//Battle of the CCD\\ /  by juan martinez

We love ourselves unique cameras. Cameras that provide a special experience and an IQ to their images that make it worth any quirks or quibbles. Two of these unique cameras are the Leica M9 (M9P) and the original digital rangefinder, the Epson RD-1 (RD-1s via firmware update). We thought it would be a good time to compare these two cameras, especially focusing on their straight off sensor color palette and look.

Leica M9’s are known for their fantastic color, largely attributed because of its Kodak CCD sensor. We wanted to shed some light on its older cousin, and CCD based, Epson RD-1 because we think its colors are just as good if not better. I know, I know… blasphemy.

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The Epson RD-1 came-out in 2004, and two different companies were involved in the development of the R-D1 product. Cosina was responsible for the classical body, well-known to connoiseurs and based on the famous Bessa R2 housing, along with all mechanical elements and the photometric components of the camera for control of exposure and focus. Epson provided all components involved with the recording and electronic processing of image data - including the CCD sensor [resource link here].  The viewfinder is a 1.0X magnification, it has a swiveling (and thus disappearing) rear LCD screen as well as requiring the user to manually cock the shutter lever prior to taking an exposure, ahem a picture. Brilliant! If you are looking for the closest digital version of an analog rangefinder film camera, the Epson is it.

The Leica M9P was the professional’s Leica M9. The M9 being their first foray into a full-frame version of Leica’s M8 digital rangefinder. Its superbly hand-assembled, premium product with a brand that evokes all things luxury from its a few syllables. The Leica M9 has become a sort of gold-standard for which its newer counterparts get compared to and also their last CCD bodied rangefinder (ME included). The M0P builds on this with a better rear LCD with Sapphire glass, no Leica logo out front but otherwise maintaining the same basic body as the M9.

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The differences between these two rangefinders are greater than their similarities. For one, the Leica’s 18mp CCD sensor is 3 times more megapixels than the Epson’s paltry 6.1mp. It’s a difference that makes itself apparent when printing larger than 8x10 but for social media or moderate prints as 5x7’s you can’t tell a difference. Materials are different too, with the Leica employing brass top and bottom plates while the Epson uses more mundane metal materials. Both do feel nicely weighted and built in their own right but edge for build most certainly goes to the Leica. The framelines on the Leica are automatic and pop-up correctly depending on the M-mount lens you mount to it, the Epson requires you to choose between 50/28/35 via a top-mounted selector. The gauges on the Epson are nowhere to be found on the M9, or another Leica product, and provide immediate information regarding battery level, Raw/Jpeg quality, white balance setting as well as how many images are left available on the small 2gb max SD card. Plus, adjusting these parameters can all be made from buttons and selectors on the outside of the camera, including ISO and exposure adjustments! The Leica requires menu diving. I’d venture to guess the lack of buttons, gauges and selector switches would make the M9P more weather friendly than the Epson which could definitely be a good thing in rainier climates.

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For the below image comparisons, we took a Leica M9P with a Leica Summicron 50mm f2 V5 set at AWB, ISO 200 and a 5.6 aperture against the Epson RD-1 with Voigtlander 35mm f2 Ultron set at AWB, ISO 200 and a f4 aperture. We then brought all images into Light Room and made only contrast (+35), shadow detail (+25, highlights (-47, and blacks (-22). For the Epson we had to bump-up exposure on most images as it shoots underexposed on aperture priority, prioritizing faster shutter speeds, and set all of the Leica files to match the better white balance set forth by the Epson. Thats it.

Leica M9P

Epson RD-1

Leica M9P

Epson RD-1

Leica M9P

Epson RD-1

Leica M9P

Epson RD-1

Leica M9P

Epson RD-1

Leica M9P

Epson RD-1

We will let you decided which colors suit your needs best. If you shoot strictly black and white you may care much less about the color tones than the fact one is a full frame while the other is “just” APS-C. Also, we didn’t look at higher ISO performance, but can say beyond ISO 640 you pay penalties with the M9 that arguably aren’t there at ISO 800 (maybe even 1600) on the Epson RD-1. More to come from a proper test though. In the end you really can’t go wrong with either camera. And we have to recommend that if you are thinking of purchasing either one you jump on it before their prices continue to climb. They aren’t for everyone, but for those that value shooting experience and unique ability to use M-mount lenses and and produce images with a quality hard to duplicate, these are two of your only choices.

Epson RD-1 sample images below…




//1,500 word Ricoh GRIII Review\ /  by juan martinez

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Oh our beloved GRIII! Let’s get the obvious things out of the way first. Yes, its tiny, it’s about half the scale of a Fuji X100V and much, much lighter. It has an INCREDIBLE fixed 28mm f2.8 lens, fantastic all metal build and it looks almost exactly like the original analog film versions from its past iterations. It’s an excellent camera for a photographer enthusiast.. but that’s where its strengths and weaknesses lay.

