Just for fun I test some $5 antique lenses! Photos Too.

jimgalli · Jun 29, 2005

This fits roughly into my other "Bokeh" post where I said I would test some of the antique lenses I'm forever purchasing and post the results for anyone interested. I don't know how to import html into Seans site and have it come up so I will have to re-direct you to a page on my little site. It is here.

If you've got 5 minutes and like old things go have a look. Post your thoughts right here.

noseoil · Jun 29, 2005

Jim, nice pictures with those lenses. tim

photomc · Jun 29, 2005

Thanks for posting Jim....like the fact that the old lens are still making images and still getting a little light passing through them. Will have to wait till I get home to read the rest...looks like fun...and looks a tad HOT!

BradS · Jun 29, 2005

ah..uhmmm, A '39 Ford Pick up? Oh, please do tell!

The waterbury looks like a little gem! Nice find Jim. Thanks for sharing.

jimgalli · Jun 29, 2005

The '39 Ford Pickup is a whole as they say "'nother story." It was mine when my 3 girls were small. I sold it in 1989 when they were 6, 8, and 9 years old. It's the "one that got away" and I've always been sorry I sold it. Well my girls have grown and married in the mean time and also provided me with 3 grandsons so far. Well those grandson's will be 11 12 13 years old soon enough and they'll need a '39 Ford pickup to go driving in now won't they? It's an original unrestored truck and will see plenty of service on desert dirt roads. Plus.......it's photogenic.

John Kasaian · Jun 29, 2005

Jim,

That Halben is quite an amazing lens! It's performance is surprising.

Your enthusiasm for old lenses is catching. I just got one magic lantern (McIntosh) lens and another one (Darlot) on the way. I hope they'll be delightful as well as they were rather costly additions to the fleet---almost $20!

Hey, those were sure nice photos---I can see why your so taken with historic mines. Congrats on your new old truck!

MattCarey · Jun 29, 2005

OK, I'll give you $10 for the lens. Think about it, 100% profit in such a short time!

Nice shots Jim.

The wood in that door has a great look to it. Then again, I am a sucker for wood grain in B&W.

That one interior looks cool to me. Sort of like the engine room of an old shipwreck. Given that look to me, I don't mind the hot-spots and the out of focus areas. That would be common in an engineroom shot.

As a last note--You probably spent more on the film to test the lenses than the lenses themselves!

Matt

ps. There's an old pickup truck rusting away, along with an old tractor and other odd gear, on the road from my neighborhood towards real San Jose. I can't pass that without thinking that Jim would already have a shot or two of it!

David A. Goldfarb · Jun 29, 2005

Good to see the old glass getting some exercise.

MattCarey · Jun 29, 2005

By the way,

I checked Google Maos for Tonopah. It litterally came up as a bend in the road!

Looks like you are east of Mammoth lakes? That is one of my all-time favorite places in the world.

Matt

jimgalli · Jun 29, 2005

MattCarey said:
By the way,

I checked Google Maos for Tonopah. It litterally came up as a bend in the road!

Looks like you are east of Mammoth lakes? That is one of my all-time favorite places in the world.

Matt

If it wasn't for a little bit of silver that occured here, that road would be straight. Mammoth's going to blow sky high one of these days and the ash will settle on Tonopah.

Mongo · Jun 29, 2005

Great stuff Jim...thanks for sharing. I think that little HALBEN WA is quite the treasure.

Any thoughts about making a smaller stop for the Watebury to see if the coverage improves?

mark · Jun 29, 2005

Cool. But I did notice that it looks like the beginnings of a no trespassing sign in your last shot. Shame, shame.

MattCarey · Jun 29, 2005

jimgalli said:
If it wasn't for a little bit of silver that occured here, that road would be straight. Mammoth's going to blow sky high one of these days and the ash will settle on Tonopah.

Driving down 395 is great--you can see the cinder cones from a bunch of old volcanoes. They get bigger the closer you get to Mammoth.

I recall fishing on the upper Owens and looking around to discover that we were in the actual caldera. Very cool... that is unless it blows again in our lifetime!

