Category Archives: Leica M

Analogue, camera, Leica, Leica M, photography, Projects

Analogue Adventures – Part 1: Choosing a Camera

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Introduction

Agfa Isolette – roughly worth its weight in strawberries

I shot analogue with two cameras in the past, a Nikon F80 and a Nikon FE2.

The F80 is actually a very modern camera which supports AF, VR, matrix metering and a few other things, but the rubber got sticky and I got rid of most of my Nikon lenses quite some time ago, so I have little incentive to use it these days.

The FE2 was better at giving the “analogue” feeling, but some parts of the mechanics are broken as the film advance doesn’t work properly. So on my first and only roll of film with this camera I ended up with a bunch of useless quadruple exposures.

The adventure of analogue photography ended for me here.

Until the day I was strolling through Stuttgart and discovered a camera store displaying a Nikon FM2, FM3a and F3 – all in mint condition and all – at least to my eyes – beautiful cameras. I got the idea of getting one of those, because: why not shoot some film for a change?

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Leica M, Review, Zhong Yi

Review: Zhong Yi 90mm 1.5 M

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Introduction

zhong yi 90mm 1.5 f/1.5 review test comparison leica m m10 m10r m9 sony a7rii 42mp 24mp contrast bokeh sharpness
Zhong Yi 90mm 1.5 via metabones adapter on Sony A7rII

If you thought there weren’t enough super fast portrait lenses in the M-mount world available 2021 may prove to be an interesting year for you: in addition to TTArtisan’s 90mm f/1.25 there is also a (slightly more reasonable?) 90mm f/1.5 lens by Zhong Yi being released. Let us have a look what this lens has in store for us!
Lens is being tested on 42mp Sony A7rII and 24mp Leica M10
Update November 2022: the price has been reduced to $399

Sample Images

zhong yi 90mm 1.5 f/1.5 review test comparison leica m m10 m10r m9 sony a7rii 42mp 24mp contrast bokeh sharpness coma milky way astigmatism
Leica M10 | Zhong Yi 90mm 1.5 | f/1.5
zhong yi 90mm 1.5 f/1.5 review test comparison leica m m10 m10r m9 sony a7rii 42mp 24mp contrast bokeh sharpness coma milky way astigmatism
Leica M10 | Zhong Yi 90mm 1.5 | f/1.5
zhong yi 90mm 1.5 f/1.5 review test comparison leica m m10 m10r m9 sony a7rii 42mp 24mp contrast bokeh sharpness coma milky way astigmatism
Sony A7rII | Zhong Yi 90mm 1.5 | f/1.5

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Leica M, Review, Voigtlander

Review: Voigtlander VM 35mm 2.0 Apo-Lanthar

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Introduction

voigtlander vm 35mm 2.0 leica m10 rangefinder apo-lanthar review 42mp 61 mp sony a7riv a7rii a7riii contrast resolution sharpness bokeh 24mp m10r
Voigtländer VM 35mm 2.0 Apo-Lanthar on Leica M10

The Voigtländer VM 35mm 2.0 Apo-Lanthar is the second addition to Voigtländer’s Apo-Lanthar lineup for M-mount.
I am going to have a look how it performs on the Leica M10 and also on the Sony A7rII to see what you are giving up using this lens on your E-mount camera instead of the native version I already reviewed here.
This lens will be reviewed on the 42mp Sony A7rII and the 24mp Leica M10.

Sample Images

voigtlander vm 35mm 2.0 e apo-lanthar review 42mp 61 mp sony a7riv a7rii a7riii contrast resolution sharpness bokeh
Leica M10 | Voigtländer VM 35mm 2.0 Apo-Lanthar | f/8.0 | pano from 4 shots
voigtlander vm 35mm 2.0 e apo-lanthar review 42mp 61 mp sony a7riv a7rii a7riii contrast resolution sharpness bokeh
Leica M10 | Voigtländer VM 35mm 2.0 Apo-Lanthar | f/2.0
voigtlander vm 35mm 2.0 e apo-lanthar review 42mp 61 mp sony a7riv a7rii a7riii contrast resolution sharpness bokeh
Leica M10 | Voigtländer VM 35mm 2.0 Apo-Lanthar | f/2.0

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Leica M, Review, Voigtlander

Review: Voigtlander VM 50mm 1.5 II MC Vintage

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Introduction

Voigtländer VM 50mm 1.5 II MC Vintage with lens hood attached on Sony A7rII
Voigtländer VM 50mm 1.5 II MC Vintage on Leica M10

50mm lenses have been one of the staple horses of Cosina/Voigtländer for a long time and – as of the time I am writing this review – the Voigtlander 50mm 1.5 II Nokton Vintage is one of the latest additions to this ever growing line up.
It would best be described as their “most compact, still very fast and with a modern rendering” option and we will have a look how it performs in this review.
This lens will be reviewed on the 42mp Sony A7rII and the 24mp Leica M10.

Sample Images

voigtlander vm 50mm 1.5 II vintage multi coated e apo-lanthar review 42mp 61 mp sony a7riv a7rii a7riii contrast resolution sharpness bokeh
Leica M10 | Voigtländer VM 50mm 1.5 II MC | f/2.8
voigtlander vm 50mm 1.5 II vintage multi coated e apo-lanthar review 42mp 61 mp sony a7riv a7rii a7riii contrast resolution sharpness bokeh
Leica M10 | Voigtländer VM 50mm 1.5 II MC | f/1.5
voigtlander vm 50mm 1.5 II vintage multi coated e apo-lanthar review 42mp 61 mp sony a7riv a7rii a7riii contrast resolution sharpness bokeh
Leica M10 | Voigtländer VM 50mm 1.5 II MC | f/1.5

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Leica M, Review, TTArtisan

Review: TTArtisan 90mm 1.25

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Introduction

ttartisan 90mm 1.25 f/1.25 review test comparison leica m m10 m10r m9 sony a7rii 42mp 24mp contrast bokeh sharpness
TTArtisan 90mm 1.25 via metabones adapter on Sony A7rII

To me the TTArtisan 90mm 1.25 was an unexpected lens, as Leica just recently put a 90mm 1.5 for 14 grand on the shelves, I did not expect anyone offering a faster 90mm M-mount lens. But here we are with a very chunky and massive 90mm 1.25 portrait lens. But is this the new M-mount bokeh king or is the design simply too ambitious? Let us find out in this review!
Lens is being tested on 42mp Sony A7rII and 24mp Leica M10

Sample Images

ttartisan 90mm 1.25 f/1.25 review test comparison leica m m10 m10r m9 sony a7rii 42mp 24mp contrast bokeh sharpness
Sony A7III | TTArtisan 90mm 1.25 | f/1.25
ttartisan 90mm 1.25 f/1.25 review test comparison leica m m10 m10r m9 sony a7rii 42mp 24mp contrast bokeh sharpness
Leica M10 | TTArtisan 90mm 1.25 | f/1.25
ttartisan 90mm 1.25 f/1.25 review test comparison leica m m10 m10r m9 sony a7rii 42mp 24mp contrast bokeh sharpness
Leica M10 | TTArtisan 90mm 1.25 | f/1.25

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