Hin's Photo Corner

Tamonr adaptall-2 70-150mm f/3.5 (20A) on Mother's Day Weekend 2017

2017-05-22T06:35:00.000-07:00

I took these casual walk-around pictures in Santa Cruz Pier the day before Mother's Day. On Saturday, I did my first rehab hiking 2 months after ACL surgery in Henry Cowell State Park with flat trail and it was a great feeling. And at night we visited the Santa Cruz Pier where we could spot the Santa Cruz Boardwalk from the pier.

In traveling light, I used my Sony mirror-less instead of Pentax. And I have used this lens on Pentax K-x, K20D and K-5 before. It is more well balanced on the Pentax. This zoom lens gets a good recommendation from Hin but I still missed my old faithful with cheaper and likely lesser known manual zoom lens with the Kiron 70-150mm f/3.8 with a 2x tc

Santa Cruz Boardwalk Bokeh
by Hin Man, on Flickr

Santa Cruz Pier Lamp Post
by Hin Man, on Flickr

Sky Window
by Hin Man, on Flickr
shot with a Sony E 35mm f/1.8 prime strolling to find potential dinner place for pre-mother's day celebration. We ended up going home for dinner instead. I made dinner with wife together -- a big mistake as I scrambled when hungry.

Father & Daughter Beach Walk
by Hin Man, on Flickr

Double Down
by Hin Man, on Flickr

I woke up very happy on Monday still thinking how good my birthday was and how great we did on the Mother's Day 2017 with visit to a Guitar Center with drums, guitar, piano and others for fun play. I doubt if Monday was anything that could top my weekend experience. But this picture gives me hope as it is a double down kind of picture that relates one light after the other. I will name it 'double down'

Keeping Us Warm
by Hin Man, on Flickr

Hope you like my walk-around pictures before Mother's Day 2017.

Likely all were shot in f/3.5 with the zoom lens. Most were shot in 150mm and I zoom in to frame in wider view in some of them. The lens is a one-touch zoom and the smooth focusing ring allows me to snap subject into focus. Focusing takes some guesswork as my eyes are plagued with aging decline.

20170513-DSC06528
by Hin Man, on Flickr

url=20170513-DSC06498]Santa Cruz Boardwalk[/url]
by Hin Man, on Flickr

Father & Daughter Beach Walk in B&W
by Hin Man, on Flickr

Santa Cruz Boardwalk Bokeh
by Hin Man, on Flickr

I forget the film simulation that used for the above picture, it is likely using Kodak Ektachrome or Kodachrome 64 professional

Fatherly Walk With Love
by Hin Man, on Flickr

I have this sleeper for a long time, I was biasly thinking of the Vivitar/Kiron copy of 70-150mm f/3.8. I have been unfair to the Tamron Adaptall-2. I almost sell my copy for a meager $39.00. That didn't last when I went for a work out in Homedepot on easy flower pictures. The Tamron 20A bests the Kiron Vivitar in the close up shots and better bokeh. The Kiron is very cold in the tone while the Tamron is still cold but it works well in bokeh. Sharpness goes to the Kiron and no doubt about that especially wide open shots.

20160605-DSC01548
by Hin Man, on Flickr

20160605-DSC01545
by Hin Man, on Flickr

The close up flower shots in my rare blog post in

Hin's Photo Corner: Tamron adaptall-2 70-150mm f/3.5 (20A) Test Shots

Cheers,
Hin

Hin's Brief Post Processing Steps

2017-05-22T06:31:00.004-07:00

I have few pictures to share. All are not taken with my Pentax K-3/K-5 gear but rather my lighter and compact travelling camera with Sony A6000 and a cheap $120 MF lens with Zonlai 25mm f/1.8 in E-mount. Both are processed in Nik Collection. The b&w is done strangely in Agfa film while the color one is likely done in Portra 160 VC along with Detail extractor. Nik collection has other components and I have used mostly in this order

Silver Efex Pro
Color Efex Pro
Analog Film (occasionally)

Valley Of Fire -- Slot Canyon
by Hin Man, on Flickr
* with Fuji Acros simulation. This picture got Flickr Explore two days ago and it is a great honor.

