Shooting the Carl Zeiss Jena Sonnar 180mm f/2.8 wide open

According to photographers such as Martin Henson and Zach Horton the Carl Zeiss Jena Sonnar 180mm f/2.8 is a joy to shoot wide open. Sharp where it counts and a dreamy bokeh. The 180mm f/2.8 was one of the first Carl Zeiss Jena lenses I bought to complement my Pentax 645 set. As my example of this lens had slow moving aperture blades (when they were inclined to move at all...) it didn't get as much use as some of my other Carl Zeiss Jena lenses. But seeing the results of this lens wide open at f/2.8 I decided to take the 645Z - 180mm combo out for a spin.

The Carl Zeiss Jena Sonnar 180mm f/2.8

My version predates the 'zebra' design and is one of the older models of this lens. It was produced from 1961 to 1963 and is single coated. The 180mm is somewhat on the heavy side but little wonder as this lens is built like a tank. I found that, when coupled to my Pentax 645 cameras, it is fine to shoot hand-held but I might be biased as I am used to shooting long telephoto lenses hand-held - one of the perks of aviation photography. To fit this lens - or any lens with the Pentacon Six mount - on my Pentaxes I use a P6-645 adapter. There are plenty of these on eBay where they sell for about € 30.

In the field

In the field, or rather, in the quiet serenity of the Naarden Old Cemetery I set out to see what this lens could do. I am quite pleased with the results. Good separation at f/2.8, the bokeh is pleasing and not distracting and the lens has that dreamy look you can't seem to get with modern optimized-for-digital lenses. The fact that this lens has only single coating is no doubt responsible for that. There is surprisingly little CA on the images this lens produces which surprised me. I found it difficult to focus at times without the aid of a split-screen focusing screen though but that is more the result of fitting this lens to my digital Pentax (which lacks a split screen focusing screen) than anything else. 

I'll leave you with a few shots from today's outing.

The guns of Naarden

Recently I've acquired a Pentax 645N that I yet had to test. Today I decided to do just that and take the 645N for a walk in the fortress city of Naarden, Naarden Vesting. I grabbed my SMC Pentax-FA 645 Zoom 45-85mm f/4.5 lens and some 120 medium format film, joined up with fellow photographer Joeri van Veen and off we went.

Photo: Joeri van Veen

Naarden has a long military history and has been a fortified city for centuries. Parts of the 17th century fortifications survive to this day and have been added to ever since. Part of both the Old and New Dutch Water Lines, Naarden remained garrisoned in one way or another until the end of World War Two. The last MoD buildings were turned over to the city for civilian use in 1986.

The guns of Naarden

Dotted around the cityscape of Naarden are several artillery pieces. I've shot some of them before but pretty much took them for granted. These would be my photo-theme for today. When you enter the city from the north you'll find the first gun on your left.

This is a 30-pounder gun cast in the province of Luik in 1855. The serial number on the barrel is hard to read but has three digits and ends with a 6. As with all the guns currently displayed in Naarden the barrel is on loan from the excellent Vestingmuseum. The gun carriage was new-built in 2018.

When you head east you'll find gun number two in front of the Arsenaal building. This was the last building that the MoD transferred to the city in 1986. There had been guns mounted in front of the Arsenal before as sort of a gate-guard but these had been removed quite some time ago.

Now a 30-pounder with serial number 75, cast in 1831 once again guards the Arsenaal. This artillery piece was ceremonially unveiled in 2020. 

When you continue south you'll pass the quarters of the Foundation Fortress City Naarden. They are the ones responsible for restoring the gun barrels and building the gun carriages. I was pleasantly surprised to find two unused barrels stored in front of their quarters.

The barrel on the left is 30-pounder number 3. On the right is 12-pounder 23, cast in Luik in 1818.

When you follow the city walls towards the west you'll get to the Utrecht Gate. Guarding this gate is a 20-pounder gun.

