Virjune Manufacturing Co: Inside Waterbury's Vacant Factory

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J and I were already having a rough day. We'd just driven across town to check out an old industrial site he hadn't visited in a while, only to find it erased. Nothing left but a slab of concrete and chain-link fence. So we took a detour. Sometimes you salvage a disappointing afternoon with a backup plan, even if you're just ticking a box. The former Virjune plant hides in plain sight off Thomaston Avenue. If you drive past in summer, you'll miss it completely. Trees and shrubs swallow the building whole, nature reclaiming what industry left behind. Come winter, though, when the branches go bare and the world turns gray, the red brick skeleton reveals itself. Even then, you have to know where to look. I pulled up old Sanborn maps to trace the building's history. The earliest tenant was an auto body shop in 1922. By February 1950, something bigger had moved in. The map labels it simply "Stamping Wks." No company name. No flourish. Just function. That namele...
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Samigon 35mm f2.8 Manual Focus Prime Review




Close-up of a Samigon 35mm f/2.8 vintage camera lens, with the aperture visible through the glass. The lens is set against a softly lit indoor background, highlighting its metallic body and engraved details, showcasing the classic design and build quality of traditional photography equipment.



We have here the Samigon 1:2.8 35mm M42 mount lens with an M42 to EOS adapter for the Canon Rebel T3i.








As you can see the lens is all metal construction. The light pro-consumer T3i succumbs to the hefty weight of the well-made almost indestructible Samignon lens. Made in Japan means quality.








This lens will be in use for my summer photography gunning. Unfortunately, the weather is still a bit windy and cold for me to take my precious DSLR outside to really open the aperture on a bright sunny day like today. I am amassing a nice collection of vintage glass for my camera bag and personal collection. The quest for cheap vintage glass for a modern DSLR is really making my wallet happier but a little bit slimmer. Shipping is a killer in the final price.



Nifty Fifty is in focus with an aperture of f22.






Playing around with the lens today showed me the lens is sharp with enough surrounding light it brings out great detail. It has a bit of softness but overall not too much. I realize some of these lenses will naturally have a soft glow in the final pictures. It will make a great walk-around lens and a wide-angle lens for long-exposure shots in the city. I can't wait to test out this baby during the night in NYC. All the samples below have been unprocessed and not cropped.

Samigon 35mm M42 mount Sample Pics



Sunny couch with nifty fifty blurred with an aperture of f16.




More sample pics to come later once school comes to an end.

Camera: Sony HX9V, Canon Rebel T3i, 

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