My Blog List
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German film lab Optik Oldschool announces previously unreleased 120 film called Opticolour 200 - [image: Screengrab of new film from Optik Oldschool site (Pic: Optik Oldchool)]German film lab Optik Oldschool has made the surprise announcement that it i...10 hours ago
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Horst Klein — Rotkäppchen Românesc - Review by Lee Halvorsen • Rotkäppchen Românesc is a spellbinding photographic railroad journey in today’s Romania. Horst Klein made these images over seve...12 hours ago
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Enigmatic Phenomena and Galactic Shapes Revolve in Shane Drinkwater’s Cosmic Systems - [image: Enigmatic Phenomena and Galactic Shapes Revolve in Shane Drinkwater’s Cosmic Systems]Drawing on a lifelong love for maps, ciphers, and astronomic...13 hours ago
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Sale Update - Ctein reports that he is all caught up on notifications this morning for orders placed since Friday's start of sale through Sunday (yesterday). If you trie...17 hours ago
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Material Futures:The June / July Issue - This issue showcases artists who cut through the noise, using creativity as resistance and reflection, sparking empathy and imagining new possibilities. ...22 hours ago
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The camera as a communication tool - I'm surprised by how often I use my phone camera because I want to say or share something with others.22 hours ago
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Review: Nikon 58mm 1.2 Ai Noct-Nikkor - Introduction Nikon made three manual focus f/1.2 lenses for the F-mount and the most famous one is undoubtedly this Nikon 58mm 1.2 Noct-Nikkor, often ref...2 days ago
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日記(1330):アヤメ - 庭のモクレンの樹の周りに、毎年アヤメが咲くのです。 今年も次々に花開きました。 青と、赤紫の2種類が咲きます。 アヤメが咲くと、そろそろ梅雨かなと思います。 この蕾は翌日開きます。 こちらは、まだ少し先ですね。2 days ago
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Big Film Photowalk 2025 – Wakefield !!! - Welcome to the Biggest Concurrent UK Film Photowalk of 2025! Organised by Analogue Wonderland. With multiple locations around the country,… Read more Big F...2 days ago
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May 31: Farewell - Castlemaine Art Museum has announced the departure of its director Naomi Cass. Her energy and vision are a considerable loss, not just to the Museum, but a...3 days ago
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Batis 40mm f2 x Nikon Zfc 逆插表現 - SIGMA I SERIES 好玩,同樣,早已作古的 BATIS 也一樣抵玩,平均也是四千元,比一支國產新鏡都不如。 是否ZEISS 日薄西山,還是SONY E MOUNT 一值一哂,怎都好,便宜就是王道。 索尼ZEISS,索西施,美好豔麗的保證。 BATIS 全系列鏡頭不多,18MM 25MM 40...3 days ago
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Sony Announces FX2 Full-frame Cinema Camera with Tiltable EVF - Published: May 28, 2025 Sony announces the FX2 Cinema Camera ($2,699) offering a seamless entry point into the broader Cinema Line range, giving greater ...5 days ago
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LensCulture at Photo London — Pictures from the Exhibition - Some photo highlights from the excellent group show in London, celebrating the work of 68 photographers from 24 countries.5 days ago
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Episode 92: Apparecchi Fotografici Italiani - In Episode 92 of the Camerosity Podcast, we needed to promote every caller to “host status” to tackle the topic of the Italian camera industry. While a ...1 week ago
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Paradoxical Horizons - “So I went to tea with Roland Haye on the following Sunday. He arrived to call for me, and we walked, in embarrassed silence, along misty muddy Essex lan...1 week ago
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美國大都會博物館獲贈6500件攝影藏品 - 美國大都會藝術博物館(The Metropolitan Museum of Art)近日獲得私人捐贈六千五百件攝影藏品,其中包括非洲、中國、日本與德國的現代與當代攝影作品、早期相冊,以及十九至二十世紀來自歐美、哥倫比亞與墨西哥的的常民照片。這些藏品將陸續於該館展出,而首批非洲藝術家的作品則將於五月底的展覽中...1 week ago
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Tiger Balm Garden, Hong Kong - m20wc51 posted a photo: [image: Tiger Balm Garden, Hong Kong] Aboard USS Wisconsin,BB-64 1952-54 Photographer unknown4 weeks ago
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Soul Camera - I bought a Fujica G617... The post Soul Camera appeared first on James Greenoff Photography.4 weeks ago
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Emerald Drifters: Reviewed by Madeleine Morlet - Book Review Emerald Drifters Photographs by Cig Harvey Reviewed by Madeleine Morlet “In the last few hundred years, science has worked hard to convince us...5 weeks ago
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12 for 12! - A rare thing happened this week: I shot a roll of film on which I liked every image.1 month 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...3 months 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 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...6 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.9 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. ...1 year 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...2 years 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...3 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! More6 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...7 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 ...7 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.