I found a few rolls of Kodak Farbwelt 200 that must have expired some 20 years ago and most likely they haven’t been properly stored at all. This first roll I exposed as ISO50 and I had absolutely no idea what to expect. The lab wasn’t happy and told me the film was massively expired and the scanner had a hard time scanning the negatives. Let’s see if some usable pictures came out of this. Processing (C-41) and scanning was done at urbanfilmlab in Germany.
This time we take a look at another famed vintage lens, namely the legendary Helios 40. It’s an 85mm f/1.5 lens, known for, let´s see if we get it from its many titles: The King of Bokeh, The Bokeh King, the Russian Bokeh King, The Funky Bokeh King, The King of Russian Weird Bokeh, The Vintage Lenses’ King of Bokeh, etc. etc. etc. Dear child has many names. You get it, it has a reputation for its bokeh. It is also very popular among videographers seeking a dreamy vintage look with beautiful bokeh in their footage. While this lens was quite popular even back in the day, it has grown in popularity during the digital era to new heights and created kind of a cult around itself.
It was made by KMZ in the former Soviet Union for the Zenit range of SLR cameras. Like the previously reviewed “Helios 44”, there is a belief that when Russians got their hands on Zeiss Jena factory by the end of WWII, they took back the technology and drawings of many lenses to the Soviet Union, copied, and manufactured them. This one is believed to be a “copy” of Carl Zeiss Biotar 75mm f/1.5 from 1938. While the optical formula is very similar, it is a widespread Double Gauss Planar design. Besides, it is an 85mm lens. Therefore, some claim it was designed by Russian engineers themselves “based on” the Biotar 75/1.5 in 1950. Anyway, let’s have a closer look at it!
Sample Images
Nikon Z 7II | Helios 40 85mm f/1.5 | f/1.5Nikon Z 7II | Helios 40 85mm f/1.5 | f/1.5Nikon Z 7II | Helios 40 85mm f/1.5 | f/1.5Nikon Z 7II | Helios 40 85mm f/1.5 | f/1.5
Before the release of the Voigtländer VM 50mm 1.0 Nokton in 2022, this Voigtländer VM 21mm 1.4 Nokton was Cosina’s most expensive M-mount lens and also one of their most complex ones – thanks to 13 elements in 11 groups, 4 aspherical surfaces and a floating elements design. Unfortunately this also made it one of their heaviest and most expensive lenses and I have the feeling it didn’t quite get the momentum Cosina expected for their flagship lens, hence in many parts of the world the price has been reduced several times since release – reason enough to have a closer look at this intriguing lens now. Lens is being reviewed on Sony A7rII and Leica M10
Sample Images
Leica M10 | Voigtländer VM 21mm 1.4 Nokton | f/1.4 | see this articleLeica M10 | Voigtländer VM 21mm 1.4 Nokton | f/1.4Leica M10 | Voigtländer VM 21mm 1.4 Nokton | f/1.4Leica M10 | Voigtländer VM 21mm 1.4 Nokton | f/11Sony A7rII UT | Voigtländer VM 21mm 1.4 Nokton | f/1.4
Sigma 28mm 1.4 Art | Nikon AF-S 28mm 1.4E | Nikon AF 28mm 1.4D | Laowa 28mm 1.2 Argus | Thypoch Simera 28mm 1.4 | Voigtländer VM 28mm 1.5 Nokton
To me, fast 28mm fullframe lenses are very useful. No matter where I go, I either carry a fast 28mm or a fast 35mm lens. When it comes to the 28mm focal length we are not exactly blessed with great options though. I gathered six of those ranging from f/1.2 to f/1.5 and will compare them, to give you an idea which might work best for your needs. Last update: February 2025
Viltrox AF 27mm 1.2 STM ASPH ED IF PRO is the company’s second lens in its APS-C PRO series lenses, 75mm f/1.2 being the first. 27mm focal length in APS-C format, roughly equivalent to 40mm full-frame. While it”s not a “real” wide-angle lens, it is wider than a normal 50mm lens, which, in my opinion, can be more useful for everyday and street photography, compared to a 50mm lens, as it allows to include more of the environment. On the other hand, it does not introduce the perspective distortion of a 35mm wide-angle lens. This lens was released with X mount earlier and now it is released with Z and E mount, with a few improvements to the original X version. I test the new Z mount version on a Nikon Z fc camera.
Sample Images
Nikon Z fc | Viltrox 27mm f/1.2 PRO | f/1.2Nikon Z fc | Viltrox 27mm f/1.2 PRO | f/1.8Nikon Z fc | Viltrox 27mm f/1.2 PRO | f/1.2
Sony α | Leica M | Nikon F/Z New article every week
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