Las Vegas City Lights
by Hin Man, on Flickr
I can't remember -- it is either a Portra 160 VC or Kodachrome 64 professional

20170418-DSC05877-Edit
by Hin Man, on Flickr
with Agfa film simulation -- I rarely use this film simulation

When someone praises my photos and asks me about my editing approach, I feel flushed when I see your comments. There is not much secret in my life or photography -- I love to share when opportunity comes and it is an honor to share my amateur approach in photography. I use the word 'amateur' as I don't like to learn from one master but to learn from others and have my personal touch on things -- be it right or wrong as art form comes from one's vision and not have a fix set of rules that limit creativity. I don't learn from a set of youtubes or a master like Ansel Adam but I experiment in trying it out cluelessly until my approach in editing stick to some consistence. I spend my most time in editing. Editing and post processing is required in all of my photos and sometime I wish there is a camera or a set of techniques that I can do without editing -- I have not found the secrets yet and not even close. I do go through a laborious and painful and joyful process in editing. Processing brings my photographic vision alive and sometime a different vision is rendered after processing -- a surprisingly refreshing result when that happens.

And I hate seeing myself taking multiple shots on the same scene. I like to re-train myself as if I am still shooting film and be content with 1 to 2 shots on the same view before I move to the next scene. I rather have a bad picture and learn from it then spending the countless hours in picking 1 out of 10 similar pictures. I despise people gun-shooting a scene or the same subject with 5 to 11 frames for second to fill the buffer to show how fast their awesome camera can shoot -- I hate it.

My b&w pictures usually go through some editing in LightRoom and then go through Nik Collection using Silver Efex Pro. I highly recommend Google Nik Collectionand please give that free download a trial. It is an eye opener for me as I like to experiment on the Modern Film simulation with various films. The choice of film simulation boils down to the mood of the moment during editing. My default go-to film simulation is Fuji Neopan Acros 100 , followed by Kodak BW400CN, TMax, TriX, and sometime I like stronger contrast with the Ilford. On the odd time, I go with plain Lightroom and start from scratch in setting saturation to 0 and tune the tone curve to my liking on shadows and highlight detail.

Will share more when I think of something critical. Please let me know if I am veering off much from your question. Hope this helps you. We should all share what works and what doesn't.

Happiness On Post Processing & Retouching Photos

2017-05-22T06:27:00.000-07:00

There is no right and wrong in editing to fine tune a picture. I can sometime go overboard in the retouching department

b&w version

Happiness
by Hin Man, on Flickr

I know many of you or a retoucher may like the original one instead

original

Happiness In Blue
by Hin Man, on Flickr

I edited both pictures but the b&w is my refinement and vision in flipping the action from left to right for comfort of viewers. It is more natural for me to view things from let to right. I can't fathom any retoucher will see the way that I see my pictures. But I do think professional retoucher will know more how to best a picture to another level. I am open to find a retoucher for trial.
My brother in law is a professional shooter for wedding and he hands his work to his company and the rest goes to retouchers as well. I know that is likely the most logical way to make money in scale. As an amateur and enthusiast, I find it not as fulfilling because I find the process in editing photos the most rewarding piece in the process. Taking picture is key but the editing part to mold the final picture into the essence of the photo takes the beating out of an ordinary photo to a great photo and I will be empty without it. Maybe when I finally shoot photos for a living, it will be a very different story.

But I doubt if majority photographers will not have a problems in letting someone retouch their own photos. It is unless someone you know in retouching is better, I will feel uncomfortable if I let someone else retouch my own pictures without knowing the retoucher work. Nobody thinks alike and it is not a partial match in style in the retouching process, I would rather do it myself if I can afford to. What if I like the picture darker and softer than that of the retoucher. Any minute difference will create a different mood and essence on what the picture is shot for. In my view, a good picture always have a tone of color, a view with brightness soothed to the tone and hue, luminosity and saturation on all channels meticulously adjusted for the spirit of the picture. I know I may be exaggerating here but that is roughly what I am thinking.

I will never say no to anything as I am forcing myself to think out-of-the-box on ideas and recommendations on the role of retouching one's pictures by others.

