NEW CONTRIBUTIONS (chronological)
Here everything is sorted by date, what's new on this website, the latest always on top!
September 21, 2022
MAMIYA MEDIUM FORMAT LENSES AT JUNK PRICES
Long THE competitor of HASSELBLAD, MAMIYA was finally bought out by PHASE ONE - the manufacturer of the most expensive cameras to date.
This manual MAMIYA 210mm f4 medium format lens can be purchased on eBay for under € 200. On this SONY A 6600 with its APS-C sensor, this lens becomes a 315mm f4. A gift . . .
September 14, 2022
DIGITAL BACK CFV II 50C on HASSELBLAD 500
The Digital Back CFV II 50C works great with all HASSELBLAD cameras manufactured between 1947 and 2011.
How easy it is is the topic of this blog.
September 07, 2022
INFRARED-PHOTOGRAPHY
Infrared light is not visible to the human eye. However, it is possible to modify a camera so that it can image exactly this light spectrum.
The result is surreal images with an unreal touch. Exciting!
April 7, 2022
THE LEICA VARIO-ELMAR-R 80-200mm f4 ZOOM
Complementing the 35-70mm f4 zoom (see below), here is the telephoto zoom lens for 80-200mm from LEICA.
Another exceptional lens from the LEICA-R series. I could buy mine in April 2022 for only € 642 at eBay.
March 17, 2022
HERE, ZOOM IS BETTER THAN FIXED FOCAL LENGTH:
THE LEICA VARIO-ELMAR-R 35-70mm f4 ZOOM MACRO
There is still a chance to buy this exceptional zoom lens for well under €1,000.
If word gets out here, it's guaranteed that it won't stay that way for long:
May 6, 2020 / THE LAST OF ITS TYPE
A HASSELBLAD has long been the epitome of the perfect camera, the perfect photographic equipment. Simply cult.
Today you can buy a HASSELBLAD of the 500 series including standard lens (80mm f2.8) for less than US$ 2.000 in good condition.
May 2, 2020 / FUJIFILM GF670 - PUR ANACHRONISM
According to its appearance, this camera would be located between 1950 and 1960. In fact, it was produced from 2008 to 2014 and sold new until 2017.
FUJI has incorporated everything that current technology has to offer in this retro design and has built the GF 670, the lightest (1kg), smallest and best 6x7 medium format camera.
With a lens that enjoys an almost legendary reputation.
April 30, 2020 / WHEN MANUAL FOCUS IS SUPERIOR TO AUTOFOCUS
With wide-angle lenses, the range of focus is so deep that focusing at hyperfocal distance often gives more control over image composition than auto focus.
The term "hyperfocal distance" sounds complicated at first, but it's easy to explain - and even easier to use.
April 16, 2020
FUJI GFX 100 vs. FUFI GFX 50 vs. LEICA SL2
Actually, I was well positioned with my two FUJI medium format cameras - until the LEICA SL2 came along.
At least one of these three cameras - no matter if one of the Fuji's or the just acquired LEICA - I would sell at the end of the test.
And that would be the camera that would most often stay at home in the closet.
April 14, 2020 / ROLLEI 35 SE
This camera is one of the smallest 35mm cameras ever built.
I was curious what kind of pictures this small camera makes with its extendable 40mm f 2.8 lens.
April 2, 2020 / CONTAX G2 - THE BETTER LEICA?
CONTAX G2 cameras were more expensive in the 90s than their LEICA counterparts. The KYOCERA company had also built them with the intention of being better than LEICA - to produce Japanese technology that ranks ahead of LEICA's legendary rangefinder cameras.
And in many ways KYOCERA has achieved this . . .
March 28, 2020 / HOW TO WIN ON EBAY
I have been buying almost all my used cameras and lenses on EBAY for years now.
I adhere to three guidelines with which you can win (almost) every auction on EBAY and also get the top-quality goods you wanted.
March 22, 2020 / NIKON Df - RETRO DESIGN WITH A CLUE
In 2013 NIKON launched this camera with the technology of the top model NIKON D4. In addition to the beautiful design and the possibility to make all important settings via the aluminium milled dials, this camera delivers one of the best image qualities - even at very high ISO values.
March 18, 2020 / LEICA R-SERIES (R3-R9): WHICH IS THE BEST?
The LEICA R cameras were the successors to the LEICAFLEX SL2 discussed here.
The R-series is therefore younger, but with US$ 600 for well preserved cameras also a bit more expensive. The complete history, from the R3 to the R9 and a purchase tip:
March 6, 2020 / KEYLINE photography
With keyline photography, the number of colours is greatly reduced, resulting in larger areas of the same colour.
If you photograph very everyday things - like these blood beech branches in front of a cloudy sky - you get very extraordinary pictures.
February 20, 2020 / PHOTO GALLERY
Macros, keyline photography, street photography, landscape photography, architecture, non-objective photography - all this can be found in the gallery . . .
February 17, 2020 / NOCTILUX FROM CANON?
With adapter to FUJI GFX or SONY
This aspherical 50mm f1.2 FD-lens from CANON is the most advanced 50mm lens with manual focus only of all time.
Even LEICA has never incorporated aspheres and floating elements into their 50mm f1.2 lenses.
The specimen shown here I bought beginning of 2020 for US$ 699 at a LEICA Dealer in Austria. What this lens does is very impressive - independent of the price.
February 8, 2020 / THE LEICAFLEX SL2
The LEICAFLEX SL2 delivered in 1974 - 1976 is still considered by experts to be the best LEICA SLR camera of all time. Fullstop.
At the same time, it is the cheapest entry into the LEICA world today. I bought the camera shown here in top condition on eBay in December 2019 for US$ 400. And the LEICA 50mm f2 SUMMICRON lens for only US$ 299!