On this page, you can find a selection of articles that I have written both for this site and for other publications. Articles that I have written for other publications are marked accordingly. This page is being continually updated.
Reviews
Analog Love: Using the Jupiter-8 50mm f2 Lens on the Leica CL (The Phoblographer)
When I sold my Leica M8, I replaced it with the cheapest-ever Leica rangefinder, the CL, and one of the cheapest M-mount lenses, the Jupiter-8 50mm f/2.
Cosmicar/Pentax 25/1.4 C-mount TV lens review
My review of the Cosmicar/Pentax 25mm f/1.4 C-mount TV lens, adapted on the Olympus E-P1.
Software Review: DxO FilmPack 3 (The Phoblographer)
Having used Nik Color Efex and Silver Efex extensively, I was curious to see how DxOMark’s alternative, FilmPack 3, compared to these film simulation softwares.
Getting In Touch With The Foveon Sensor: Using The Sigma SD14 (The Phoblographer)
I always fancied the three-layer Foveon sensor in Sigma cameras, and when I got the chance to play with an SD14 DSLR, I couldn’t say no.
Lumix 20/1.7 vs. Cosmicar/Pentax 25/1.4 comparison
A highly unscientific comparison between those two lenses. How do they compare in terms of speed and image quality?
Leica M Typ 240 (The Phoblographer)
The M Typ 240 is the pinnacle of Leica’s digital rangefinder camera series, succeeding the M8, M9, M Monochrom and M-E. It is the first Leica rangefinder to use a CMOS sensor, offer live view via an accessory electronic viewfinder, and records Full HD video.
Leica X Vario Typ 107 (The Phoblographer)
The third installment in Leica’s X-series of compact, fixed-lens, large-sensor cameras, the X Vario sports a 28-70mm equivalent zoom lens.
Lensbaby Composer Pro for MFT with Sweet 35 Optic (The Phoblographer)
The Composer Pro with Sweet 35 optic translates to a 70mm lens on Micro Four Thirds cameras, and allows for some crazy creative photography thanks to its unique optical characteristics.
Lomography 35mm Back for the Belair X 6-12 (The Phoblographer)
With the 35mm back, the Lomography Belair X 6-12 can record incredibly wide panoramic photos on standard 35mm film.
Lomography Belair X 6-12 (The Phoblographer)
The Lomography Belair is a panoramic medium format film camera with auto-exposure.
Lomography Belairgon Lenses for the Belair X 6-12 (The Phoblographer)
With these Russian-made glass lenses, Lomography promises better image quality for its Belair X 6-12 medium format camera, compared to the kit plastic lenses the camera comes with.
The Minolta M-Rokkor 28/2.8 on the Leica M8
My user review of the Minolta M-Rokkor 28/2.8, the wide-angle M-mount lens that came with the Minolta CLE film rangefinder, used on the Leica M8.
MS-Optical Sonnetar 50mm f1.1 for Leica M (The Phoblographer)
This is a specialty lens made by Mr Miyazaki in Japan, who is basically a one-man operation and has created such famed lenses as the 35mm f/3.5 Perar.
Olympus M.Zuiko 9-18mm f4-5.6 for Micro Four Thirds (The Phoblographer)
This is my other frequently used Micro Four Thirds lens, besides the Lumix 20mm f/1.7, and is a wonderfully versatile wide-angle zoom lens in a very small package.
SLR Magic 35mm T1.4 for Micro Four Thirds (The Phoblographer)
A wonderful normal lens for APS-C cameras, and a short telephoto for Micro Four Thirds, the SLR Magic 35mm T1.4 was designed for videography but is equally great at still photography.
SLR Magic x Toy Lens Pinhole for Micro Four Thirds (The Phoblographer)
The SLR Magic x Toy Lens is a pinhole lens for Micro Four Thirds cameras sporting a focal length of 12mm. I reviewed it on the Olympus E-P1.
New toy: the Voigtländer Nokton 50/1.5
My first impressions with that lens on the M8, and some words on my hassle with rangefinder alignment.
Revisiting The Panasonic G1: Is The Micro Four Thirds Old-Timer Still Any Good? (The Phoblographer)
Unhappy with manual focusing on my Olympus E-P1, I decided to extend my Micro Four Thirds kit with a Panasonic G1 in early 2012. Back then, the camera was already three and a half years old, so was it still any good?
Some first pictures with my new lens
My first thoughts on the Voigtländer Ultron 28/1.9, which I bought as a substitute for the M-Rokkor, which I wasn’t too happy with in low light.
Software Review: Unified Color HDR Expose 2 (The Phoblographer)
I’ve never been much of an HDR photographer, but when I was approached about reviewing HDR Expose 2, I thought I’d give it a try. The software turned out to be a powerful tool that even professional photographers will like.
Zeiss Planar 50/2 ZM first impressions
The other lens I got when I decided to switch back to Zeiss glass (I had a 35/2 Biogon when I first go the M8) is the 50mm f/2 Planar, a lens of classical design. Here are my first impressions about it.
Using The Zeiss 50mm Planar ZM On Micro Four Thirds (The Phoblographer)
Owning both a Leica M8 and Micro Four Thirds cameras at the time, I would naturally adapt my M-mount lenses to the latter.
Zeiss Biogon 28/2.8 ZM first impressions
I decided to sell my Voigtländer lenses (and other stuff I didn’t need anymore) and go back to Zeiss glass. I stayed with a 28+50 combination, which I find most versatile on the M8. The only 28mm in the ZM line is the 28/2.8 Biogon, about which I wrote down my initial thoughts in this post.
