The polarizer saved the pictures from looking all washed out… it was that bright.

I really should get a hood for the 90mm. I love thar old Panagor lens, it was a real bargain… and besides being a fine portrait lens, it’s 1:1 macro. There’s something about the 75-90mm focal length range that I can’t pin down. but I love the perspective and definition that it offers.

Strawberry Picking, Mt. Airy

Strawberry Picking, Mt. Airy

Strawberry Picking, Mt. Airy

Strawberry Picking, Mt. Airy

Strawberry Picking, Mt. Airy

Strawberry Picking, Mt. Airy

Photographed with an OM-1 with a Panagor 90mm f/2.8 Macro lens on Fuji 200 film. I used a Circular Polarizer. Exposure was 1/250 sec at f/11/span>

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text and images © 2007 ajoy muralidhar. all names, websites, brands and technical data referenced are the copyright or trademark of their respective owners.

 

Thunderbirds in action at the 2007 JSOH Air Show

The Thunderbirds were the closing act the the Joint Services Open House Air Show at Andrews Air Force Base. This year the Airshow was held May 18-20th. The 18th was only for Defense Personnel and Contractors, the 19th and 20th was for the general public.

The arrangements were superb – everyone had to drive to Fedex field, park there, and take a bus to Andrews. The organizers had arranged for so many buses, that no one had to wait for more than a few minutes. In fact, it took longer to get through the security checks.

The Marines doing the checks were firm and polite and kept folks moving. Food was not permitted, but they let me take my camera equipment. At Andrews, I continued to be impressed at the impeccable arrangements – the Airplanes neatly laid out, the clean Portable Toilets, the numerous food concessions for every taste, the drinking water tanker tenders strategically located. They even had facilities to wash hands after visiting the portable toilets. Imagine that.

To get the best view of the Thunderbirds, I made my way to the front, as close to the runway edge as possible. I used the Tamron 70-300mm lens and Fuji 400 Superia film. By the time Thunderbirds were in the air, the hazy sky had cleared up. I was lucky to get a clear view of the flyby zone. Since I was shooting at 300mm, I had a narrow field of view, and had to track the planes for a few seconds as they flew by to get the shots. Next time, I’ll probably be able to anticipate better.

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Air Force Thunderbirds

Air Force Thunderbirds

Air Force Thunderbirds

Air Force Thunderbirds

Air Force Thunderbirds

Air Force Thunderbirds

Air Force Thunderbirds

Air Force Thunderbirds

Air Force Thunderbirds

Air Force Thunderbirds

Air Force Thunderbirds

Photographed with a Minolta Dynax 800si camera and Tamron 70-300mm f/3.5-5.6 lens on Fuji Superia 400 film. The exposures were between 1/750- 1/350 second, at f/5.6 to f/9.5

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text and images © 2007 ajoy muralidhar. all names, websites, brands and technical data referenced are the copyright or trademark of their respective owners.