There is an old urban legend, that when NASA first started sending up astronauts, they quickly discovered that ballpoint pens would not work in zero gravity. NASA scientists spent $2 billion to develop a pen that writes in zero gravity, upside down, and at temperatures ranging from below freezing to 300 degrees Celsius. The Russians used a pencil.

This is the pencil of 50mm lenses. You can spend a lot more and get something cool and fancy. This just does the job efficiently and at a good price. Small enough to fit in your pocket, it’s nice to carry around “just in case I need a wide aperture.” This one’s a very nice lens at a bargain price. The AF motor is a bit buzzy and not the quickest or most accurate, though.
March, 2014