The last photos of 2023

So it's 16:36 hours on December 31st, 2023 and I just got back from my 'daily mile'. It sounds like a war zone out there, with the local younglings having more fun with fireworks than Merry and Pippin at Bilbo's birthday. 

Canon EOS 90D with a Meyer-Optik Görlitz Oreston 50mm f/1.8

I wanted to get some last shots of the year and much like last year, it was wet and drab today so I grabbed something digital to capture the last day of 2023. That 'something digital' had a Meyer-Optik Görlitz Oreston 50mm f/1.8 lens fitted, a lens that that I have become quite fond of since I acquired it earlier this year. Yes, lenses like this Oreston are old but there is something about them as they deliver images with something that I can only describe as, well, instant coolness. A few examples: 

Cherry blossom in December?

Thanks for visiting this year. You all have a very, very good 2024 and see you next year!

Camera review: The Exa Ic

The camera

This review is about the Ihagee Exa Ic single lens reflex camera. Ihagee from Dresden in Germany is perhaps most well known for their Exakta line of cameras but they also manufactured the Exa line of cameras alongside the Exaktas. Three models were produced, the Exa (1951-1962), the Exa I series (1962-1987) and the Exa II (1960-1969). The Exa and Exa I are basically different versions of the same camera with interchangeable view finders. The Exa II was a simplified camera that was produced alongside the Exa and Exa I.

Ihagee Exa Ic fitted with an Exaktar 55mm f/1.4

All Exa cameras, with the exception of the Exa Ib and Ic, use the Exakta mount that Ihagee introduced with their Exakta cameras. The Exa Ib and Ic use the M42 mount, enabling the use of loads of M42 lenses from all kinds of manufacturers. As with the preceding Exa Ia, the position of the shutter button is located on the left side of the camera body. This is a leftover from the early Exakta designs, kept in place to be able to use the same automatic aperture lenses that the Exakta uses. As the Exa Ib and Ic use M42 lenses this was not a necessity any longer but in order to simplify production the shutter button stayed where it was.

These Exa cameras have a guillotine type shutter rather than the more usual focal-plane shutter. This results in slower shutter speeds than we are used to these days with a modest top speed of 1/175th of a second.

Specifications

Camera:                Ihagee Exa Ic

Built:                    1985-1987

Mount:                  M42

Shutter speeds:     1/30th - 1/175th of a second, B

Self timer:            no

Size:                     130 mm wide, 97 mm high* and 46 mm deep

Light metering:     no

Hot shoe:              no

Battery:                none

* with the pentaprism viewfinder fitted

Shooting

My copy is an Exa Ic built in the mid-1980s by VEB Certo-Kamerawerk Dresden under license from Ihagee. At that time both Ihagee and Certo were part of the VEB Pentacon conglomerate. Certo built the last series of the Exa Ib and all of the Exa Ic models. Certo built Exas can be identified by the letter C before the serial number.

I managed to obtain my Exa Ic together with an Exa Ib I have yet to shoot. All Exa Ic models have a beautiful black finish. This Exa is pristine and works like a charm. I just love the simple smooth lines of these cameras.  

Using this camera feels very intuitive apart from the shutter button which as mentioned is located on the left side of the camera body. I've fitted the Exa Ic with an Exaktar 55mm f/1.4 lens (no relation with Ihagee for as far as I am aware as I believe this particular lens was built by Sankor), loaded up some Fomapan 200 and went off to the Lake Naarden nature preserve.

All in all I am pretty pleased with the performance of the Exa Ic. When I reviewed the Exa Ia I stated that I was thinking of adding an Exa Ib (or Ic) to my collection to use in combination with my M42 lenses. I aquired both. :-) 

Images

Fellow photographer Pedro and his Exakta

Adapter review: The Fittings4you Exakta lens to Canon EOS camera adapter

The adapter

This review is about the Fittings4you Exakta lens mount to Canon EOS camera adapter. Now, I usually don't review adapters but I made an exception here, there are a few thing one needs to know before ordering an Exakta lens mount to Canon EOS camera adapter. My adapter is manufactured by Fittings4you but I suspect that my experiences apply to all brands.

