Vintage classic: Canon 100mm f/3.5 LTM

Vintage classic: Canon 100mm f/3.5 LTM, originally uploaded by benny ng.

Some of the classic Canon 100mm f/3.5 screw mount lenses amongst the stash.... small form factor and spectacular performer.

In total, there's 7 variations with 2 distinctively different barrels. I'm missing type 5, although type 2 is also not shown in the picture.

Collecting variations of a single lens type must surely be signs of a sick mind.

Cheers,

Voigtlander Heliar 50mm f/3.5 LTM

6 X Voigtlander Heliar 50mm f/3.5 LTM, originally uploaded by benny ng.

Was trying to organize the dry cabinet and realized that I have 6 of these! Some history behind the strange numbers..

The lens is part of the limited edition Bessa T Heliar 101 Anniversary Edition which I like very much. I got the blue set initially and was very happy with it. Then I realized that that there is actually a matching trigger winder with it! So I got another blue set that came with the winder. But the black paint version was also very pretty and I gave in to temptation. Logged in 2 bids and hoping to land one, I ended up with 2 black paint editions instead. But the one that I really wanted was the Olive version, which I finally got. According to Cosina, they only released 500 set of each color and probably about 100 to 200 trigger winders in matching color.

So.... the lenses came with the pretty bodies and it's a consolation that it's a great performer in a little quirky package. I may trim down on the collection and just keep one of each color instead.

Cheers,

Voigtlander Nokton 50mm f/1.1 in M mount released!

Was trolling the Japanese sites and came across Asahi Camera's page on their upcoming June issue. Seems like Cosina will be releasing a new M mount 50mm with an aperture of f/1.1!!! Priced at around JPY 125,000, it's about 10 to 15% of the new Leica Noctilux 50mm f/0.95 ASPH!!

I think with this and the new Noctilux, the older Noctilux prices will be impacted. As will the recent insane prices of the Canon 50mm f/0.95 and f/1.2.

Styled like the Voigtlander Nokton 50mm f/1.5, the new lens will have a screw on hood and an optional vented clip on hood. Minimum focusing distance of 1m.

Focal length: 50mm
Aperture range: f/1.1 to f/16
Lens construction: 7 elements in 6 groups
Angle of view: 45.9 °
Number of diaphragm blades: 10
Minimum focusing distance: 1m
Integration range in range / ∞ ~ 1m
Dimension (diameter X length): 69.6 × 57.2mm
Filter size: 58mm
Weight: 428g

Good to know they've added a red mounting mark on the barrel, which they missed on the Voigtlander Nokton 35mm f/1.2 Aspherical.

Shipping from July 2009. Can't wait!

http://www.cosina.co.jp/seihin/voigt/v-lens/v-l-m/50-1.1/index.html

Cheers,

p.s. This won't be the only 50mn lens that Voigtlander is releasing! Watch for the rest soon!

Myself!

Epson R-D1 digital rangefinder camera!, originally uploaded by benny ng.

A quick shot of me with my Epson R-D1!

This was taken at the bathroom in the Ritz Carlton. They have nice light surrounding the mirrors so the overall effect is quite pleasing. My next bathroom shall have lights like that too! I'm sure the wifey will approve..

Cheers,

I shot Roger!

Leica Noctilux-M 50mm f/1.0 @ f/2.0, originally uploaded by benny ng.

Got a chance to test out the late version of the famed Leica Noctilux-M 50mm f/1.0 on Roger. It's the one with the built in hood. The shots at f/1.0 was soft and exhibit a lot of veiling glare when you have reflective surfaces or white color in your image.

As you can see, once you stop down to 1.4 or 2.0, it's all gone and there's general improvement in the overall contrast and resolution.

But why buy a big, huge, expensive monster to use it at f/1.4 or f/2.0 when a Summilux or Summicron will suffice?

Tempting, but it's not tugging at my heart strings.... We'll have to see.

Cheers,

Leica still makes film cameras!?

Surprise, Surprise! It seems that they still make about a measly 100 to 150 film cameras (mainly M7 and MP) each month to restock their inventory. Everything seems to be shipped in from Portugal and only assembled in Germany. Anyway, at that kind of volume, it's no wonder prices keep going up. With Japan as their biggest market and the fact that Leica has a cult status, how many more Leicas can they sell before the market eventually saturate....

It will be interesting to see if Leica Camera can survive another ten years.

Cheers,

Bernard contemplating on the Summilux

Bernard contemplating on the Summilux, originally uploaded by benny ng.

Was fooling around Peninsular Shopping Center as usual. Tried the Leica Elmarit-M 28mm f/2.8 ASPH on the M7. Small, snappy and quite a handy little package.

Bernard's happy with his recently acquired chrome M6 classic which I must agree is a really handsome package. Glad to see him coming back to film photography after a quick fling with digital SLR. The Artisan & Artist leather case that he shelled out good money for really adds to the luxurious feel of the camera.

So the next question is which Summilux? Chrome or Black? Ha Ha!!!!

Cheers,