Ultra Wide Angle with Sony HDR AS100VR -- Sony Action Cam

2017-05-03T20:08:00.000-07:00

Believe It Or Not -- My Ultra Wide Angle

20170418-DSC05833
by Hin Man, on Flickr

My widest lens is my Pentax DA 15mm f/4.0 but when I go traveling light, I use my mirror-less gear with Sony and currently I simply don't have an ultra wide angle lens that I can count on. Instead, I am using a tiny sensor with an action camera for the occasional need of ultra wide angle. I am not proud of it as it has distortions all over the edges. I have an old version of LR 5.7 on my macbook and pc and the only lens profile closest to Sony Action Cam AS100VR is the Sigma ultra wide or the GoPro Hero 3; both did a worse job in correction and I have not figured out the right manual correction. I have asked Justin to share the profile if he manages to find one. Unfortunately, he seldom shoots still photo with the video gadget. Mine is the older copy gotten in 2015 when I got more trips on skiing and I found the purchase right for my money at the time comparing to Hero3 as it works with a remote control worn as a watch to Rec/Stop on video or take Interval pictures continuously in 2 sec intervals. And the OSS with image stabilization was absent in Gopro Hero3. I have used Sony Action Cam quite a bit but it has no tuning of anything and there is no manual adjustment to the 170 degree shooting. I wish it has an adjustment for a narrower view and with less distortion. I don't quite know how the 170 degree translates to focal length in 35mm term. It is wider than any of my lens in possession.

20170418-DSC05821-2
by Hin Man, on Flickr

20170418-DSC05829
by Hin Man, on Flickr

And with some editings, I find it usable

Valley Of Fire
by Hin Man, on Flickr

Valley Of Fire -- Slot Canyon
by Hin Man, on Flickr

Cosina Matched Macro 1:1 Adapter

2017-04-30T14:36:00.000-07:00

I have the Cosin 1:1 matched macro adapter that originally comes with Vivitar (likely made by cosina) 100mm f/3.5 1:2 macro. If I am not mistaken, the Pentax may have this 100mm f/3.5 macro lens. It is a very valued macro lens in the Pentax community. And I missed my K-x very much. It used to be my traveling lens in New Zealand way back in 2010/2011 timeframe. I was sad to see it going to Pentax service as it died on memory card reader. I later sold it with a cute 4 million knock-off similar bag.

Hin's Photo Corner: Cosina/Pentax/Phoenix/Promaster 1:1 Matched Macro adapter

And I used the above combination for my favorite colors in Green, a bit of pink, blue, and B&W photos

20080619-2593351458_d33b0929e5_o-Edit
by Hin Man, on Flickr

20080620-a50macro_cosina-Edit
by Hin Man, on Flickr

Blue
by Hin Man, on Flickr

All these photos are re-edited in Color Efex Pro in Nik Collection trying to enhance with film simulation. There has been couple of occasions that I could have bought a copy of the Vivitar 100mm f/3.5 1:2 macro but I have refrained well in getting another lens. Now I have two copies of the 1:1 macro adapter in 49mm which will work well as diopter like a UV filter for all of my 49mm lens and I have a few 46mm in Sigma Art E-mount series that I can easily use the adapter for the occasional close up that I love shooting without getting into serious macro with lighting, tripod and the immense amount patience challenge with wind, backlit scenes and the lack of articulating screen in Pentax gear that I use with K-x, K20, K5 and now K-3.

Who loves B&W and Green? I do.

2017-04-29T16:22:00.000-07:00

Droplets in B&W
by Hin Man, on Flickr

Droplets In Green with Provia
by Hin Man, on Flickr

Droplets In B&W
by Hin Man, on Flickr

Droplets In Green
by Hin Man, on Flickr

These bunch of pictures were shot in 2010 with Pentax K-x and I shot them likely with the Kiron 70-150mm f/3.8 in M42 mount.
I no longer have this zoom lens and I have replaced it with Tamron Adaptall-2 70-150mm f/3.5. And I do miss this Kiron zoom lens a bunch. The Kiron has charming characters in good sharpness and it is quick to focus making the lens well suited for street shooting in getting subjects closer from a distance.

Choosing between Sigma Art 30mm f/1.4 or Sony E 35mm f/1.8

2017-04-28T13:21:00.000-07:00

I like to get your inputs in choosing one over the other between Sigma Art 30mm f/1.4 and Sony E 35mm f/1.8. I like the faster speed in Sigma but I have A6000 without IBIS and I like the smaller size in the Sony E 35mm f/1.8 and with OSS. I currently don't shoot much video but I see myself wanting to get into casual video and I see the value of OSS in E 35mm f/1.8. What about image quality, is one better than the one? Please comment and share your thought if you have to choose one of the two.

At mirrorlesscomparison.com:
Sony 35mm f/1.8 vs. Sigma 30mm f/1.4 DC DN vs. Sigma 30mm f/2.8 DN A – The complete comparison

I ended up picking the Sony E 35mm f/1.8 over the Sigma 30mm f/1.4. This is solely based on my wish to keep my A6000 longer as I don't want another camera for now and this prime with OSS is more suited for me when I go for video or single lens out. I know in photos, I may prefer the faster speed and sharpness in the Sigma 30mm f/1.4. If money is not a matter, I will actually get both and sell my Sigma 30mm f/2.8.

