Sunday I’ve spent an hour taking images with two lenses, the always manual focus Nikon 85/1.4 AI-S and the Tokina 11-16/2.8, normally an autofocus lens, but on the Olympus a manual lens as well.
Using these lenses is a slow process. First I have to open the aperture to its widest, focus using the manual focus zoom (which is very precise), and then I stop the lens down to where I want to use it, switch back from zoom, compose and make the exposure.
This is slow. Very slow. Don’t expect to do this for images of your children or pets (though, see the next post!). It’s what we love to euphemistically call “being slowed down”.
Interestingly enough I enjoyed it with the 85/1.4 and found it needlessly tedious with the 11-16/2.8. Why?
The answer may be, that the 85/1.4 always was a challenge to focus precisely. It also gives me a unique look that I can’t reproduce with, say, the LX5. The 11-16/2.8 on the other hand hardly offers anything that I couldn’t have from the D300 or the LX5, only much more tedious. It’s really easier to focus than the 85/1.4, but I don’t gain anything by using it. It seems my manual focus venture takes an unexpected route 🙂
The Song of the Day is “Slow Down” from India Arie’s 2002 album “Voyage To India”. Hear it on YouTube.