One Year

one year apart from each other's graduation ceremonies. amazing how time passes so quickly.

Helios 40-2 1.5/85

i took the plunge, and am now a proud owner of a Helios 40-2 1.5/85 lens. this particular unit already had a Canon EF mount attached to it, which saves me the trouble of picking up another M42 to EF mount converter. this is surprisingly a mammoth of a lens, weighing nearly one kilo. this gives the lens a solid feel to its build, though i imagine it'll be a challenge to shoot on the go. as one would imagine, it is a manual focus lens that requires a little bit of patience and luck to nail the perfect shot. i admit i haven't had the proper chance to field test the lens, but so far i'm rather pleased by the results. shooting wide open gives a softness to the photographs, and closing down several stops, the photographs come out surprisingly sharp like the Helios 44-2. not pin sharp, but sharper than what i expect from a lens of this reputation.

though this isn't my first time playing around with an 85mm lens, it is nice to actually own one. it gives me more to play with, granted i don't break my back or neck lugging this beast around. here's hoping a field test happens soon enough.

Fujifilm Simple Ace Disposable Camera

the best thing about disposable cameras is how one only needs to consider one thing before taking a photograph - is well lit enough that i don't need to use the flash? the practicality of such cameras is made all the more rewarding by the fact that the pictures come out better than i had expected. perhaps this is due to my usage of expired films for past five or so rolls that i had forgotten how freshly made films turn out. where there is colour, the colours are saturated beautifully. pictures come out sharp despite the plastic lens, unlike the lomography line of cameras. and for an ISO400 film, the grain is hardly noticeable. had i known that these make for great photographs, i'd have picked up some more in my last trip to Tokyo. at less than 1000yen a pop, it's a great novelty camera. it's too bad they go for triple the price on ebay. i won't be holding my breath for those.

Fujifilm Simple Ace Disposable Camera