Armed with an OM135 f3.5 lens from many many years ago - I believe the lens MIGHT be older than myself - comes the time when we move forward one step and brace the world of everything in manual. Gone is the time when you will hear the "beep beep" of an AF lock. Gone is the time when the lens will move itself to get everything in focus. Gone is the time when A and S values will somehow be in sync to what you want.
It is very important that you are able to see things in focus through that small little viewfinder of the camera. There is also a need to have the brain control the hands in twisting the focus barrel of the lens while your eyes interpret what is being seen. This is where even the most sophisticated electronics will never be able to match the power of how our brain works in tandem with other limbs and senses.
It is a great feeling able to embrace what senior photographers from the film days feel while in a photo shoot. Even though we have the advantage of being able to manipulate images easily post shutter click, nothing beats getting it right the first time! Setting the perfect exposure and focus based on instinct then clicking the shutter, the feeling is priceless. The adrenaline flows when you see that same picture on the camera LCD for a short review and found out that it is what you have imagined in the first place.
There is no doubt that lens quality from the olden times still perform strongly in the digital age. Pristine glasses from days of old work perfectly till the present day. The built quality of the olden lenses still beat those of the new, in terms of toughness and sturdiness. Those old lenses are made to kill! Imagine throwing one onto someone's head!
Oh yeah, have I mentioned that the bokeh from the old lens is SUPERB! It beats new digital lenses easily. It is so smooth and creamy, not to mention more pleasant to the eyes. The bokeh quality can only be matched by digital lenses which cost 10-15 times more. Oh! Those creamy bokeh just melts my heart each time I see it...
This is the first but definitely not the last photo shoot which full manual is used. The joy of controlling and deciding all aspects of getting things right the first time is just great. Satisfaction guaranteed!
The rest of the pics can be viewed here. All images taken using Olympus E-3 with OM135 f3.5 lens.
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