Kiron Konclusion / Sears Big Zoom at Film Premiere

After complaining about quality issues with my Kiron 28 – 210mm Super Zoom (for Canon FD) in previous blog postings, I decided to look through my photo notes and find additional shots using the lens. Fellow Kiron lens user Chuck Norcutt pointed out in an e-mail to me that perhaps I was being a bit harsh on the lens considering its usage in a dark environment (also previous posts).



Well, "The proof of the pudding is the eating" as the age-old expression goes. Most of the images I shot with the Kiron lens have some focus issue, leading to my final opinion that this particular lens is faulty. I purchased this lens used from e-bay and although the auction description described the lens as “in awesome shape, “ I have no way of knowing its past history.

So, to be perfectly fair to myself (and the Kiron using community) I’m going to purchase another in the near future.



This past Wednesday I received an invite to screen Pete Jacelone’s independent horror flick “Sculpture.” A cast Q&A followed the screening, so I brought along a small bag. In it was my Canon AE-1, Canon 199A flash and the Sears 60 – 300mm FD lens. Recently purchased on e-bay, I thought it time to give the lens a test.



Size and weight aside, the lens was pretty easy to handle and focus. I was thankful that the theater (Multi Media Arts Center, Bloomfield, NJ) had stage lights to illuminate the folks on-stage. Overall, very pleased with the results.

The 60 – 300mm is available often on e-bay and usually goes for about $30.us.

More shots can be seen at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/newyorkgrindhouse/sets/72157621843716079/

Super Zoom is Ka-Boom! Part II

Imagine my surprise when I receive an e-mail regarding my July 20, 2009 blog (Super Zoom is Ka-Boom - http://michaelraso.blogspot.com/2009/07/super-zoom-is-ka-boom.html ). I spend a fair amount of my spare time shooting film photography. When I’m not shooting, I’m usually talking about or promoting the whole “Shoot Film” idea to friends or colleagues ad nauseam.



Apparently my negative experience with the Kiron 28 – 210mm lens (for Canon FD) touched a nerve with a group of Kiron fans. I received the following letter from Chuck Norcutt ( published here with his kind permission ) :

7/21/2009 via e-mail
Hi, Michael
Your negative blog post on the Kiron 28-210 "super-zoom"
( http://michaelraso.blogspot.com/2009/07/super-zoom-is-ka-boom.htm )
has been mentioned on the Yahoo group "Kiron-Klub" and has raised some
eyebrows amongst this group of Kiron lens aficionados.

First, I'd like to state that there is no confusion about who produced
this 28-210 lens and all Kiron lenses. Kiron was a subsidiary of the
Japanese company, Kino Precision Industries. Kino had long been a
supplier to Vivitar (including Vivitar Series 1 lenses) but wanted to
produce their own line of lenses. They established the Kiron
Corporation in 1978/79 as a subsidiary in Carson, CA to market the brand
in the U.S. The first lenses went on sale in 1980. Unlike Vivitar,
Kiron did not produce a range of different qualities and prices. All
Kiron lenses were fairly expensive and, like Vivitar Series 1 lenses,
the highest quality that they could produce given the technology of the
time. They are generally regarded as equal to or better than the camera
manufacturer's own and the test results in Modern Photography magazine
will bear that out. Many of these lenses are still highly sought after
and especially the 105mm f/2.8 1:1 macro which, even 25 years later, is
about as good as they come.

Now, with respect to the 28-210 "super-zoom" it's not clear to me from
your mini review why you've chosen to consider it a bust. Unless your
particular lens is defective or damaged in some way it should exhibit
outstanding performance... for what it is. It is designed to be a
walk-around, all purpose lens. It comprises the unheard of (for the
time) an amazing 7.5:1 zoom range. Such a lens must necessarily exhibit
some performance comprises. These come in the way of weight, limited
speed and optical performance. But what is most amazing is that the
Kiron 28-210 actually gives away very little in the performance
department. If you check the Modern Photography resolution test results
reported by Robert Monaghan: ( http://www.mflenses.com/content/view/55/ )
you will see that the 28-210 equals or exceeds the resolution of high
quality prime lenses at 105 and 200mm and still compares favorably at 28mm.

