If you have been following my blog, you will be well acquainted with the Olympus OM 500 mm f/8 reflex lens from the 1980s.   The reflex or mirror lens has the virtue of being compact and light when compared to conventional refractor type telephoto lenses.  I also find them to be generally less sharp, but … Continue reading The Most Ultimate Mirror Lens Shootout …. in the World →

This article started life as a comparison of three EOS telephoto prime lenses as economical alternatives to the much vaunted Zuiko 300 mm f/4 IS PRO.  I then realized that this could be a serendipitous opportunity to also reintroduce an even more esoteric telephoto prime that has been lost to history despite being a true … Continue reading Telephoto Prime Shootout and the OM 500mm f/8 Reflex Lens →

After becoming an owner of a Leica branded (well, self branded) m43 camera body, I needed a matching wide field  Leica prime lens to complete the look.   There are currently five Leica branded m43 lenses and three more to be introduced this year.  But only one, the 15 mm f/1.7 DG Summilux, is small enough … Continue reading Determining the actual costs of adding “Leica” branding to a lens. →

I have a small collection of some of the better quality 43rds lenses because it can be a less expensive way to build a system of lenses than going m43.  But the veracity of this statement depends on the type of photography being undertaken.   I neglected to include two very good macro lenses that … Continue reading Focus speed with 43rds legacy lenses. →

As it has somehow become fashionable to release "fake news", I decided to perpetuate some of my own and announced the rumored release of a new Leica m43 camera body along with convincing images.  The new Chinese Yi M1 has borrowed a lot of minimalistic design cues from the Leica T camera although it is … Continue reading A Real World Performance Review of the Yi M1 Camera. →

Some people were interested in how well the AF worked with the Metabones Speed Booster and so I thought I try to evaluate that as scientifically as possible. To measure the speed of acquiring focus, I placed a microphone onto the body of the camera being tested and I recorded an audio track with Audacity.  … Continue reading Evaluating Focus Speed with Metabones Speed Booster S →

This is material I hope to submit to the UK magazine, Black & White Photography. One of the fundamental joys of black & white photography is that it makes life simpler.  A simple life is a happy life.  Freed from the distractions of colour, photography becomes a study of contrast, shapes and patterns. My background … Continue reading The Joys of Monochrome Photography →