Photography is a ridiculously expensive hobby. Cameras are actually comparatively cheap compared to the ever critical lenses that you mount on your camera bodies.

But some old film-era 35mm format lenses can be had for relatively cheap prices on EBay if you're lucky. And as habit would have it, I landed myself an old Canon FD 50mm f/1.4 lens for something like $30. Mounting this on my G1 gives me 2/3 stops more speed than the other Canon FD lens I first bought, a 50mm f/1.8.

I suppose, the whole topic of mounting old lenses on modern digital bodies is one of debate. Some people absolutely love this ability, while others seem to loathe it. As for myself, I think I would rather have native lenses. But considering that the Four-Thirds version of the Sigma 50mm f/1.4 appears to go for something like $600 after a quick search on Google, I somehow think it's ok to relegate myself to old manual focus lenses. (Not that all manual focus lenses are cheap though! Some people use Leica lenses, and I've even seen some really nice photos from crazy C-mount lenses with apertures like f/1.1!)

And then there's the much praised Panasonic 20mm f/1.7 pancake lens. A fast normal prime. Very nice. Not too pricey at something like $300-400. But it's enough to still make me content with manually focusing a Canon FD 50mm f/1.4.

Of course, not everything is perfect using Canon FD lenses on m4/3 cameras. Being designed for full-frame 35mm cameras, these lenses at their widest apertures actually tend to let in too much light resulting in some internal flaring/softening of the image. Certainly, Canon EOS users might also notice similar phenomena when using full-frame EOS mount lenses on an APS-C body. Of course, maybe not as pronounced.

In some photos (like the one above) it's not all that noticeable. In others, it's very noticeable. And with the f/1.4, it's much more noticeable than the f/1.8 lens I was using before. In some situations, it's actually a nice effect. It has the ability to give a photo a bit of a dreamy look, which may or may not be suitable for different cases.

Stopping down creates some extremely sharp images, but in that case I might as well use my kit lens.

Nevertheless, the ability to use an aperture of f/1.4 allows for better chance at hand-held shots in lower light without sending the ISO speed through the roof.

Owning the Canon FD 50mm f/1.4 makes me less inclined to pick up any native m4/3 fast primes until prices come down a bit more. The 20mm f/1.7 will be on my short-list. Otherwise, my lens kit is more or less rounded out now, covering a focal length range of 14mm to 200mm (28mm to 400mm in 35mm terms). A standard zoom, telephoto zoom, and a fast prime in a length comfortable enough for portraits.

Now to continue to work on my composition.

Check out Facebook for my latest photos from the UWCCF Winter 2010 retreat (outdoor shots were with a different lens though). Any comments on composition would be much appreciated. Perhaps too many are "snapshot" in nature. But candid portraits are not something you can plan so well? Regardless, I kind of like the ability to frame so tightly with the 50mm focal length (100mm in 35mm terms). I find that it gives a rather personal feel to some of the photos.