Hern Tan, Author at 35mmc

5 Frames With Eastman 5222 at EI1600 – By Hern Tan

By Hern Tan / March 22, 2020 / 5 frames with... / 7 Comments

You already know the drill: Bulk loaded film in canisters of wildly varying DX codes, lack of markings anywhere on the back plate indicating the film stock born out of pure hubris and laziness, and a meter set to the entirely wrong ISO.

Eastman 5222 is my fair weather film, great for tropical noons where the sun just tries its darnest to scorch off whatever skin you are foolish enough to leave exposed. Normally, the HP5 at EI1600 takes over when night falls.

Instant Magny 35 Review – An Instax Headache! – By Hern Tan

By Hern Tan / January 24, 2020 / Instant Cameras / 7 Comments

Instax. For many, that word would conjure up images of kitschy, bulky cameras with plastic lenses, or some slightly better glass-equipped offerings from Lomography and MiNT, if one has the dough. Regardless, the appeal of the instant image is perennial – who can resist watching their shot emerge from the milky depths behind a plastic window? It is the perfect compliment to both digital and roll film, perhaps even a very welcome distraction into a wholly different workflow and approach to shooting.

Voigtlander 28mm f/2 Ultron Review – Speedy Value – By Hern Tan

By Hern Tan / November 19, 2018 / Lenses / 7 Comments

Speed. For many, this quality has been edging down the list of priorities when it comes to purchasing a lens, especially in an era where sensors have got so good that them producing a useable file at ISO 12800 is hardly a talking point. Sadly, as a film shooter who is stubborn about shooting at night like some kind of owl, I need all the help I can get! And so, when I set off on my search for a versatile, one-lens-does-it-all 28mm, I ended up with 4 options: the obscenely expensive 28mm f/1.4 Summilux, the ever so slightly cheaper 28mm f/2.0 Summicron, and the two Voigtlander Ultrons. Now, the first two were far more than I would consider spending on a lens that would be beat up in due time (note: I’m no coddler of gear), so it was down to see what the Ultrons could deliver.

Contax T Review – My Final Word in Pocket Cameras – by Hern Tan

By Hern Tan / June 16, 2018 / Rangefinders (Fixed Lens) / 23 Comments

For far too long, I’ve been looking in the wrong place for my ideal resident for my pants pocket. I’ve gone through a Nikon 28Ti, Contax T2, and more recently a Rollei 35SE and the famed Ricoh GR1. They were either too thick to comfortably fit into my pocket, had unreliable autofocus, or were so noisy that they would turn heads when I was going about my shooting.

Enter the Contax T.

Voigtlander f/1.5 50mm Nokton LTM – Review by Hern Tan

By Hern Tan / December 29, 2016 / Lenses / 13 Comments

The Voigtlander Nokton f/1.5 50mm is a lens that has long been compared to, unfairly, as the lesser of the two 50mm f/1.5 lenses offered in M mount (or in this case LTM), being shoved aside by the Zeiss ZM C Sonnar in terms of size and eclipsed by the Leica Summilux Asph 50mm f/1.4 in terms of raw biting performance. However, I have always maintained that this oft overlooked lens is not just a superb performer in its own right, but one that can hold its own against the other two giants. It may well be the crown jewel of Cosina Voigtlander, and considering the many great lenses they’ve pumped out over the years, that’s no small feat.