Cabin 100/3.2 [V2]

Reviews

1. 

   16:9 – May 9, 2022

   If you’re lucky you’ll find your Japanese-made Cabin 100/3.2 lens attached to an Automat 35mm slide projector via an M39 thread, which will add a frisson of excitement to the pleasure of unearthing one of these little gems: thread on the M42 adaptor and go have fun. Because this is a fun lens – 100mm and f3.2 is a fun combination.

   As projector lenses go, the Cabins are somewhat above averagely sharp (almost hitting Bronze levels overall) and not at all sharp in the corners (a barely-respectable 6.7 close-up and a pretty terrible 6.0 at distance). Bokeh is unobtrusively smooth, but sometimes unexpectedly ‘oily’, blending defocused shapes in curious ways. There’s a little hint of specular outlining that only turns into ‘full bubble’ with strong light sources against dark backgrounds – which is a good balance, as lenses with strong soap-bubble effects are often edgy-looking, too.

   As with most triplets, CA isn’t a significant issue and the image circle is roomy enough to allow for movements. Despite its limitations I find this chunky, dense little lens to have ineffable ‘star quality’: it’s quite prone to flare, but even its flare has a certain poetic character. It’s not in my top 10, but it’s among my favourite ‘disposable’ projector lenses.