Essays
Building the perfect BUDGET Micro Four Thirds kit
How does the perfect Micro Four Thirds kit look like if you’re on a budget? What are your options in camera bodies and lenses? This is my take.
Buyers Guide: Finding the Right Mirrorless Camera for You (The Phoblographer)
So you decided against a DSLR and for a mirrorless camera. But with all the different systems and formats, which one should you choose? This article gives some basic guidelines on how to choose a mirrorless camera (and lenses to go with it.)
Chris Arnade: Capturing the Faces of Drug Addicts in Hunts Point (The Phoblographer)
After leaving Wall Street, Chris Arnade decided to use his photographic and journalistic skills to give a voice to the underprivileged inhabitants of Hunts Point, The Bronx. I interviewed him about his work in this article.
Creating “Faux-DRs” From Single RAW Files In Lightroom Or Any Other RAW Software (The Phoblographer)
Raw files often convey a much greater dynamic range than their out-of-camera JPEG counterparts, and with a quick and easy technique this can be used to create pseudo-HDR photos from single exposures.
“Digital Film” — just a fantasy?
Digital Film — a film cartridge containing not analog film, but a digital sensor. This concept has been around since the beginningd of digital photography, but could never be realised. Just recently, it came back into discussion when two new interpretations were made public. Is it still just a fantasy, or could it actually be done?
Hand-coding the M-Rokkor 28/2.8
In this article, I write about my attempt to handcode my Minolta M-Rokkor 28/2.8 lens as a v4 pre-ASPH Elmarit 28mm. It worked out in the end, and the automatic correction of cyan colour cast when using a UV/IR filter is a very nice (if not essential) feature especially with shorter focal lengths.
How I became a rangefinder aficionado (Steve Huff Photo)
The title says it all. An essay about my first experiences with and thoughts on the Leica M8. Also my first guest article for Steve Huff’s site.
How to Do Black-and-White Conversions From RAW Files (The Phoblographer)
There’s a lot more to converting a color photograph to black-and-white than just dialing the saturation to zero. This article gives some basic advice on how to achieve great-looking b&w conversions.
An Introduction to and Brief History of Digital Imaging Sensor Technologies (The Phoblographer)
Digital sensors come in all kinds of shapes and sizes and, more importantly with all kinds of different technologies. This article is an introduction to all the different kinds of sensors you can find in digital cameras.
The Leica M8 and Zeiss Biogon 2/35 does Tyrolia (Steve Huff Photo)
I’ve been using the Zeiss Biogon 2/35 ZM for a couple of months on my Leica M8, and took it along to our traditional summer holidays in Tyrolia, Austria this summer. This article is about my experience with the Biogon on that occasion.
M8 worries or Dawn of the Dead Pixels
I found out my M8’s sensor has several pixels that run hot during exposures and cause vertical stripes in resulting pictures. The solution: Pixel Fixer!
On ‘Crop Factor’: What it Means And How to Apply it to Your Photography (The Phoblographer)
In digital photography, the so-called crop factor is important to keep in mind when comparing how the focal length of a lens relates to its angle-of-view, depending on the size of the camera’s sensor. This articles explains the concept and gives some practical advice.
Photokina 2010: A report in pictures
My report on photokina 2010. Many pictures with some accompanying words. A summary of what I had a look at and what caught my attention. Accompanied by the gallery Photokina 2010: Impressions.
Sergej Prokudin-Gorskij | Pioneer of colour photography
Born August 30th, 1863, Sergej Prokudin-Gorskij is undoubtedly one of the pioneers of colour photography. In the early 1910s, before the outbreak of World War I, Prokudin-Gorskij travelled across Russia, documenting the country and the life of its many, culturally diverse inhabitants — in full colour.
Some thoughts on hybrid system cameras
With the introduction of Sony’s SLT series of translucent-mirror cameras, I wondered what the next step in evolution of hybrid system cameras might be.
The Top Five Most Extreme Wide-Angle Lenses Ever Built (The Phoblographer)
One day I was thinking about wide-angle lenses, and wondered if I couldn’t dig up the most extreme ones ever built. This articles talks about five of them.
Useful Photography Tip: Boost Your Creativity — Use a Different Lens Today (The Phoblographer)
Sometimes, all it needs to get your creative juices flowing again is using a different lens – deally one that’s been collecting dust for a while.
Useful Photography Tip: How to Make Eyes Pop in Lightroom (The Phoblographer)
Making your subjects eyes stand out can do a lot to the look of a portrait. Here’s a quick tutorial on how to make eyes pop in Adobe Lightroom.
Useful Photography Tip: Pre-Focus for Better Action Shots (The Phoblographer)
When shooting fast-paced action (such as little kids running around the playground), you can either use a high-end DSLR with super-fast and super-accurate autofocus, or you can use a decades-old technique called pre-focusing.
Useful Photography Tip: Take Your Time to Get Prepared (The Phoblographer)
Just snapping away at whatever you come across is one way to approach photography. Another is to actually take some time and think about what it is you want to photograph.
Useful Photography Tip: Use Your Sunglasses As an Improvised ND/Polarizer-Filter (The Phoblographer)
When I forgot to take my filters on a vacation, I decided to improvise and use my polarized sunglasses as a makeshift ND filter. Here’s how it turned out.
What makes a camera phone?
What defines a “camera phone”, and what seperates it from a “phone camera”? What happens, when the boundaries between classical categories such as “phone”, “camera” etc. begin to dissolve? An attempt at sorting things out.
“Why you take picture? I kill you!”
What can happen when you just try to take a picture of an old trailer in the yard of some run-down local garage …