A New Lens

Testing out a classic lens: Contax 645 80mm f/2

There are certain lenses that have really strong, positive reputations. The Contax 645 80mm f/2 is one of those. It’s capable of taking all types of photos, but it is best known as a portrait lens. I don’t do much in the way of portraits, but I put it to the test out and about in my area.

The shot above was a lucky break. It was a foggy morning, and I thought I’d try to capture a shot of Mt. Rainier as the fog was rising. You never know what might present itself.

Well, the rising fog blocked the view of the mountain—and the sun as shining right into the fog, obscuring everything. Rule #1 for photographing in fog is to look for visual contrast: what is the fog hiding, and what is it revealing? The shot above is the answer to that question.

The photo above shows a different relationship to object and fog: nothing it clear, but some things are clearer than others. The foreground trees are partially hidden by the fog, but the tip of Mt. Rainier can be seen in the distance above the thick layer of riding fog (turning into a cloud, really).

Another favorite spot I like to take photographs is along South Prairie Creek, which runs just below our house (we’re on a small rise). This spot is about two miles away, near Veteran’s Park and the fire station. It’s an old railroad grade that has been converted to a trail that runs for many miles in a loop around the Bonney Lake area. The Contax lens shows its competence in the shot: it’s sharp, the colors are rich, and the thirty-year-old lens shows nice character.

The photo above was taken simply by turning to my left after taking the shot of the old trestle. This group of three tree trunks is a favorite; it looks different in different lighting situations and on different days, so it’s a long-term source of fun.

A man was exercising his dog along the creek, throwing a tennis ball into the water. The dog loved the action, and can be seen here begging for another throw of the ball. He was a real joy to watch.

Later in the day, I took the Contax 80mm lens out to one of the local viewpoints of Mt. Rainier—some farmland another few miles to the northeast, past the creek. You can’t see it very clearly, but the winds at the mountain are stirring up the snow big-time. You can just make out a cloud of blown snow at top right of the mountain, and the plume extends for many miles downwind to the left.

I put a polarizing filter on the lens to cut down the glare, and it makes the snow plume much more visible:

Here’s a wider view, made by combining three photos into a panorama:

A nice pile of junk on the bottom right, there: country life.