Vintage Sunset

I sometimes forget how enjoyable photography can be. I focus too much on the kit, the goal and the sharpness of the finished image.

I need a dose of simplicity to remind me why I love it so much. I have the antidote to this and its vintage manual lenses. Yes, my camera body is super whizz bang fabulous but it needs a lens to see, to convert its whizz bang-ness. I’ve heard the lens described as the eyes of the camera. The lens converts the possible to the actual.

Yesterday evening, we took a stroll in the tops above our home town/village. The setting sun was spectacular, the temperature perfect (for me at least). I took my Canon R5 and two 40+ year old Pentax prime lenses with me. My all time favourite lens, the Pentax M 50mm f/1.7 and my second favourite, the Pentax M 100mm f/2.8. Compared to my native Canon lenses, they are tiny and simple. They are however really well made, solid metal lenses with superb optics that seem to stand the test of time. I have used them on many different brands of camera body, always reliable, always a pleasure.

The joy of using manual focus lenses is for me twofold. Firstly, the act of actually having to nail focus by turning the focus ring and choose the aperture on the lens connects me with the process of photography. Secondly, you have far greater control of what you are focusing on and how much you want in focus. Autofocus lenses are fabulous at quickly latching on to a subject but can get easily confused by a complex scene or challenging light. Sunsets, especially when you are shooting into the sun, have caused problems for me in the past when using modern autofocus lenses. Sunsets as a rule, don’t require lightning fast focus but do need a level of precision. It’s better to take your time and focus manually so you can decide what you want as your subject.

We spent about an hour up there and I thoroughly enjoyed the walk and photography. In truth, I needed to be persuaded to go as this current heat is sapping my energy and enthusiasm. I’m so glad I went. The Canon is a true beast of a camera and compliments the lenses perfectly. The modern thinking is that you need the latest, most expensive lenses to get the most out of the R5’s 45mp sensor. I actually think it’s far more accommodating and forgiving than the experts say. It certainly makes for lightweight kit.

I’ve recently slimmed down my Canon lens collection and my experience last night, makes me wonder if I could use older lenses more in the future. I hope you like the photos as I was really happy with many from the shoot. It felt as if the hit rate was higher than normal and I was slightly more considered than if I were using native Canon EF or RF lenses. Don’t get me wrong, there is still a professional need for good autofocus lenses but for pure enjoyment and a feeling of having made a photo rather than taking one, my old Pentax win hands down.