My new second-hand lens gifts us autumn sunshine

maipenquynh on 26. January 2025

It was the end of October, the sun was peeking out that day. I went out with my Sony alpha 99 in hand and had a mission: to take photos and test the new second-hand lens.

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My favourite lens (Minolta AF 50 mm f/1.4) said bye-bye in September. The focus ring no longer works. I was only reminded of the malfunction when I was about to go on holiday at the end of October. But it was no longer realistic to bring it in for repair to then take it with me on holiday. It remains to be seen whether a repair is possible at all.

As the camera was supposed to come with me, I looked for another solution. The solution was: Look on Kleinanzeigen (german online classifieds) for an alternative lens. No sooner said than done.

The universe was very kind to me and I came across a new second-hand lens via Kleinanzeigen. It wasn't the same model but for me it was absolutely comparable (Minolta AF 50 mm f/1.7). I was able to have a look at it in the neighbourhood before I decided to buy it and the price was more than fair. The seller was friendly and we chatted a bit about analogue photography before I left. A really good Kleinanzeigen buying experience.

I checked out the lens at home. First indoors. And then outdoors. And so we are back at the beginning of this text. I went out with my Sony alpha 99 in hand and had a mission: to take photos and test the new second-hand lens.
Result: Test passed.

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If you're like me and miss the sunshine of warmer days, perhaps these pictures bring a bit of comfort today.

Camera + lens: Sony alpha 99 + Minolta AF 50 mm f/1.7

Rheingau and Rheinhessen: Wine life

maipenquynh on 11. October 2024

I don't want to trivialise alcohol consumption. But if I want to talk about the region in which I now live, I can't avoid wine and what goes with it. Slowly but steady, I am absorbing the knowledge and information about the way of life in this region. The following are personal impressions and supplied without liability; please understand and correct if necessary.

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I'm beginning to understand the regions (plural!) here and what they are called. I learnt that Mainz is in Rheinhessen. This is very misleading, as Mainz is also in Rhineland-Palatinate (a german state, Hesse is another state). The Rheingau is its neighbour and is actually in Hesse. Just mentioning things rarely helps me understanding and picturing things so here is a map of german wine-growing areas on Wikipedia: map. Rheinhessen and Rheingau are marked there. Maps are very helpful so I recommend taking a quick look.

When the days get longer and the temperatures rise, there are wine festivals everywhere. And when I say everywhere, I'm not exaggerating. There's one happening every weekend. There are so many wineries around!

Without being able to make a geographical mapping of what belongs where or where it comes from - important for wine or grape juice: Spundekäs. Spundekäs is made out of cream cheese and our favourite way to eat it is with crispy salted pretzels. If it is not at home but outside our home, we love to sit on an ale-bench in a Straußenwirtschaft in the warm sunlight. It does have its own charm.

I have brought along a few photos of wine events I have attended. A little insight into my wine life in the Rheingau and Rheinhessen.

Straußenwirtschaft is tidied up as it had rained shortly before

Wikipedia is great: The (german) article about Spundekäs says that it's coming from northern Rheinhessen. „Straußenwirtschaft“ seems to be a term from Rheinhessen, though I have seen it in Rheingau as well.

Photo 1+2
Camera + lens: Minolta Dynax 7000i + Minolta AF 50 mm f/1.4
Film: ILFORD FP4 PLUS
Development + scan: ON FILM LAB

Photo 3
Camera + lens: Olympus XA2
Film: Kodak Gold 200
Development + scan: ON FILM LAB

Summer vineyards | Between pixel and grain

maipenquynh on 15. January 2024

"It must look megaaaa here in summer!"

That's what we said to ourselves as we stood on the banks of the Rhine in the town of Bingen, about 30 kilometres west of Mainz. There you have a wonderful view of the vineyards opposite. However, on a weekend in January this year, when we decided to explore the area, it was all very dreary. Dreary and icy cold.

On the other side of the Rhine, diagonally from Bingen, lies the town of Rüdesheim. It's probably best known for its instagrammable town corners. We were quite astonished when Rüdesheim was pretty much dead. Many shops are closed from January to March, Rüdesheim seems to have adapted to tourism. At least we had some gastronomic offeres. So we could sit down in a café.

Last summer, I went for a long walk with friends not far away from Bingen and Rüdesheim. That particular January weekend, we travelled past the station by train where we started and ended our long walk last year.

In anticipation of summer - but above all to warm up on my mind - I brought a view of the vineyards from exactly that day. I remember very warm temperatures and sweet white grape juice. I also remember a short nap on the bench. I can hardly wait for the warmer and longer days.

Camera + lens: Minolta Dynax 7000i, Minolta AF 50 mm
Film: Kodak Professional Portra 160
Development + scan: ON FILM LAB