On our last day in Tokyo, a day of filling in the hours before our over night flight, we decided to revisit the Ueno Market and walk back to our hotel and the airport limousine station in Ningyocho.
I discovered ne of few camera stores, a special one, dedicated to film era gear.
Thanks to a translation device, I managed to avoid a Pen half frame 42 f1.2 with a lazy aperture (fine for stills, just not video) and picked up the 28mm f2.8 AI Nikkor.
The later 8 element AI-S version is a legendary lens, probably the best Nikkor wide of the era, but the 7 element AI version was decent enough to create a legend to better it.
It is mint, as in, like a new one mint, pretty good for a lens that came out when I was seven (a long time ok, don’t be rude). For $135au, I got a lens worth taking a chance on, a reliable classic. I have a cheap Nk > EOS and EOS > MFT adapter (what a mess), so this can be tested before I get an L-mount one as I intend to use it as a 40mm equivalent in the APS-C setting of the S5.
Slightly bigger than the Hope and just noticeably heavier (both are hefty, but the Vespid is the denser feeling lump, the S-Prime feeling like a “fake sampler” lens in comparison.
The Vespid 40mm which came today can also be tried out on an MFT body if I switch it over to EF mount, but I have already ordered a Nisi PL-L adapter (well made, considered a decent match and considerably cheaper than the Vespid one). If it works out, I will get the Nisi PL-MFT also, but the 40/60 combo is the main application I have planned.
Comparing it to my Hope lenses, the 50mm in particular (after I changed the mount to EF), has stirred up some fears to be honest.
What if this legendary lens is no better than my Hope glass?
If it is equal, that would be ok as I have decided to mostly make it a full frame/APS-c companion to those.
This is my Hope 50 at T4 (I missed focus at T2.1), but a preferred aperture anyway. Clean, sharp and still some snap even though the subjects are 4ft away and about 2” apart, staggered. I did match colour on this one as it was originally a little warm-green. Colour matching is probably going to be the biggest issue, the 50 is cooler than the 25 Hope, so a huge difference to the Vespid.
Shot from the same spot and cropped to match the shot above, the Vespid at T4. Colour left alone. I am seeing a slightly less clean, more natural looking file.
Hope on the left, looking cleaner, but that is after being quickly balanced from warmer-murkier.
And even tighter. They seem pretty close in sharpness, so it is a look thing only, which I knew already.
Now the Hope at T4 vs the Vespid at T2.1, mostly to compare sharpness.
And again for sharpness. The Hope has a slight edge, but I knew that the Vespid wide open has a softer character.
When I bought this lens, it was partly because the one I was first interested in became the only one on sale at the right time in my thinking, but also to “scratch that itch”, but I had a mild suspicion it would make little difference in comparison to the excellent S-Primes, Hopes and various other budget cine options I have.
As an example the IRIX 150 macro is excellent, but so is the Spectrum 50 and they are in turn little different to the S-series Panasonic lenses.
So, what have I achieved?
A Hope grade lens for my S5 that has that special something?
The Hope lenses are enough for MFT, saving me (for now) buying an adapter.
A single lens that can be used on all of my cameras (with a $300au mount-I have chosen Nisi PL adapters) with a set of focal lengths that to be honest cover all I use for video. It has a good reputation, especially for a characterful look and one that impresses on sight.
I had a lot of that already, but I also had a need to be sure and felt that fate was guiding me (gets me in trouble some times fate, costs time and money).
Like the BMPCC4k, I knew it would likely not change much, but we will see.
This is the end of the line for my purchases until I have a genuine need for something that will make a definite difference, not a “head worm” compulsion.