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An afternoon with my Minolta 135

Discussion in 'Street, Documentary, and Portrait' started by spatulaboy, Jun 24, 2012.

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  1. spatulaboy

    spatulaboy I'm not really here Subscribing Member

    3,152
    Jul 13, 2011
    North Carolina
    Vin
    Went to Duke Gardens at Duke University last weekend. I had my bag full of lenses, but at the last minute I was suddenly inspired to challenge myself. I decided to just use one lens the entire afternoon, the Minolta MD Tele Rokkor 135mm f2.8. A lovely lens that doesn't get used often.

    Yes the FL is quite long, but I discovered it's wonderful for candid portraits of the many visitors at the garden. I can get up close without getting... up close! I ended up with some great shots and had an awesome time shooting. I know a lot of people get stuck on a focal length that they feel comfortable with, but once in a while we should all get out of that comfort zone. You might learn something and have fun doing it!

    p.s. the shots of Laura are obviously posed. :wink:

    <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/vftsai/7397773046/" title="P1320393-1 by Vincent-F-Tsai (Spatulaboy), on Flickr"> 7397773046_7463a81a77_c. "800" height="600" alt="P1320393-1"></a>

    <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/vftsai/7397812052/" title="P1320432-2 by Vincent-F-Tsai (Spatulaboy), on Flickr"> 7397812052_d481a9e1de_c. "800" height="600" alt="P1320432-2"></a>

    <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/vftsai/7397807142/" title="P1320470-1 by Vincent-F-Tsai (Spatulaboy), on Flickr"> 7397807142_873a8b9aee_c. "800" height="600" alt="P1320470-1"></a>

    <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/vftsai/7397804508/" title="P1320483-1 by Vincent-F-Tsai (Spatulaboy), on Flickr"> 7397804508_2628eae06f_c. "800" height="600" alt="P1320483-1"></a>

    <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/vftsai/7397802146/" title="P1320519-1 by Vincent-F-Tsai (Spatulaboy), on Flickr"> 7397802146_56ee2e42c5_c. "800" height="600" alt="P1320519-1"></a>

    <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/vftsai/7397799192/" title="Picnic time by Vincent-F-Tsai (Spatulaboy), on Flickr"> 7397799192_ab2644ee21_c. "800" height="600" alt="Picnic time"></a>

    <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/vftsai/7397794906/" title="Wow by Vincent-F-Tsai (Spatulaboy), on Flickr"> 7397794906_0e55ebfd8e_c. "800" height="600" alt="Wow"></a>

    <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/vftsai/7397791748/" title="Laura by Vincent-F-Tsai (Spatulaboy), on Flickr"> 7397791748_b5a613b504_c. "800" height="600" alt="Laura"></a>

    <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/vftsai/7397785808/" title="Laura by Vincent-F-Tsai (Spatulaboy), on Flickr"> 7397785808_84c8b6e5cc_c. "600" height="800" alt="Laura"></a>

    <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/vftsai/7397779452/" title="Laura by Vincent-F-Tsai (Spatulaboy), on Flickr"> 7397779452_19562962a1_c. "800" height="600" alt="Laura"></a>

    <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/vftsai/7397776500/" title="Laura by Vincent-F-Tsai (Spatulaboy), on Flickr"> 7397776500_87324f5565_c. "600" height="800" alt="Laura"></a>
     
    spatulaboy, Jun 24, 2012
    #1
    • Like Like x 4
  2. DeeJayK

    DeeJayK Mu-43 Hall of Famer

    3,178
    Feb 8, 2011
    Pacific Northwest, USA
    Keith
    That's a nice set of images and a good reminder to step outside our comfort zone. I've always found my 135mm to be a very strange sort of in-between focal length on :43: - not wide enough for most subjects and not really as long as I'd like for those things I really want to shoot with a tele. I may have to give it another shot after seeing your results.
     
    DeeJayK, Jun 24, 2012
    #2
  3. Livnius

    Livnius Super Moderator Subscribing Member

    2,257
    Jul 7, 2011
    Melbourne. Australia
    Joe
    Very nice shots Vin. I think I may have to get something of a longer FL...my longest at the moment is the O45 and I am waiting patiently for the 35-100 ....but a long prime like this Minolta of yours looks like real fun and would be quite different for me.
     
    Livnius, Jun 24, 2012
    #3
  4. spatulaboy

    spatulaboy I'm not really here Subscribing Member

    3,152
    Jul 13, 2011
    North Carolina
    Vin
    Thanks guys. Like I said, it's not something I would shoot on a regular basis, but every time I do I always end up enjoying the lens. It's good to switch things up a bit and make your shooting experience fresh and new again.

    I think I'm one of the few that's actually looking forward to the Oly 75mm.
     
    spatulaboy, Jun 25, 2012
    #4