subscribe 0330 333 1113 I http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I 21 September 2019
V I N TAG E L E N S E S
Klaudia
Eysymontt
Instagram @pomazane_fotoKlaudia Eysymontt
is a Poland-based
photographer who uses
vintage lenses with her Nikon D7200 for
portraitureandmacrophotographyI really believe in the power of learning
on vintage glass. For one thing, you’re
in full control and you’re not just
pressing buttons.
‘You can get any lens and take
amazing pictures, because they all have
their characteristics – but you have to
have a good body. For example, I know
several people who shoot with Canon
cameras that don’t have the focus
magnification option. A couple of
local guys I know sold their full-frame
Canons to get a Sony A6000, and now
they’re in love with it because they have
this option, as well as focus peaking.
‘I shoot a lotof portraitsand
landscapes,butI getboreddoingthe
same thing overandover.I usemacro
lenses a lot andmyentire[lens]kitis
vintage. I usetheA6000andanA7,
and I have atanygiventimefourorfive
lenses, includingtheVivitar28mmf/2.8
MC, Vivitar Series1 70-210mmf/3.5
and OlympusZuiko50mmf/1.4and
85mm f/2 lenses.I liketostickwith
Zuiko lensesbecausetheyallneedthe
same adapter.I actuallyhavetwoZuiko
adapters, justsoI canswapthewhole
thing, whichis goodforspeedwhen
shooting portraitsandmovingaround.‘I LEARNED about the idea of using vintage lenses on
modern cameras from my husband’s brother. I started to
read up on them and find examples from photographers
already using them, and when I realised that some of the
lenses weren’t expensive, I decided to give it a try.
‘Vintage lenses give images an unusual charm. The kind of
bokeh they can produce is either very hard to achieve with
modern lenses or not possible at all. Sometimes the result
is pure magic, even if a photo isn’t perfectly sharp. They fit
perfectly for portrait photography because of the shallow
depth of field, but what I love is that I can use them to shoot
both amazing macro shots and beautiful portraits.
‘Currently, I own three vintage lenses: the Helios 44M-4,
Pentacon auto 50mm f/1.8 and Helios 44M-2 with a Petzval
effect modification, and I use them all on a Nikon D7200.
The Helios 44M-4 was a gift that started my adventure with
manual lenses. I have a fondness for it because it belonged to
my husband’s father, but I love the results I’ve achieved with
it. My favourite, however, is the Pentacon auto 50mm f/1.8
as it produces beautiful colours and bokeh.
‘The next lenses I plan to buy are the Super Carenar
55mm f/1.4 and Meyer Optik Görlitz Trioplan 100mm f/2.8.
They are not expensive but give a lot of possibilities when
shooting portraits or nature photography.
‘What I don’t like about vintage lenses is the reflections;
pictures taken in full sun are low in contrast and pale. The
lack of AF can also be hard, because in some conditions
it’s difficult to set the focus manually. Often, I shoot in low,
artificial light, which takes lots of patience and concentration.
It’s also easy to miss the perfect moment, which is why it’s not
really an option to take images of anything that’s moving.
‘The thing I like the most about these lenses is the beautiful
bokeh. Some pictures, just because of appropriate exposure,
look almost surreal and out of this world. With a little bit of
water mist in the air, the results are dreamy. The lenses I use
are very bright, which gives me more control over depth of
field, and that helps a lot when taking images with sunset
light or in rooms with weak artificial light.’‘The only issue I have had with vintage
glass so far is with a Helios 44-2 lens.
It doesn’t like to focus to infinity, quite
likely because the M42 adapter
places it a little too far from the sensor.
But I love the look of it, and I continue
to use it.’Klaudia combines
vintage glass with water
mist to give her images
an ethereal quality
Nikon D7200, Helios 44-2 58mm
f/2, 1/1250sec, ISO 320The Vivitar 28mm
f/2.8 mounted on
Ethan’s Sony A7© ETHAN BATES