My Blog List
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B級グルメ(617):『バランタイン』 - 当たり前ですが、スコットランドで造られるウイスキーですから、スコッチ。 そのスコッチのブレンデッド・ウイスキーの中でも一番好きなのが、 『バランタイン 17年 オリジナル 750ml 43%』 “クリーミーで蜂蜜のような甘美さの中にも、オーク樽とピート香のスモーキーさ” と、称えられていま...8 hours ago
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Review: Solinon 18mm 5.6 Asph - Introduction It doesn’t happen often that one of our readers reaches out and tells us he had his own lens made, but that is exactly what happened here. N...10 hours ago
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Yashica ML 200mm f4 c 自動對焦樂 - 撚完YASHICA ML 300MM F5.6 C ,自然到這支Yashica ML 200mm f4 c,也是有兩個版本,一支大版,一支這個「C」的迷你版,但沒有NIKON 200MM F4 那般小巧。 尺寸也就只比CONTAX 200MM F4 小一丁點,就是說,其實都挺大支的。 CONTAX 那支也...10 hours ago
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Víkurfjara Black Sand Beach - To read my Olympus 35RC review, have a look here. The post Víkurfjara Black Sand Beach appeared first on Film Advance.13 hours ago
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A Miniature Musical Curio Shop by Chris Millar Spins Like Clockwork - [image: A Miniature Musical Curio Shop by Chris Millar Spins Like Clockwork]"Mirthful Miscellanea" took one-and-a-half years to complete, and just about e...1 day ago
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Dona Ann McAdams – Black Box - Review by Lee Halvorsen · The Black Box book is multimedia art…the book itself, the images, and the text. In the Afterword, Joanna Howard writes, “Black Bo...1 day ago
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Radiant Creations - London-based artist Marigpa creates stunning paintings in metallic hues of gold, silver and bronze, informed by their travel experiences. The post Radia...1 day ago
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Shutter Click and the Essence of Wealth Inequality - Short, crowdsourced videos posted for free viewing constitutes a new medium these days, and consequently it's where a lot of the dynamism is in contemporar...2 days ago
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The Russian Photographer Who Pioneered Color Photography Over 100 Years Ago - Over 100 years ago, a pioneering Russian chemists and photographer perfect color photography using an ingenious technique. The post The Russian Photograp...2 days ago
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Olympus XA1 - I am slowly working through the cameras I acquired at the end of last year. I got this one for… Read more Olympus XA14 days ago
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My Mother Speaks of Land as Memory - Through images of the Texas landscape and personal history, Ariana Gomez weaves a visual narrative of lost land, family, and identity—inviting readers to s...4 days ago
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Certo Dollina III (1938) - This is a Certo Dollina III, a 35mm rangefinder camera made by Certo Camera Work Dresden in 1938. The Dollina III was the most advanced in the Dollina l...4 days ago
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Harman releases Red, a new redscale colour negative film - [image: Harman Red (Pic: Harman Technology)]Little more than a year after the release of their first original colour film, Harman Technology has launched a...1 week ago
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Soft Eyes: Reviewed by Jacques Talbot - Book Review Soft Eyes Photographs by Henry Wessel, Austin Leong & Adrian Martinez Reviewed by Jacques Talbot "Soft Eyes presents a selection of photograph...1 week ago
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VOP@2025台北國際書展 - 歡迎來台北國際書展走春,現場有VOP全系列書刊,還有豐富精彩的獨立出版伙伴們,許多好書和驚喜,等待大家到來! The post VOP@2025台北國際書展 first appeared on Voices of Photography 攝影之聲.2 weeks ago
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和中國女孩一起隨意散步~Walking around Ya.Ne.Sen. with 7Artisan18mmf6.3~ - まずは遅まきながらあけましておめでとうございます、今年もどうぞご贔屓に。さて今回のご紹介は、予告通り、谷根千の街を、今回は7Artisan18mmf6.3一本で撮ってきた結果をご報告致します。恒例の行程紹介ですが、当日は上野公園からスタートし、根津に入り、千駄木、そして根津まで、気まぐれに歩いて撮ってきたもので、...4 weeks ago
