It’s hard to believe that the Leica Summilux 35mm f/1.4 Ver. 1 Steel Rim was made in 1960. It’s a gorgeous little lens, with its 35mm focal length and f/1.4 aperture, and it’s so compact. The brass chrome plating is really lovely, and the focusing lever is super smooth with an infinity lock. It’s a great-looking lens, and it’s more attractive than all the current versions of the Summilux 35 1.4 Asph. This lens is a favorite among collectors and photographers alike. I spent a pretty penny to get it.
lux
What I like about the steel ring lens is not just its looks, but also how it performs optically. At f/1.4, it’s very sensitive to highlights, which makes it great for taking sharp photos in low light and for creating soft light effects in bright light. If you really need something particularly sharp, any version of the Summicron 35mm f/2 lens will do the trick.
info
Lens mount - Leica M-bayonet
Number of lenses /groups - 7 /5
F stop range - f/1.4-f/16
Angle of view diagonal - 64 degrees
Filter type - E41 - A46.5
Accessories - Hood: OLLUX 12522
Dimensions length x diameter - 38 x 53 mm / 1.50 x 2.07 in
Weight - 245 g /8.64 oz M3 - 195 g / 6.88 oz
The Contax TVS III camera is a point-and-shoot film camera with rugged construction, compact size and professional features. It comes with a Zeiss 30mm-60mm zoom lens. When you touch the Contax TVS III, you can tell it is a top-notch camera. The TVS III is elegant and luxurious. This is one of the highest quality cameras I have ever seen.
cheap price
TVS III is Contax’s last top-grade film camera. It has exquisite craftsmanship and is one level higher than T2 and T3. It uses a very cool electric lens cover design, which feels a bit like a Porsche concept car. It’s perfect for carrying in your pocket and taking photos at any time. There’s something exciting about not even taking a picture, but just admiring the camera itself. Some singing stars use Contax T3, causing the price of this camera to rise a lot. So, I would rather choose the cheap tvs iii than the expensive T3.
auto focus, manual focus
TVS III has many functions. In addition to autofocus, it also has the function of manually setting the focus. The distance scale is set just above the lens cover, which is particularly interesting. But what I use most is autofocus, which is more convenient than manual focus.
Xpan is an amazing machine that covers two 135 frames. The marriage of Hasselblad and Fuji looks like a Leica. This is a well-received and prestigious camera. Its unique widescreen composition and excellent lens group make it a classic camera in the minds of many photographers. Both the first-generation XPAN and the second-generation XPAN are considered to be excellent cameras.
Reliable
For the same electronic camera, the Xpan body is actually more stable and reliable than the Contax G. Its reliability is comparable to that of Leica’s fully mechanical cameras. Its film mode is even more reliable than the Leica’s. When you load the film into the xpan body, it will automatically pull out all the film, and then when you take a picture, it will put the film back into the film box. This mode prevents accidentally opening the back cover of the camera and destroying the exposed film, which is very clever.
Lens
The Hasselblad Xpan lens is very compact and has very high definition. It is indeed a top-notch lens. However, since the image plant he wants to cover is very large, vignetting will occur. Taking the 45mm f/4 lens as an example, it is best to use a center gray filter.
If you love flowers, you’ll want to smell them when you see them. If you love books, you’ll want to buy them when you see them. And if you’ve used three or more cameras, you’ll want to take a look when you see a Leica!
LEICA Z2X
It’s no secret that many of us have been eagerly awaiting a full-frame autofocus camera from Leica. And Leica delivered! The Leica Q and SL were instant hits, and it’s easy to see why. As a matter of fact, Leica actually made a full-frame autofocus camera back in the days of film photography! They were called the PS pocket camera, including the Leica mini, minizoom, and so on. Even though they were tiny and made by Japanese companies like Minolta, Panasonic, and Fujifilm, the lenses and designs, like the Verio-Elmar, were really made in Germany.