Desert Beauty -- Red Rock National Conservation Area

by Hin Man, on Flickr

Desert Beauty

by Hin Man, on Flickr

Desert Beauty

by Hin Man, on Flickr

20170418-DSC05977

by Hin Man, on Flickr

I really like my purchase with Sony E 35mm f/1.8 but I have some difficult time in MF with this lens, I need more practice with focus by wire. Perhaps I should try DMF instead of MF. This lens works great in video with OSS for me.

Anita

by Hin Man, on Flickr

Gusta

by Hin Man, on Flickr

20170416-DSC05332-Edit

by Hin Man, on Flickr

All shots were taken with A6000 in a spring break vacation in Las Vegas and nearby national and state parks. The bokeh is nice and very similar to the E 50mm f/1.8. I find it extremely good in portrait and travel light as a single lens to use. If it is in 30mm wider focal length, it will even be more useful.

More photos with Pentax DA* 16-50 in Yosemite

2017-04-28T11:46:00.003-07:00

I like this one:

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And I finally found another rare one among the few that I have taken with Pentax WR DF-A 100mm f/2.8 macro. I am proud and fond of this macro and sadly I have not put it into good use. While in the valley floor in Yosemite very close to the Yosemite fall, I couldn't move to a farther corner due to cold winter, icy snow and snow sinking deep in many corners.

It turns out that I only have two pictures uploaded that were shot with WR DFA 100mm f/2.8 macro. I can't wait to have more shooting opportunities on the 100mm f/2.8 macro. In the Yosemite Valley floor, the prime lens happen to be too long for the pictures that I am looking for. And I did wish the 16-50 to reach farther as in 16-85 range.

The waterfall is amazing in Yosemite. It is my first Yosemite winter visit and I much prefer the winter view over the summer view when the magical landscape is crowded with people and I feel city urban life in queuing up with long traffic line coming in and out of Yosemite Village area.

Yosemite Visit with Pentax DA* 16-50

2017-04-23T11:56:00.000-07:00

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I bought the DA* 16-50 used a while ago and I have not taken it out for shooting until recent weekends. At first I find it average to good but the wide pictures at 16mm doesn't impress me. The weight and size is well balanced but I prefer something lighter and smaller. My opinion changes towards the positive side once I engage it in wet and cold weather in Yosemite over the Martin Luther King holiday as the weather protection ease my mind in shooting and my confidence with the zoom helps me in the shooting. All the following are shot with my long lost buddy in K-5 and DA* 16-50 and I have a few with WR DFA 100mm f/2.8 macro to share later on.

I am surprised to see other talking about the negative on the flare handling of DA* 16-50 and I am bit bumped when I see the distracting flare on the back of my newly found friend Daniel P. who shot 8x10 with an Ebony. We had a short chat on his camera and the film he was using with x-ray type of 8x10 film sheet and he does his own film development. He told me the process in developing bigger film is way easier than those with the 135 or 645 films. We exchanged contact information and I tag the photo for him in Flickr and he asks about my Pentax and I did praise my Pentax and humbly admit some needed improvement over its AF especially in tracking and indoor. K-5 II(s) and K-3 after are perhaps better and much improved with AF. My K-5 is great in most cases but I struggle indoor quite often not able to obtain AF lock in dimly lit scenes while my other cameras have less a problem in AF-S in the dark or AF-C with tracking.

What do you all think? I love the DA* 16-50 performance in the shoot. The gripes are on its 16mm performance along with flare handling. I think I can get used to its heavier weight. I am also thinking of adding one lighter zoom with choices in Sigma 17-70 f/2.8-4.0, DA 16-85 or DA 18-135 as a compliment to the DA* zoom, or perhaps the DA 20-40. Any critiques to pictures and gear thoughts are very welcome.

Valley Of Fire State Park with Zonlai 25mm f/1.8

2017-04-23T11:48:00.000-07:00

Valley Of Fire sandy path down to Slot Canyon in Valley Of Fire in around Henderson city of Nevada

With a single crutch, I climbed downhill to reach Slot Canyon. I have lots of fears going downhill on a single crutch. I couldn't help myself thinking the unthinkable that I hurt my other knee or re-injured myself. Every passerby asked if I were okay. As usual, my family thought I couldn't not make it when we saw the downhill and I left my crutches on the car. They went along without me and I trekked back through the sandy path to the parking lot. It was windy and I was drummed in frustration in forgetting my crutches. And it turns out that I still need my crutches in hiking on uneven surfaces and I can't go downhill on my injured right knee with ACL reconstruction from cadaver.