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Bump and Drone - For when you don't have a ladder or a drysuit... The post Bump and Drone appeared first on James Greenoff Photography.1 month ago
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Sony Alpha 1 II Manual Available for Download - Published: December 2, 2024 The Sony Alpha 1 II Manual is available for Download Here Order Sony Alpha 1 II from B&H Photo | Sony Order Sony FE 28-70mm F...2 months ago
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Body Image of the life drawing Models - 報名:https://forms.gle/nqWeXQ37wiq6akr46 Nov 2024「身體主自研習班」(Scroll down for English) 人體模特兒的身體意象 Body Image of the life drawing Models 秋風起🌀,又係讀書充...3 months ago
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October 20: Trajectory - “A major concern to atmospheric scientists is whether and to what extent the general warming is linked with the man-made increase of carbon dioxide and dus...4 months ago
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'The Image, the Frame, and the Off-Frame' - Although film-based photography only forms part of it (perhaps an important part however), my recently completed PhD thesis 'The Image, the Frame, and th...5 months ago
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Cumbres and Toltec Railroad - A stroll around Chama and Antonito, the two ends of the Cumbres and Toltec Railroad.5 months ago
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Sugarite Campground and More - I thought I might start grouping some of the pictures from my trips here. Not a lot of organization here, but these are my favorites from my trip up to Sug...7 months ago
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Ensign Midget model 2 - The Ensign Midget model 2 is a compact camera with a fascinating history. Made in 1934, it features an Ensar lens, leaf shutter, and a folding viewfinder. ...11 months ago
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In Conversation With: Stephan Jahanshahi - Stephan Jahanshahi is an Iranian-American artist based in Los Angeles. A graduate of the School of Visual Arts Photo, Video and Related Media MFA progra...1 year ago
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52 Cameras: Olympus E-500 - ------------------------------ [image: Amaranth] Amaranth [image: Cowpen Daisy] Cowpen Daisy [image: Purple Flower] Haven’t identified this purple f...2 years ago
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Go for a walk in Nihonbashi streetscape with Curtagon 35mm - The Flektogon 35mm is famous for its quasi-wide-angle 35mm. However, it hasn’t hit the market so much, so I took [ - ]2 years ago
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Vallerret Photography Gloves for Winter – Markhof Pro V3 Review - VALLERRET PHOTOGRAPHY GLOVES MARKHOF PRO V3 POWER STRETCH PRO LINER In the last couple of months, I led two photography workshops in the Dolomites and Icel...2 years ago
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高光捕捉 Enna Ennalyt 50mm f/1.9 - ENNA 創建於1920年德國慕尼黑,名字由始創者 Alfred Neuman 縮寫德語發音拼寫而成。 它從1950年開始生產相機鏡頭,是西德第一個生產Retrofocus 結構鏡頭的公司。 這種結構可以使小畫幅鏡頭廣角端突破 40mm 採用同樣原理的長焦鏡頭也變得輕巧袖珍。 ENNA 著名產品有1958年研製成...3 years ago
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#147 Leica M4-2 and MD-2 - 第一部高達動畫是製作於1979-1980年的《大地上的高達篇》,筆者知道有很多不同的中文譯名,《大地上的高達篇》的筆者兒時看無線電視時的譯名。《高達》也是筆者喜歡的動畫,在筆者心目中RX-78,跟Leica M3一樣是經典中的經典。 1979...3 years ago
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WMA Award Spotlight: Kurt Tong - Around the beginning of the Qin Dynasty (circa 1640s), in the Shunde area of South China, thanks to the booming silk trade, sectors of women became finan...5 years ago
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Shop Tour! - A few weeks ago Lin Taro stopped by for our opening and filmed a nice little shop tour and interview of us! More5 years ago
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Capture One and the Fujifilm GFX 50S (Final) - The final workflow update for the GFX 50S and Capture One A surprise announcement by Capture One at Photokina 2018 changed everything! Starting with vers...6 years ago
