6.5 Frames Per Second

Mamiya/Sekor 50mm 2.0

After my first copy developed an audible grinding noise in the? focus ring (sand and grit) I went on the hunt for a second copy and found this one on the Bay. It came with the camera which I consider a very heavy rear lens cap. I use it for all of my product work and if it performs as well as the last one in bright sunlight with backlit subjects, I’ll be happy with this lens until my battery dies.

Fast focus?
That depends on how fast you can rotate the barrel.

Accuracy of focus?
That’s what live view and magnification is for.

When I start shooting Dragonflies and Bee’s (like there’s ever going to be a shortage of those shots) I’ll grab myself a 100mm 2.8 but until then this is a pocket-able alternative that gives great colour and edge to edge sharpness every time. If you come across one, buy it.

The Mamiya/Sekor 50mm 2.8 lens

I haven’t written much about Photography or gear lately but this little jewel demands some attention. Long story short, I went looking for a watch maker and found a few cameras instead. I spotted the 1966 Mamiya 500TL and had to have it but it came with two other cameras I really had no interest in other than shelf weights. A Zenit and a Pentax came with the deal but I left them behind after throwing the lens onto my M42 adapter and firing off a few dozen shots with it.

It's a Bee!

Zero fringing!

Do you hear that Canon?, Nikon?, Sigma?, Tokina?
I shot for two days and imported and scanned every shot for the next two days searching for any sign of chromatic aberration and as of this moment I haven’t been able to find a single pixel of that nagging magenta halo. I’m guessing the trick is the recessed front element which cuts down the need for additional elements inside the lens. The distance from the front to rear element is minimal. I’ll update that as I gather the information.

Bokeh for days and days

As soon as I replace the dumb adapter with one that has the focus confirmation, my Canon 1.8 and Tokina 1.8 will be tossed into the gear locker with that funny looking antique peanut slave and my Bakelite film brush.

The Lens is normally mated to Mamiya’s first TTL SLR the 500TL made in 1966 which for the time was quite advanced compared to the competitors.

I’ll post shots of the body when I go back out to the valley but for now I’m going to enjoy this phenomenal piece of glass.

Fantastic colour and no added magenta on the highlights

Breaking News:

The stiff focus barrel is starting to grind so it’s in the gear cabinet until I have the time to take apart and clean. Fortunately I found another with camera attached on line. It should be here in a couple of weeks. It’s a Mamiya Sekor F/2 newer model.