Cine lenses and other manual focus lenses
I have terrible eyesight, so back in the ’90s, when camera manufacturers first introduced autofocus lenses, it was a godsend. I started wearing glasses in high school, and my vision only got worse over time.
Back then, I was shooting Nikon: a Nikon F3 HP and a Nikon FM2. I loved the smaller FM2 because it wasn’t as heavy as the F3. Once autofocus arrived in the ’90s, my first AF camera was the Nikon N8008. In the late ’90s, I stepped up to a “pro camera,” the Nikon F5—which I still own and that still works great!
There was no turning back from AF lenses; my eyesight demanded it. Fast-forward 35+ years, and now I LOVE shooting with manual-focus lenses. Sure, it’s more challenging, but modern MF tools like split-prism finders or focus peaking make it far easier than before.
I have several manual-focus lenses, most of them Voigtlanders for my Leica M7. I use an adapter to mount them on my Fujifilm X-T5 or X-H2S—specifically the Voigtlander Nokton Classic 35mm f/1.4 II MC and the Voigtlander Nokton 50mm f/1.5 II.
I also mount these lenses on my Leica SL, and they produce fantastic photos. The bokeh and fall-off are beautifully smooth, so this digital camera/manual-lens combo is one of my favorites for personal projects.
Recently, I purchased a couple of cine lenses for my foray into filmmaking and for starting a documentary project. I chose them because they were inexpensive and had tons of character—I don’t always seek the sharpest lenses; sometimes character is more important.
The lenses I bought are the TTArtisans Cine 12mm T2.9 and the TTArtisans 35mm T1.05. If you check online, you’ll find plenty of reviews, and opinions are split—about half love them, and half don’t. The only way to know if they’ll suit your workflow is to try them yourself.
For me, when I’m photographing people, these cine lenses represent another “window” through which I can view my subjects and create. They combine technology that’s been around for decades with modern tools—and I love that balance.