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[讀者投稿]Lighroom日系菲林調色(一) + Preset分享 - 日系色調令人感覺非常清新並能提供畫面簡潔的視覺感,於是我嘗試在Lightroom軟體調色,令現時的數碼相機擁有接近日系底片的色調,雖然質感還不如菲林相機,但可以為大家製造了一個很大的空間去創作;一個Preset當然未能夠滿足所有相片,但也有一些後製的思路可以讓大家參考一下。 這篇文章 [讀者投稿]Lighr...6 years ago
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Leica M 10-P Digital Rangefinder Camera - Sound comparison between Leica M10 and Leica M10-P: The Sound of Silence.6 years ago
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Mixed feelings about the Venice Architecture Biennale... - [image: scandinavian pavilion sverre fenn] My favorite pavilion at the Venice Biennale, the Nordic Pavilion by Sverre Fehn (1959). Photo ©Darren Bradley ...6 years ago
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Francis Bacon and George Smiley - Bill Brandt, Francis Bacon, Primrose Hill, 1963 Francis Bacon didn’t like this portrait of him by Bill Brandt. I can’t t...6 years ago
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Scanning Film with the GFX 50S - Using a digital medium format camera to scan medium format film. What could go wrong? After bringing home freshly developed 120 format film, I looked at ...6 years ago
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Home Brew Focus Helicoids - For a die-hard DIY lens fanatic, focus helicoids are indispensable. I have written a few posts on this subject, and a DIY post on converting the Vivitar 2...8 years ago
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Family Photo Shoot 2016 - Looking at a few family shoots that I did last year. Here are a couple of super loto ones.8 years ago
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捕捉自然_Fuji Fujinon-W EBC 35mm f1.9 - 【虫前言】 在年幼沒有網路的90年代,那是阿虫還在流鼻涕玩馬利歐的時代 只聽過3家相機品牌;一是Nikon,源於老爸送我的FM2 當時的我認為尼康是全世界最棒的相機品牌,當然Nikon至今也確實是屬一屬二的相機大廠 在者是李立群代言的『它抓的住我』-Konica,但當時我覺得Konica是屬於比較次的品牌...9 years ago
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#47. 羽仁未央,溫子,垂水景 - 90年代在香港,大概相若的一個時期認識了三位日本朋友:羽仁未央,溫子,垂水景。羽仁未央乃著名導演羽仁進之女,未央於去年(2014)不幸去世。溫子與香港的攝影朋友也較熟絡。1994「中港台當代攝影展」,飯澤耕太郎特意來港看展覽,便是由溫子當翻譯。垂水景熱衷有關電子平台創作事項,當時我們正在出版「秩智」,一份發表數碼...10 years ago
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Thursday, April 30, 2015
One Year with the Leica Summilux 50mm f/1.4 Asph
I’ve read a ton of reviews on lenses – some very technical, some very practical – this review will be neither. I’m not a photography expert and certainly not a lens science expert, but I know what works for me and what doesn’t and I wanted to explain the merits of the astounding Leica 50mm Summilux… before I change it for the 50mm Summicron Apo Asph.
The Leica 50mm Summilux is without a doubt the most perfect lens I have owned in ten odd years of serious photography. I started out in photography with an average SLR and average lenses shooting average landscapes. I did this for years until I discovered street photography and then quickly discovered that SLR’s were not the right tool for this genre. This led me to Leica and their awesome range of lenses. At this point I should explain that although everyone talks about Leica camera bodies (which I believe are the very best in 35mm photography), it’s actually Leica lenses that most people choose Leica for. Leica lenses are amongst the very best glass money can buy, if not the best. I can talk with some authority here as I have owned lenses from various manufacturers including Nikon, Canon, Voigtlander, Fuji, Olympus, Zeiss and of course Leica. The first two mentioned I believe to be the worst and the last two mentioned I believe to be the best.
On the Leica M9 and M Monochrom, I have shot almost solely with Leica’s 50mm Summilux Aspherical f/1.4. I choose 50mm for street photography purely because it feels right for me, not because scientifically it is the closest reproduction of what the human eye sees, just because it feels natural, it’s easy to frame and i’ve never been a wide angle fan.