The GRIII is overly capable, so much so that the casual all “automatic” type of shooter will be left hating the small buttons, horrible battery life, the small size and that it’s a fixed 28mm lens versus a more traditional 35mm. Those are truly better-off with a more conventional Sony RX100, Fujifilm X100V or even a small interchangeable mirrorless setup. It’s only the more eclectic shooter, one that loves to takes control of the camera, geek-out and uses its strengths to make images will love the GRIII and accept its shortcomings. Because one can operate the camera using the fingers and thumbs on just your right hand while holding it securely, it’s something only photography lovers will realize they love and have always needed in a small point and shoot. The only time you have to loosen your grip is to turn it off; that’s fantastic. The sensor is now stabilized and uses a 24mp, very likely Sony, sensor with great dynamic range, sharpness (no AA filter) is off the charts good and this point and shoot finally gets the high ISO performance its always deserved. So feel free to handhold that street scene at 1/15th Sec shutter at 3200 ISO in the dark, its not a problem! Now while I can’t guarantee it’s the “same” sensor as Sony’s A6500 generation of APS-C cameras, it sure fits the mold and performs like it except in one regard; AF. Autofocus accuracy isn’t great, but that has less to do with the sensor as much as the AF algorithm and tech from Ricoh. Though now with phase detect, Autofocus in many instances’ surprises with its speed and you leave the scene happy only to revisit the photos on your home computer and discover the images are blurry. The face you thought you had locked-onto with face-detect was not in fact in focus. And that friends is my biggest complaint with the camera, its AF performance is still not there even after a decent firmware update. Luckily the camera when used for street photography or documentary in general has the Snap-Focus option!

The instantaneous action of this mode of focusing is its saving grace. Its instant because the camera is actually not performing a focus action at all and simply letting you zone-focus and that is just perfect for street when shooting at f8 and above. And makes the camera a perfect pairing for a day of shooting with an Olympus XA or Leica M6 in one hand while having the GRIII as a digital option in your front pocket to capture images less worthy of one of your precious 36 frames. In conclusion, with the GRIII you get a camera that is half the size of a Fuji X100 series, has an epic 28mm lens, the same general IQ as the latest Sony APS-C cameras (which is amazing) all combined into a camera actually designed for a photographer in mind! That the camera provides image stabilization, instant turn-on, touch screen (helps with focusing too), WiFi image transfers and software to allow you in camera RAW processing just takes the camera over the top in terms of ranking for point and shoots in its class. But truly, the camera stands alone in its own class; it’s why it’s a cult classic after all there is no true alternative to the GR/GRII/GRIII. Sweet.

//MOAR Lenses Compared!\\ /  by juan martinez

We got our hands on the latest Version II of the Voigtlander 35mm f1.4 SC and MC M-mount lenses from Camera Quest. We decided to do a simple sharpness and bokeh test and comparison against some of our favorite lenses. Here is a link to all of the sample files and some photo samples below.

Voigtlander 35mm f1.4 SC at f1.4

Voigtlander Ultron 35mm f1.7 at f1.7

Voigtlander Ultron 35mm f2 at f2



Part 1: Voigtlander 35mm f2 Ultron Review /  by juan martinez

Ultron on Leica M9 with Vi-Vante Ultimate Phoenix strap

Options make things hard when car shopping these days. Every manufacture produces an offering that provides safety, gas mileage, luxuries and reliability that far exceed anything created 10 years ago or older. Much like how driving a Kia today has lost the negative stigma it had in the nineties, due to improved styling and engineering, one can almost concider their quality on par with Toyota and Honda alike. The same can be said for camera and lens manufactures. Currently I can think of a dozen different lens options that for 25% costs provide 90% of the IQ and experience of shooting with expensive Leica glass. The reign of made in Wetzlar meaning ultimate quality and one’s only avenue for excellence, is well… a very dated one. 

Samples on digital cameras from Epson R-D1, Fuji X-T2, Leica M9 and Leica SL:

Where once you had to spend thousands to attain wide-open sharpness, low distortion, high quality coatings and quality of build now you can spend just several hundred. The margin of improvement that expensive glass brings is indeed highly dependent to how you shoot and your needs. For most shooters that means you can create amazing images from a $300-500 lens and not have to frustrate a spouse with a $3-4k purchase. So why then should you spend $800 for the Voigtlander Ultron 35mm f2? A price nearing Zeiss territory. What makes this lens tick the special boxes that make us want to shoot, want to create, want to immortalize? Let’s start with value. 

Voigtlander 35mm f2

Leica 35mm f2 Summicron ASPH

Voigtlander 35mm f2 Ultron at f2 CROPPED

Leica 35mm f2 Summicron ASPH at f2 CROPPED

Lens test sample images here

Better bang for your buck? Doubtful. The Nokton 35mm f1.4, Skopar 35mm f2.5, Rokkor 40mm and Ultron 35mm f1.7 variants might be cheaper alternatives; especially when bought used. The Skopar is slightly smaller, the Rokkor 40mm a bit more “interesting”, the Nokton and Ultron f1.7 version faster (and it is really smooth too) but with funky scalloped focus-ring ergonomics, the Nokton f1.4 is an option as it’s nice and compact but you have to deal with distortion and some focal-plane issues (least my copies). Then of course there are several Zeiss options, but all are all more expensive new than the Ultron f2 is new; used prices close this gap however. So let’s concider them really quickly. The 35mm f2 Biogon is larger, the 35mm f1.4 is much larger still and well beyond the price bracket leaving only the 35mm f2.8 Biogon as a close competitor, but even that lens is larger, slower aperture and really only provides equivalent IQ for similar price but lacking anything special that makes one want to choose it or more importantly want to shoot it. And we should want to shoot our cameras afterall. Its closest competitor is actually the Skopar 35mm f2.5. At essentially the same size and speed its tempting to want to pay half the price for what on paper seems like a similar lens. But wouldn’t you pay just $400 to essentially get the IQ and performance of a Leica Summicron? That’s what you get with the Ultron 35mm f2, and we have test shots to prove as much. But what about that focus lever???