LEICA Z2X
The Leica Z2X is a tiny little zoom camera that you can fit in your pocket! It has a focal length range of 35mm to 70mm. The whole body is designed to be sleek and streamlined, just like a car. And when you hold it in your hand, it feels lightweight but surprisingly good! I was really surprised that plastic could feel so nice and smooth, just like holding a bar of soap or tearing a loaf of bread. I was really surprised at how comfortable it was to wear around my neck with just a thin string! The Leica Z2X is so easy to use! It has only four buttons: the power switch, zoom, shutter, mode, and self-timer buttons. I think this camera is just charmingly simple to use! All you have to do is pick it up and start shooting! It’s fully automatic, so it’ll focus, meter, and wind the film for you. The Leica Z2x is super quick and easy to use. You’ll love how fast it focuses, and you can even ignore the sound of the shutter. Plus, the flash is really powerful!
LEICA Z2X
Where is the Leica spirit in the Leica Z2x?
The Leica has a quick start-up speed, which is essential for capturing images quickly.
Just a quick note to remind you: Once you’ve turned on the camera, if you don’t touch any buttons for a while, it’ll go into sleep mode and the lens won’t retract. This design is quite similar to that of a Leica M camera. You can quickly wake up the camera and start taking pictures right away. The Leica mini3 also has this feature.
If you’d prefer, you can turn off the flash. When you turn on the camera, just press the mode button seven times to turn off the flash. When the camera goes into sleep mode and then wakes up, the flash stays off. I’m so pleased with this design that I no longer turn off the Z2x when I hang it around my neck. The lens doesn’t retract when the camera goes to sleep, so you can quickly wake it up and start shooting again the next time you use it.
The viewfinder of the Z2x is quite comfortable, of course it cannot be compared to the Leica M. There are no parameter displays inside, but for a pocket camera like this, it is very bright. I have no complaints.
LEICA Z2X
The mystery of the Z2X’s birth
When Leica named the Z2X, it was a truly special moment. Leica already had the mini zoom series, so the Z2X was a little lonely without any siblings like the Z1x or Z3x. I’m sure the name “2x zoom” is meant to convey that idea. This lens was a totally new design compared to the previous mini zoom series from Leica. It was so good that it inspired the famous lens of the later Minilux zoom, which had a slightly expanded aperture.
LEICA Z2X
How do I use the Leica Z2X?
I often load color film into this pocket camera and usually put it in my bag. I mostly use the Leica M with black and white film, but I also like to use the Leica Z2X as a second camera. It’s great for getting different shots. It’s also very affordable, which is a big plus.
Brand Leica Film Format Type 35mm Exposure Control Type Manual, Automatic Item Dimensions LxWxH 5 x 1.71 x 2.75 inches Item Weight 1 Pounds
Stylish and fully automatic 35mm compact camera with date imprinting. High-quality Leica Vario-Elmar 35-70mm zoom lens (f/4.0 to f/7.6). Passive autofocus system with automatically activated flash. Automatic exposure with center-weighted metering and manual shutter speeds of up to 99 seconds. Bright real-image viewfinder allows for easy composition.
For those who enjoy shooting with Leica lenses at wide apertures, ISO 100 film remains a popular choice that offers greater convenience than ISO 400, particularly when using large apertures like f/0.95 or f/1.4. Furthermore, ISO 100 film can produce much finer image quality than ISO 400 film. The Rollei RPX film boasts a remarkably flat base, which allows for easy scanning without the need for flattening. This is a feature that I personally love.
However, while ISO 100 film is generally considered to be fine-grained, the grain may still be noticeable to some extent. Established brands such as Kodak, Ilford, and Fuji have invested considerable efforts in fine-grain technology. Nevertheless, the RPX film has several advantages: it is affordable, easy to develop, and has good tolerance. By contrast, many ISO 100 films have poor tolerance, particularly the Fuji Acros 135 and Ilford Pan 100. Rollei RPX, on the other hand, has a level of tolerance that is more commonly associated with ISO 400 films. The contrast of RPX 100 is also medium to high.
So why has Rollei resumed film production, offering various types of film including ISO 25, ISO 50, and ISO 100, all produced in Europe? According to the packaging of MACO PHOTO PRODUCTS, the company is located in Stapelfeld, Germany and is a subsidiary of Hans O. Mahn Gmbh & Co. KG, with a 36-year history of producing film. Interestingly, it comes from the same factory as Ilford and Kentmere in the UK, with only different formulations.
Rollei RPX 100 is a traditional medium-speed black and white film.
This film is suitable for a wide range of photographic and scientific applications.
Particularly portrait and landscape photography, architecture and product photography.