The 50mm Summilux is a small and extremely robust lens which, when fitted to an M rangefinder, feels solid, perfectly weighted and stealthy. It has a focus tab and riveted focus ring which allows you to choose between traditional rangefinder focusing or SLR lens focussing or a combination of both. Little details like this are very important to me. As a street shooter, focussing needs to be fast and accurate.
The Summilux has a wide open aperture of f/1.4, which is awesomely fast and allows you to shoot at low ISO’s in daylight, but it’s when light is at a premium that this lens comes alive. At night the Summilux is a light vampire.
Shooting wide open with the 50mm Lux gives you lots of possibilities… shorter exposures, sharp, crisp images, and great contrast. However, with a lens this fast it takes a fair amount of practice to achieve pin sharp focussing wide open at f/1.4 as the focal plane in the lux is über thin. On the upside, if you get it right, the lens will render an almost 3D image with the subject popping sharply out of the background.
Selective Focus: M Monochrom – 50mm Summilux
I can’t vouch for the lens when it’s stopped down below f/4.0 as I have never closed it up beyond that. Why would you? Fast lenses are designed to be shot wide open, right? If you are looking for a lens that performs stopped further down, try the standard 50mm Summicron, it’s half the price of the Summilux and it’s outstanding between f/4 and f/8.
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Performance on the M9
Colour rendering on the M9 with the 50mm Summilux is nothing short of perfection. I have genuinely never seen a lens that replicates colour as honestly as the Lux. I don’t know if the Lux was specifically designed for the M9 sensor or not, but together they sing. Before switching to Leica glass I used to spend a lot of time desaturating my images but with the 50mm Lux, desaturation is not necessary.
Sharpness on the M9 (with a good focus) is a near perfect. It renders perfectly smooth edges and very tight grain that when viewed at 100% looks incredibly close to fast, quality film.
On the M9, the 50mm Summilux outperformed my expectations.
Sidetrack…
I should mention that when I first started using an M9, I coupled it with a Zeiss Planar f/2.0, which is an awesome lens for the money – 3 times cheaper than the Summilux. It is sharp, easy to focus and feels good on the camera. However, I found it rendered an over-saturated image and I was never happy with the bokeh it produced. It also plummets in price in the used market – Leica glass holds it’s value very well.
Back on track…
If you are planning mounting a 50mm Summilux on your M9, I can guarantee that after a little time using it, you’ll love it. You will get to know it’s little nuances, like very slight fall off at the edges (which can be boosted in Silver Efex to produce beautiful, natural looking vignettes), it’s almost uncanny selective focussing ability and it’s massive capacity to swallow light at night and produce wonderful high contrast shots.
Sample Image: M9 – 50mm Summilux
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Performance on the M Monochrom
Here comes a big claim…
The 50mm Lux couple with the M Monochrom delivers the best black and white digital image I have ever seen, even compared to high end medium format.
The M Monochrom is a little bit different. It shoots just black and white (the clue is in the name) and it has no Bayer filter. This makes the camera better in low light and better at high ISO. These enhanced camera abilities combined with the already stunning capability of the Lux glass, produce stunning black and white photographs, photographs that need very little post work as the detail and the contrast are so close to reality that over processing the image is fruitless. The Raw shot is just class. I simply alter exposure if required, boost the vignette (that’s my thing) and export the image.
It’s interesting stopping the lens down to f/2 or f/4. The contrast just gets better and better and you can even see it in the Monochrom’s digital display (which is pitiful).
If I was over the moon with the Summilux on the M9, I am in heaven with it on the Monochrom. I’ve simply never experienced images like it. Unbelievably sharp, high contrasted images that separate the subject from the background so perfectly.
Sample Image: M Monochrom – 50mm Summilux f/1.4
After writing the above, it seems almost crazy that I am trading in my 50mm Summilux against the new Leica APO-Summicron-M 50 mm f/2 ASPH. Why? Well, because Leica claim it’s better. I have total faith in Leica glass and if the Summilux is close to 50mm perfection, I want to get even closer!
Give me a year and I’ll write a review on the Cron.
Tuesday, April 28, 2015
Monday, April 27, 2015
Sunday, April 26, 2015
Saturday, April 25, 2015
1907-1915 Russia Before the Revolution, in Color
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