Ultron on Epson R-D1

Ultron on Epson R-D1

LH-12 Hood

Ultron on Leica M6 Classic

The focus lever has been a sore spot for a lot of folks interested in this lens and I get it. At first glance the “stick” style knob looks a bit out of place on a modern lens but when concidering its vintage styling, the move makes sense. In use the stick style knob is actually more comfortable than expected, and I go from liking it to wishing it had a normal “tab” style knob back to thinking it fine. But I will say that it’s the biggest gripe we have with the lens and a small one when most list of gripes start and end with price and size; clearly neither an issue here.  Regardless we have a solution; stay tuned ;-)

Ultron on Leica M6 with Acros 100. Developed and scanned by The Darkroom

The new Ultron 35m f2 is about shooting it every day and everywhere. This Voigtlander brings with it aspherical elements, small size, a (relatively) fast aperture, super sharp & tasty contrasty images plus wide-open and resistance to lens flare that compares to Zeiss coatings (I’ve had varying experiences with Ziess and their abilities in back-lit situations tho). Add to this impressive list excellent build quality with smooth focus ring, snappy but damped aperture, M-mount for adaptability and circular out of focus bokeh when stopped-down and it’s a perfect match for digital and film rangefinder alike. Did I mention size? Tiny. And even with the new slightly larger hood that has been made for it (Voigtlander LH-12 $79), it looks right at home on a Voigtlander Bessa, Leica M3 right on thru M10 and of course mirrorless options like the Fujifilm X-T3, Leica’s CL/SL and Sony. And the IQ is amazing! I dare say it’s a ‘bokeh king’ of sorts, much like the OG Leica one because for being an f2 and on the wider side, this lens rocks portraits and has an ability you smooth backgrounds like a faster lens would. 

Stay tuned for a follow-up by Eduardo Acosta and a video on our YouTube about this lens in further detail.

Ultron on Leica M6. Developed and scanned by The Darkroom of course!

//Mega Lens Test!\\ /  by juan martinez

We recently got our hands on the newly released Voigtlander 35mm f2 Ultron, part of Voigtlander’s Vintage line from our friends at Camera Quest! Small, extremely well built with a decently fast max aperture, we wanted to test its basic sharpness and bokeh rendering against some other heavy hitters. These lens included: Leica 35mm f2 Summicron Ver. 2, Voigtlander 35mm f1.7 Ultron, Voigtlander 40mm f1.2 Nokton, the classic Minolta 40mm f2 Rokkor, Zeiss 50mm f1.5 Sonnar, Voigtlander 50mm f1.5 Nokton, Voigtlander 28mm f2 Ultron and of course the Voigtlander 35mm f2 Ultron. We used a Leica SL, with Leica M to L-mount adapter, as well as a consistent Daylight white balance, ISO 200 and we tried to keep exposures similar via similar shutter speeds per f-stop. Shot at a local brewery, below are some examples to explore and a link to all of the files! Please note each file name corresponds to the lens used and at what aperture.

Leica 35 f2 Summicron at f2 CROPPED

Voigt 35 f2 Ultron at f2 CROPPED

Link to the rest of the test photos here

Buy the Voigtlander 35mm f2 Ultron here!


TJ’s Ilford HP5 Plus 400 Disposable Review /  by juan martinez

I told myself that as I started to travel more, I would take steps to better permanently capture my trips besides my iPhone. With friends already deep into photography, it wasn’t hard to find myself becoming more interested. 

  The trip that sparked my love for shooting was in 2017, when i traveled to the Philippines for the first time. You see, I’m Filipino-American and before my mother passed away, I never had the chance to experience it with her. I took it upon myself to absorb my culture as best as I could. Soon after, this one disposable camera was my “get-away” camera, coming with me to P

  For something so compact and light, it really caught the moments of candidness of everything. To add, I went a step further and did not process the film until it was expired a year after I had purchased it. I had seen the effects of expired film from friends and thought it would be a great touch to express my experience. 

Overall, whether you’re starting to shoot or an avid photographer, it’s just great to have as another form to capture beautiful moments without taking a second thought.

Guest post By,
T.J. Bingamon

Film IG: www.instagram.com/teej35mm

All photos by T.J. Bingamon

Taal Volcano, Philippines

Tagaytay, Philippines

Palm Desert, CA

Long Beach, CA

Vancouver, Canada

Tagaytay, Philippines

Tagaytay, Philippines