But your mini-review doesn't talk about the lens's optical performance.
I don't think it could since your sample images are in no way a test
of that. It just calls your experience with it a bust. And I think I
would agree with you if, as you did, I used it to shoot a nightclub
performance. It is heavy and it is slow. I'm sure that, at f/4-5.6 it
was no joy to focus in low light. In the same venue I'd have probably
taken my Tokina 28-80/2.8 or perhaps a trio of fast primes. In my
opinion you have simply misjudged the lens by using it in the wrong
place. The 28-210 is in its element as a daylight walk-around lens.
Heavy as it is, its purpose is to allow you to travel light by leaving
a whole stable of prime lenses, an extension tube and a big camera bag
behind. Daylight will overcome its relative slowness for focusing and
allow shooting at middle apertures for best performance. So don't just
park it on the shelf for a year. Take it out again but during a
daylight outing where you want to travel "light".

ps: I'm having some difficulty interpreting your shot of "Dirty
Blondes". You say you used your Canon FTb with the Canon 177a flash
unit. The 177a is a rather petite and low power shoe mounted flash.
Yet the flash shadow is not from an on-camera flash. The shadows are
not behind the subject but displaced well to the right, which would
require a flash well off-camera to the left. I'm just curious. How did
you do that?

Chuck Norcutt
Endwell, NY



7/21/2009
Chuck,

Thank you for your e-mail.

It a digital world, it is nice to know that I am not the "Last Man on Earth" shooting film with manual focus lenses.

Firstly, I would like permission to re-print your letter. I would like to do a follow-up to my blog. Your letter would be a nice inclusion. I really appreciate the technical information and it would be a nice way to plug your Yahoo group. I didn't know about the "Kiron-Klub" on Yahoo. Considering my blog, do you think that I would be allowed to join the group?

My blog is about film photography and my personal experiences related to the hardware used. After reading your letter, I agree with you about my choice of lens for the evening. I really didn't know what to expect at the club. Lighting, distance to the band was all a mystery. The Kiron seemed like a good choice at the time. It was a chore to use in the dim light. I will take your advice by not "parking" the lens and taking the lens on a day trip in the near future.

Lisa Keane of "Dirty Blondes" was shot vertical. That is the only way I can explain the displacement of the shadow.

Again, thanks for the letter. I really hope I didn't piss anyone off. Was not my intention!

Best,

Michael Raso




After sending my response to chuck, I realized that I shot exteriors in New York City using the Kiron on July 4th. It slipped my mind because I shot Kodachrome and have yet to review and scan the slides. I’ll make good on my promise and will post the results soon. In the meantime (if you’re a Kiron user), check out the Kiron Yahoo Group - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Kiron-Klub/

Pentax Auto 110 SLR Film Camera

The number of new and used vintage film cameras on e-bay fascinates me.

My latest rediscovery is the 110 film format. Unknown to most, Pentax made an unbelievably small SLR camera system for the 110 format called the Pentax Auto 110. A miniature single lens reflex camera that was introduced late in the 110 film format market.

The 110 film cartridge has garnered little respect over the years and by now is almost forgotten (although my Aunt Linda still shows up at family functions with her trusty Kodak pocket 110 camera!). When I mention the format to friends they give me a blank look followed by “ohhhh, yeaa…110.”


Many of these camera systems are still available (both new and used) on e-bay. I just started shooting with it and here are a few images. More soon.

Images shot with:
1978 Pentax Auto 110 SLR Camera.
Kodak Ultra 110 Color Print Film (400asa)
Processing by Dwayne’s Photo

More on the Auto 110 here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentax_Auto_110

http://www.submin.com/110/collection/pentax110/

http://www.pentax110.co.uk/

Super Zoom is Ka-Boom!

My first and (to date) only photograph of fireworks is a summary of the lens that shot it – unspectacular. The lens is a Kiron 28 – 210mm manual focus f 4.5 – f32 with an FD mount for Canon SLR cameras. Can a lens manufactured in the 1980s with such a dreamy choice of focal lengths be as fantastic as you want it to be?



I tend to be a bit romantic about older camera gear – only to find that the “too good to be true” lens really is. Commonly referred to as the Kiron “super zoom,” information on this third party lens for Canon has become scarce. Various postings on Photo.net and elsewhere speculate which company manufactured this lens and user reviews range from good to poor.





