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.

Leica M, Review, Voigtlander

Review: Voigtländer VM 50mm 1.0 Nokton

November 5, 2023 BastianK 36 Comments

Introduction

Voigtländer VM 50mm 1.0 nokton fle review sharpness comparison leica m10 24mp 42mp 61mp m11 bokeh vignetting coma — Voigtländer VM 50mm 1.0 Nokton on Leica M10

The Voigtländer VM 50mm 1.2 Nokton is a lens, which I always found to hit a sweet spot: a very fast lens that is also sharp with very nice bokeh in a compact package at a still somewhat reasonable price.
This is why I did not expect Cosina to release this more complex Voigtländer VM 50mm 1.0 Nokton so shortly after.
Going by price and technology (grinding aspherical, floating elements) this is Cosina’s flagship fullframe lens, so let’s find out what it is capable of in this review.
This lens will be reviewed on the 42mp Sony A7rII and the 24mp Leica M10.

Sample Images

Continue reading Review: Voigtländer VM 50mm 1.0 Nokton →

Comparison, Leica, Leica M, Mr. Ding Studio, MS-Optics, Voigtlander, Zhong Yi

Comparison: Super Fast 50mm M-mount Lenses

October 22, 2023 BastianK 41 Comments

Introduction

comparison super fast 50mm m-mount leica 24mp 42mp 61mp sharpness contrast bokeh vignetting noctilux 0.95 zhong yi speedmaster voigtländer vm nokton 1.0 1.2 MS-optics ISM mr. ding 1.1 — Leica 50mm 0.95 Noctilux | Zhong Yi 50mm 0.95 M | Voigtländer VM 50mm 1.0 Nokton | MS-Optics 50mm 1.0 ISM | Mr. Ding 50mm 1.1 | Voigtländer VM 50mm 1.2 Nokton

The M-mount seems to be more popular than ever, thanks to plenty of manufacturers – old and new – from Europe, Japan and China designing and releasing countless of new lenses every year for this bayonet.
Super fast 50mm lenses are especially popular here, so many manufacturers designed one as their “flagship” lens.
Thanks to a reader and very cooperative companies I managed to get 6 of these lenses on my table at the same time, so let’s see what each of them is good at – to help you figure out which one might work best for your needs.
Last Update March 2025: Transmission section updated

Continue reading Comparison: Super Fast 50mm M-mount Lenses →

Leica, Leica M, Review

Review: Leica 50mm 0.95 Noctilux-M Asph

October 15, 2023 BastianK 16 Comments

Introduction

leica 50mm 0.95 f/0.95 m 24mp m11 m10 m10r sharpness contrat resolution bokeh vignetting review — Leica 50mm 0.95 Noctilux-M Asph on Leica M10

For one decade (2008-2018) the Leica 50mm 0.95 Noctilux-M Asph was Leica’s most expensive M-mount lens and it is still the fastest lens in their line up to this day.
Now in 2023 there are many f/0.95 lenses from China available for your mirrorless camera of choice, but in 2008 – when most people were using (D)SLRs – this was a unique offering and something you could only find in the M-system.
But is this lens (still) worth the asking price? Let’s try to find out.
This lens will be reviewed on the 42mp Sony A7rII and the 24mp Leica M10.

This lens is also part of my Comparison of 6 Super Fast 50mm M-mount Lenses together with the Zhong Yi 50mm 0.95 M, the Voigtländer VM 50mm 1.0 Nokton, MS-Optics 50mm 1.0 ISM, Mr. Ding 50mm 1.1 and Voigtänder VM 50mm 1.2 Nokton.

Sample Images

Continue reading Review: Leica 50mm 0.95 Noctilux-M Asph →

photography, The creative process

How to: Create Environmental Portraits

October 14, 2023 BastianK 26 Comments

Introduction

laowa 35mm 0.95 worlds fastest lens review bokeh 42mp 61mp laowa venus optics venuslens fullframe contrast resolution bokeh optical vignetting fall off — Sony A7III | Laowa 35mm 0.95 | f/0.95

With lenses like the Sony FE 24mm 1.4 GM, Sigma 35mm 1.2 Art DG DN, Laowa 35mm 0.95 Argus and the Sony FE 50mm 1.2 GM in the E-mount lens lineup and the ongoing Instragram hype it might be a good time to talk a bit about environmental portraits.
What is an environmental portrait and what is the difference compared to a normal portrait? Which lenses work best? Which mistakes I made in the past but you can already avoid today?
These are the questions I will try to answer in this article.

Continue reading How to: Create Environmental Portraits →

7Artisans, Review, Sony E-mount

Review: 7Artisans 9mm 5.6

October 10, 2023 BastianK 11 Comments

Introduction

7artisans 9mm 5.6 fullframe widest lens rectilinear contrast resolution 33mp 42mp 61mp sharpness vignetting a7riv a7rv a9 — 7Artisans 9mm 5.6 on Sony A7rII

While the Laowa 9mm 5.6 FF-RL is one of my favorite lenses, I am very well aware that a 9mm fullframe lens is not for everyone and most certainly a niché lens, which is why I was very much surprised to see 7Artisans offering their own 9mm 5.6 lens. Who makes the better 9mm 5.6? Let us try to find out in this review!

The optical and most of the mechanical construction of this 7Artisans 9mm 5.6 lens is identical to the Brightin Star 9mm 5.6, which features an additional rear filter thread, so be sure to check out its review as well.