This is 20-pounder gun 56, cast in 1839. The gun carriage was built new in 1988 and restored in 2018.

If you continue on a westerly heading you'll get to the Vesting museum. This museum, which covers the history of the fortress of Naarden, is currently closed due to the COVID-19 restrictions. However, when passing the gate you'll get a glimpse of what the museum has to offer.

Heading north from here takes you to the former entrance of the Vesting Museum. Two guns guard the gate here.

On the left is serial number 171, cast in 1811. 

On the right is serial number 186, again cast in 1811. 

Inspecting number 186. Photo: Joeri van Veen.

I managed to shoot one and a half roll of 120 film on my Pentax 645N. Once I finish the second roll of film I'll be sending these away for development. For now these digital photo's will have to do :-).

Location: Naarden
Camera: Pentax 645Z
Lens: SMC Pentax-DFA 645 55mm f/2.8 AL [IF] SDM AW

Winter

With a full week of snow - almost unheard of here - last week really was a winter landscape photographers delight. 

My Pentax 645Z fitted with a Super-Multi-Coated Takumar/6x7 105mm f/2.4 lens 

As with my first outing, I decided to go to the Naardermeer en brought along my Pentax 645Z. This time I went medieval manual focus and I chose one of the 67 series of lenses, the 105mm f/2.4.

Location: Naardermeer
Camera: Pentax 645Z
Lens: Super-Multi-Coated Takumar/6x7 105mm f/2.4

I really enjoyed using the 105mm again. Yes, it is a big son of a gun but big is better when you are using gloves as this makes focusing a lot easier. I used one of those Pentax-built 67-645 adapters, with these the aperture ring on the lens works properly i.e. no opening the lens up for focusing and then stopping it down.

Brothers

Later that same day I went out for a small stroll and brought both digital Pentaxes. Again, I went manual focus with the 645Z, now fitted with a Carl Zeiss Jena MC Biometar 80mm f/2.8. The 645D was equipped with the SMC Pentax-FA 80-160mm f/4.5, a very nice all-round lens. Originally developed for the Pentax 645N 120 film camera this works like a charm on the digital 645 bodies. 

Location: Naarden
Camera: Pentax 645Z
Lens: Carl Zeiss Jena MC Biometar 80mm f/2.8

Location: Naarden
Camera: Pentax 645D
Lens: SMC Pentax-FA 80-160mm f/4.5

The last photos in this series were taken in the Naarden Citadel.

Location: Naarden
Camera: Canon EOS 90D
Lens: Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM

Tripod: Manfrotto 144B frame with a Manfrotto 804RC2 head

Snow

I've probably told you that I'm a sucker for snowy landscape photo's but even if I didn't you'd very likely get that message after seeing these shots. With lovely evening light and snowy fields I joined up with fellow photographer Joeri van Veen and took the Pentax 645Z out for a spin.

Camera of choice

While I selected the 645Z as I'm still getting to know this camera Joeri brought a Sony A7. Ideally suited for trekking, the A7 is a compact camera that packs quite a punch image-wise. Funnily enough Sony's A7R was one of the cameras that made the shortlist a few years ago when it was time to upgrade my set of digital cameras after years of using a Canon EOS-1Ds and EOS-1D Mark II combination. If you're interested, I did a write-up of that selection process which ultimately led to me acquiring my Pentax 645D. Joeri has since gone further and now usually fields a very impressive Cambo Ultima 23D large format camera combined with a Leaf Aptus 22 digital back. Impressive as it is, a Cambo set is not considered ideal for hiking so Joeri quite sensibly bought his Sony A7 as an easy-to-carry companion to the Cambo.

