HET SPUL PHOTOGRAPHY
  • Home
  • About
  • Photos
  • Blog

My first experiences with the Zhongyi Mitakon Speedmaster 25mm f/0.95

28/4/2018

4 Comments

 
Picture
About one and a half weeks ago I gave myself a small birthday present and I bought the Zhongyi Mitakon Speedmaster 25mm f/0.95. It's a relatively small lens, feels well build and looks perfectly at home on my Olympus PEN-F. Since I have it, I want to take it everywhere with me and if feels like it brings an extra dimension to my photos. It is not a perfect lens by any means, but in my opinion its flaws often are somewhat similar to those of a good vintage lens (like the Super Takumar M42 lens). Those "shortcomings" feel like part of its personality and they add extra character to the photos you make, rather then distract from their beauty. 
Picture
One of those "shortcomings" some will appreciate and others wont like, is the sometimes somewhat busy bokeh. Instead of creamy soft blurry backgrounds, they seem to have a higher contrast and sharpness. 
Picture
Another love it or hate it feature is that it flares easily. A lens hood is not included with the lens. But honestly, I don't need or want one for this lens. I love (!!!) the flares it creates. In my opinion they add a lot of atmosphere to the picture and are just perfect the way they are rendered inside the lens. Sometimes like a beautiful light haze...
Picture
... and sometimes very colourfull.
Picture
The focus at 0,95 can be incredibly hard to nail, especially with a (moving) subject close by and having to manually focus. But when you get it right, the results can be amazing.
Picture
In the centre this lens is very sharp, even wide open. So when you hit the mark, it gives beautiful results.
Picture
Talking about shooting with the aperture wide open. The corners will be pretty soft, when shooting this way. But as long as your main subject is in the middle of the picture it will put the focus even more on the subject. 
Picture
The black and whites it produces can be beautifully contrasty.
Picture
Some relatively small negatives about the lens. The first one is chromatic aberrations (purple fringing). It can be pretty bad around high contrast areas, but it often can be easily corrected. The other one is the very (too) smooth clickless aperture ring. It can very easily unintentionally be moved. So, always check the setting on the lens before making the shot.
Picture
I must say I'm very happy with my new lens and can highly recommend it. It was worth the investment and it looks like it will be on my camera for a long time to come.
Picture
4 Comments
Chris link
29/4/2018 09:38:31 pm

OMG, I thought my GAS was gone but now I fall in love with a new lens.... Grate images and lovely processing.

Reply
Harry link
29/4/2018 10:15:44 pm

Thank you Chris! That is very nice to hear. Yeah, I also thought my GAS was gone, but it seems to be incurable 😄😉

Reply
Bob Lorrimer
1/5/2018 09:33:18 am

Great lens.... and even better photography which helps demonstrate it’s quality.

I have the Nocton Voigtlander .95 25mm for my movies and it too has excellent and cinematic characteristics.

Reply
Harry Bouman link
1/5/2018 02:33:46 pm

Thank you Bob for your kind comment! I have seen some beautiful pictures shot with the Nocton also. That's an excellent lens indeed.

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Harry Bouman

    Archives

    August 2023
    April 2023
    October 2022
    April 2022
    September 2021
    November 2019
    June 2019
    January 2019
    October 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    January 2018
    November 2017
    October 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    December 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    June 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    June 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014

    Categories

    All
    C-mount
    M42-mount
    Portraiture
    Publications
    Reviews
    Shooting 35mm Film
    Shooting Events
    Small Projects
    Trips
    Tutorials

 
  • Home
  • About
  • Photos
  • Blog