Hi Peter,
similar history here. I hope it's not too boring, a resume of my personal history with photography:
Did some as teenager until my early 20s, using a Minolta XG with a f2.8/28mm and a 1.4/50 and my own darkroom doing only B&W. Next I used a bit a small Pentax AF zoom camera and then, for years, mostly stopped photography.
When digital started I first got some small P&S ( Canon something 10 ) later a used Ricoh Caplio R3 really got me started. Soon upgraded to a Konica Minolta A2 which until today I consider the best handling camera I have had the joy to use!! It also taught me to appreciate an EVF, above all an articulating one!! ( some things imo it did better than any later, e.g. when choosing a setting, mode one wants to change, which on this camera I could do blindly, without ever taking off my eye on the EVF, the setting chosen was superimposed but see through, big in the middle of the EVF for just a fraction of a moment long enough to register )
Next I wanted to upgrade to a dSLR, during that time I frequently was in Japan where in shops, unlike any other place I know of, I was able to handle any camera available to find exactly what I liked best. My choice was, for small size factor and very nice handling, a Pentax *istDS ( bought "used", as most usual for me 😉 ) . Cost factor of modern AF lenses felt heavy and I started to get old manual lenses instead and soon enough was hooked on Takumars. Later got some other makes too, mostly to compare and e.g. Vivitars f2/24 and f2/28 for being faster than the equivalent. Takumars but rel. cheap. Handling, build quality, also IQ, specially color rendering of Takumars, for me, hardly was reached by any other I tried though. Became known in some forums as Pentax fanboy and sure enough got pretty much any Takumar that had ever been produced ( still sad I did not get that f2/100 I had once chance to, very rare, and the price was very good, but that time still too expensive for me )
After the upgrade to a Pentax K-x mirrorless cameras started to hit the market. Smaller, lighter, and since I am most often living out of a suitcase just right for me! The small and powerful Sony NEX5n, with articulating EVF (!) soon became my most used camera and the short register distance soon enough had me jump to the smaller lenses it enabled. Pen-F halfframe lenses, main reason first was because they are cheaper than RF glass, soon really dig those!
Widest however is a 20mm, which makes a 30mm in 35mm film or "fullframe" terms, therefore I added a Voigtlaender 15mm, for more crisp images for landscape and architecture, wide views, soon also Voigtlaender 21mm and 25mm.
Next added the Ricoh GXR M, because such a joy to use, very organic, compared to Sony IQ more "warm", even Pentax-like, even converted my Pen-F lenses to Leica M so that I could use them on the Ricoh.
Desire for a "fullframe camera", not the least also for being able to finally use my Takumars on a medium the size they had been made for, started to creep in more and more. Must admit here that I never much got into using film again. Reason being simply convenience, specially when on the road. Long waited and had hoped for a "FF" mirrorless with an articulating EVF, in the end lost hope and did get a Sony A7.
The Pen-F halframe hardly work on them, use of Takumars made a small comeback then but soon got into Canon LTMs which I appreciate a lot. That again had me neglect my Takumars..
So I ended up owning some 150+ lenses..and I am very happy with the selection I have got, Takumars + a few other, interesting SLR lenses, "Pen-F" halframe lenses, C.V. wide angles and Canon LTMS. Since a few years now I have not bought any more lenses.
In case I will buy lenses again it will be AF lenses. Just now, since a few weeks, I an using a Sony RX100iii I bought second hand, AF again, something I hardly have been using since my Konica Minolta A2. Enjoying it, also learning about it's limitations.
That's were I am at.
I believe I never will sell my Takumars. And every time I am using one it feels just right. For me the S-M-C Takumar f1.4/50mm had become, still is and will remain "the" epitome of a photographic lens 🙂
now, has anyone read until here? forgive me for all that personal stuff...
cheers, andreas