I doubt I'll get the chance to make a Mammoth trip this summer. If I do, I'll see about a side trip to Tonopah. I'll give you warning so you can leave town (and hide all the camera gear)!

Matt

jimgalli · Jun 29, 2005

NO TRESSPASSING ?? What does that actually mean? I've been trying to sound out that word. Is it Espanol? Has me baffled.

mark · Jun 29, 2005

When I was wondering around an old ranch with a PB&J in my hand an old timer came up and said "Caint ya see the no trayspassin sign". Maybe it is french for no food allowed.

The camera made it and is not in as bad as my 5x7 was before I started working on it. Should be up and running in no time. Un less I get daring and go for making my own bellows.

colrehogan · Jun 29, 2005

Nice shots, Jim!

andrewfrith · Jun 29, 2005

great story and nice shots jim..were u just using a hat shutter or a packard or something? what were u using to get the red filter and the polarizer attached to these lenses?

-andrew

jimgalli · Jun 29, 2005

andrewfrith said:
great story and nice shots jim..were u just using a hat shutter or a packard or something? what were u using to get the red filter and the polarizer attached to these lenses?

-andrew

Thank you. I used a large lens cap. Filters were mounted in a 62-67 stepping ring and just rested around the barrels (until the wind blows them off of course.)

MattCarey · Jun 29, 2005

jimgalli said:
NO TRESSPASSING ?? What does that actually mean? I've been trying to sound out that word. Is it Espanol? Has me baffled.

Tresspassing--it's Chuuk-ese for "Digital Camera".

Matt

BradS · Jun 29, 2005

jimgalli said:
The '39 Ford Pickup is a whole as they say "'nother story." It was mine when my 3 girls were small. I sold it in 1989 when they were 6, 8, and 9 years old. It's the "one that got away" and I've always been sorry I sold it. Well my girls have grown and married in the mean time and also provided me with 3 grandsons so far. Well those grandson's will be 11 12 13 years old soon enough and they'll need a '39 Ford pickup to go driving in now won't they? It's an original unrestored truck and will see plenty of service on desert dirt roads. Plus.......it's photogenic.

I knew there was a story there. Is this the truck that appears in so many of your "lens test" photos?

jimgalli · Jun 29, 2005

BradS said:
I knew there was a story there. Is this the truck that appears in so many of your "lens test" photos?

Not yet, but it's inevitable

Nige · Jun 29, 2005

jimgalli said:
The '39 Ford Pickup is a whole as they say "'nother story." It was mine when my 3 girls were small...

so it's the actual truck you sold?

photomc · Jun 29, 2005

jimgalli said:
The '39 Ford Pickup is a whole as they say "'nother story."

Gee Jim, it sure would look nice next to the wifes 38 Buick Special Business Coupe..it's just not at the house right now. She has a guy looking at it to do restoration on it...but what a grand old car. Even has a clock and radio in it.

Nice pictures, makes me want to find some of these old lens and give them a chance to show their stuff....will have to keep my eyes open.

jimgalli · Jun 29, 2005

Nige said:
so it's the actual truck you sold?

Yep, 16 years ago. It hasn't run in 10 or 12 but we can fix that.

photomc said:
so it sure would look nice next to the wifes 38 Buick Special Business Coupe..

Oh a '38 Buick is very nice. Whole different class.

Nige · Jun 29, 2005

jimgalli said:
Yep, 16 years ago. It hasn't run in 10 or 12 but we can fix that.

Cool!

If I had the optotunity to buy my 1st car I'd jump at it! The 2nd was an interum step, the 3rd we just sold recently! I do have a '70 car (I bought in '94) that my boys (6 & 3) think is theirs! They might be lucky and it still be around when they have licences (although we have power-to-weight laws that don't allow them to drive it until they have a full licence... and extra 3 years). A mate's brother had a mid 50's Customline when we were young... we thought it was the ant's pants!

Just for fun I test some $5 antique lenses! Photos Too.

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