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 M, MS-Optics, Projects

Analogue Adventures – Part 20: Kodak Color Plus 200 ECN-2 processed

June 3, 2023 BastianK 2 Comments

Even with the limited amount of different color negative films available these days Kodak manages to confuse the people by offering two different “low cost” ISO 200 daylight films: the Kodak Gold 200 (which I already had a look at here and here) and this Color Plus 200.
From what I gathered the Color Plus is based on older emulsion technology leading to slightly grainer and contrastier pictures, so let’s have a look at some samples.
Processing (ECN-2) and scanning was done at Silbersalz35 in Germany.

color plus 200 color+ kodak review m6 leica analogue analog — Leica M6 | MS-Optics 35mm 1.4 | f/2.8 | Kodak Color Plus 200 ECN-2

Continue reading Analogue Adventures – Part 20: Kodak Color Plus 200 ECN-2 processed →

7Artisans, Review, Sony E-mount

Review: 7Artisans 15mm 4.0 Asph

May 21, 2023 BastianK 3 Comments

Introduction

7Artisans 15mm 4.0 asph uwa review sharpness coma vignetting 42mp 61mp sony a7riv a7r2 a7r3 — 7artisans 15mm 4.0 Asph on Sony A7rII

7Artisans are definitely busy with releasing new fullframe lenses and the latest addition is this 15mm 4.0 ultra wide angle lens. At first sight you may think this is a rebranded NiSi 15mm 4.0, because it shares focal length, maximum aperture and even its size is similar, but I can assure you this is not the case. So let’s find out which one is the better affordable 15mm lens.

Sample Images

Continue reading Review: 7Artisans 15mm 4.0 Asph →

Analogue, Contax G-Mount, Leica, Leica M, MS-Optics, photography, Zeiss

Analogue Adventures – Part 19: Fuji Superia X-Tra 400 ECN-2 processed

May 18, 2023 BastianK 9 Comments

Any film is hard to get these days, but the Fuji films are even harder to get than the Kodak ones here in Germay. Therefore I developed the habit of buying any type of color negative film I haven’t used before for this series – even when it means paying 20€ for just this one roll of Fuji Superia X-Tra 400.
Processing (ECN-2) and scanning was done at Silbersalz35 in Germany.

hologon leica m contax-g 16mm 8.0 8/16 center filter review sharpness leica m10 m11 sony e-mount adapter conversion sharpness distortion carl zeiss germany — Leica M6 | Hologon 16mm 8.0 | Fuji Superia X-tra 400 ECN-2

fuji fujifilm x-tra xtra 400 superior review m6 leica analogue analog — Leica M6 | MS-Optics 35mm 1.4 | f/8.0 | Fuji X-Tra 400 ECN-2

Continue reading Analogue Adventures – Part 19: Fuji Superia X-Tra 400 ECN-2 processed →

Accessory, Leica M, Review, Sony E-mount, Technical, TTArtisan

TTArtisan Leica M to E and M to Z 6-bit Adapter

May 10, 2023 BastianK 51 Comments

Introduction

ttartisan leica m to sony e adapter 6 bit code programmable exif — Voigtlander VM 75mm 1.5 via TTArtisan M->E 6-bit adapter on Sony A7rII

Since I bought my first E-mount camera seven years ago I have been using adapted M-mount lenses. Missing Exif data have always been a nuisance though and while the “Lens Compensation” camera app was a ray of hope, it didn’t exactly work all that well.
Now TTArtisan came up with a product which I have pitched to so many manufacturers before: a semi programmable Leica-M to Sony-E/Nikon-Z adapter. Let’s have a closer look!
Update August 2024: more information on the version for Nikon Z-mount (affiliate link) added

Continue reading TTArtisan Leica M to E and M to Z 6-bit Adapter →

lenses, Review, Sony, Sony E-mount

Review: Sony FE 20mm 1.8G

May 8, 2023 BastianK 26 Comments

Introduction

sony fe 20mm 1.8g review comparison a7rv a7riv 42mp 61mp sharpness handling build quality — Sony FE 20mm 1.8G on Sony A7rII

There are plenty of great lenses available for fullframe E-mount cameras in the 20mm range, but it is said among those this Sony FE 20mm 1.8G is an outstanding, well-balanced highlight. A review was long overdue, so here we go.