At first glance, I loved the new 7Artisans 35mm f/1.4 Mark II manual focus lens. It is available for the L-mount, Sony, Canon, and Nikon mirrorless systems. This lens absolutely looks the part on my Leica SL (601). It is a very solid 286 grams (10.1 oz.), feeling like it was hewn from a solid …
7Artisans 35mm f/1.4 Mark II Leica L-Mount Lens Mini Review Read More
The just-released Sigma 24mm f/3.5 DG DN is the newest member of the L-Mount Alliance. It joins their 35mm and 65mm DG DN compact prime lenses and the older 45mm DG DN (previously reviewed here). Besides the new Sigma 24mm, I happen to own the Leica Elmar-M 24mm f/3.8 ASPH lens and both the Leica SL (601) and Leica CL bodies (both 24MP). I thought I’d share my first impressions of the new Sigma 24mm and a few sample images, which will be presented as SOOC JPEGs. The only processing was downsizing the images for web use.
Sigma introduced the 45mm f/2.8 DG DN lens last year for Sony E-mount and Leica L-mount cameras. It is part of their Contemporary line of lenses. Sigma had four goals when designing this lens: small size, high optical performance, a short minimum focus distance, and exceptional build quality. I believe they succeeded on all counts …
Sigma 45mm f/2.8 DGDN Mini-Review – By JK Lockwood Read More
When I first read about the Kodak Ektra smartphone, I was intrigued. A phone with an honest-to-goodness camera, designed by Kodak specifically for photographers! However, when it rolled-out here in the US, it was not compatible with my mobile phone carrier, so I quickly moved it to the back of my mind. Well, those clever marketers at B&H Photo in NYC kept reminding me that I once had an interest in it, so I recently acquired one for $119 USD. For that kind of money I just had to try it!
Shooting film is a challenging process for many new photographers, especially those used to the instant feedback of digital cameras. Modern DSLRs are precision instruments that quite scientifically gather light. Film however is a bit more mysterious. The complete lack of feedback from film, plus multiple film stocks (which all respond differently to light) only adds to the complexity. Additionally, properly exposing color or black and white negative film requires a metering technique that is opposite of exposing a positive image. Permit me to explain.
