I’m patiently awaiting for the return of my beloved long zoom. There is never really a good time to be without a favorite lens, but I’ve been making due with an old Vivitar manual lens from 1978. I wrote about taking out this old piece of kit in desperation here.
Today I had a chance to take the relic out in almost perfect conditions. It was a sunny 50 degrees and the birds were dropping in and out of range – on my last post the images had a softness that is not typical of modern glass, they looked almost “film-like”. Today, that old bit of kit was singing. I started shooting some black and white film with it and late in the day I managed to make a few captures.
Today my favorite northern cardinal was not even considering stopping by the feeders. I spotted him in the crepe myrtle bush…
Of course he thew me that Johnny Bravo stare – snob…
I experimented with aperture settings and he looked away…
One thing about focussing manually, I can focus on the bird in spite of the limbs in the way.
Back at the feeders, I got a clear shot of a pine warbler in the late afternoon sun…
One key to using old glass is finding a subject that is going to stick around, and this guy was serious about feeding, not flitting…
Live view does give you the ability to see what the changes in aperture and shutter speed will do, so it’s not exactly like shooting a film camera from the era…
I love how the sun rests on the shoulders of this warbler, he has become a regular visitor and he has even brought his girlfriend to check things out too. I hope they decide to stay.
After shooting this lens on a sunny day, I have decided its a keeper! I wouldn’t choose it over my modern lens in most situations, but shooting it on my modern camera gave me to confidence to try to capture birds with it on a film camera this weekend. It’s a good bit of kit.
the eff stop 
I hate to say this, but that warbler was clearly mooning you! 🙂
He does that pretty frequently – I can’t get no respect with this old lens.
hehehe
Always fun!
🙂 haven’t seen my Carolina wren since the ice storm. 😦
Maybe she came here! I have a few.
Again…..your talent shines. It is not the lens ~ it’s you!
Awwww shucks. I certainly don’t get as many shots as I do with my “world’s fastest autofocus” but I can get a shot with it. The test will be to see if I caught them on my film camera 🙂
Can’t wait to see those ~
Me too. I think.
BTW….snow just started here about an hour ago…..
Nice – getting much? Should be here by the time I wake up, huh?
Just stepped outside – big fluffy flakes.
What little we got….melted so fast. With so much water already underneath….it just didn’t hang around. Our kids in Enid….different story. They got the blizzard. AND started building an igloo. 😉 21,000 without power.
I got 4 inches at the house but the roads are clear. It’s a really wet snow – and Igloo? That’s crazy!
They are in western Okla….TONS of snow and a creative hyper kid = 4 wheeling and igloos! 😉
LOL – what fun. I love wheeling in the snow.
😉
I don’t know why, but yours and several other blogs I follow aren’t showing up in my reader feed. I’m missing posts until I go looking for them. Kinda like my glasses. 🙂 nice captures here. I too like the sun on that little yellow dude.
Hmmm – I checked my reader and it’s not there either. I posted a question in the forums. This happened to me a few weeks ago too. I started subscribing by email to the blogs I cannot bear to miss – like yours 🙂 Thanks – that lens is turning out to be a petty good find.
My reader is doing the same 😦
Beautiful Captures – Happy Monday:)
Happy Monday to you too – oops it’s Tuesday already 🙂
Russ I’m loving the photos this lens is giving you… a good piece of glass if you ask me…
Thanks Bulldog, I’m growing more and more fond of it.
Lorri
wonderful shots Lorri! I so want to paint that snobby cardinal! The first and second pic would be perfect! 🙂 My fingers are itching for a paintbrush when I see your pics.
LOL – you should get those brushes out! This guy is the same bright red cardinal I have had in several posts – the other males are not so vivid.
Just beautiful, Lorri.
There’s a softness about these images that I really love. I think this lens is definitely a keeper and should be used more often (especially now that Spring is on the way on your side of the world).
Thanks Vicki – I’m finding it tough to use in harsh shadows, but in the sunshine I love it. I am definitely keeping it in my bag – I kinda like the challenge of capturing something with it.
Beautiful as always, even without your favorite zoom!
Russ
Thanks Russ.