Hello everyone, for these next series of posts I thought I would just post a few quick thoughts and images on photography gear and techniques I’ve been tinkering with. Some of it is vintage gear that I’ve thrifted, or some odd combination of cameras and lenses that I think would be neat to share with other folks interested in photography. Again, part of my mission is to show the potential of anything that can take a picture and the endless fun and learning that can be had in the world of photography.
I’ve been on a thrifting hot streak lately, finding all sorts of neat stuff. Reminds of the good ol’ days of 2009-2010! For many years I really couldn’t find anything at the thrift stores in the metro Atlanta area since everyone had access to the internet and could see what something is worth. Here’s an item that slipped by the speculators: a very good condition Minolta Maxxum AF 50mm f/1.4 for $4!!
I have a special bond with the Minolta AF film cameras because that was my first real “pro” camera. I took lots of good memories of friends and family with it, and they will always have a place on the shelf as a testament to gear being more than “good enough” and it’s reminder to just get out there and use what you got.
Also, my goodie basket that I made has my haul for the day: a couple of classic CDs, Raiders of the Lost Ark on VHS, some blank video tapes. All will be used at a future date for sure. (and yes there is also a digicam in that haul…)
Here’s a photo of a few of my Minolta/Sony cameras. These cameras share the same mount so all these lenses are interchangeable on both film and digital. The Minolta 50mm f/1.7 is a lens that is still amazing to this day and I love it with black and white film. (Sony bought Minolta many years ago, before they really became popular in mirrorless cameras) I’m looking forward to see how the 50mm f/1.4 “upgrade” variant renders.