The wind gust reached 40 mph at times, I retracted back to my car to get my crutch and off I went slowly down the hill on single crutch and hiked alone. I later took off my sandal with Crocs and walked down bare feet as my Crocs didn't do well on the sandy rocks.

When I got to Slot Canyon, I was rewarded with lots of pictures and met a few friends. My family were lost with me way ahead of me thinking that I retrieved to my car for a nap. But I was there slowly inching my way down the hill and walked through most interesting part of the canyon bare footed.

My fears are drowned in the perfect of love.

Sky Poem with Zonlai 25mm f/1.8 in E-mount

2017-04-23T11:43:00.002-07:00

English is not my strong suite and I was born in Macau with Chinese as my main language at home and English is my secondary language. I love to write in English and my Chinese are fading as years go by. It is one of my retirement goals to go back read and write to improve my Chinese. Here is the poem that may have turned the picture south with the watermark

The sky so far and yet so close
Touches we imagine within inches we drift
Swing we rocket from trunks to clouds
Lord I ask to sky we aim
Limits we ignore and next we go
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by Hin Man

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Before I go to bed before ACL surgery, I was staring at this picture trying to think of my business plan, my personal focus in 2017, on what to do in photography. I want to have a website where I can start a part-time gig on photography. I have one of my best co-worker who signed up as my first customer. Yes, that has to happen after surgery on 3/15. I am not a poem or poetry writer and I actually don't even know the difference between two. Hope you understand the meaning. By morning or after surgery, I will re-look for typos, grammar and correction. This is as good as I can feel and as good as I can in preparing for my adventure in starting a side business on photography.

Please let me know what you think both good and bad. The picture was taken with Zonlai 25mm f/1.8 and I was strolling around a Honda dealership while servicing my car. And I was blessed with great clouds formation in likely early January.

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Las Vegas Spring Break With Zonlai 25mm f/1.8 & Sony A6000

2017-04-23T11:40:00.000-07:00

I finished a spring break vacation in Las Vegas traveling with my family with 2 crutches. I don't need to use crutch now but I take it with me on the hiking where i have difficulty in going downhill as I can't bend my knee easily after ACL reconstruction surgery.

I brought three lenses to the spring break vation

Zonlai 25mm f/1.8 (used most frequently #1)

Sony E 35mm f/1.8 (#3)

Sony E 50mm f/1.8 (#4 I only use it for few pictures at night)

+ Sony AS100V on a selfie stick for wide angle shots (#2 I use it for wide angle and small video)

I thought I would use the E 35mm f/1.8 most and as it turns out, 70% of my images were shot with Zonlai while I use the E 35mm f/1.8 for some as in 15% and 13% on the Sony Action Cam and a few night shots were made the E 50mm f/1.8

Las Vegas City Lights
by Hin Man, on Flickr

Valley Of Fire -- Slot Canyon
by Hin Man, on Flickr
Picture get explored yesterday

Valley Of Fire -- Couple
by Hin Man, on Flickr

Valley Of Fire -- Slot Canyon
by Hin Man, on Flickr

That Zonlai MF lens that I call Leica/Voiglander knock off make me really proud. Yes, it has its fair share of issues but boy, the center sharpness along with its bokeh make it a great favorite of mine in traveling light.

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Eureka Lights with iPhone editing

2017-04-07T20:20:00.001-07:00

I have 3 versions of this picture edited differently in iPhone. And I can't explain why I am attracted to the lighting fixtures. Picture was taken on last Thursday in a team event in Eureka on Castro in Mountain View. I had a great time with my colleagues. Wish I had edited this on Lightroom instead. The iPhone editor is amazingly easy but it lacks some complex adjustment to sharpness and tone adjustment.

I shot with Sony A6000 and my new lens with Sony E 35mm f/1.8. A sweet lens to have but I prefer to shoot in 30mm, I originally want to go with Sigma Art 30mm f/1.4 but I later decide with Sony E 35mm f/1.8 instead as I plan to keep my A6000 longer and the OSS that comes with lens helps in low light and video.

