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 45 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.
Review, Zeiss

Review: Carl Zeiss Jena Sonnar 135mm f/3.5

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Introduction

The Carl Zeiss Jena 135mm f/3.5 is a vintage lens, originally designed in 1929. Renowned for its simple yet ingenious design and impressive sharpness, it’s also celebrated for its remarkably light weight.  Historically, 135mm has been the classic focal length for portrait photography, and the most popular telephoto focal length for most photographers. Therefore almost all of the lens manufacturers had at least 2 of them, a f/2.8 and a f/3.5, many offered other speeds in between or even faster than 2.8. The Sonnar design, with its compact size, made it a popular choice for photographers on the move. While Carl Zeiss produced numerous Sonnar 135mm lenses, other manufacturers have also developed their own Sonnar-inspired lenses incorporating modern technology. Despite its historical significance, I found the Carl Zeiss Jena 135mm f/3.5 price  more reasonable than other coveted vintage lenses, prompting me to purchase one for testing. (I bought mine for €10 but prices normally start from €20)

camera-icon2I tested this lens on a 46 Mp Nikon Z 7II (Sample images Nikon Z6 and Nikon Zf)
You can see this review as a YouTube video here!

Sample Images

Nikon Zf | Carl Zeiss Jena Sonnar 135mm f/3.5 | f/3.5
Nikon Zf | Carl Zeiss Jena Sonnar 135mm f/3.5 | f/3.5
Nikon Zf | Carl Zeiss Jena Sonnar 135mm f/3.5 | f/3.5
Nikon Zf | Carl Zeiss Jena Sonnar 135mm f/3.5 | f/3.5
Nikon Zf | Carl Zeiss Jena Sonnar 135mm f/3.5 | f/3.5
Nikon Zf | Carl Zeiss Jena Sonnar 135mm f/3.5 | f/3.5
Nikon Zf | Carl Zeiss Jena Sonnar 135mm f/3.5 | f/3.5
Nikon Zf | Carl Zeiss Jena Sonnar 135mm f/3.5 | f/3.5
Nikon Zf | Carl Zeiss Jena Sonnar 135mm f/3.5 | f/3.5
Nikon Zf | Carl Zeiss Jena Sonnar 135mm f/3.5 | f/3.5
Nikon Zf | Carl Zeiss Jena Sonnar 135mm f/3.5 | f/3.5
Nikon Zf | Carl Zeiss Jena Sonnar 135mm f/3.5 | f/3.5

Continue reading Review: Carl Zeiss Jena Sonnar 135mm f/3.5 →

camera, lenses, Manufacturers, Nikon Z, Review, TTArtisan

Review: TTArtisan AF 75mm f/2

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Introduction

TTArtisan has produced several affordable and well-regarded manual lenses in recent years. Now, they’ve introduced their first full-frame autofocus lens: a 75mm f/2, available for Sony E and Nikon Z mounts at a budget-friendly price of $178. Lenses in the 50mm to 85mm range are typically known for their strong optical performance, and this focal length is particularly well-suited for portraiture and general-purpose photography, offering a slightly tighter field of view than a standard 50mm. The 75mm f/2 allows for excellent subject isolation while maintaining enough background detail to keep the blur subtly recognisable. Let’s dive into its strengths and weaknesses!

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

Nikon Z7ii | TTArtisan 75mm f/2 | f/2
Nikon Zf | TTArtisan 75mm f/2 | f/2
Nikon Z7ii | TTArtisan 75mm f/2 | f/2
Nikon Zf | TTArtisan 75mm f/2 | f/2
Nikon Zf | TTArtisan 75mm f/2 | f/2
Nikon Zf | TTArtisan 75mm f/2 | f/2
Nikon Zf | TTArtisan 75mm f/2 | f/2
Nikon Zf | TTArtisan 75mm f/2 | f/2
Nikon Zf | TTArtisan 75mm f/2 | f/5.6
Nikon Zf | TTArtisan 75mm f/2 | f/5.6
Nikon Zf | TTArtisan 75mm f/2 | f/2
Nikon Zf | TTArtisan 75mm f/2 | f/2

Continue reading Review: TTArtisan AF 75mm f/2 →

camera, lenses, Manufacturers, Nikon Z, Review, TTArtisan

Review: TTArtisan 75mm f/1.5 – A Modern and Affordable Zeiss Biotar 75/1.5?

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Introduction

TTArtisan 75mm f/1.5 on a Nikon Zf
TTArtisan 75mm f/1.5 on a Nikon Zf

TTArtisan has done it again. After previously remaking the legendary Meyer-Optik Görlitz Trioplan 100mm f/2.8—renowned for its distinctive soap bubble bokeh—they’ve now turned their attention to another iconic lens: the Big B, or more precisely, the Carl Zeiss Biotar 75mm f/1.5. This legendary lens, famous for its swirly bokeh, sharp centre, and 3D pop, has become something of a myth over time.

While TTArtisan has never claimed to have replicated the Biotar, the lens’s shape, mount choice, and, more importantly, its optical formula leave little to the imagination about what they have aimed to mimic.

