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.
Comparison, Review

REVIEW/Comparison: Thypoch Simera 35mm f/1.4 ASPH. (Z) vs Leica Summilux 35/1.4 FLE II

9 Comments

Introduction

Can a $369 lens really compete with a $6,600 Leica?
Fair warning: some results may surprise Leica fans, for better or worse.

Today I’m taking a closer look at the Thypoch Simera 35mm f/1.4 ASPH. Thypoch entered the market about two years ago, joining a growing group of Chinese manufacturers initially producing lenses for the Leica M mount. Since then, they’ve expanded their lineup from 21mm to 75mm, mostly with fast f/1.4 apertures, and have begun offering additional mounts beyond M.

In this post, I’ll be testing the Nikon Z version of the 35mm f/1.4—and putting it side by side with Leica’s own Summilux FLE II.

camera-icon2I tested this lens on a 46 Mp Nikon Z7ii and a Nikon Zf (Sample images were taken with a Nikon Zf)

You can see this review as a YouTube video here!

Sample Images

Nikon Zf | Thypoch Simera 35mm f/1.4 Z | f/1.4
Nikon Zf | Thypoch Simera 35mm f/1.4 Z | f/1.4
Nikon Zf | Thypoch Simera 35mm f/1.4 Z | f/1.4
Nikon Zf | Thypoch Simera 35mm f/1.4 Z | f/1.4

Continue reading REVIEW/Comparison: Thypoch Simera 35mm f/1.4 ASPH. (Z) vs Leica Summilux 35/1.4 FLE II →

lenses, Nikon, Review

Review/Comparison: Nikon NIKKOR Z 35mm f/1.4 (vs. 35/1.8 S)

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Introduction

In this review, we take a look at the Nikon Z 35mm f/1.4, released several years after the original Z-series 35mm, the Z 35mm f/1.8 S. It brings the long-sought f/1.4 aperture typically found on Nikon’s pro lenses, which is always an exciting option, but without the “S” designation used for the company’s higher-end optics.

The pricing is what really stands out: the f/1.8 S is actually more expensive, despite being about two-thirds of a stop slower. So which one makes more sense? A direct comparison should help clarify which lens is the better fit—and what compromises, if any, come with the faster option.

camera-icon2I 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 | Nikon Z 35mm f/1.4 | f/5
Nikon Zf | Nikon Z 35mm f/1.4 | f/1.4
Nikon Zf | Nikon Z 35mm f/1.4 | f/5
Nikon Zf | Nikon Z 35mm f/1.4 | f/1.4
Nikon Zf | Nikon Z 35mm f/1.4 | f/14
Nikon Zf | Nikon Z 35mm f/1.4 | f/1.4

Continue reading Review/Comparison: Nikon NIKKOR Z 35mm f/1.4 (vs. 35/1.8 S) →

Review, TTArtisan

REVIEW: TTArtisan 14mm f/2.8

7 Comments

Introduction

Here we have another ultra-wide-angle lens from TTArtisan: an affordable 14mm with a maximum aperture of f/2.8. It’s quite compact and reasonably fast for such a wide-angle lens. A 14mm lens is a good choice for architectural and dramatic landscape photography. The f/2.8 aperture also makes it suitable for astrophotography, and at around 196 USD it remains very affordable. Let’s take a look at its performance.

camera-icon2I 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 | TTARTISAN 14mm f/2.8 | f/4
Nikon Zf | TTARTISAN 14mm f/2.8 | f/8
Nikon Zf | TTARTISAN 14mm f/2.8 | f/2.8
Nikon Zf | TTARTISAN 14mm f/2.8 | f/2.8
Nikon Zf | TTARTISAN 14mm f/2.8 | f/2.8
Nikon Zf | TTARTISAN 14mm f/2.8 | f/2.8

Continue reading REVIEW: TTArtisan 14mm f/2.8 →

lenses, Meike, Review

REVIEW: Meike 85mm f/1.4 FF STM

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Introduction

Meike is stepping up its autofocus game with a bold new lens: an 85mm f/1.4. While it’s not their first AF lens, it’s a pro favourite for portraits and shots that really make the subject pop, with that classic strong subject separation. Meike even claims it’s China’s first 85mm f/1.4 portrait flagship lens—a pretty bold statement. Naturally, I was curious to see it for myself when they offered a copy for review. Let’s find out how good it really is.

camera-icon2I 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 | Meike 85mm f/1.4 | f/2.8
Nikon Zf | Meike 85mm Ff1.4 | f/1.4
Nikon Zf | Meike 85mm f/1.4 | f/1.6
Nikon Zf | Meike 85mm f/1.4 | f/1.4
Nikon Zf | Meike 85mm f/1.4 | f/1.4

Continue reading REVIEW: Meike 85mm f/1.4 FF STM →

Review, Vintage, Zeiss

REVIEW: Carl Zeiss Jena Pancolar 50mm f/1.8 MC

10 Comments

Introduction

Zeiss Jena designed the first Pancolar 50mm with a maximum aperture of f/2 in 1960, partly to offer a faster and better-performing alternative to the Tessar 50mm f/2.8. As competitors began designing and releasing standard 50mm lenses with f/1.8 apertures, Zeiss found it necessary to respond with a lens of similar specification. The result was the Pancolar 50mm f/1.8, which was designed and produced starting in 1964. It was considered one of the best lenses of its era and remains quite popular today. When this lens was around, I was using Japanese cameras and lenses, so I’ve often wondered whether it was better than what I had. Let’s see how it actually performs by modern standards.

camera-icon2I 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 | CZJ Pancolar 50mm F/1.8 | f/1.8
Nikon Zf | CZJ Pancolar 50mm F/1.8 | f/1.8
Nikon Zf | CZJ Pancolar 50mm F/1.8 | f/1.8
Nikon Zf | CZJ Pancolar 50mm F/1.8 | f/4.5
Nikon Zf | CZJ Pancolar 50mm F/1.8 | f/1.8

Continue reading REVIEW: Carl Zeiss Jena Pancolar 50mm f/1.8 MC →