7Artisans 35mm f2 M-Mount on Leica M9 / December 23, 2020 by juan martinez

$289 for a brand new small M-mount lens, sonnar design with amazing build and stellar aperture and focus ring feel…too good to be true?

First off, you will not be disappointed by the build. Seriously good stuff there. The aperture and focus ring both smooth and wobble free, no extra stiffness or funny business, excellent. The lenses are free of stray debris (Mitakons should take note) and the packaging overall is nice, very much a cut-above what you should expect for the price . Rangefinder alignment on my Leica M9 was spot on on my copy. Thats not to say you couldn't adjust it if it was off ,the lens does come with an alignment sheet and instructions. In my experience you 100% need a digital rangefinder in order to make the tweaks, so grab yours or a friends.

Picture IQ is pretty good for a $300 lens, but besides surprisingly good center wide-open sharpness, its prone to flair and the bokeh can sometimes be less than smooth. Plus, the contrast just isn’t as strong as more modern Voigtlander’s we’ve tried. Its does have a definite “look” to the images. I do have to say that for $300 I would look at a well kept Voigtlander 35mm f2.5 Skopar and you may have a better lens overall.

All shots on Leica M9

QUICK LOOK: Konica Hexanon 28mm Vs 7Artisans 28mm M-mount / September 23, 2020 by juan martinez

Our favorite budget 28mm, yes even over the Voigtlander 28mm f2 Ultron (see the test here), has a new friend at home thanks to KEH Cameras; the Konica Hexanon 28mm f2.8 designed for the Konica Hexar RF film cameras. Will this 20 year old lens keep-up with the newer (and less expensive) option from 7Artisans? Lets see how via this simple test of wide-open and stopped down sharpness/contrast and color performance.

All images were given a slight and equal post processing and same white balance value.

Each lens wide-open

Konica Hexanon 28mm f2.8 at 2.8 aperture

Each lens at f2.8 aperture cropped

7Artisan 28mm f1.4 at 2.8 aperture cropped

Konica Hexanon 28mm f2.8 at 2.8 aperture cropped

From what we have seen, the contrast and overall color from both is very close. The 7Artisans has the benefit of being stoped down 2 whole stops from wide-open, always improving the IQ. And at this stopped down aperture the center sharpness is only ever so slightly surpassing the wide-open sharpness of the Konica at f2.8. The 7Artisan commendably does a great job with the bokeh of the out of focus areas at this aperture, where they appear slightly more smooth than on the Konica. At f5.6 the Konica and 7Artisans are essentially on the same sharpness level, meaning, for street photography at apertures 5.6 or smaller like f8, you could be better off with the much smaller Konica lens (226 grams) versus the 2x heavier and larger 7Artisans (489 grams). BUT the 7Artisans exhibits more saturated colors, and perhaps slight increase of overall contrast that makes its images pop when directly compared; this of course can all be tweaked in post.

Konica Hexanon 28mm f2.8 on Leica M240 cropped

In-hand feel couldn’t be more different with the size and weight of the 7Artisans making it better for adapted mirrorless setups than on small rangefinders. You only get full stops clicks on the aperture as well, a small detail but one the Konica does better with 1/2 stops for more precise light metering via this adjustment. Our minty copy of the Konica from KEH is built just as well if not a touch nicer than the 7Artisans with a slightly longer and stiffer focus throw. The 7Artisans has a nicer finish though that doesn’t look “plastic” as the Konica does.

If you need a fast 28mm f1.4 aperture, low-light lens and plan to use it on a mirrorless setup, the 7Artisans is the better option. If you are a streetphotographer looking for a unique and small alternative to Voigtlander or Leica glass for your rangefinder camera, the Konica Hexanon would be our pick.

//7Artisans VS TTArtisan 35mm f1.4 lenses\\ / August 22, 2020 by juan martinez

Simple test here, all images taken in Leica SL and given same white balance. Link to all images here, but you will find some comparisons below.

TTArtisan

Pros

1/2 stop aperture clicks
“Leica look”
Smoother background blur
Seemingly less barrel distortion
Better screw-in hood
Best CA performance in extreme back-lit situations

Cons

More focus breathing
Slightly less refined build
Heavier at 413 grams with hood, no rear lens cap

Same

Sharpness wide-open

Buy TTArtisan here!

Leica SL 7Artisan 35mm f1.4 flare.jpg — 7Artisan 35mm f1.4 flare

7Artisans

Pros

Better build
Less focus breathing, lens remains same size while focusing
Tighter build tolerances
Lighter at 376 grams with built-in hood and no lens caps
More contrast in extreme back-lit situations

Cons

Only full stop aperture adjustment
Slightly more CA in extreme back-lit situations
“Busier” out of focus areas

Same

Sharpness wide-open

//7Artisans 75mm f1.25 Vs. Canon 85mm f1.2 FD\\ / July 5, 2020 by juan martinez

New versus old, a classic against a newcomer. Both are priced way under the $1,000 mark with the 7Artisans coming un at less than half that amount. Luckily you can find minty Canon 85’s for under $700, therefore a great deal under $1k as well. One is M-mount, the other Canon FD mount. One can be used on all Mirrorless cameras including the Leica M-mounts the other all excluding the Leica M mounts; unless you have live-view at your disposal.

We regard the 7Artisans 75 as a spectacular lens for the price and for its ability to dissolve backgrounds with ease when needed. Its a tank tho, built like one and heavy like one too; at 647 grams it’s beastly. The Canon in built even better, heavier at 710 grams but has this magnificent 1980’s Japanese feel to it; its epic awesome. For reference the new Voigtlander 75mm f1.5 Nokton weighs a lightweight 399 grams and the OG Summilux-R 80mm f1.4 weighs 757 grams.

Direct link to download all photos here.

The 7Artisans 75mm f1.25 wide open.

Canon 85mm f1.2 wide-open

Side by side both wide-open, center crop…

Far right side compared. Both wide-open…

7Artisans 75mm f1.25 at f1.25 far right side.

Side by side both at f2…

//Ricoh GR3 Versus Fuji X100V High ISO Performance\\ / July 1, 2020 by juan martinez

We have the two top point and shoot cameras at HQ, the Ricoh GR3 and Fujifilm X100V, and wanted to do an informal high ISO test between these two. Here is what we found…

Fuji X100V at ISO 3200 with a crop to show center detail.

The Ricoh GR3 at 3200 with a crop to show center detail.

GR3 3200 f2.8 crop.jpg — GR3 3200 f2.8 crop

Fuji X100V at ISO 8000 with a crop to show center detail.

The Ricoh GR3 at 8000 with a crop to show center detail.

For all out high ISO performance I’d lean to the Fuji having the best performance overall but its also doing a bit of trickery as the images are darker per given shutter speed and ISO value. That tells me that the ISO values are probably a bit mis-representative. For example, on the GR3 you may be fine with the exposure of 1/50 at ISO 3200 but that same 1/50 shutter would require a bump up to ISO 4000 to get the same comparative exposure brightness. Also, the colors on the GR3 seem more saturated than the Fuji at ISO 8000. Not to mention the Ricoh has sensor stabilization so a still life image like our example could easily be shot at much slower shutter speeds and lower ISO’s used. In use however, both are amazing cameras with redeeming qualities that make both worthy of a place in your collection.

//Battle of the CCD\\ / June 29, 2020 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.

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.

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.

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.

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…