They say that trends and different types of fashion come back in style or in the limelight every 20 years, but I don't think I'm ready to see Cargo Shorts, baggy Corduroy Pants, or Car Belt Buckles come back in style just yet. Calculating the years of when those were in style, it seems to be about right that they do come back soon...Oh the horror! But not all that come back to trend is bad. You can see this with the younger generation's resurgence of interest and in purchasing Vinyl Records and Record Players. I went to see a friend recently talking about how she was going through her closet and found a loose knitted sweater that her mom had gave her years ago. When she first received it, her first impressions..she'd never wear something like that. Although, now she found it deep in her pile of clothes, and decided to wear it as we were out on the town. Maybe our tastes change or the old trends just keep on cycling through. With that said, many of us now have been rummaging through the garage of our family's heirlooms, vintage stores, Craiglist, eBay, and many other marketplace platforms to find those rare goodies. As this is a blog with photography in mind, those rare goodies are those infamous film cameras and old manual focus lenses. With the rise of demand and the scarcity of these goodies, comes the rise of higher prices.
I wanted something a bit unorthodox at least for me; to pair an old manual focusing lens with my Fujifilm X-E2s, but at the same time I did not want to give up an arm and a leg just yet. What if I actually hated the manual focusing involved without the option of autofocus? Therefore, I decided to research what would be a good lens to purchase without breaking the bank. I came upon the Minolta 55mm f1.7. I purchased the lens via eBay and it arrived within a couple of days.
When I first held the lens and inspected it, I was taken back to how great the build quality was; the pictures that the seller provided did not give it justice. The focus and aperture ring was smooth to operate. The lens itself is weighted; you can tell this is stainless steel and is going to be sweet to hold with a camera body; good ol' Japanese ingenuity and quality! Now to operate this lens with my X-E2s, I purchased the K&F Concept Adapter via Amazon. The lens including adapter set me back a whopping $64. That ain't bad at all! I slapped that baby on together and into my X-E2s. I was overjoyed with using the lens, I do enjoy that it makes you slow down to really compose your shot and trains your eyes to focus on the subject and what you're trying to portray. As humans, we have depended so much on technology that it almost becomes a crutch and often we blame technology for the error, at least I know I do. So by using this lens I can take accountability that if the focus is off or focused in on something else, I know it was definitely my fault and not the camera's.
Another element that adds to the user experience is the challenge of shooting the focal length of the lens. It is a 55mm lens slapped onto APS-C sensor. Correct me if I am wrong, but I'm guessing the field of view equivalent is 88mm. It can get some great portraits, but the real challenge was to be more creative when using it in street photography and in my daily use as my main lens. Furthermore, to my surprise, the images that came up were beautiful. The images do come up softer compared to the Fuji X Lenses, but I honestly do not mind it. It gives it its own unique look and the colors come up quite well without being too much contrast. The bokeh it produces can be quite creamy as Milk in Milk Tea.
Are we talking about Milk Tea or the Lens? The Minolta 55mm f1.7 producing some creamy bokeh.
Moreover, at first I was hesitant with using a vintage lens with only manual focus, but the Minolta 55mm f1.7 has taken me by surprise. The build quality is built like a tank and the image quality gives it a nostalgic feeling. Lastly, I love how it challenges me to manually focus and depend on myself rather on lenses that have autofocus. I'm happy I purchased this lens for it is truly a joy to use. With that said, if you want that nostalgic feeling of using old lenses without breaking the bank or you're in a slump with your photography and need a challenge, I invite you to trying out the Minolta 55mm f1.7 or other vintage lenses for that matter. It might just surprise you with what pairing you decide to do.
Stay cool kiddos.
P.S. The photos below are edited to my liking ;)