With regards to the 645Z I am very impressed by its photographs. That huge sensor captures detail like no other sensor I've seen and even a cropped image from this camera packs a lot of punch. Let me show you a few examples:

A few more (un-cropped) shots from earlier this evening:

Location: Naarden
Camera: Pentax 645Z
Lens: SMC Pentax-DFA 645 55mm f/2.8 AL [IF] SDM AW

Pentax 645Z cold weather trials

As I write this it is a comfortable 20 degrees Celcius inside. Outside however is another matter. At minus four degrees Celsius with snow falling and a fierce wind blowing sane people would stay indoors. I however ventured outside, bringing my new camera with me.

Enter the Pentax 645Z

I've recently added a Pentax 645Z to my arsenal. I've been more than happy with its predecessor, the Pentax 645D, for several years and when I got the chance to acquire a brand new Pentax 645Z for a reasonable price I immediately jumped at it! I've been in love with Pentax medium format cameras ever since I've bought my first Pentax 6x7 about ten years ago, a true medium format classic. A Pentax 645 soon followed as it was able to use the 67 type lenses as well with a custom adapter and before I knew it I was hooked to the 645 series. I have since added the 645N and 645D models to that collection.

One of the things I love about the Pentax 645 series is its ability to use very different lenses on it. While I've always loved the 'native' 645 glass the fact that with an adapter you're able to use 67 series lenses on any Pentax 645 model is perfect for me since I started out with the Pentax 67 series to begin with and I've managed to obtain quite a few 67 lenses. If you can, use a Pentax built adapter that allows for the proper use of your aperture ring, this avoids having to open up the lens completely to focus and then 'stopping down' to your desired f-stop. Other lenses however can also be used with an adapter. If you're a fan of Carl Zeiss lenses you're in luck because adapters exist for both the Hasselblad V mount and the Pentacon 6 mount that allow you to use both the West- end East German built Carl Zeiss lenses on a Pentax 645 series camera. And if, like me, you dabble in Soviet/Ukraine built cameras like the Kiev 88CM and their lenses you can use those lenses as well as they use the same Pentacon 6 mount.

Wintery conditions

Our climate is influenced by the North Sea and the Atlantic Ocean with relatively cool summers and moderate winters - i.e. not that much snow and sub-zero temperatures. If however the east brings us cold and snow it is almost impossible for me to resist venturing out and enjoying the snow. As such I grabbed my Pentax 645Z and off I was to get me some shots. As this was the first time I would take the 645Z in freezing temperatures there were a few things for me to test: 1. The actual handling of the camera when wearing gloves. 2. Battery life. 3. Camera response times. 4. The use of live view and the adjustable screen. I wasn't worried about the snow and gales, the 645Z - like its predecessor - is built like the proverbial tank, is equipped with weather sealing and can take care of itself in inclement weather. What I found was that 1. This camera is the perfect camera to use when wearing gloves. Its size and the spacing between the buttons are excellent for gloved fingers to operate. 2. With a fresh and fully charged battery the cold was no issue. I've had more problems with my Canon EOS-1Ds and 1D Mark II cameras with regards to battery life in cold circumstances than I've had now. 3. I've been amazed how quick this camera responds when compared to its older brother so no issues there for as far as I am concerned. 4. Ah yes, live view. As it turned out I suffered more from the freezing gales than the camera did so I simply forgot to employ it. Live view remains to be tested. Another observation is that when you use an auto focus lens the actual area covered by the focus points is not that big. As it originates from the K-3 and the 645Z has a bigger sensor this is something to be expected but if you want to keep your point of interest focused it tends to be at the center of your composition. Is this a big deal? Not really, I plan to use a lot of manual focus lenses on it and when shooting aviation where I do use auto focus I tend to have the aircraft in a frame-filling position anyway so no worries there. And the image quality? Hot damn, this camera delivers! I'm quite happy with these first results.

The shots

All photos were converted from RAW to JPEG and resized, other than that no changes have been made.

Location: Naardermeer
Camera: Pentax 645Z
Lens: SMC Pentax-DFA 645 55mm f/2.8 AL [IF] SDM AW