GeneralGear

May 2, 2025

Walk-around: Konica Hexanon AR 40 mm f/1.8

The Konica Hexanon AR 40 mm f/1.8 is a 1980s kit pancake lens. And it’s cheap as chips. But is it any good?
I went on a spring Sunday walk with only this lens to work with.

April 30, 2025

March-April 2025 Update

This update briefly lists all the new articles/pages added to JAPB during March and April of 2025

March 12, 2025

Walk-around: Chinon Auto Zoom 28-50 mm f/3.5–4.5

This Chinon 28-50 is a compact 1980s wide-angle to standard zoom. The focal length range is (IMO) perfect for an urban walk-around.
Knowing I would have two hours to kill in Tallinn (Estonia), I mounted this lens to see what its weaknesses are.

March 8, 2025

The Chinon 35–70/2.7–3.5 is not a Carl Zeiss Jena lens in disguise (or vice versa).

While I admit that even I was tickled by the obvious commonalities, on close inspection I have a hard time believing these lenses are related.

February 28, 2025

January–February 2025 Update

1-2/2025 has to offer: two new lens mounts, five company profiles, 25 new data sheets, one cold winter walk-around and a deep-dive into the development of a lens over 50+ years. Enjoy.

January 20, 2025

An unsung hero: the 1932 Carl Zeiss Jena Sonnar 135 mm

This article details the development of an arguably very influential lens design: that of the 1932 Carl Zeiss Jena Sonnar 135 mm f/4.

January 12, 2025

Walk-around: Topcon RE.Topcor 35 mm f/2.8

Introduced in 1963, the Topcon RE 35 mm f/2.8 was the only 35 mm lens in the entire Topcon ‘pro’ line. How did it manage to defend its turf so well?

January 1, 2025

“No infinity focus”, and why it’s more complicated than that.

A JAPB reader recently asked me: “What is it you and other bloggers always write about some combinations of legacy lenses and digital cameras, that the combination does not allow infinity focus … Is this not a rather fringe issue?”
Here I dig into the question in some more detail.

December 31, 2024

October-December 2024 Update

This update briefly lists all the 20 new articles/pages added to JAPB during October, November and December of 2024.

September 30, 2024

July–September 2024 Update

This update briefly lists all the new articles/pages added to JAPB during July, August and September of 2024, including two West German lens mounts and 25 new lens data sheets.

June 30, 2024

April–June 2024 Update

This update briefly lists all the new articles/pages added to JAPB during April, May and June of 2024 including an article that summarises all 7 Mamiya 35 mm lens mounts.

Topcon UV Topcor 35 mm f/3.5 lens on Topcon Uni camera with paw patrol toy.

May 31, 2024

Walk-around: Topcon UV Topcor 35 mm f/3.5

This little lens with its modest mainline specifications and with its origins in Topcon’s consumer/budget range does nothing to engender high expectations …

April 29, 2024

Pentaconar lenses

Yes, everyone (whose ever been bitten by the legacy lens bug) has hear about Pentacon lenses. But WTF are Pentaconar lenses? Bear with me.

February 29, 2024

February-March 2024 Update

This update briefly lists all the 32 new lens data sheets and two company profiles added to JAPB during February and March 2024.

February 24, 2024

Carl Zeiss Jena (DDR) P

You might have encountered cheap-looking lenses claiming the illustrious heritage of Carl Zeiss Jena. Lenses looking like the ones above…

January 31, 2024

January 2024 Update

This update briefly lists all the new articles/pages (including 5 articles related to lens mounts and 13 lens data sheets) added to JAPB during January 2024.

January 10, 2024

Soviet stagnation, vapourware and diamonds in the rough.

… not an uncommon occurrence. It even has a name: Vapourware. Vapourware is a product that is announced to the general public but is late, never actually manufactured, or officially cancelled…

December 31, 2023

November-December 2023 Update

Here you can find all new articles/pages added to JAPB during November and December 2023. My personal favourite of these ≈20 additions is the article discussing the ‘Soviet Nikon’.

October 31, 2023

September-October 2023 Update

11 new data sheets is not a lot, but it’s all we managed during two very busy months.

September 15, 2023

Fighting the BULGE: Adapting Canon FL and R lenses

Canon FL and Canon R lenses can be adapted just like Canon FD lenses, except if they have THE BULGE. Read more…

September 1, 2023

July-August 2023 Update

15 new lens data sheets (most of which focus on German and Soviet lenses) as well as two articles.

AI-created image with prompt: A painting in the tradition of soviet realism in which a factory worker is proudly holding a camera.

July 12, 2023

Introducing the Soviet lens ‘business’

You may or may not like Soviet lenses, but if you’re at all interested in the history and development of the optical/camera industries, then…

July 1, 2023

April–June 2023 Update

This Post holds a list of every new content that’s been added to JAPB in April-June 2023.

June 17, 2023

On terminology and names

YMMV, but I’ve always been fascinated by names and terms, and – in my previous research into the naming practices/logic of Meyer-Optik Görlitz – I gathered some other naming-related information, which has now taken the form of two more articles:

JAPB is a website centred on photography and photo gear, with a special interest in using old lenses on modern cameras.

We (currently, I) are not trying to push you to buying new, expensive gear. Instead, our approach is the opposite (in all aspects). Instead we want to help you made informed decisions, and if we can be said to ‘push’ anything, that would be relatively cheap, old gear.

JAPB is non-profit, in fact this is a loss generator. Some day that might change, but we’ll make sure that does not happen at the expense of the audience.

You can read more here.