All posts by BastianK

My name is Bastian and I am your expert here when it comes to ultra wide angle lenses, super fast portrait lenses (ranging from a 50mm f/0.95 to a 200mm f/1.8) and I also have reviewed way too many 35mm lenses. Don't ask me anything about macro or wildlife shooting though.

Analogue

Analogue Adventures – Part 50: What I learned from Shooting Film (so far)

March 18, 2026 BastianK 15 Comments

Introduction

ms-optics ms-optical aporia apora pancake smallest lens world's leica m10 24mp 42mp review sharpness bokeh vignetting silbersalz35 silbersalz kodak cine vision3 santorini greece — Leica M6 | 200T | MS-Optics 24mm 2.0 Aporia | f/8.0

In late 2021 I decided to buy an analogue camera and shoot some film, an experiment whose results I constantly shared with you. In the meantime I exposed around 60 films, which I all had developed and scanned and many of these pictures we also discussed afterwards. This is is already the 50th part of this series, so I thought it might be time for an interim conclusion.

Keep in mind I am only talking about 35mm film here.

Continue reading Analogue Adventures – Part 50: What I learned from Shooting Film (so far) →

7Artisans, Leica M, Review

Review: 7Artisans 75mm 1.25 II

March 14, 2026 BastianK 15 Comments

Introduction

review 7artisans 75mm 1.25 ii f/1.25 china leica m lens contrast resolution m11 m10 42mp 24mp 61mp m6 analogue contrast bokeh vignetting — 7Artisans 75mm 1.25 II on Leica M10

Released in 2019, the 7Artisans 75mm 1.25 was actually one of my favorite 7Artisans lenses so far, especially due to its nice bokeh rendering. Now the 7Artisans are back with this improved and at the same time lighter 75mm 1.25 II. Let’s find out in this review what has changed compared to the predecessor and what the pictures taken with this unusually fast 75mm lens look like!

Sample Images

Continue reading Review: 7Artisans 75mm 1.25 II →

Irix, Nikon, Review

Review: Irix 30mm 1.4 Dragonfly

March 7, 2026 BastianK 2 Comments

Introduction

irix 30mm 1.4 dragonfly firefly blackstone south korea 42mp 61mp 24mp z6 z7 z8 z9 a7iv a7v a7riv a7riii a7r2 a7 a9 a1 review contrast resolution bokeh vignetting coma ca loca sunstars distortion — Irix 30mm 1.4 Dragonfly on Sony A7rII

Irix released a bunch of high performance ultra wide angle and fast primes at the end of the DSLR era. Because of this rather bad timing I don’t have the feeling their lenses have been exactly popular. Their 11mm 4.0 and their 45mm 1.4 proved to be very capable lenses in my reviews, so I thought I give this 30mm 1.4 a chance as well. With its 30mm focal length it sits between 28mm and 35mm – my favourite focal lengths – so nothing can go wrong here, right?

Sample Images

Continue reading Review: Irix 30mm 1.4 Dragonfly →

camera, Review

Review: Ricoh GR III

February 28, 2026 BastianK 24 Comments

Introduction

rico gr ii iii 3 gr3 iv gr4 griv compact digital 24mp review contrast resolution sharpness bokeh image quality — Ricoh GR III

When people think of a fixed lens compact camera with an APS-C sized sensor, most will probably think of the Fuji X100 series first. However, those that are looking for a truly pocketable option may sooner or later come across Ricoh’s GR series. Not long ago the Ricoh GR IV was released, but thanks to a reader I get the chance to have a look at its popular predecessor, the Ricoh GR III.

Sample Pictures

Continue reading Review: Ricoh GR III →

Review, Sigma, Sony E-mount

Review: Sigma 17mm 4.0 DG DN Contemporary

February 21, 2026 BastianK 14 Comments

Introduction

sigma 17mm 4.0 dg dn c contemporarly e fe l small review sharpness contrast bokeh coma vignetting 42mp 63mp sony a7 a7rii a7iii a7riv a7rv a7iv a1 a9 a9ii — Sigma 17mm 4.0 DG DN C on Sony A7rII

While Sigma is mostly famous for their series of fast and big “Art” lenses they also offer a lineup of more compact and more affordable “Contemporary” lenses. At the time of writing this review, the widest prime entry of that series is this Sigma 17mm 4.0 DG DN Contemporary. Let’s have a closer look and also see how it compares to the Viltrox AF 14mm 4.0 FE Air.