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.

Meta, Opinion, Postprocessing, Technical, The creative process

Photoshop Ai: What can it do for you?

July 22, 2023 BastianK 15 Comments

Introduction

By now I am pretty sure all of you have already heard of ChatGPT, Midjourney or any of the other artifical intelligences you can now talk to or make use of. Where it got interesting for me, was in early 2023, when Adobe released a Photoshop Beta version with AI features and staggering capabilities. Over the past months I have been using it (for professional work and private stuff) so I wanted to show you some examples where it was useful to me and also how it works.
One thing is for sure, this will vastly disrupt image editing workflows.

Continue reading Photoshop Ai: What can it do for you? →

Brightin Star, Funleader, Leica M, lenses, Review

Review: Funleader x Brightin Star 28mm 2.8 XSlim Pro-M

July 16, 2023 BastianK 14 Comments

Introduction

brightin star 28mm 2.8 xlim pro-m review contrast sharpness compact thin leica m10 m11 m10r 42mp 61mp — Funleader x Brightin Star 28mm 2.8 XSlim ProM on Leica M10

You probably know by now I have a soft spot for the tiny MS-Optics lenses, but there are two major issues with them: they are expensive and the manufacturing quality sometimes leaves something to be desired.
I was always wondering: what if some other company with better manufacturing capabilities would design lenses just as compact? I even pitched the idea to several manufacturers: without success.
But now Funleader and Brightin Star teamed up to do exactly that with this 28mm 2.8 XSlim Pro-M. It looks just like an MS-Optics lens and I have been very curious about it since I first heard of it.
Lens is being tested on 42mp Sony A7rII and 24mp Leica M10

Sample Images

viltrox 75mm 1.2 af e aps-c e-mount review sony a6700 a6600 a6500 a6000 fuji sharpness contrast bokeh vignetting coma ca loca aberrations — Leica M10 | Brightin Star 28mm 2.8 | f/2.8

Continue reading Review: Funleader x Brightin Star 28mm 2.8 XSlim Pro-M →

Review, Viltrox

Review: Viltrox FE 28mm 1.8 AF

July 9, 2023 BastianK 23 Comments

Introduction

viltrox af 28mm 1.8 fe review sharpness contrast bokeh coma vignetting 42mp 63mp sony a7 — Viltrox 28mm 1.8 AF FE on Sony A7rII

It is a bit odd that the manufacturers of E-mount lenses seemingly abandoned the 28mm focal length, especially when it comes to AF lenses. The only ones available for the FE system are the mediocre Sony FE 28mm 2.0 and the huge designed-for-DSLR Sigma 28mm 1.4 Art – both released in the early days of the FE system and nothing came since. Until now, as Viltrox is offering an alternative with this 28mm 1.8 AF lens. The recently reviewed Viltrox 16mm 1.8 AF proved to be an astonishingly good lens, will this 28mm lens be similarly good? Let’s find out.

Sample Images

Continue reading Review: Viltrox FE 28mm 1.8 AF →

Analogue, Leica, Leica M, MS-Optics, Travel-Report, Zeiss

Analogue Adventures – Part 22: Istanbul

July 6, 2023 BastianK 13 Comments

Introduction

agfa vista expired 200 analogue leica m6 contax canon fd olympus om — Leica M6 | MS-Optics 35mm 1.4 Apoqualia | f/11 | Agfa Vista 200

It was my second time in Istanbul and as I already covered many of the “must see” tourist sights the first time I thought it was a good opportunity to shoot some more film this time around. Being less flexible with film it also helped that I already knew what to expect and where to go.

fuji fujifilm x-tra xtra 400 superior review m6 leica analogue analog — Leica M6 | MS-Optics 35mm 1.4 | f/11 | Fuji X-Tra 400 ECN-2

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

color plus 200 color+ kodak review m6 leica analogue analog — Leica M6 | MS-Optics 35mm 1.4 | f/11 | Kodak Color Plus 200 ECN-2

kodak portra 400 analogue leica m6 contax canon fd olympus om — Leica M6 | MS-Optics 35mm 1.4 | f/2.0 | Kodak Portra 400

Continue reading Analogue Adventures – Part 22: Istanbul →

Leica M, Review, Voigtlander

Review: Voigtländer VM 40mm 1.4 Nokton MC

July 1, 2023 BastianK 39 Comments

Introduction

Voigtländer Cosina 40mm 1.4 1.4/40 mc multi coated sc single comparison review leica m10 m11 m10r sony a7rv a7riv 61mp 42mp 24mp sharpness resolution handling build quality — Voigtländer VM 40mm 1.4 Nokton Classic on Minolta CLE

After my experience with the Voigtländer 35mm 1.4 Classic I haven’t exactly been interested in spending any more time with lenses from Cosina’s Classic line (which is not to be mistaken for their Vintage line). That being said the acquisition of a Minolta CLE got me interested in a compact 40mm M-mount lens and this Voigtlander VM 40mm 1.4 Nokton Classic is actually the cheapest option available, so here we are.
This lens will be reviewed on the 42mp Sony A7rII and the 24mp Leica M10 as well as some analogue cameras.