I really wanted this lens to be good, so I took it for a spin to shoot “Dirty Blondes” playing a music gig in Wayne, New Jersey this past Saturday. I used my 1973 Canon FTb body with the Canon 177a flash. Film of choice was Fujicolor Superia X-Tra 400 print film. The fireworks were unexpected, the band was great but in the end, The Kiron 28 – 210mm lens was just no fun.

Now a paperweight on my shelf, I’m sure that I will re-visit it in a year or two saying to myself – “It couldn’t have been that bad!”

Pictured:
Fireworks at Packanack Lake, Wayne, NJ - July 18, 2009

The Canon FTb wearing the Kiron Super Zoom

The fabulous Lisa Keane of the "Dirty Blondes"
www.dirtyblondesrocknroll.com/Home.htm

Ultra Wide & Slim

The “hipster” lomo photography crowd has an ongoing love affair with the discontinued Vivitar “point and shoot” ULTRA WIDE & SLIM camera. The all mechanical / all plastic camera uses 35mm film and has no electronics or need for a battery to function. With a fixed f11 aperture and a w-i-d-e 22mm lens, the camera delivers gorgeous lo-fi pictures. Current price tag on e-bay: $50. (if your lucky to find one). Demand is great enough that a company called SuperHeadz has manufactured a “knock-off” - available new for $30 here:
http://www.fourcornerstore.com/collections/frontpage/products/white-slim-angel



I deny being a “hipster” even though I recently purchased an ULTRA SLIM & WIDE at an over inflated price. Love the camera! Currently shooting…hope to post pix soon.

Suggested links:

http://www.fourcornerstore.com/

http://www.lomography.com/

http://www.camerapedia.org/wiki/Vivitar_Ultra_Wide_&_Slim

I shot the above image in tungsten lighting using my Canon FTb
/ 50mm ssc lens and Fujicolor Supera 200 color print film. Processing and scan by Clark Color Labs.

I’m a lomographer and didn’t even know it!

Since digging my 35mm cameras out of storage last November, I’ve been spending most of my spare time shooting…and shooting….and shooting.

While always striving to make perfect images, I’ve achieved (for the most part) the complete opposite. Yes, a few images in my on-line “Flickr” photo gallery are, in my opinion, pretty good. Most however, are a bit off-kilter, making me (to my surprise) - a lomographer!

According to the Wikipedia:
“Lomography emphasizes casual, snapshot, photography. Characteristics such as over-saturated colors, off-kilter exposure, blurring, ‘happy accidents,’ and alternative film processing are often considered part of the ‘Lomographic Technique.’ Users are encouraged to take a lighthearted approach to their photography, and use these techniques to document everyday life.”



What a laugh I got (and am still having) knowing how “hip” I am without even knowing it (still laughing). Most of the “lomo” credit really goes to the processing lab I use - Clark Color Labs. I’ve been sending 90% of my film there because they are the cheapest lab on the planet earth. They will process, print and scan a 24-exposure roll of film for $4.85us postage paid. We’re not talking fast service here, either. A minimum 5-day turnaround to get your scans on-line and another 4 days to get your prints. If you have any interest in the “lomo” trend, please do send your film to the fine folks at Clark Color Labs. They’ll screw it up…making you a “lomo” king.



Sadly, I’ve realized too late how “hip” I was as I recently switched my processing to my local Target photo center. I’m not a lomographer at all…my new stuff is…picture perfect.

Visit me on Flickr.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/michaelraso/

Clark Color Labs:
http://www.clarkcolor.com

More on Lomography:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lomography
http://www.lomography.com/

They closed my Saturn dealership!

The NY Times recently reported:

"Saturn, one of three brands that General Motors plans to drop, has been running ads that tell skittish car shoppers, 'We’re still here.' But Saturn is getting harder to find. One of the company’s largest dealers shut down four of his six Saturn stores in Wisconsin on Wednesday."

Yup, no kidding. Saturn shut down my local dealership here in North Jersey (laugh)...which was a big factor for me in leasing my '08 Saturn Vue. Convenience. Practically walking distance from my home, making car maintenance E-Z. Damn you, GM. I'm not happy!

More here:
www.nytimes.com/2009/04/16/business/16saturn.html