A Spiratone Odyssey
Aug 31, 2019 23:12:42 GMT
on Aug 31, 2019 23:12:42 GMT
Last Edit: Aug 31, 2019 23:16:53 GMT by lumiworx
After diving deep into the wide and ultra-wide end of the lens pool in C/Y glass, I've kept an eye out for other adaptable lenses. I've acquired a few of the better early Spiratone 'Zebra' barreled lenses in wide/normal/tele focal lengths, so I'm aware of the under-the-radar cult models that aren't C/Y - but most can be adapted with either an M42 to C/Y adapter ring, or a YS to C/Y adapter.
Although this lens isn't an early Spiratone Zebra model, it was absolutely too cheap to pass up at $25 + $8 in shipping, and I was the only bidder. It's actually a rebranded Sigma Widerama 18mm f/3.5 in YS mount, and it seems to land somewhere in between the M42 Yashinon DS 20mm, and the ML 21mm in terms of sharpness and color fidelity. It's remarkably well corrected for CA, and not bad in overall distortion either. It does have one very unique quality that renders differently than the other ultra-wides. It has an almost motion-blurry outer edge, instead of the vignetting that you'd expect from an inexpensive 3rd party lens of it's era, and my-oh-my can it qualify as ultra-close focusing.
The 1:1 crop below is a shot taken while the lens was on a Sony A7R, of the foam bubbles on my 1/2 full cup of cappuccino. I heard the 'clink' of the lens filter rim hitting the cup's top edge, so I backed off a bit before ticking the shutter. I'd set the focus to about the 10 foot mark, and the aperture was at 5.6, so the depth of field was from close focus to almost infinity. My guess is that the markings applied to the lens when set to it's maximum 3.5 aperture and decreased the close focus point considerably at 5.6. The front element couldn't be more than 2 1/2 to 3 inches away from the foam.
The lower-right corner of the image is fairly close to the center of the frame, and the upper-right corner starts to show the type of motion-blurry distortion the lens has in this quasi-macro mode. The distortion goes away on its own when you frame the lens to something in a more normal distance range.
I have no idea if this kind of IQ and/or distortion runs through this whole model line in Spiratone badging, or also under it's Sigma name... or if this is just an oddball sample that's better (and stranger) than the average. All I can say is that it was well worth the price. There are a few more test images along with some full-size 'cappuccino' shots in the testbed gallery, taken on both full frame and APS-C bodies.
Although this lens isn't an early Spiratone Zebra model, it was absolutely too cheap to pass up at $25 + $8 in shipping, and I was the only bidder. It's actually a rebranded Sigma Widerama 18mm f/3.5 in YS mount, and it seems to land somewhere in between the M42 Yashinon DS 20mm, and the ML 21mm in terms of sharpness and color fidelity. It's remarkably well corrected for CA, and not bad in overall distortion either. It does have one very unique quality that renders differently than the other ultra-wides. It has an almost motion-blurry outer edge, instead of the vignetting that you'd expect from an inexpensive 3rd party lens of it's era, and my-oh-my can it qualify as ultra-close focusing.
The 1:1 crop below is a shot taken while the lens was on a Sony A7R, of the foam bubbles on my 1/2 full cup of cappuccino. I heard the 'clink' of the lens filter rim hitting the cup's top edge, so I backed off a bit before ticking the shutter. I'd set the focus to about the 10 foot mark, and the aperture was at 5.6, so the depth of field was from close focus to almost infinity. My guess is that the markings applied to the lens when set to it's maximum 3.5 aperture and decreased the close focus point considerably at 5.6. The front element couldn't be more than 2 1/2 to 3 inches away from the foam.
The lower-right corner of the image is fairly close to the center of the frame, and the upper-right corner starts to show the type of motion-blurry distortion the lens has in this quasi-macro mode. The distortion goes away on its own when you frame the lens to something in a more normal distance range.
I have no idea if this kind of IQ and/or distortion runs through this whole model line in Spiratone badging, or also under it's Sigma name... or if this is just an oddball sample that's better (and stranger) than the average. All I can say is that it was well worth the price. There are a few more test images along with some full-size 'cappuccino' shots in the testbed gallery, taken on both full frame and APS-C bodies.