I’ve lived in Prince Edward Island for six years and never ventured out to Cape Tormentine. This was the site of a ferry service that used to move people, vehicles, and goods between the two provinces. The reliable steamship and ferry route started in 1917, connecting Cape Tormentine to Port Borden, PEI, and served as a major passenger, vehicle, and rail-car ferry terminal for Marine Atlantic and its predecessors before rail service ended in 1989. It ceased operations in 1997 when the Confederation Bridge opened. Since then it has been left to rot and is now used as a place for locals to fish and explore.
As I recently learned of this, I thought it would be a good excuse for a motorcycle ride and a chance to pull out some decades-old vintage lenses to photograph the decay. I am amazed at how much the port has deteriorated since 1997. It’s both haunting and inviting.
These old lenses attach to my Sony A7III with cheap adapters, and as one would expect, they are fully manual.
From left to right: Carl Zeiss Jena Tessar 50mm f/2.8, Olympus Zuiko 35mm f/2.8, Canon FD 24mm f/2.8, Pentax SMC Takumar 135mm f/2.5.
These lenses have their flaws and are not clinically perfect like modern lenses. For that reason, I like them for their character and unique renderings. My favourite from this group is the Carl Zeiss Jena Tessar 50mm, which was made in the former East Germany (DDR). It is a direct copy of an old Zeiss design. The DDR acquired Zeiss through nationalization in 1948, when the company was taken over by the state and became part of the VEB Carl Zeiss Jena conglomerate. Unfortunately, its aperture blades got stuck wide open, as I have not used this lens in three years. I was able to wrangle it shut to f/22 and open it back up to f/8 and left it alone. The SMC Takumar 135mm is another excellent vintage optic that produces sharp results, and it is well made. The Zuiko 35mm is a good all-round semi-wide lens that is small and lightweight. The wide-angle Canon 24mm is a bit mushy and heavy, with barrel distortion and soft edges, but I still like it.
