A Zeiss legend and its viceroy

Contax Vario-Sonnar 4.5-5.6/100-300 vs. Contax Vario-Sonnar 4/80-200 I've been searching for a long lens for while now. I have already tested some primes around 200mm and was never really satisfied - too big, too bulky, too heavy, too much aberration, not enough contrast for my spoiled taste. I was for some time thinking about saving...

Twenty Teles at long distances

Twenty telephoto lenses and their sharpness After testing 50 fifties it's about time I continue with some other lenses. While I don't have another fifty lenses of the same focal length range, I've amounted twenty short telephoto lenses (ranging from 80mm to 105mm in focal length), 5 zoom lenses included. However, they're not just a...

Sticking up for the underdog: Petri lenses

When getting into "Altglas", more commonly known as "vintage lenses", your research on the net will certainly tell you quickly that Petri lenses aren't worth looking for. Many users that haven't even tried them will repeat the same verdict: "Low quality". If you turn your back then, you're missing out on some lenses that are...

Taking a spin through spring …

... using ... Rollei Zeiss HFT Distagon 1.4/35, Tamron SP 8/500 (55B), Sigma Telemax YS 2.8/135, Rollei Zeiss HFT Distagon 2/28, Helios 2/92 Meyer-Optik Primoplan 1.9/58 Contaflex Pro Tessar 4/115 After a winter that at the end just wouldn't stop I'm very happy that spring has finally arrived. In fact here in Bavaria, Germany it...