The valley of the Schwarza in fog

The end of winter is approaching, all the snow melts and the air is full of water mist and fog. The creeks swell and become small raging rivers. The shore is flooded from the icy water. Everywhere it's quiet, you can hear only your own footsteps on the harsh snow. The breath is a gray-white cloud. People are waiting for the return of the warm sun.

The ruins of the former convent Paulinzella in winter

Paulinzella is a small village in the depths of the Thuringian Slate Mountains. In the 12th Century, the Benedictines have built a monastery. The founder was a noblewoman from the House of Schwarzburg named Pauline. After the Reformation fell the whole plant and the stones of the monastery were used for all kinds of buildings in the area. Only a romantic ruin remains. Here are a few shots of the snowy monastery ruins.

The Canon FD Macro 100mm f/4.0 s.c. adapted to the Canon EOS-M

I bought this lens a few weeks ago for very little money (about 30 euros) on Ebay. The macro is getting worn externally, but the glass has no scratches or other blemishes. It was produced from 1976 until the end of the 80s with an S.C.- remuneration (spectral coating). The lens weighs 530 grams, has a filter diameter of 55mm and a closest focusing distance of 45 centimeters. The maximum magnification is 1: 2, only with the extension tube FD 50 to reach the usual macro image scale of 1: 1.

Here are some photos with the EOS-M and the adapted lens. 

Because of the weight of the lens, the combination is very top heavy. Macro shots should not make freehand but with a tripod. 

Unfortunately, I could make by far my prolonged illness and the shitty weather no macro shots. But the 100mm lens can certainly be used as a short tele lens. The sharpness is fantastic, even at maximum aperture. Just as good are the colors and contrasts. This lens is just very good.

Once seen against the sun in the sky is, hopefully sometime this year - I'll try the macro function. Today there are only a couple of tele-photos.

Craftsmen at the guild market in my home town

Today there are a couple of pictures that I shot last year on the Saalfeld guild market. Various artisans will be showcasing their products and especially their manufacturing techniques. But look for yourself:

Bye for a short or a long while

From tomorrow I'm in the hospital. I do not know what will happen and how long it is. I say goodbye to all the readers of the lightseeker - blog. Who knows where we are headed?

The Canon FD 200mm f/4.0 adapted to the Canon EOS-M

This lens is the early version, which was sold from March 1971. It is made without the later introduced s.s.c.- compensation (super spectra coating). The lens weighs a 725 grams, has a 55mm filter diameter and a closest focusing distance of 2.5 meters.

Here you can see the lens adapted on my EOS-M. It has a permanently mounted retractable lens hood. The lens is very large compared to the tiny camera.

Unfortunately, the lens with maximum aperture unusable. The images are dull, lacks in contrast and  sharpness. It is necessary to stop down to f/8.0. Then the photos are sharp, from one corner to the other. I can recommend to use a tripod, because 200mm focal length require a shutter speed of at least 1/200 second. Nevertheless, all here presented  images are created freehand. This works only when there is sufficient light.

Conclusion: the lens is treated with about 30 to 40 euros. You should not pay more also. Better to use the later version of this lens with s.s.c. lens coating.

An alternative is for the 200mm lens on the Canon FD series with an aperture of 2.8 or even 1.8. However, these are by far more expensive and get very rare. A special lens in these series with excellent sharpness and brilliance in the picture quality is the Canon FD 200mm f/4.0 Macro.