It has been a busy couple of weeks, and I have accumulated a few new photography related items. In this post I will cover these purchases, and have a quick chat about their proposed usage in my photography workflow.
Soligor 35mm F/2.8 vintage lens
My first purchase I want to talk about is my Soligor 35mm F/2.8 vintage lens. Made in the 1970s, this lens has the wonderful 35mm focal length that I love so much, with a nice wide F/2.8 aperture. We have not had the weather to really go out and test this lens yet, but I have played with it on my Nikon Z6ii. It has a lovely smooth focus ring, and a nice clicky aperture ring. I was lucky enough to get the lens for just £12.50 and it is in extremely good condition.
As you know, I often use my Yashica 50mmF/2.8 M42 lens, and I wanted a companion lens to it . I chose the Soligor as it was also an M42 mountp and the reviews were very good, plus, I have the adaptor for it already. Going forward, I will probably also get a 28mm M42 lens as I find that I do enjoy using manual lenses on occasions.
Converted CCD camera (to Infrared)
I was offered an Infrared camera conversion by a friend of mine, and I have been after a “real” infrared camera for a long time. As good as filters are on a non-converted camera, you are limited by the use of a tripod for the longer exposures needed to created the infrared. On a fully converted camera of course, there are no such issues, which is absolutely perfect!
The camera is a Lumix TZ10 CCD camera. A great little camera from 2010, featuring a CCD sensor, 12.1 megapixels, a lens equivalent of 25mm-300mm and also offering a multitude of shooting modes. The conversion is using a 680nm filter attachment, which is a perfect wavelength for infrared images.
Overall, on my first dozen or so test shots, I am really excited about this camera! We just need the weather now so I can go out and use it!
Google Pixel 8a mobile phone
While not connected directly to a physical camera, my phone is always with me and after 3 years, I was itching for a new mobile phone contract. I chose the Google Pixel 8a, basically because it was affordable and more than enough phone and camera for what I will be using it for.
The main camera is a 64mp F/1.8 1/1.73″ sensor that down-samples to 12mp. It has a 26mm equivalent lens. The wide angle rear camera is a 13mp F/2.2 lens with 120 degree view, while the front camera is also a 13mp but with a 96.5 degree view. The camera can zoom up to x8, and below is an example of this zoom range.
Overall the image quality is pretty impressive, especially at x.5 through to x2 where I would usually be using the cameras focal length. I’ve used the camera in various situations, and I have been more than happy with the results. As an everyday phone/camera, I am just happy to have a decent phone/camera combination in my pocket!
Here are a few examples.
And that about covers my recent camera related purchases! I hope that you found it of interest!
One Camera One Lens Photography 
Hey Mark,
Well, you were right—very interesting!
The lens is a beauty! And funnily enough, it’s one of the lenses I had my eye on some time ago, along with a 28mm lens on eBay. But it was an auction, and the final price went beyond what I had in mind. That’s usually how it goes—you win some, you lose some.
There were several versions of that lens made in the past. One is an all-black version that stops down to f22, and another, like yours, has silver details and goes to f16. Personally, I think the silver version looks fantastic, but at around €140 plus shipping, I thought it was too much. So, you got yourself quite the bargain! I’m really looking forward to seeing the results.
And you won’t believe it—there are even a few sellers on eBay offering converted cameras, mostly compact models. There’s one seller in the UK, but post-Brexit, shipping to Europe isn’t as practical anymore. There’s also one in Romania and one in Greece, but I wasn’t keen on ordering from those countries. So in the end, I stuck with my Luts for infrared photography.
I’m not that into smartphones. Mine is already four or five years old and will have to last a bit longer.
But you managed to score two fantastic deals! Now, just waiting for some better weather to test them out!
All the best, Mark. Until next time!
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