The Biotar 75mm is often called the “Original King of Bokeh,” as the popular Soviet-era Helios 40 85mm f/1.5—known simply as the “King of Bokeh”—is rumored to be based on the Biotar’s design due to their similar optical formula.

Thanks to its unique optical characteristics, limited production, and beautiful bokeh, sharpness, and 3D pop, the Biotar 75mm f/1.5 became highly sought after, eventually turning into a collector’s item. Prices on the used market soared to between $1,500 and $4,500, depending on the version and condition. Now, let’s take a closer look at TTArtisan’s remake of this iconic lens!

camera-icon2I tested this lens on a Nikon Zf.
You can see this review as a YouTube video here!

Sample Images

Nikon Z fc | TTArtisan 75mm f/1.5 | f/1.5
Nikon Zf | TTArtisan 75mm f/1.5 | f/1.5
Nikon Z fc | TTArtisan 75mm f/1.5 | f/1.5
Nikon Zf | TTArtisan 75mm f/1.5 | f/1.5
Nikon Z fc | TTArtisan 75mm f/1.5 | f/1.5
Nikon Zf | TTArtisan 75mm f/1.5 | f/1.5
Nikon Z fc | TTArtisan 75mm f/1.5 | f/8
Nikon Zf | TTArtisan 75mm f/1.5 | f/8
Nikon Z fc | TTArtisan 75mm f/1.5 | f/1.5
Nikon Zf | TTArtisan 75mm f/1.5 | f/1.5
Nikon Z fc | TTArtisan 75mm f/1.5 | f/1.5
Nikon Zf | TTArtisan 75mm f/1.5 | f/1.5

Continue reading Review: TTArtisan 75mm f/1.5 – A Modern and Affordable Zeiss Biotar 75/1.5? →

Nikon, Nikon Z, Travel-Report

Travel Diary: An Arctic Trip (Day 3)

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This diary entry covers our third day of the trip. For details on previous days, see the ‘Further Reading’ section at the end of the article.

I have not included all the pictures here. This is more or less just a display of selected images from that day. To see all of them with more details and information, watch the video of this third day for a unique experience and a story of this adventurous day!

Youtube small iconAn Arctic Trip; Day Three

After two nights at our first camp, we left that camp to go somewhere else. But before moving on to the new camp, we went to the main activity of the day that we had all been looking forward to, Polar dog sledding in the Nordic forests.

Nikon Z6 | Nikkor Z 24-70/4 S | f/7.1
Nikon Z6 | Nikkor Z 24-70/4 S | f/7.1
Nikon Z6 | Nikkor Z 24-70/4 S | f/11
Nikon Z6 | Nikkor Z 24-70/4 S | f/11

Continue reading Travel Diary: An Arctic Trip (Day 3) →

Uncategorized

Review: TTArtisan Dot Sight

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Introduction

TTARTISAN Dot Sight - open

In this review I am going to look at something else than a lens for a change, namely a dot sight. So what is it used for?

According to TTArtisan, they developed this dot sight mainly because of the photographer’s shooting needs. Bird photographers and astrophotographers have a very narrow angle of view when using a telephoto lens, which makes it difficult to quickly target the shooting area. The dot sight is close to the normal angle of view of the human eye, which helps photographers quickly target the shooting area.

Well,  If you photograph birds in flight or any fast-moving subjects, a dot sight for your camera could be an aid to you. let’s have a look!

camera-icon2I tested the dot sight on a 24 Mp Nikon Zf (Product images Nikon Z 7 II)
You can see this review as a YouTube video here!

All the bird pictures in this review were taken using TTArtisan Dot Sight for targeting the birds.

Sample Images

Nikon Zf | TTARTISAN Dot Sight| Sigma 100-400 f/5.6-6.3
Nikon Zf | TTARTISAN Dot Sight| Sigma 100-400 f/5.6-6.3
Nikon Zf | TTARTISAN Dot Sight| Sigma 100-400 f/5.6-6.3
Nikon Zf | TTARTISAN Dot Sight| Sigma 100-400 f/5.6-6.3
Nikon Zf | TTARTISAN Dot Sight| Sigma 100-400 f/5.6-6.3
Nikon Zf | TTARTISAN Dot Sight| Sigma 100-400 f/5.6-6.3
Nikon Zf | TTARTISAN Dot Sight| Sigma 100-400 f/5.6-6.3
Nikon Zf | TTARTISAN Dot Sight| Sigma 100-400 f/5.6-6.3
Nikon Zf | TTARTISAN Dot Sight| Sigma 100-400 f/5.6-6.3
Nikon Zf | TTARTISAN Dot Sight| Sigma 100-400 f/5.6-6.3
Nikon Zf | TTARTISAN Dot Sight| Sigma 100-400 f/5.6-6.3
Nikon Zf | TTARTISAN Dot Sight| Sigma 100-400 f/5.6-6.3

Continue reading Review: TTArtisan Dot Sight →