I got this manual focus m42 screw-mount lens a little more than a year ago at Hampden Junque in Baltimore. Overall it’s a pretty nice lens. It’s compact, shorter than my Super Takumar 135/3.5 but a little fatter. It’s got lots of aperture blades so it produces the bubble-shaped bokeh blobs that I like. The 2.8 widest aperture is fairly fast for low-light shots and easier focusing, and it’s pretty sharp wide open. It even has a built-in sliding lens hood, much better than the screw-on hood on the Super Takumar.
Sadly, I don’t use it much because my 50/1.4 works well for me most of the time. So, the Vivitar 135 mostly gets used around the house to take candid pictures of cats.
Mandi decided to drive an hour to get her hair done at Sprout in Baltimore a couple of weeks ago. She talked me into getting my hair cut too, but since man hair is tamed 3 times faster than lady hair I was left to wander around Hampden for an hour or so.
I’m not much of a shopper, but Hampden has a lot of antique shops and a couple are more like junk shops, which I think are awesome. Antique shops are boring, but a junk shop? You could find anything in one of those! Hampden Junque is easily the junkiest of the lot, a pretty small shop with shelves crammed with curiosities. In a dark corner I found a jumble of photographic equipment, including this Yashinon 35/2.8, bargain-priced at $10.
It looks pretty good overall: the aperture blades move well, the focus is smooth (a little tight though), there’s no sign of fungus inside, and both a rear cap and funky cross screen filter were included. There’s a little dent in the focus ring, but that doesn’t seem to be the cause of the stiffness – I think the grease inside is just a bit old. The big difference between it and my 35/3.5 Super-Takumar is the 2.8 minimum aperture, which provides more light for easier focusing. The Yashinon seems just as sharp, and I think I like the colors a little better. It’s not a must-have, but if you’re looking for a decent 35mm screw-mount lens this is a fine choice…especially if you can find one for $10!
