Auto Sears 55mm & Auto Takumar 35mm Test Shots
Hello, photography enthusiasts! Today, I want to share my recent adventure with two of my newest vintage camera lenses. We've been enjoying some beautiful fall weather this year and I finally got a day off, so I decided to bike around the city and grab some cool shots for the blog. You know, there's only one way to really get to know your lenses, and that's by using them. In my camera bag I had the eldest of the Takumar 35mm lenses, the Asahi Auto Takumar 35mm f2.3. This lens, released in the early 1960s, boasts a 10-blade aperture and oozes all the vintage charm that us vintage lens aficionados hold dear. The other lens in my bag was the Auto Sears 55mm f1.4. Initially, I acquired this lens on a whim, curious about what results I'd get from an offbeat, lesser-known brand. However, it turns out that Sears simply rebranded lenses made by renowned Japanese manufacturers Mamiya and Tomioka. As a result, this Sears lens is a hidden gem. Surprisingly, many sellers underestimate its quality, pricing it based solely on the Sears name. So, if you're keen on adding this exceptional lens to your collection, don't wait too long! Hurry over to eBay and secure your copy before the secret spreads about just how much of a gem this lens truly is.
STACKED FILTER SETUP
For this lens test shoot I wanted to try something different. I saw a warming polarizing filter online recently and I wanted to see if I could recreate the effect by stacking a B+W polarizing filter on top of a Tiffen enhancing filter. All the shots in this post were taken with these two filters stacked. The results didn’t recreate the effect of a warming polarizer but instead created cool toned images with really vibrant warm tones. I really want to try this out in a portrait session to see how it affects skin tones.
Asahi Auto Takumar 35mm f2.3 Sample Photos
After taking several shots with this lens and noticing that most of them were out of focus it occurred to that I needed to spend more time getting to know the finer details of this lens. Going on a run and gun bike ride wasn’t going to be the best way to get to know this lens. So rather then getting frustrated I put the lens away and focused on my other lens. Here are the shots I did get with the Auto Tak 35mm. What I did notice in the shots I did get was that the out of focus areas had that beautiful vintage character found in the MIR-20. I was so excited to see this. The other thing I noticed is that this older lens is a canter point focus only lens when wide open. Don’t even try to get creative with the rule of thirds here.
Auto Sears 55mm f1.4 Sample Photos
I was really surprised by the image quality produced by this lens. The optics are so good when stopped down that some of these shots look like modern glass. If you look at the first two shots in this gallery you can see the first shot has a lot more flare and that’s because in the second shot I was using my my hand to blog the sun from hitting the lens. So one learning experience here is that this lens is probably best used with a lens hood because that 6 blade aperture doesn’t produce a pleasing lens flare. In picture 9 I show the difference between this lens shot wide open at f1.4 and stopped down to f5.6. Vintage lenses not being pin sharp wide open is normal. This brings me to shooting this lens wide open and bokeh. The bokeh looks really nice wide open but I struggled to get the main subject tack sharp at the same time. Maybe I need a tripod or maybe this lens just isn’t sharp wide open. I’ll have to play with it some more to find out. Overall the value for money on this lens is amazing. I would recommend it if you are looking for a fast 50mm at a good price.
So, there you have it, folks – my fun-filled day of vintage lens exploration in the sun! It's incredible how these old lenses can bring a unique character to your photos. Whether you're into the classic charm of the Asahi Auto Takumar 35mm f2.3 or the hidden brilliance of the Auto Sears 55mm f1.4, vintage lenses have a lot to offer.
Remember, photography is all about creativity and trying new things, and vintage lenses add an exciting twist to your visual storytelling. So, don't hesitate to dive into the world of vintage photography gear, and who knows what fantastic shots you'll capture on your next adventure!
🎬 Both of these lenses are M42 mounts so my bag was a little lighter only needing to bring one adapter with me. If you’re new to vintage lenses and want to learn more about M42 adapters check out this video.
