Category Archives: Manufacturers

Review: Leica 50mm 1.4 Summilux-M Asph

June 5, 2023 BastianK 19 Comments

Introduction

leica 50mm 1.4 summilux-m summilux asph asph. aspherical review leica m10 m10r m11 42mp sony a7rv a7riv a7 contrast sharpness resolution bokeh vignetting — Leica 50mm 1.4 Summilux-M Asph on Leica M10

This Leica Summilux-M 50mm 1.4 Asph is definitely among Leica’s most famous M-mount lenses. When it had been released in 2004 there was nothing quite like it. A compact fast 50mm rangefinder lens with aspherical element and floating elements design? You could not find this anywhere else.
But – maybe unlike some of the Nocitlux lenses – this wasn’t just a showcase of engineering technology, it actually proved to be a useful and capable lens cherished by many to this day.
Leica kept this in their portfolio – with unchanged optics – for 20 years, so how does it stack up against its younger and significantly cheaper competitors in 2023, especially the Voigtländer VM 50mm 1.5 Nokton MC and the TTArtisan 50mm 1.4 Asph? Let’s find out in this review.
This lens will be reviewed on the 42mp Sony A7rII and the 24mp Leica M10.

Sample Images

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Analogue, Leica M, MS-Optics, Projects

Analogue Adventures – Part 20: Kodak Color Plus 200 ECN-2 processed

June 3, 2023 BastianK 2 Comments

Even with the limited amount of different color negative films available these days Kodak manages to confuse the people by offering two different “low cost” ISO 200 daylight films: the Kodak Gold 200 (which I already had a look at here and here) and this Color Plus 200.
From what I gathered the Color Plus is based on older emulsion technology leading to slightly grainer and contrastier pictures, so let’s have a look at some samples.
Processing (ECN-2) and scanning was done at Silbersalz35 in Germany.

color plus 200 color+ kodak review m6 leica analogue analog — Leica M6 | MS-Optics 35mm 1.4 | f/2.8 | Kodak Color Plus 200 ECN-2

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Review, Sony E-mount, Viltrox

Review: Viltrox FE 16mm 1.8 AF

May 30, 2023 BastianK 24 Comments

Introduction

viltrox af 16mm 1.8 fe review sharpness contrast bokeh astro milky way coma vignetting 42mp 63mp sony a7 — Viltrox FE 16mm 1.8 AF on Sony A7rII

We all like surprises and this Viltrox 16mm 1.8 AF for fullframe was a big one. We previously reviewed the Viltrox 85mm 1.8 AF MKI and II and they were solid performers while being very affordable. But this 16mm 1.8 sounds way more spectacular on paper than an ordinary 85mm 1.8 lens and it even comes with some technology we haven’t seen anywhere else yet. Let’s have a closer look.

Sample Images

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7Artisans, Review, Sony E-mount

Review: 7Artisans 15mm 4.0 Asph

May 21, 2023 BastianK 3 Comments

Introduction

7Artisans 15mm 4.0 asph uwa review sharpness coma vignetting 42mp 61mp sony a7riv a7r2 a7r3 — 7artisans 15mm 4.0 Asph on Sony A7rII

7Artisans are definitely busy with releasing new fullframe lenses and the latest addition is this 15mm 4.0 ultra wide angle lens. At first sight you may think this is a rebranded NiSi 15mm 4.0, because it shares focal length, maximum aperture and even its size is similar, but I can assure you this is not the case. So let’s find out which one is the better affordable 15mm lens.

Sample Images

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Analogue, Contax G-Mount, Leica, Leica M, MS-Optics, photography, Zeiss

Analogue Adventures – Part 19: Fuji Superia X-Tra 400 ECN-2 processed

May 18, 2023 BastianK 5 Comments

Any film is hard to get these days, but the Fuji films are even harder to get than the Kodak ones here in Germay. Therefore I developed the habit of buying any type of color negative film I haven’t used before for this series – even when it means paying 20€ for just this one roll of Fuji Superia X-Tra 400.
Processing (ECN-2) and scanning was done at Silbersalz35 in Germany.