A walk in the rain with my favorite lens, the gorgeous manual-focus Asahi Pentax Super Takumar 50mm f/1.4 from 1968.

Its use of thorium oxide, a radioactive rare-earth element, caused the internal glass to undergo a chemical change over time, giving it an amber or yellow “tea-stained” tint. This tint creates a natural warmth, and the bokeh is beautiful.

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Effie and Alice sit next to each other in the local graveyard. No last names, no dates, no further info on the stones. I wonder if they knew each other.

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Gear-gathering mode for the trip.

The film side was easy. This trip was inspired by two photographers from the 1950s, and I have my own versions of the cameras they used — Todd Webb’s Rollei 3.5f and Robert Frank’s Leica IIIf. The Widelux panoramic comes along for the ride as well. Film is settled.

The digital side took longer. The first question was whether to bring digital at all. I feel like I need it, but film is the primary medium. Then I considered only shooting the whole trip in black and white. I went back and forth and even seriously considered picking up a bucket-list camera, a Leica M Monochrome, which shoots only in black and white. I went to the Leica store last week and test-drove one for a few hours in Boston Common. I loved it, but I can’t justify it.

That brought me back to the Nikon Zf I have had for a few years, but it doesn’t get enough love. I picked up three adapters—all under $15 each—this week that let me mount lenses from my collection. Manual focus, all dials, retro feel, small enough not to draw attention—with the security of digital files underneath. I can shoot in black and white, with the color option still available with the files. This morning I took it out in the rain with a 1968 Super-Takumar 50mm f/1.4.

These images mean it passed the test, just look at that bokeh. It’s perfect for the trip.

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