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.

Review: TTArtisan 35mm 2.0 Apo-Asph M

Introduction

TTartisan 35mm 2.0 apo aspherical aa e-mount fe sony a7rii a7riv review comparison contrast sharpness vignetting pancake small
TTArtisan 35mm 2.0 Apo-Aspherical on Leica M10

So far TTArtisan mostly released fast yet compact M-mount lenses, the most famous probably being their 50mm 0.95. These lenses often emphasized speed and size over sharpness, but now we are getting something different: the TTArtisan 35mm 2.0 Apo-Aspherical. Going by the specs this is a direct competitor to the Voigtländer VM 35mm 2.0 Apo-Lanthar, but does it also play in the same league? Let’s find out.
This lens will be reviewed on the 42mp Sony A7rII and the 24mp Leica M10.

Sample Images

TTartisan 35mm 2.0 apo aspherical aa e-mount fe sony a7rii a7riv review comparison contrast sharpness vignetting pancake small
Leica M10 | TTArtisan 35mm 2.0 | f/2.0
TTartisan 35mm 2.0 apo aspherical aa e-mount fe sony a7rii a7riv review comparison contrast sharpness vignetting pancake small
Leica M10 | TTArtisan 35mm 2.0 | f/5.6
TTA_35mm_2.0_AA_Sample_M10_20
Sony A7III | LMEA9 | TTArtisan 35mm 2.0 | f/2.0
TTartisan 35mm 2.0 apo aspherical aa e-mount fe sony a7rii a7riv review comparison contrast sharpness vignetting pancake small
Leica M10 | TTArtisan 35mm 2.0 | f/8.0

Continue reading Review: TTArtisan 35mm 2.0 Apo-Asph M

Review: TTArtisan 50mm 2.0 – Return of the Nifty Fifty

Introduction

TTartisan 50mm 2.0 e-mount fe sony a7rii a7riv review comparison contrast sharpness vignetting pancake small
TTArtisan 50mm 2.0 on Sony A7rII

In the SLR era the “Nifty Fifty” was the lens of choice for many: a compact, fast and at the same time affordable 50mm lens. For the Sony FE system the next best thing we got so far is the Sony FE 50mm 2.5 G, but it isn’t as fast and also not that affordable.
To my surprise TTArtisan is now the one trying to revive the Nifty Fifty and despite being a mirrorless design it is as small as the smallest SLR 50s. But did they succeed? Let’s find out in this review.

Sample Images

TTartisan 50mm 2.0 e-mount fe sony a7rii a7riv review comparison contrast sharpness vignetting pancake small
Sony A7rII | TTArtisan 50mm 2.0 | f/2.0
TTartisan 50mm 2.0 e-mount fe sony a7rii a7riv review comparison contrast sharpness vignetting pancake small
Sony A7rII | TTArtisan 50mm 2.0 | f/8.0
TTartisan 50mm 2.0 e-mount fe sony a7rii a7riv review comparison contrast sharpness vignetting pancake small
Sony A7III | TTArtisan 50mm 2.0 | f/2.0

Continue reading Review: TTArtisan 50mm 2.0 – Return of the Nifty Fifty

Review: Laowa 12-24mm 5.6

Introduction

laowa 12-24mm 5.6 zoom uwa ultra wide 42mp 61mp 24mp sony a7rIv a7riii a7rii a7iii a7iv a74 review sharpness contrast distortion venus optics sunstar sunstars
Laowa 12-24mm 5.6 on Sony A7rII

The Laowa 12-24mm 5.6 is Laowa’s second ultra wide angle zoom, the first being the Laowa 10-18mm 4.5-5.6. The 10-18mm offers a very appealing focal length range in a compact package, but there were some optical compromises hard to overlook. This 12-24mm lens is supposed to yield better optical performance at the cost of a less extreme angle of view at the wide end. Is it the better lens at the end of the day? Let us find out in this review.