Fremont 5 Corners in Silver Efex Pro

2017-04-07T19:51:00.000-07:00

Fremont 5 Corners Night Scene

Re-edit of a night scene likely in 2007 timeframe. Back then the coffee shop was called Bay Cafe. Now it is Bean Scene Cafe totally run by a better management. Both are my favorite in Fremont but Bean Scene Cafe takes the charm as they have decent salads and sandwiches especially good for the morning time.

I always enjoy coffee but I can't drink coffee after 2:30pm. And I never find myself liking Decaf as I like the jolt from coffee even though it drains me in an hour.

Penax FA 50mm f/1.4 and Pentax MX Film camera

2017-04-06T22:37:00.000-07:00

Pentax MX and Pentax FA 50mm f/1.4. I used that 50 prime for the Korean restaurant pictures that I posted earlier. I no long have this lens and the MX was just for shows and I sold it along with other unused gear. MX stole my heart once but I always prefer the Ricoh xr-p camera. The Pentax MX is better looking and more solid with metal body. My 1st film camera was a Praktica MTL-5 likely made in East Germany

I once planned to equip my office with a better film scanner such as the Epson 750 or a dedicated Kodak Pakon F135 type of 35mm film scanner. What I have now is a simple Canon 8800 flatbed scanner, reasonable for 120 but bad for 135 films. I have abandoned films but ready to pick up if I manage to find time as I always love film especially the b&w as in Fuji Neopan 100 Acros, the hated Kodak 100 Tmax, Kodak Tri-x 400, and the obsolete Kodak BW400CN. There are just too many films that I have not even touched -- the Kodachrome, the Fuji Provia and Velvia, the Sensia, the Ektachrome, and the Delta 3200 and there are just too many that I once have a crush on from pictures from others but I never find the time to explore. I really suck on films.

I still have the classic very red 2 million dollar bag and the Pentax branded neck strap. And I do miss the 50mm prime but I had way too many gear to get her back. She is gone for good. Not like woman, you can only have one. If money is not a problem, I buy all of my concubines back to my messy room as I like each lens for a different take on pictures as they differ on characters along with a matching camera body.

Secret Garden with Pentax K-3 and Pentax DF-A 100mm f/2.8 WR macro

2017-04-06T22:28:00.000-07:00

I never realize the back pedal of a flower is actually just as beautiful as the front. I seldom shoot from the back and I really like what I am getting today. I re-visit the Good Neighbor Seafood restaurant that is in Fremont close to Ardenwood.

And today I have camera and a macro lens I had a nice chat with the owner of the place. I always enjoy this restaurant. It is a bit lonely as my family is not with me and I went to church for filling out Easter Eggs with candies. And my Warm Toasty Beauty doesn't like eating out and Chinese food is likely her least favorite because of heavy use of oil and salt preferences.

I enjoy it with caution like I have enjoyed it before and when you are alone, you contemplate the goodness of the day and focus on the well being of nourishment from foods, good breezy weather, and whether I gather enough strength to do more in the lazy afternoon without second cup of coffee

And yes, I did and a good surprise happens when I download my pictures to my computer for editing live with 'Secret Garden' channel in Amazon Prime Music.

Night Scene in Color Efex Pro

2017-04-06T22:18:00.000-07:00

Fremont 5 Corners Night Scene Picture in 2007. I always like shooting in the dark.

edited in Color Efex Pro

If I ever want another low light camera, Sony A7s or the like will be high on my list.

JJC Auto lens cap for Sony PZ 16-50

2016-07-05T12:02:00.000-07:00

I recently bought the JJC auto lens cap for the kit zoom, it makes my kit zoom so much easier to use in grab, go and shoot. A worthy investment for around $15.

20160618-DSC02059
by Hin Man, on Flickr

Link to JJC cap in Amazon

And I use the original kit zoom cap on my Zonlai 25mm f/1.8 E-mount prime, a perfect use of the kit zoom cap, nothing is wasted.

20160625-DSC02234
by Hin Man, on Flickr

Sunset with Zonlai 25mm f/1.8 and Sony A6000

2016-07-03T13:26:00.003-07:00

Trying out some landscape shots with Zonlai 25mm f/1.8 and Sony A6000.