The adapter fitted on the Oreston 50mm f/1.8

Specifications

Adapter:               Fittings4you Exakta lens mount to Canon EOS camera adapter

Camera mount:     Canon EF

Lens mount:          Exakta

Ihagee, the manufacturer of the Exakta cameras, never built lenses for their cameras. Manufacturers such as Meyer-Optik Görlitz, Carl Zeiss Jena, Schneider-Kreuznach and Isco Göttingen (to name just a few) were responsible for the construction of lenses with the Exakta mount. These manufacturers each built their own 'version' of the Exakta mount and this is important to know when using such an adapter. I found that my Meyer-Optik Görlitz lenses fit this adapter perfectly, however my Carl Zeiss Jena lenses simply won't fit. 

Another shot of the Oreston

Fitting the adapter on any kind of EOS camera is simple enough, I've tried several film and digital Canon EOS bodies and they all fit perfectly. There is no play whatsoever. However, there are a few practical issues when using Exakta mount lenses on a Canon EOS body. 

1. When using Meyer-Optik Görlitz lenses I found that when shooting with a film of full frame digital camera the mirror will not return to the 'down' position after taking a shot. I have not been able to test this with the Carl Zeiss Jena lenses I own since they won't fit this adapter but I would assume that this would be the case with any other brand too. A digital EOS with an EF-S mount has no such problems.

2. Exakta mount lenses usually come in two variants, those with and without an aperture coupling device that protrudes from the lens. The design of the built-in flash on the EOS xxD, xxxD and xxxxD bodies prohibits the use of lenses fitted with this device as there is simply no room to fit and to turn the lens. The built-in flash protrudes too far from the camera body. Lenses without this device work without problems.

Shooting

Unhappy leaves (Lydith 30mm f/3.5)

On my Canon EOS 90D the adapter fits snugly. I've been taking shots using the Meyer-Optik Görlitz Lydith 30mm f/3.5 and Oreston 50mm f/1.8. The fit of both lenses is good, no play whatsoever. This adapter will allow me to get to know these lenses a lot better and that is a big plus. Just too bad that I cannot use them on my full frame camera. But when factoring in the limits you can have a lot of fun with these old lenses on your Canon EOS camera with an APS-C (crop) sensor.

Winter 2023

Now that spring has arrived I find myself looking back to winter - my photography last winter that is. So what have I been up to in the last three months?

45 Squadron Phenom 100 ZM337 landing at RAF Cranwell

Winter weather

Contrary to popular belief we sometimes actually have winter weather in Dutch winters. Not much, true, but I guess we lucked out. With actual ice and snow around my good friend Joeri and I dropped everything we were doing and headed out into the freezing cold.

Joeri trying out my Pentax 50mm f/1.2 lens

Skating at Lake Naarden

Just a few days before I managed to get my hands on a 45mm pancake lens. A perfect time to see what this could do. Joeri thought pretty much the same thing, trying out my Pentax 50mm f/1.2 lens on his Sony A7. Check out his thoughts on this combo.

My small automobile after the first snow

Snow on the meadows

More snow on the meadows

Sadly the snow thawed away after a few days, being replaced by rain...

Carl Zeiss Jena Biotar 80mm f/2.8

Another find was a pristine Carl Zeiss Jena Biotar 80mm f/2.8 P6 mount lens at a local photography fair. I was keen to put this lens through its paces so I called up Joeri and off we went.

No trespassing

Joeri toting his trusty Sony A7

The grey brick road

In this case I grabbed my Pentax 645Z and used an P6-Pentax 645 adapter. I am very satisfied with the way the lens performed, this copy is a keeper.

Canon EF 35mm f/2

Another lens I got acquainted with was the Canon EF 35mm f/2. I've had this lens for a while now but somehow I always reached for the 24-105 or similar lens when out and about with my Canons. This is the original 35mm, not the later IS version. I actually enjoyed the 35mm more than I expected. I shot both digital and film with this lens, here is an example of a film shot:

Soviet anti-aircraft gun at the Vesting Museum

Ihagee Exa Ia

This winter I bagged not only a few lenses but a new (to me) camera as well. 

