July 2025 — This Month Through Your Adapted Lens

404_image_not_found · Jul 18, 2025

Konica Hexanon AR 50/1.4 V1 radioactive

And one from the Canon FL 55/1.2 on a macro adapter, along with a slight crop. I am continually amazed by the sharpness of this lens wide open.

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/404/
If Caesar was alive today I would be chained to an oar.

simple-joy · Jul 18, 2025

404_image_not_found said:
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/404/
If Caesar was alive today I would be chained to an oar.

Excellent shots! I don‘t have any experience with these two lenses but the Canon sounds interesting. I assume they‘re quite expensive…?

I do have the Hexanon 57 mm f/1.4 - nice lens but I haven’t been able to find a way to adopt it properly yet.

--
Experimenting manual lens enthusiast.

simple.joy

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404_image_not_found · Jul 18, 2025

simple-joy said:
Excellent shots! I don‘t have any experience with these two lenses but the Canon sounds interesting. I assume they‘re quite expensive…?

I do have the Hexanon 57 mm f/1.4 - nice lens but I haven’t been able to find a way to adopt it properly yet.

The Canon is actually pretty affordable for a 1.2 lens. Clean copies can usually be found for between 150 and 250. I dont know how other copies perform, I have only ever had this one. I really think it must be an exceptional example of the lens. I think Canon also made a 58/1.2 in FL mount, but that one is radioactive. I know my lens is not radioactive, but it does have an amber coating that can make you think it is. There might have been another version of the FL 55/1.2 that is radioactive, but memory fails me. Overall, if you get a good copy, I highly recommend one.

Which camera would you adopt the Hexanon to? I think a Hexanon AR adapter is available for all the mirrorless systems. What I have never seen is a Macro adapter for Konica AR mount for ANY mirrorless system. There is a bit of a workaround though. If you get a Konica AR to Leica M adapter and then put that on a Leica M macro adapter to whatever camera system you have then you can increase the close focus a bit. I may try that soon.

simple-joy · Jul 18, 2025

404_image_not_found said:
simple-joy said:

Excellent shots! I don‘t have any experience with these two lenses but the Canon sounds interesting. I assume they‘re quite expensive…?

I do have the Hexanon 57 mm f/1.4 - nice lens but I haven’t been able to find a way to adopt it properly yet.

Click to expand...

The Canon is actually pretty affordable for a 1.2 lens. Clean copies can usually be found for between 150 and 250. I dont know how other copies perform, I have only ever had this one. I really think it must be an exceptional example of the lens. I think Canon also made a 58/1.2 in FL mount, but that one is radioactive. I know my lens is not radioactive, but it does have an amber coating that can make you think it is. There might have been another version of the FL 55/1.2 that is radioactive, but memory fails me. Overall, if you get a good copy, I highly recommend one.

Which camera would you adopt the Hexanon to? I think a Hexanon AR adapter is available for all the mirrorless systems. What I have never seen is a Macro adapter for Konica AR mount for ANY mirrorless system. There is a bit of a workaround though. If you get a Konica AR to Leica M adapter and then put that on a Leica M macro adapter to whatever camera system you have then you can increase the close focus a bit. I may try that soon.

404_image_not_found · Jul 18, 2025

simple-joy said:
404_image_not_found said:

simple-joy said:

Excellent shots! I don‘t have any experience with these two lenses but the Canon sounds interesting. I assume they‘re quite expensive…?

I do have the Hexanon 57 mm f/1.4 - nice lens but I haven’t been able to find a way to adopt it properly yet.

Click to expand...

The Canon is actually pretty affordable for a 1.2 lens. Clean copies can usually be found for between 150 and 250. I dont know how other copies perform, I have only ever had this one. I really think it must be an exceptional example of the lens. I think Canon also made a 58/1.2 in FL mount, but that one is radioactive. I know my lens is not radioactive, but it does have an amber coating that can make you think it is. There might have been another version of the FL 55/1.2 that is radioactive, but memory fails me. Overall, if you get a good copy, I highly recommend one.

Which camera would you adopt the Hexanon to? I think a Hexanon AR adapter is available for all the mirrorless systems. What I have never seen is a Macro adapter for Konica AR mount for ANY mirrorless system. There is a bit of a workaround though. If you get a Konica AR to Leica M adapter and then put that on a Leica M macro adapter to whatever camera system you have then you can increase the close focus a bit. I may try that soon.