20160702-DSC02299
by Hin Man, on Flickr
f/16 and Sony A6000, see some star burst, flare seems alright in some of the shots

20160702-DSC02316-Edit
by Hin Man, on Flickr
likely in f/5.6 and smaller

20160702-DSC02305
by Hin Man, on Flickr
in f/16, want to show the flare

20160702-DSC02335
by Hin Man, on Flickr
in f/1.8, uncorrected, want to show the troubling vignette in wide open shots

20160630-DSC02256
by Hin Man, on Flickr

The last on 'Almond Joy Latte" is perhaps not a great picture to share but I love the lighting transition and off focus rendering. And I do occasionally find this prime with 3D pop when using wider apertures. It is a struggle to use it wide open as vignette in corners are beyond help with correction in Lightroom and my limited editing skills

Zonlai 25mm f/1.8 after 1 week

2016-07-01T14:23:00.005-07:00

It is true that vignette is heavier and sometime difficult to correct. I have used this lens for over a week and there are many positives and negatives. One of the biggest issue is on the heavier vignette than usual. But if one is into moody type of pictures and casual shooting, this one can be considered a bargain. It is subjective and depend on what one is looking. Wrong expectations will set you on the wrong path.

Few initial impressions:

Positives

really compact in size, smaller than 16-50 kit zoom
well built for its price all in metal
a rare find in 25mm and fast speed in f/1.8 and low cost below $130
E-mount and without the need of adapter
click-less and stop-less on aperture ring in front, good candidate for quiet operation
sharpness is good in center
decent and handy for close up shots
low saturation with a unique film look, moody type of pictures

Negatives

heavy vignette on corners
aperture ring is close to focusing ring that can change aperture inadvertently. This issue is greatly corrected with a Sugru do it yourself focusing tab
color is muted and low contrast in some shooting
poor corners and not likely suited for landscape and architecture type of shooting that demand sharpness across the frame

More thoughts and photos in

Tamron adaptall-2 70-150mm f/3.5 (20A) Test Shots

2016-06-28T19:21:00.004-07:00

Did some test shots of the Tamron (20A) while visiting Home Depot with Sony A7. The close up at 150mm goest to 1:3, quite handy for flowers.

20160605-DSC01581 by Hin Man, on Flickr
Tamron 20A and Sony A7, likely in f/5.6 in 105 to 150mm range

20160605-DSC01588 by Hin Man, on Flickr
Tamron 20A and Sony A7, likely in f/5.6 in 150mm

20160605-DSC01556 by Hin Man,
on Flickr
Tamron 20A and Sony A7, in f/5.6

20160605-DSC01568 by Hin Man,
on Flickr
Tamron 20A and Sony A7, in f/5.6, likely in 150mm

20160605-DSC01548 by Hin Man,
on Flickr

The one-touch zoom design in this lens makes it quick to zoom and focus. I hope my test pictures help you a bit with potential buyers. Few things that I like about this zoom lens:

one-touch zoom design quick to reaction

small and compact, not like any 70-210mm MF zoom, filter size is 49mm

great close up down to 1:3, it can get to 1:1.5 if one gets the adaptall-2 2x tele converter

comes with a built-in lens hood

very reasonable in sharpness, ideal for Pentax use with SR, I find it more challenging to use on Sony A7 without SR

a cheapo alternative to DA* 50-135. It can't compete in quality to DA*, but I will prefer the smaller size in hiking and less bulk in street shooting

color and contrast surprisingly good

bokeh is decent for a zoom

Zonlai 25mm f/1.8 Ergonomics -- Sugru Focus Tab

2016-06-25T04:27:00.000-07:00

20160624-DSC02186
by Hin Man, on Flickr
in f/2.8 with A6000

20160624-DSC02184
by Hin Man, on Flickr
in f/4.0 with A6000

This lens comes in handy on close up shot. I continue to run into minor issues on color and vignette on corners but overall I am quite pleased with the Zonlai lens. The 25mm is a sweet spot for me for casual street shooting, events, close up and hiking. Yes, I plan to take this as 1-lens out on hiking. With its good close up, this one will do well for me on flowers. The vignette and unsharp corners will be a concern to be tried out on casual landscape shots.

I am keenly thinking of trying out the Zonlai 35mm f/1.8 in black if I manage to sell off some of my other lesser used lens. I already have the Fujian 35mm f/1.7 but I prefer the build and compact form factor of the Zonlai. Do anyone know about the company behind the Zonlai lenses? There are a few other E-mount from Meike, Neewer or Kaxinda similarly re-rbranded E-mount and MFT lenses on 28 f/2.8, 35mm f/1.7 and 50mm f/2.0 but none of them look like the Zonlai as the Zonlai's aperture ring is in front and build look very different.