The popularity of this film confirms its high quality.
It is a fine grain film that enables good sharpness and a broad tonal range with good contrast.
Overall, the film base is slightly thinner, with high transparency and is easy to scan. However, one drawback is that the frame numbers on the film edges are marked based on half-frame cameras, which means that Fomapan has over 70 frame markings, whereas the standard 135 format film has only 36. Nevertheless, this film from the Czech Republic performs quite well in actual use.
Grain
Fomapan ISO 100 is not particularly fine-grained, and some even say that it is the roughest among all 100 speed films. However, I don’t completely agree with this. The grains of Fomapan often appear in highlight areas, but if the metering is reduced to darken the image, the grain is not very noticeable.
Mood
Although the tolerance of this film is high, large grains can easily appear in highlights, making it less suitable for shooting fresh and light style photos. If you prefer a bright and delicate feeling, Fuji’s Acros 100 is a better choice.
Cost-effectiveness
Many people consider this film to be good, with high tolerance and sharpness, despite the grains not being particularly fine. It bears some resemblance to Ilford Pan 100, but with higher contrast. Overall, it is slightly inferior to Ilford Pan 100.
Conclusion
Fomapan 100 is an excellent film for street photography, with surprising tolerance and unbeatable cost-effectiveness.
fomapan 100
FOMAPAN 100 Classic is a panchromatically sensitized, black-and-white negative film designed for taking photographs. The film meets high requirements for low granularity, high resolving power and contour sharpness and a wide range of halftones. FOMAPAN 100 Classic has a nominal speed rating of ISO 100/21o, but due to its wide exposure latitude the film gives good results even when overexposed by 1 EV (exposure value) (as ISO 50/18o) or underexposed by 2 EV (as ISO 400/27o) without any change in processing, i.e. without lengthening the development time or increasing the temperature of the developer used.
more info
The packaging box of this Fuji film clearly indicates that it is developed using the CN-16 process, and not C-41. In contrast, Fuji’s other universal film, C200, has both processes printed on its packaging.
The CN-16 process offers a 5% higher contrast than C-41, however, this particular Fuji film is typically processed using C-41 at the developing shop, resulting in a decrease in contrast of approximately 5%. This creates an elegant and gentle feeling that many people prefer for capturing fresh-style portraits. For those looking to capture warm and gentle feeling photos, this film is a great option. Its box, which features white and green colors, gives off a healing effect.
Additionally, Fuji’s APS film uses a finer and thinner emulsion layer that can exhibit the delicate texture of a full frame on a half frame. This special coating appears to have also been applied to this film, resulting in the absence of any obvious rough particles. This makes it superior to Fuji’s Superia X-Tra400.
The ISO 400 film from Fujifilm, also known as Superia X-Tra, was considered a universal high-speed film during the era of film photography. It performed exceptionally well in many compact cameras with smaller apertures, and was versatile for both indoor and outdoor settings, whether for street photography or everyday gatherings. Fujifilm emphasizes that the X-Tra film has an extra layer of light-sensitive emulsion, which greatly improves its latitude and produces more natural color transitions.
Generally, color films have three emulsion layers – cyan, magenta, and yellow. However, the X-Tra film has an additional blue-sensitive layer, which significantly enhances its tolerance and allows for more delicate images in both bright and low-light conditions.
Compared to Fujifilm C200, the Superia X-Tra 400 film has an advantage in latitude and color reproduction, but its overall contrast is not outstanding since it is a high-cost performance film. It is positioned for family use, with a focus on natural skin tone reproduction. Personally, I really like its indoor performance – the colors are especially natural, and the film captures images with great precision.
The Fujifilm Superia X-Tra 400 is a high-speed film that produces fresh and natural-looking images, making it suitable for shooting situations that focus on people. Unfortunately, Fujifilm recently announced that they will stop producing this film, causing its stock prices to increase significantly.
Lens mount - Leica M-bayonet
Number of lenses /groups - 7 /5
F stop range - f/1.4-f/16
Angle of view diagonal - 64 degrees
Filter type - E41 - A46.5
Accessories - Hood: OLLUX 12522
Dimensions length x diameter - 38 x 53 mm / 1.50 x 2.07 in
Weight - 245 g /8.64 oz M3 - 195 g / 6.88 oz