Click to expand...

Thanks a lot for that information. I‘d like to adapt the lens to M42 unfortunately… and as far as I know there‘s no such option.

Oh, right. Flange distance is way to short on K AR.

T-Rex Mark · Jul 18, 2025

404_image_not_found said:
Konica Hexanon AR 50/1.4 V1 radioactive

And one from the Canon FL 55/1.2 on a macro adapter, along with a slight crop. I am continually amazed by the sharpness of this lens wide open.

--
/404/
If Caesar was alive today I would be chained to an oar.

Love the mood of your images, I do have a nice sample of the Konica 50/1.4, also radioactive, not sure of the version but it is a very nice lens indeed. Somehow I ended up with Fujinon and Yashinon and I believe they are all the same design and all are radioactive. I have not yet experienced any of the Canon vintage glass although have been looking at this lens time to time as I believe it is the most affordable f1.2, this is an excellent showcase for it.

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500px

500px.com

T-Rex Mark · Jul 18, 2025

Although quite a bit tamed with the correct element orientation (still amazed how Tons o Glass picked it up!), the lens has a wild streak, i had only a little time to experiment but after rain. It is not the sharpest triplet but for the size and likely very inexpensive glass and uncoated glass (and with no blackening on the elements), it is still a very fun lens.

galaxies on a leaf

This is the sharpest I could get. Not Nat Geo yet a nice portrait here

Full body

Focus on the bug

Still did not get the aperture upfront but the one behind allows to control flare

A bit more sharpness and bokeh showcase

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https://500px.com/bc-foto

simple-joy · Jul 18, 2025

404_image_not_found said:
Oh, right. Flange distance is way to short on K AR.

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I don‘t need M42 in terms of flange distance, just need the mount… but I‘ll likely have to use some sort of clamp solution.

Tons o Glass · Jul 20, 2025

T-Rex Mark said:
Although quite a bit tamed with the correct element orientation (still amazed how Tons o Glass picked it up!)

Wee! My thought process is basically a series of assumptions, so if one assumption is wrong, then I am very, very wrong. I just happen to be on a hot streak this week hehe!

T-Rex Mark said:
, the lens has a wild streak, i had only a little time to experiment but after rain. It is not the sharpest triplet but for the size and likely very inexpensive glass and uncoated glass (and with no blackening on the elements), it is still a very fun lens.

galaxies on a leaf

Cool shot, it looks to be pretty bubbly close to the plane of focus. I need more dew drops for more bubbles / celestial bodies! The lens is looking sharp enough to me to be a go-to lens for bubble-hunting.

T-Rex Mark said:
Full body

I can't get over this dude's face; who will be voicing his character in A Bug's Life 3? Well captured!

Tomm111 · Jul 21, 2025

Just a pink poppy and friend

T-Rex Mark · Jul 21, 2025

Tomm111 said:
Just a pink poppy and friend

Wow that’s great! Besides clarity and sharpness (nice attestation to the lens capability), the colors are so good!

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500px

500px.com

Tomm111 · Jul 21, 2025

Thank you, I worked as a medical photographer with Micro Nikkors, so I trust them. I was going to buy a Leica 100 macro R, but this one came up for about 1/5th the price. So I picked up an old faithful.

404_image_not_found · Jul 22, 2025

T-Rex Mark said:
Love the mood of your images, I do have a nice sample of the Konica 50/1.4, also radioactive, not sure of the version but it is a very nice lens indeed. Somehow I ended up with Fujinon and Yashinon and I believe they are all the same design and all are radioactive. I have not yet experienced any of the Canon vintage glass although have been looking at this lens time to time as I believe it is the most affordable f1.2, this is an excellent showcase for it.

Thank you Mark, glad you like them. I'm always going for that certain mood in my shots. As for the Konica, there were only two versions. The first is radioactive, the second is not. There were some minor changes between the two but nothing major I think. They are both very good lenses if you find a good copy. And I do believe the old FL is the most affordable standard 1.2 you can find. If most of them have performance similar to mine then it is definitely flying under the radar for sure. A real sleeper lens.

