It is worth noting that the quirky design of the Sigma sd Quattro, with its rather long flange-to-sensor distance, excludes many possible vintage lenses from the get go, which is kind of a drag, but luckily you can just barely accommodate the old M42 mount lenses with the wafer thin M42-Sigma lens adapter. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of these lenses to choose from, but our victim this time around is the Pentax Takumar 35 mm f/2 from the early 1960s. I had just picked up a copy of this early wide angle lens and was keen to give it a test drive. Modern Sigma glass is highly regarded, and I am lucky to have the 70 mm f/2.8 macro Art lens at my disposal. So those are the two lenses we will discuss today.
I enjoy shooting the crab apple blossoms each year. They are convenient and beautiful subjects and the foliage in the background means bokeh will be plentiful. The Foveon sensor has a way of making the petals of flowers look like they are made of paper. It's an effect that I like. Despite the artful rendition, the lens is a very modern design and that is reflected in the image, too. Most objectionable aberrations are well controlled, the color is accurate, and the bokeh is pleasing to the eye.
In contrast, vintage lenses are often said to have 'character' which arises from a variety of uncorrected lens aberrations and other 'flaws'. The shot below is another image of the same crab apple tree. You might say that the bokeh of the Pentax 35 mm f/2 is interesting. There is certainly plenty of chromatic aberration to go around, that is for sure. And the color rendition overall is shifted to the green. Some will enjoy the effects of these properties on the photographic image, while others might find them unpleasant or downright objectionable.
You might roll your eyes when your buddies drone on about their Summicrons, but there really is something to the use of vintage glass, I think. As usual, whether it ultimately has any value depends on your artistic intent and ability to execute. But I think it makes a lot of sense to have a few vintage lenses in your bag. It's like keeping a bottle of hot sauce around. Sometimes you just want to spice things up a bit, just be careful not to overdo it.
