Vintage lenses can be amazing!
We once had a director of photography (cinematographer) on a movie set tell us that if you took a 75 year old lens and put it on a brand new camera body, you’d have an incredible image. Many old vintage still photo and cinematography lenses can be found used for extremely affordable prices because they are manual focus which most folks don’t care to deal with these days. Outside of top of the line Hollywood cinematography equipment, if you’re after the second most expensive camera gear on the planet, Hasselblad being the most expensive, your bet would be Leica.
As vintage film cameras and lenses have seen a resurgence in recent years, the number of professionals who can repair and restore these gems is rapidly declining. Youxin Ye and his wife Wen are two of the last of these masters. They breathe new life into decades-old cameras and lenses, primarily for older film Leica’s, elevating the work from a science to an art.
Created by Julien Jarry, ‘The Art of Work’ is a nice mini documentary which give’s a brief glimpse into Youxin and his wife’s history and craftsmanship. Without hopefully being too much of a commercial for the brand.