404_image_not_found · Jul 22, 2025

T-Rex Mark said:
Although quite a bit tamed with the correct element orientation (still amazed how Tons o Glass picked it up!), the lens has a wild streak, i had only a little time to experiment but after rain. It is not the sharpest triplet but for the size and likely very inexpensive glass and uncoated glass (and with no blackening on the elements), it is still a very fun lens.

Never seen pinpoint bokeh like that. Really interesting.

T-Rex Mark said:
galaxies on a leaf

This is the sharpest I could get. Not Nat Geo yet a nice portrait here

Full body

Focus on the bug

Still did not get the aperture upfront but the one behind allows to control flare

A bit more sharpness and bokeh showcase

Some very nice shots here. Great mood. especially on the flowers.

--
/404/
If Caesar was alive today I would be chained to an oar.

404_image_not_found · Jul 22, 2025

Tons o Glass said:
Tons o Glass said:

Full body

Click to expand...

I can't get over this dude's face; who will be voicing his character in A Bug's Life 3?

Robert De Niro.

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/404/
If Caesar was alive today I would be chained to an oar.

simple-joy · Jul 22, 2025

This lens was likely used on security cameras and isn't outstanding in terms of quality. I still think that it produces interesting results and it covers full frame, which is nice.

There's not much information online about this one but I think that it is a 6 elements in 6 groups (later) Curtagon design:

C-Curtagon 35 mm f/2.8 (just an assumption based on the spiral-m42 blog for now....

If you have any different information about that lens and its design, please let me know.

This one was among 3 lenses which I took with me on my holiday trip to Italy.

And a couple of (cross view) stereo shots:

--
Experimenting manual lens enthusiast.

simple.joy

Explore simple.joy’s 4,274 photos on Flickr!

www.flickr.com

xtam667 · Jul 22, 2025

This lens was used to take boring pictures of cathode ray tube oscilloscope screens. It is an 8-element design in a nearly symmetrical double Gauss formula. At its intended magnification of 1/5 it is very sharp and well corrected for a 50-year old design. Out of this range it can do pretty weird things though.

Around the nominal working distance I find it spectacularly sharp wide open and quite well behaved overall. The following two are full 45MP frames, check at 100%.

Focus a bit further out and it becomes wild again, still retaining a very decent sharpness in the center:

Shooting with it is great fun and I am still learning its quirks. Clearly a niche thing, but definitely a keeper.

simple-joy · Jul 23, 2025

xtam667 said:
This lens was used to take boring pictures of cathode ray tube oscilloscope screens. It is an 8-element design in a nearly symmetrical double Gauss formula. At its intended magnification of 1/5 it is very sharp and well corrected for a 50-year old design. Out of this range it can do pretty weird things though.

Shooting with it is great fun and I am still learning its quirks. Clearly a niche thing, but definitely a keeper.

Very nice - great shots! I do have the JML version of this lens (very similar specs and made for the same application, as far as I know likely later on as a cheaper alternative to the Nikon lens) and it's equally great fun. Does the Nikon vignette considerably at distance as well?

--
Experimenting manual lens enthusiast.

simple.joy

Explore simple.joy’s 4,274 photos on Flickr!

www.flickr.com

xtam667 · Jul 23, 2025

simple-joy said:
simple-joy said:

Shooting with it is great fun and I am still learning its quirks. Clearly a niche thing, but definitely a keeper.

Click to expand...

Very nice - great shots! I do have the JML version of this lens (very similar specs and made for the same application, as far as I know likely later on as a cheaper alternative to the Nikon lens) and it's equally great fun. Does the Nikon vignette considerably at distance as well?

At infinity it vignettes considerably and it is just bad. It blurs the edges and corners no matter the aperture. The central area is good, but even there most high quality double Gauss lenses would show better performance.

Tomm111 · Jul 23, 2025

The images look fairly good. Since the first SLR I used was a Retina Reflex III with a 50 and 135mm Schneider. I inherited them when my father past, he was using an Instamatic Reflex at the end. He had a 28 Curtagon as his normal lens. I didn't have a 28mm so I adapted it to my Leica digital CL, as with your lens it isn't a fantastic lens, not bad but not on Leica level. Seeing your images I looked for a 35 f2.8 in DKL mount, I had only seen 35 f4s. Ordered a 35 f2.8 DKL, we'll see. I'll post some photos from the 28 f4.

July 2025 — This Month Through Your Adapted Lens

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