All posts by Martin

Martin M.H. lives outside Stockholm, Sweden. He is a M.Sc. in Computer Technology but he has been a passionate photographer for over 50 years. He started his photographic adventures when he was thirteen with an Agfamatic pocket camera, which he soon replaced with a Canon rangefinder camera that his mom gave him in his teenages. After that he has been using Canon SLR, Nikon SLR manual focus and Autofocus, Sony mirrorless crop sensor, Nikon DSLR and Nikon Mirrorless. He has photographed any genre he could throughout the years and you can see all kind of images in his portfolio. During the later years though it has been mostly landscape, nature, travel and some street/documentary photography.

lenses, Review

REVIEW: LOMOGRAPHY Petzval 55mm F/1.7 Bokeh Control Mark II Art Lens

September 14, 2025 Martin 4 Comments

Introduction

Inspired by a 19th-century design with a cult following, Lomography has brought the spirit of Joseph Petzval’s optics into the mirrorless era. Over the years, Lomography has released several lenses based on Joseph Petzval’s original 1840s optical designs. The Lomography Petzval 55mm f/1.7 Bokeh Control MKII is the company’s first Art Lens built specifically for full-frame mirrorless cameras. It’s a reimagining of the original design, aiming to replicate the aesthetic qualities of those early lenses: a sharp centre and wild, swirling bokeh that makes any merry-go-round effect fade in comparison.

I’ve reviewed other lenses that produce a somewhat similar effect — such as the Helios 40, Helios 44, and TTArtisan’s remake of the Carl Zeiss Biotar 75/1.5 — but in terms of effect, those are more like corrected versions of this lens, taming the aberrations that create its distinctive bokeh.

While I usually follow a standard testing procedure, you’ll see that there’s little point in doing so with this lens. After all, it’s not sharpness charts or corner performance that matter here—this is a lens about feel, character, and swirly chaos. So, this will be part review, part test—let’s dive in!

camera-icon2 I tested this lens on a 46 Mp Nikon Z7ii (Sample images were taken with a Nikon Zf )
You can see this review as a YouTube video here!
Sample images in high resolution here.

Sample Images

Nikon Zf | LOMOGRAPHY New Petzval 55mm 1.7 Bokeh Control Mark II | f/1.7 | BC7

Nikon Zf | LOMOGRAPHY New Petzval 55mm 1.7 Bokeh Control Mark II | f/2

Nikon Zf | LOMOGRAPHY New Petzval 55mm 1.7 Bokeh Control Mark II | f/1.7

Continue reading REVIEW: LOMOGRAPHY Petzval 55mm F/1.7 Bokeh Control Mark II Art Lens →

Accessories, Accessory, Review

Review: Pergear CFexpress Typ B 512GB

September 10, 2025 Martin 2 Comments

Introduction

Pergear entered the memory card market later than many of the bigger players, but in 2022 and 2023 they launched high-spec CFexpress Type B and Type A cards at far more budget-friendly prices. They’re quickly carving out a place for themselves alongside more established brands.

When they asked if I wanted to test their newest card, I agreed—mainly because I wanted to see how it stacks up against the cards I already use in my cameras. Let’s take a closer look.

camera-icon2 I tested this card on a 46 Mp Nikon Z7ii
You can see this review as a YouTube video here!

Continue reading Review: Pergear CFexpress Typ B 512GB →

Analogue, B&W Negative

Analogue Photography: Part 3 – A Nostalgic Race and a Suburban Shopping Centre with Kodak Tri-X

September 3, 2025 Martin 22 Comments

Polished chrome and proud owners – Jaguar XK120 | Kodak 400TX

Introduction

As promised in my previous analogue articles, “Analogue Photography – A Personal Journey Part 1 and Part 2”, I’ve started shooting with film again and will be sharing the results from each roll in this series.

The pictures you see in this article all come from a single roll of Tri-X, shot at ISO 400 and developed and scanned by bildskanning.com in Sweden.

You can see this article as a YouTube video here!

For the first instalment, I wanted to begin with one of the oldest and most classic black-and-white films available: Kodak Tri-X. It’s a cornerstone of analogue photography, used for generations by renowned photographers. Tri-X first appeared in the 1940s as a sheet film rated at ASA 200, and since 1954 it has been available in 35mm and 120 roll formats at ISO 400.

Continue reading Analogue Photography: Part 3 – A Nostalgic Race and a Suburban Shopping Centre with Kodak Tri-X →

photography, Technical

Understanding F-Numbers and Light Transmission

August 27, 2025 Martin 17 Comments

Introduction

When comparing camera lenses, one of the most commonly discussed features is how “fast” a lens is—usually expressed in terms of f-numbers. But what do those numbers actually mean, and how precise are the differences we talk about, like “half a stop” or “two-thirds of a stop”?
In this article, we’ll unpack how f-numbers relate to light transmission, explore why the system isn’t always as exact as it seems, and show you how to calculate these differences for yourself—or simply reference our handy table at the end. Continue reading Understanding F-Numbers and Light Transmission →

lenses, Review, TTArtisan

REVIEW: TTArtisan 35mm F/1.4 Tilt (APS-C)

August 20, 2025 Martin 3 Comments

Introduction

TTArtisan previously released a full-frame 50mm tilt lens, designed to control focus to a thin slice of the scene, or extend it for deeper focus. It’s also fun to experiment with, especially for creating a playful miniature effect. In May 2025, they followed up with an APS-C equivalent: the 35mm f/1.4 tilt lens, offered at a budget-friendly price. Of course, it can also serve as a fast f/1.4 standard lens. Let’s take a closer look!

camera-icon2 I tested this lens on a 22 Mp Nikon Zfc
You can see this review as a YouTube video here!
Sample images in high resolution here.