Ihagee Exa Ia fitted with a Domiplan 50mm f/2.8

This really is a fun little camera. It certainly is different from the mainstream cameras and I guess that this is part of the fun. I did a write-up of my experiences if you're interested.

Cobra Warrior 2023

In the last days of March I decided to travel to the UK to catch RAF exercise Cobra Warrior 2023. With aircraft from faraway places like India and Saudi Arabia attending this made for an interesting few days in England.

An Indian Mirage 2000 in typical English weather

The flight line at RAF Barkston Heath

A Finnish Air Force Hornet in the evening sun

Flying daily patrols over eastern Europe is this RC-135W

All in all I am quite pleased with the shots I managed to take.

Spring

This is it for winter 2023. See you in the spring!

Camera review: The Exa Ia

The camera

This review is about the Ihagee Exa Ia single lens reflex camera. Ihagee from Dresden in Germany is perhaps most well known for their Exakta line of cameras but they also manufactured the Exa line of cameras alongside the Exaktas. Three models were produced, the Exa (1951-1962), the Exa I series (1962-1987) and the Exa II (1960-1969). The Exa and Exa I are basically different versions of the same camera with interchangeable view finders. The Exa II was a simplified camera that was produced alongside the Exa and Exa I.

Ihagee Exa Ia fitted with a Meyer-Optik Görlitz Lydith 30mm f/3.5

All Exa cameras, with the exception of the Exa Ib and Ic, use the Exakta mount that Ihagee introduced with their Exakta cameras. The Exa Ib and Ic use the M42 mount, enabling the use of loads of M42 lenses from all kinds of manufacturers. Ihagee didn't manufacture lenses for their Exakta's and Exa's themselves, this was done by companies such as Carl Zeiss Jena, Meyer-Optik Görlitz and others. 

The Exa cameras have a guillotine type shutter rather than the more usual focal-plane shutter. This results in slower shutter speeds than we are used to these days with a modest top speed of 1/175th of a second.

Specifications

Camera:                Ihagee Exa Ia

Built:                    1962-1977

Mount:                  Exakta

Shutter speeds:     1/30th - 1/175th of a second, B

Self timer:            no

Size:                     130 mm wide, 97 mm high* and 46 mm deep

Light metering:     no

Hot shoe:              no

Battery:                none

* with the pentaprism viewfinder fitted

Shooting

My copy is an Exa Ia built in the mid-1970s. It has the Exakta mount and was also built with different names (Elbaflex 175, Exakta 100 and VX-100). I managed to obtain my Exa Ia together with a few lenses and an Exakta camera which needs some TLC before I can shoot with it. The Exa is pristine and works like a charm. I love the simple smooth lines of these cameras and part of the attraction of the Ihagee cameras stems from the fact that they were built in Dresden as there is a family connection there.

Using this camera feels very intuitive apart from the shutter button, this is located on the left side of the camera body. This is a leftover from the early Exakta designs, kept in place to be able to use the same automatic aperture lenses that the Exakta uses.

I've used two lenses on the Exa thus far, the Meyer-Optik Görlitz Domiplan 50mm f/2.8 and the Meyer-Optik Görlitz Lydith 30mm f/3.5. I also own an Exakta-Pentacon six adapter that I wanted to use with the Carl Zeiss Jena Biotar 80mm f/2.8 but alas, this adapter doesn't lock into place in the mount of my Exa. I've got a few more 50mm lenses and a 135mm lens to try out in the coming days and weeks.

I've taken the camera to some of my local haunts, the Vesting Museum and the fortress city of Naarden.

Images

All in all I am pretty pleased with the performance of the Exa Ia. I expected this to be a backup for my Exakta but it has really stepped up to be the main camera for my Exakta mount lenses. In fact, I am thinking of adding an Exa Ib to my collection to use in combination with my M42 lenses. This is how much I like this little camera.