I’ve known these two for years, since they were these cute twin kid models. I’m sure you’ll agree that Lara and Luna are still cute, but they aren’t kids anymore. It was a pleasure to photograph these amazing young ladies again.

This was a last minute test shoot for me and I got really lucky that Lara and Luna were in town and up for a little improvisation shoot. The goal for me was to compare modern lenses with some vintage lenses. First some results with the modern glass:

The pictures above were all shot with the Fujinon XF56mmF1.2 R WR, a lens that I’ve had since it came out (I actually even tested a prototype before it came out). I loved and used the first version of that lens a lot, but for some reason I haven’t used the new much. This is probably because I’m shooting most of my portraits with 50mm equivalent lenses. I almost forgot what a beautiful lens the 56mm is. I need a bit more space with this longer lens but I’m still close enough to my subject to communicate without shouting from a distance. I’m definitely going to use it more often.

This optical masterpiece had to go up to two vintage lenses I’ve had for years: The Minolta Rokkor 58mm F1.7 and 85mm F1.7, No autofocus, no weather sealing and it’s clear that coatings and lens design have come a long way in controlling flare and all kind of other distortions. But that’s exactly the beauty of these old lenses. I just love these imperfections and the fact that the behaviour of vintage glass is hard to predict.

You’ll have to invest a lot of time to get to know a vintage lens because it behaves differently in different situations. Backlit, like in the shots above, you’ll get tons of character and if you don’t watch out, it takes over the photo. It’s easy to overdo it and hard to judge all the flare and other effects on the back of the camera.

But turn the camera around to get the sun out of the front element of the lens, stop it down a bit, and these lenses will show you their alter ego. All of a sudden, they become well behaved, respectable performing lenses that make you appreciate the craftmanship and design of another era. They’ll never be as cricitally sharp and contrasty as their modern counterparts but a lens is about much more than that.

My conclusion of this test shoot is that I love vintage lenses … and I love the XF56 as well ;-) In the end it’s all about the right tool for the job. If I want crisp, reliable results, speed and ease of use, nothing beats the modern lenses.
But vintage lenses are a rabbit hole, I’ll happily get sucked into for endless creative opportunities and the deliberate process of shooting manually. I guess I’ll be spending more time on nerdy forums and eBay looking for optical gems.