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, Leica, Leica M, MS-Optics, Projects

Analogue Adventures – Part 15: Kodak Ultramax 400

March 4, 2023 BastianK 12 Comments

kodak ultramax 400 analogue leica m6 contax canon fd olympus om — Kodak Ultramax 400

The Ultramax 400 is Kodak’s cheaper – hard to use that term in this context – ISO400 color negative film. This is also reflected by the fact that it is available as 24 exposure film. These days it is just as expensive as any other color negative film and whenever I came across it, it had been sold out shortly after. So I should probably consider myself lucky for having seized the moment and bought a roll at the local camera store – for what felt like way too much for a 24 exposure roll…
Processing and scanning was done at urbanfilmlab in Germany.
The pictures you see in this article are from 1 roll.

Continue reading Analogue Adventures – Part 15: Kodak Ultramax 400 →

Canon, Leica M, Review

Review: Canon 50mm 1.2 LTM

February 27, 2023 BastianK 31 Comments

Introduction

review canon ltm m39 leica 50mm 1.2 dream lens contrast resolution m10 42mp 24mp 61mp m6 analogue contrast bokeh vignetting — Canon 50mm 1.2 LTM on Leica M6

Some of you may not know that before producing FD mount lenses and SLR cameras Canon also manufactured rangefinder lenses and cameras, leading to a line-up of no less than 59 different LTM (Leica Thread Mount also known as M39) lenses between 1946 and 1964. These lenses are fully compatible to Leica M cameras and can be easily adapted to other modern mirrorless cameras as well, so today we will have a look at the Canon 50mm 1.2 LTM, the second fastest lens from this series released in 1956.
This lens will be reviewed on the 42mp Sony A7rII and the 24mp Leica M10.

Sample Images

Continue reading Review: Canon 50mm 1.2 LTM →

Meta, Opinion, The creative process

The complexity of deciding which lenses to pack

February 20, 2023 BastianK 37 Comments

Introduction

Now I have way more lenses than anyone possibly needs – luckily this was listed as kind of a requirement in the job description here – but when that is the case it also gets more difficult to decide what lenses to bring on a trip or an assignment. Going by the discussions in the forums I participate, and on our Discord, it seems I am not alone here.
A community member said it would be interesting to know about my thought process of deciding which lenses to bring on a trip, so here we are.

My approach

These days I often build my kit around lenses that still need to be reviewed. This will also heavily influence what cameras I pick. But let’s forget about that for now and keep it to the lenses I actually own.

ms-optics ms-optical apoqualia 35mm 1.4 fast noctilux angenieux leica m10 24mp 42mp review sharpness bokeh vignetting — Leica M6 | MS-Optics 35mm 1.4 Apoqualia | f/2.0 | Gold 200

Continue reading The complexity of deciding which lenses to pack →

Analogue, Leica M, MS-Optics, The creative process

Analogue Adventures – Part 14: Agfa Vista 200 (expired)

February 16, 2023 BastianK 14 Comments

agfa vista expired 200 analogue leica m6 contax canon fd olympus om — Agfa Vista 200 Color Negative Film

These days whenever I come across a photo store I check if they have any film stock available, especially some I didn’t use before. In Istanbul I found a store selling these Agfa Vista 200 24+3 which expired 17 years ago. They were cheap enough and for only 2.5 € I could add processing including scanning so I decided to give it a try.
Processing and scanning was done at Karaköy Fotoğrafçı in Istanbul.
Because there were some issues with a few of the scans I had it rescanned by urbanfilmlab in Germany.

Continue reading Analogue Adventures – Part 14: Agfa Vista 200 (expired) →

Review, Samyang, Sony E-mount

Review: Samyang AF 18mm 2.8 FE – The affordable UWA lens

February 13, 2023 BastianK 13 Comments

Introduction

18 2.8 af fe samyang review a7rii a7rv a7riv 42mp 61mp contrast resolution sharpness bokeh — Samyang FE 18mm 2.8 AF on Sony A7rII

A small, lightweight and very affordable 18mm lens can be an interesting option for many photographers. It can extend the viewing angle compared to a midrange zoom significantly and if you only rarely delve into ultra wideangle photography it can also be a great option, as you will have less money sitting idle in your lens cabinet. The Samyang 18mm 2.8 AF wants to be exactly this lens, but the question remains, how high a toll the small size took on its optical performance. Let’s find out about that in this review!