Category Archives: photography

Projector Lenses – Part 2 – Adapting Old Petzval and Projection Lenses to Modern Cameras

Image November 9, 2025 Mark Stein 9 Comments

The best thing about life is that sometimes there is a cat. A close second is characterful lenses to depict it. The Kowa 50/1.3 is a more common optical design than old Petzvals, thus its rendition is closer to, say, a Canon 50/1.4 M39 or FD, but with busier bokeh.

As many readers asked for and looked forward to a follow-up to the Projector Lenses article—one that explains how Mark carried out the conversion and offers some hints and guidance so you can try it yourself—he kindly put together this second piece on the subject. All photos and text are by Mark; the article design and layout are by me, Martin.

So, I’ll hand it over to Mark…

Welcome back! This post seeks to introduce you to the possibilities of adapting old 16mm-film projector lenses to Evils, SLRs and even Rangefinders. The aim is using these old treasures for creative photographic expression. But whilst the charm lies in the resulting pictures more than the resulting object, feel free to wake your inner fine mechanic! Mine has definitely been fast asleep, and yet, through immersion, I graduated from first putty attempts to a solid interchangeable mount setup, the recipe of which I’ll share.

So here we go, I guess.

Sample Images

Continue reading Projector Lenses – Part 2 – Adapting Old Petzval and Projection Lenses to Modern Cameras →

photography, Technical

Understanding F-Numbers and Light Transmission

August 27, 2025 Martin 17 Comments

Introduction

When comparing camera lenses, one of the most commonly discussed features is how “fast” a lens is—usually expressed in terms of f-numbers. But what do those numbers actually mean, and how precise are the differences we talk about, like “half a stop” or “two-thirds of a stop”?
In this article, we’ll unpack how f-numbers relate to light transmission, explore why the system isn’t always as exact as it seems, and show you how to calculate these differences for yourself—or simply reference our handy table at the end. Continue reading Understanding F-Numbers and Light Transmission →

Analogue, photography

Analogue Photography – Part 1: A Personal Journey into Film Photography 1/2

June 18, 2025 Martin 11 Comments

Canon A1 | Black & White Negative film | Agfapan 400

With the growing interest in analogue photography, as Bastian so inspiringly explores in his Analogue Adventures, I too have decided to create a series of film-related articles. I’ve chosen not to use the same title, as my own relationship with film photography goes back to a time when it was simply photography to me. While Film Photography would feel like the most natural title, I’ve decided to go with Analogue Photography instead, to keep a sense of continuity with Bastian’s series.

Canon A1 | Black & White Negative film | Agfa Isopan

Canon A1 | Colour negative film | Fujicolor

Canon A1 | Black and White Negative film | Agfapan 400

Canon A1 | Black & White Negative film | Kodak Tri-X 400

Continue reading Analogue Photography – Part 1: A Personal Journey into Film Photography 1/2 →

Analogue, Nikon, Nikon, Projects

Analogue Adventures – Part 40: Fujichrome Provia 100F

April 30, 2025 BastianK 9 Comments

In the Fujichrome world, Provia is supposed to be the more neutral slide film compared to Velvia. I wasn’t a huge fan of Velvia 100, so let’s see how this Provia 100F worked out for me.
Processing (E-6) and scanning was done at urbanfilmlab in Germany. The pictures you see in this article are from one roll.

fuji fujifilm fujichrome slide film provia 100f france review nikon f analogue film hamburg germany f80 — Nikon F80 | Fujichrome Provia 100F | Nikon AF-S 24-70mm 2.8G

Continue reading Analogue Adventures – Part 40: Fujichrome Provia 100F →

Analogue, Nikon, Projects

Analogue Adventures – Part 39: Fujichrome Velvia 100

February 12, 2025 BastianK 13 Comments

fuji fujifilm fujichrome slide film velvia 100 france review nikon f analogue film hamburg germany f80 — Fujichrome Velvia 100

Under the label Fujichrome, Fujifilm is still selling several types of slide film and one of those is Velvia 100. Let’s have a look at some pictures taken with this film under varying conditions.
Processing (E-6) and scanning (Noritsu) was done at urbanfilmlab in Germany.