20160618-DSC01602
by Hin Man, on Flickr

Ergonomics:

The aperture ring and focusing ring are very close together. It is very easy to change the aperture unintentionally when one adjust focus.
A focus tab is highly recommended add-on to this lens. I use Sugru from Amazon to mold a tab that becomes solid after a day.
With a focus tab, I find focusing much more precise and the tab helps to avoid inadvertent change on aperture
Other focus tab idea can be checked with lenstab in TAAB MINI | TAAB | Universal Lens Tab though I like the Sugru idea better as the lenstab will have the extra bend on top of your lens with potential in destroying the original beauty of the Zonlai.

Sugru Focus Tab

20160625-DSC02230
by Hin Man, on Flickr

20160625-DSC02231
by Hin Man, on Flickr

20160625-DSC02246
by Hin Man, on Flickr

2nd day with Zonlai 25mm f/1.8

2016-06-25T04:23:00.000-07:00

Just a few words with caution on this lens as the wrong expectation will set you in the wrong path

Some negatives that I see in my research and brief usage:

Vignette does happen in the corners. I don't mind too much about vignette as I am center weighted shooting. More shooting experience will be needed to share
Though I have not tried, this lens may not be the right choice if your intention is on landscape and expect corners to be sharp across the frame
Color and contrast need tuning in post processing to get the best out of this lens
Color seem a bit odd in some shooting, if you love b&w conversion, this is your lens.

20160620-DSC02103
by Hin Man, on Flickr
the unexpected box from Zonlai

20160620-DSC02130
by Hin Man, on Flickr
zonlai 25mm f/1.8 shares the similar size like the kit lens. My kit lens with JJC lens auto lens cap is placed inside the Zonlai box for reference.

20160620-DSC02107
by Hin Man, on Flickr
Shot with Zonlai 25mm around f/4.0

20160620-DSC02121-Edit
by Hin Man, on Flickr
Zonlai with shutter in 1/15 sec

20160620-DSC02140-Edit
by Hin Man, on Flickr
f/5.6 shooting

All shot 2nd day into owning this lens with Sony A6000 and DIY added focusing tap with Sugru. I should have used Black Sugru instead of White Sugru.

Pho Lover with Zonlai 25mm f/1.8 and Sony A6000

2016-06-19T16:23:00.003-07:00

20160619-DSC02099
by Hin Man, on Flickr
likely f/4.0 with A6000

20160619-DSC02097
by Hin Man, on Flickr

20160619-DSC02094
by Hin Man, on Flickr
wide open in f/1.8 with A6000

Zonlai 25mm f/1.8 in Sony E-mount

2016-06-19T09:54:00.000-07:00

I have been fascinated with this manual focus lens because I lack a 24mm that is small and compact. This one is inexpensive, I paid $120 new from a US seller with only one copy. It only works in aps-c. I am surprised that this Chinese lens comes with a nice hard box and a matching lens hood. Here are few initial shots in the arrival

20160618-DSC01603
by Hin Man, on Flickr

20160618-DSC01602
by Hin Man, on Flickr

20160618-DSC01605
by Hin Man, on Flickr

The lens opening is well rounded and with step-less and click-less aperture ring. Focusing is smooth but it is a bit difficult to focus with precision. I think I will take my time to adjust to its focusing. And I plan to use 'Sugru' to add a focusing tab that is similar to Voigtlander 40mm f/1.4.

20160618-DSC02081
by Hin Man, on Flickr
shot wide open with A6000

20160618-DSC02084
by Hin Man, on Flickr
again, wide open with A6000

20160618-DSC02065
by Hin Man, on Flickr
around f/4.0 with A6000, trying close up

20160618-DSC02068
by Hin Man, on Flickr
around f/4.0 with A6000, trying close up

I only have 1-day with 1 hour of shooting, will run its course and report more.

My initial impressions

Center sharpness is pretty good
Size is small and compact, even smaller than my Voiglander 40mm f/1.4
In E-mount, no adapter -- I love lens without adapter
Build is surprisingly decent with metal build for the price
Focusing ring is slippery and I find it great to get quick focusing but difficult to get precise focusing
Great click-less and step-less aperture ring which is located in the front.
Color can be a bit muted but with great character
Vignette on corners seem a concern for me at wide open aperture
Bokeh seems nice and unique. It reminds me of C-mount type of lens like the Fujian 35mm f/1.7

20160618-DSC02070
by Hin Man, on Flickr

20160618-DSC02074
by Hin Man, on Flickr

20160618-DSC01608
by Hin Man, on Flickr