This blog is mostly about manual lenses which are usually 30 to 50 years old. And while most of them are surprisingly reliable the are a few things you should check before or after buying a lens.

This checklist is based on the experience I gained from buying  more than a hundred lenses since I discovered how much fun it is to use them on Sony’s Alpha cameras.

If you have additional info about a defect not listed or disagree with my assessment please leave a comment!

Scratches on the lenses

Use a large light source like a window and place the lens between you and the light so that you can see the colorful coating of the lens.

Scratches are seldom a problem in the real world but they lower the resale value of a lens. In theory they could reduce the contrast of a lens or cause some flare but I have never seen that happen.

You can’t really do anything to restore coatings but it sometimes makes sense to fill larger scratches with black paint to avoid light scattering.

Continue reading Defects in Manual Lenses and lens buying advice →

What is an L-bracket?

An L-bracket is a peace of metal which serves about three functions:

• It makes it possible to mount the camera in portrait orientation on a tripod
• It is a more solid connection to the camera than quick release plates because it has a much bigger area of contact to the camera.
• It increases the size of the grip and makes holding the camera easier.

For me an L-brackets has improved the everyday experience of my Sony Alpha 7 and I think too few people know about L-brackets so I want to share my experience in this post.

Continue reading Useful Accessory for the Sony Alpha 7: A L-Bracket →

I have owned the Canon FD 2.8/20 for about a year now and I am mostly happy with it’s performance. Now I got the chance to test it against the smaller and lighter Minolta MD 20mm 1:2.8. So, how do they compare?

Specifications

Continue reading Minolta MD 20mm 1:2.8 vs Canon FD 20mm 1:2.8 – comparison review →