Sample Images

laowa 12-24mm 5.6 zoom uwa ultra wide 42mp 61mp 24mp sony a7rIv a7riii a7rii a7iii a7iv a74 review sharpness contrast distortion venus optics
Sony A7rII | Laowa 12-24mm 5.6 | 12mm f/8.0
laowa 12-24mm 5.6 zoom uwa ultra wide 42mp 61mp 24mp sony a7rIv a7riii a7rii a7iii a7iv a74 review sharpness contrast distortion venus optics
Sony A7III | Laowa 12-24mm 5.6 | 12mm f/5.6
laowa 12-24mm 5.6 zoom uwa ultra wide 42mp 61mp 24mp sony a7rIv a7riii a7rii a7iii a7iv a74 review sharpness contrast distortion venus optics
Sony A7III | Laowa 12-24mm 5.6 | 12mm f/5.6
laowa 12-24mm 5.6 zoom uwa ultra wide 42mp 61mp 24mp sony a7rIv a7riii a7rii a7iii a7iv a74 review sharpness contrast distortion venus optics
Sony A7rII | Laowa 12-24mm 5.6 | 18mm f/8.0
laowa 12-24mm 5.6 zoom uwa ultra wide 42mp 61mp 24mp sony a7rIv a7riii a7rii a7iii a7iv a74 review sharpness contrast distortion venus optics
Sony A7III | Laowa 12-24mm 5.6 | 24mm f/5.6

Continue reading Review: Laowa 12-24mm 5.6

Analogue Adventures – Part 8: Going small with MS-Optics lenses

Introduction

Leica M6 with MS-Optics 50mm 1.0 ISM and 24mm 2.0 Aporia

When using Leica M cameras I generally try to stick to using small lenses, but there is a problem: small lenses are usually slow and I find slow lenses (at least non-ultrawides) incredibly boring.
My workaround is using some of the MS-Optics lenses as they try to be small, lightweight and fast at the same time – at the cost of some optical compromises obviously.
I was a bit hesitant to use these lenses on film at first (doubts about rangefinder accuracy, focus shift and field curvature) but I decided to try nevertheless and exposed 4 films mainly using the 24mm 2.0 Aporia and the 50mm 1.0 ISM. How did it work out in the end? Let’s have a look.

24mm 2.0 Aporia

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 | 500T | MS-Optics 24mm 2.0 Aporia | f/11

Continue reading Analogue Adventures – Part 8: Going small with MS-Optics lenses

Analogue Adventures – Part 7: Cinestill 800T

Introduction

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Cinestill 800T

When looking for a higher ISO color film in 2022 – especially one for shooting under artifical light without the need for additional color correction filters – the Cinestill 800T is pretty much without competition. But there are a few things to be aware of, so let’s have a closer look.
Processing and scanning was done at urbanfilmlab in Germany.
The pictures you see in this article are from 2 rolls.

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Leica M6 | MS-Optics 50mm 1.0 ISM | f/2.0 | Cinestill 800T
cinestill 800t 800 tungsten cinefilm kodak vision 3 review m6 leica analogue analog
Leica M6 | Cinestill 800T | MS-Optics 50mm 1.0 ISM | f/1.4
cinestill 800t 800 tungsten cinefilm kodak vision 3 review m6 leica analogue analog
Leica M6 | Cinestill 800T | Voigtländer VM 28mm 2.0 | f/2.0
cinestill 800t 800 tungsten cinefilm kodak vision 3 review m6 leica analogue analog
Leica M6 | Cinestill 800T | MS-Optics 50mm 1.0 ISM | f/1.4
cinestill 800t 800 tungsten cinefilm kodak vision 3 review m6 leica analogue analog
Leica M6 | MS-Optics 50mm 1.0 ISM | f/1.4 | Cinestill 800T
cinestill 800t 800 tungsten cinefilm kodak vision 3 review m6 leica analogue analog
Leica M6 | Cinestill 800T | MS-Optics 50mm 1.0 ISM | f/1.4

Continue reading Analogue Adventures – Part 7: Cinestill 800T