Gilligan’s Return: Leitz 90mm Tele-Elmarit-M Thin Review Part II

by Johnny Martyr Since Molly Kate kindly featured it on 35mmc, my Leitz 90mm Tele-Elmarit Thin Review has been getting alot of traffic. The review concluded with my decision to throw Gilligan overboard and invite The Skipper to join me on the top deck. Quick recap: I was lead to believe that all Thin Canadian...

Leica Lens Accessory Sizes

By Johnny Martyr When I got into Leica, I was a bit confused by the diameters listed for lens filters and hoods. Most other manufacturers just use one number. Nikon and Canon are usually 52mm. Pentax and Olympus are usually 49mm. Alot of Leica lenses are 39mm. But you'll often see filter size for Leica...

Happy Birthday, Kodak Tri-X

Kodak Tri-X, as a concept, has been around since the 1940's when it was a 200 ISO b&w sheet film. Because it was their first fast film, when Kodak released the 400 ISO roll film version, the Tri-X name was maintained. Just like Kodak TMAX P3200 revolutionized low light photography in 1989, Tri-X was an...

5 LTM 50’s for $500 or Less

Choosing Leica mount lenses is always a bit of a struggle for me. I can find things I like and don't like about them all. And the ones that meet my ideal specs are often out of my price range. So I will end up buying another lens as a reaction to something I did...

An Odd Length; Voigtländer 75mm 2.5 Heliar

Most prime lens SLR kits are a 28-50-85 or 135. Most rangefinder kits are a 28 or 35-50-90. 75mm is an odd focal length. I don't think it's even available for SLR's and most rangefinder shooters fall on the side of either 50 or 90 - the distinction between normal and portrait focal lengths. 75....

Sidetracking with the Voigtlander Bessa R2 and Series Overview

You may have visited my blog expecting the final installment of Martyr's Leica's vs. Eckman's Copies and a review of the Canon IVsb.  However, as this isn't a paid site and my inspiration/motivation is a wavering mess, I've decided to postpone the IVsb blog another week (hopefully).  Instead, I humbly submit, for your enjoyment and/or...

Martyr’s Leica’s vs. Eckman’s Copies: Zorki-3

Recently, fellow blogger/photographer Mike Eckman sent me his three favorite Leica copies to compare to my originals. First, I provided a brief introduction.  And last Tuesday I posted my thoughts on the popular Zorki-1c.  Today's review is for another of Mike's Soviet Leica copies, the Zorki-3. So this is where Leica copies get interesting to...

Martyr’s Leica’s vs. Eckman’s Copies: Zorki-1c

Recently, fellow blogger/photographer Mike Eckman sent me his three favorite Leica copies to compare to my originals. I introduced this four part blog last Tuesday and will pick up with the first Leica copy review today with Mike's Soviet-built Zorki-1c. Despite having nearly two decades to improve or just modify it, the 1951 Zorki-1c and...

Voigtländer 40mm 1.4 Nokton Classic MC Review

by Johnny Martyr Maybe you've read my previous entry, detailing all the things wrong with the current three 35mm 1.4 lenses available in Leica M mount. I got some good recommendations but ultimately, my decision came down to price and ergonomics.  It took a lot of consideration and reading but I finally made a decision....

Discovering The Swirl

I guess that I don't typically shoot my Leitz 50's in wooded areas.  But slowly, an image here, and image there, I began to notice something. When I shot portraits at closer distances and wider apertures in wooded areas with my Leitz Summitar and Summarit lenses, I got something unexpected.  Something that I'd always associated...