Category Archives: camera

Review: KMZ Helios-44 58mm 2.0

May 24, 2023 Martin 40 Comments

Introduction

The Helios 44 is basically a copy of the Carl Zeiss Jena Biotar 58mm f/2, optically that is. At the beginning it was even called “БТК” – “БиоТар Красногорский” (BioTar Krasnogorski). At the end of Wold War II the Russians took the Zeiss’ designs and materials back to Russia and copied them. The Soviet Union manufactured millions of this lens in different variants and it shipped as standard lens on many Soviet (Zenit) cameras. KMZ (the same factory that made the Zenit cameras) started manufacturing this lens from 1945. The Helios 44 lenses have built a cult around themselves in modern days and have been very popular for portrait photography and videography, it is the number one vintage lens used for making videos on modern cameras. It is very popular for its image character, its clickless aperture, balanced center sharpness and not least its swirly bokeh. Let’s have a look!

Sample Images

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Nikon Z, Review, Tamron

Review: Tamron SP AF 90mm F2.5

May 14, 2023 Martin 22 Comments

Introduction

Tamron made a big impression on the market when they launched their SP 90mm F/2.5 back in 1979. Small, flexible and very sharp. It is originally designed for 35mm cameras (full-frame) but can also be used on APS-C cameras with an equivalent focal length of 135mm. It is a classic dual purpose 90mm macro lens. The lens manages to do a 1:2 magnification, almost macro and many call it for a macro lens although Tamron themselves did not do that and only talked about it as “a medium telephoto portrait lens”. (They called the previous versions, also with 1:2 magnification, “tele-macro” though.) Anyhow, it has long been the general opinion that it has very good close-up capabilities and it can do 1:1 macro with some help as we will see. It is also very suitable for use as a portrait lens at normal distances. The lens has been updated several times since its first release and changed look and optical formula during over 40 years of its existence. Each new version could have an additional feature, improved optical performance, just a cosmetic update, or a combination of them. We are going to look at the first AF version of this lens from 1990. The lens has been made with native mounts for Nikon F, Pentax K and Minolta/Sony A. I test a Nikon mount lens mostly on a FF mirrorless Nikon Z6 and APS-C DSLR Nikon D7200 (F mount) but I also include images taken with FF DSLR Nikon D600 (also F mount).

Sample Images

Nikon D600 | Tamron AP AF 90mm f/2.5 | 2.5

Nikon D600 | Tamron AP AF 90mm f/2.5 | 7.1 | Focus stacked from 11 images

Nikon D600 | Tamron AP AF 90mm f/2.5 | 3.3

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Konica, Konica AR, Nikon Z, Review

Review: Konica Hexanon AR 40mm f/1.8

April 24, 2023 Martin 31 Comments

Introduction

Konica Hexanon AR 40mm f1.8 is a pancake standard lens, it was shipped as kit lens with Konica SLR cameras during a couple of years in mid and late ’70s. While it is not an actual wide angle lens it is still wider than a normal 50mm lens, which, in my opinion, can be helpful for street photography as it allows to include more of the environment from the same camera to subject distance. It also does so without introducing the perspective distortion of a 35mm wide angle lens with equivalent speed/aperture.
Sometimes it’s hard to explain it but in many situations the 40mm focal length feels just right (i.e. to my taste). When it was introduced some photography magazines considered it the sharpest lens ever produced (for its time that is), there is no hard proofs on that though. You can find it very cheap at about 20-30$. Let’s see if it still is justified to buy this lens today.

Sample Images

Nikon Z6 | Konica Hexanon AR 40/1.8 | 5.6

Nikon Z6 | Konica Hexanon AR 40mm F1.8 | 5.6

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Accessories, Adapters, camera, lenses, Meta, Opinion, Sony E-mount

Adapting Lenses – Still worth it in 2023?

April 5, 2023 BastianK 42 Comments

Introduction

canon ef 200mm 2.0 l is usm sony 42mp high res review 1.8 comparison sharpness bokeh resolution brenizer — Canon EF 200mm 2.0 L IS on Sony A7III via Metabones Smart Adapter

There have always been people adapting lenses to other camera systems, but it was really the release of the Sony A7 that completely changed the game, being the first affordable fullframe mirrorless camera with a short flange focal distance, Liveview and built-in EVF.
This not only made it possible to use long forgotten legacy lenses from decades ago on a modern camera, it also led to some of the most sophisticated adapters we have seen so far.
This was the end of 2014 and since then a lot has changed, so let us see what are the reasons to adapt lenses and in what cases it is still worth it today.

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7Artisans, camera, Leica M, MS-Optics, TTArtisan, Voigtlander

Leica M10 – The Camera (?)

March 5, 2023 BastianK 274 Comments

Introduction

Leica M10. The Camera. Photography reduced to its essentials. This is what Leica says about this camera. If you care what I think of it: keep on reading.

Update: this article is now 3 years old and because of it some Leica fanboys still show up outside (or rather in the comment section) with pitchforks and torches. Joking aside, this is one of the most commented-on articles I ever wrote, reason enough to revisit it and see what happened in the meantime and also tackle some arguments from the comment section.

For many people owning a Leica camera is a dream. But why is that so? Is it simply the high price tag, the Bauhaus look or the huge “Made in Germany” writing, not hidden on a sticker at the bottom of the camera, but easily visible on the back?
It surely isn’t image quality or ease of use. You get more of both, elsewhere, for less. This is why Leica cameras are often perceived as vain men’s luxury items, that happen to be able to take photos from time to time.