Meriden-Wallingford Hospital

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The Hospital Nobody Bothered to Ruin In my world, attention is what kills a building. This one sat in the dark for thirty years, and nobody came. That may be the only reason it gets a decent ending. I drove past this place for years and never once wanted to go in. That sounds strange coming from me. Finding a way into empty buildings is what I do. But I knew this hospital by sight long before I knew anything about it, because it sits on the road I took to the old International Silver power plant , and every time I passed it I thought the same thing: not worth it. Boarded up. Dark. Picked over. Nothing in there for me. I want you to hold onto that, because it turns out to be the most important fact in this whole story. How A Hospital Dies Twice Hospitals are the trophy. Everybody in urban exploring knows it. There is something about them that pulls people in harder than a factory or a school ever will, and I understand why. You are walking through the rooms where people were...
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Sharp Shooter Super-Takumar Asahi 55mm 1:2


Pollinating Bee Inside Flower
Shot all these photos wide open at f/2.

Yellow Daisies Behind Backyard Fence
No editing was done in the post. Straight RAW and unprocessed.


You can't go wrong with a Super-Takumar lens. Sharp images, sharp contrast, and crazy bokeh. I purchased my 55mm copy (a steal) for around $23.00. The lens does have an inordinate amount of these white particles sitting on the back element lens but you would not even know that if I did not reveal this tragic flaw. The pictures here would not even show any discernable trace of particulate in the way. The quality make and feel of Super-Takumars is phenomenal. If you are not into manual focus lenses and believe in the auto-focus Gods, a Takuma inside your camera bag is worth a bit of space any day. I recommend getting yourself a copy in the 50mm, 55mm, and 135mm. Matter of fact any will do. These lenses perform like champions. If the postman would hurry up and deliver my takumar 135mm I can get outside and test it out.



Purple Cluster of Flower Heads
Very willing flower buds and bee subjects for my shoot today.

Round Bokeh Flower Buds
The blues and purple colors really stand out. Deadly sharp.

Hovering Bee Pollinating Flower
A bee among young flower buds. 

🔭 Do You Shoot with the Super Takumar 55mm?

Have you used this classic Asahi lens on a modern digital camera? Share your own sample photos, adapter recommendations, or comparisons with other vintage 55mm glass. Your experience helps fellow photographers discover and appreciate these old lenses.

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