Category Archives: Manufacturers

Review: Canon 50mm 1.2 LTM

February 27, 2023 BastianK 33 Comments

Introduction

review canon ltm m39 leica 50mm 1.2 dream lens contrast resolution m10 42mp 24mp 61mp m6 analogue contrast bokeh vignetting — Canon 50mm 1.2 LTM on Leica M6

Some of you may not know that before producing FD mount lenses and SLR cameras Canon also manufactured rangefinder lenses and cameras, leading to a line-up of no less than 59 different LTM (Leica Thread Mount also known as M39) lenses between 1946 and 1964. These lenses are fully compatible to Leica M cameras and can be easily adapted to other modern mirrorless cameras as well, so today we will have a look at the Canon 50mm 1.2 LTM, the second fastest lens from this series released in 1956.
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, The creative process

Analogue Adventures – Part 14: Agfa Vista 200 (expired)

February 16, 2023 BastianK 14 Comments

agfa vista expired 200 analogue leica m6 contax canon fd olympus om — Agfa Vista 200 Color Negative Film

These days whenever I come across a photo store I check if they have any film stock available, especially some I didn’t use before. In Istanbul I found a store selling these Agfa Vista 200 24+3 which expired 17 years ago. They were cheap enough and for only 2.5 € I could add processing including scanning so I decided to give it a try.
Processing and scanning was done at Karaköy Fotoğrafçı in Istanbul.
Because there were some issues with a few of the scans I had it rescanned by urbanfilmlab in Germany.

Continue reading Analogue Adventures – Part 14: Agfa Vista 200 (expired) →

Review, Samyang, Sony E-mount

Review: Samyang AF 18mm 2.8 FE – The affordable UWA lens

February 13, 2023 BastianK 13 Comments

Introduction

18 2.8 af fe samyang review a7rii a7rv a7riv 42mp 61mp contrast resolution sharpness bokeh — Samyang FE 18mm 2.8 AF on Sony A7rII

A small, lightweight and very affordable 18mm lens can be an interesting option for many photographers. It can extend the viewing angle compared to a midrange zoom significantly and if you only rarely delve into ultra wideangle photography it can also be a great option, as you will have less money sitting idle in your lens cabinet. The Samyang 18mm 2.8 AF wants to be exactly this lens, but the question remains, how high a toll the small size took on its optical performance. Let’s find out about that in this review!

Sample Images

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Leica M, Review, Zeiss

Review: Zeiss ZM 18mm 4.0 Distagon

February 6, 2023 BastianK 18 Comments

Introduction

zeiss zm 18mm 4.0 distagon review leica m10 m11 42mp 24mp contrast sharpness vignetting colors coma — Zeiss ZM 18mm 4.0 Distagon on Leica M10

The Zeiss ZM 18mm 4.0 Distagon is the second widest lens of the ZM family and one of the few 18mm M-mount lenses. Is 18mm being an unpopular focal length among Leica users the reason this lens has already been discontinued or is it because of its optical qualities? Let’s find out in this review.
Lens is being tested on 42mp Sony A7rII and 24mp Leica M10

Sample Images

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Analogue, Leica M, MS-Optics, Zeiss

Analogue Adventures – Part 13: Fujifilm 200

February 2, 2023 BastianK 12 Comments

I have mainly been using Kodak films so far, but one day a local store had some stock of Fujifilm 200 available, so of course I bought a roll. During the film era it was a fierce competition between Kodak and Fujifilm, but these days the situation is a bit different it seems…