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The Hollywood Distagon at f/2: A Single Daffodil and the Contax Zeiss 28mm on the Sony A7RV
April 28, 2026
The Hollywood Distagon at f/2: A Single Daffodil and the Contax Zeiss 28mm on the Sony A7RV
They called it The Hollywood. Not because it was glamorous. Because it was indispensable. Cinematographers across the film industry adapted the Contax Zeiss 28mm f/2 Distagon for motion picture cameras because nothing else on earth rendered like it. The combination of its T*-coated rare earth glass, its wide-open drawing character, and its ability to hold sharpness at the focus plane while melting everything else into smooth dimensional blur made it the standard by which wide angle primes were judged for a generation. The camera system it was built for is dead. The glass formulation it uses is illegal to manufacture.
Read moreSchneider-Kreuznach for Rollei 6008 on Sony A7RV – 180mm f/2.8, 80mm f/2.8, and 50mm f/4 Wide Open
There is a question that every photographer who adapts vintage glass eventually asks: how far can you push it? Not how far can you push the focal length, or the aperture, or the format. How far can you push the gap between the era the lens was designed for and the sensor you are putting behind it today. The Schneider-Kreuznach Tele-Xenar 180mm f/2.8 HFT was built in Germany for the Rollei 6008 medium format system. It was designed to resolve detail on 6×6 centimeter film, which at fine grain equates to roughly 100 to 150 megapixels of information. It was
Read moreThe Carl Zeiss 100mm f/4 S-Planar on Bellows – 61 Megapixels of Macro on the Sony A7RV
I wrote about the Carl Zeiss 100mm f/4 S-Planar eleven years ago on this site. That piece was shot on a Sony A7S, a 12-megapixel camera, and the lens outresolved the sensor so thoroughly that the review was really about the A7S’s limitations, not the lens’s capabilities. I never found the ceiling. Today I mounted the same lens on bellows, put it in front of a 61-megapixel Sony A7RV, and pointed it at a bouquet of flowers on the kitchen table in Chimayo. The question is the same as it was in 2015: where does this optic run out of
Read moreCanon FD 20mm f/2.8 S.S.C. on the Sony A7RV – The Environmental Storyteller
The Canon FL 55mm f/1.2 is a scalpel. It isolates a subject and dissolves everything around it. The Canon FD 20mm f/2.8 is the opposite instrument entirely. It includes everything. It tells you where you are, what surrounds the subject, and how the light fills the room. If the 55mm is a portrait, the 20mm is a novel. This lens was introduced in 1973 as part of Canon’s FD system. Ten elements in nine groups, Canon’s floating element system for consistent sharpness from 0.25 meters to infinity, and Super Spectra Coating. At 94 degrees, it was the widest f/2.8 lens
Read moreCanon FL 55mm f/1.2 on the Sony A7RV – A 1968 Masterpiece Meets 61 Megapixels
There are expensive ways to shoot at f/1.2 and there are smart ways to shoot at f/1.2. This is the smart way. The Canon FL 55mm f/1.2 was introduced in July 1968 as the flagship standard lens for Canon’s FL-mount SLR system. Seven elements in five groups, designed before computers did the ray tracing, built when lenses were made entirely of metal and glass. Canon’s engineers were solving the same problem every fast lens designer faces: eliminating field curvature and flare at maximum aperture. They did not completely succeed, and that is exactly what makes this lens worth owning fifty-eight
Read moreFinding A Subprime Survivor Visual Metaphor
For those of you who just landed on this page expecting to find Suzanne Birrell’s song “Subprime Survivor” to listen to the audio PLAY button is all the way at the bottom. If your interested in how Chuck Jones’ draft cover photograph for Suzanne Birrell’s new video “Subprime Survivor” uses visual elements not just to create a beautiful image, but to build a powerful visual metaphor for the difficult, enduring theme of surviving an economic or personal crisis, that discussion I’ve placed before the content (song) itself to add a particular context. Listen to the song first maybe, or after
Read moreThe Art of the Uninteresting: A New Film.
Title: The Art of the Uninteresting: A New Film for Photographers Hey everyone, We all feel it. The endless scroll. The constant sensory overload. As photographers, we’re often pushed to chase the “banger”—the epic sunset, the dramatic portrait, the neon-drenched street scene. We’re told to make images that shout. But what if the most powerful photographs are the ones that whisper? This question has been on my mind for a while, and it’s the central idea behind a new short film I’ve just completed. I’m excited to share it with TheCameraForum community first. I’ve embedded it below from Vimeo, and I would
Read moreThe most beautiful papers in the world share one thing in common: Deckle Edges.
Deckle Edges aren’t mistakes or boo boos. They are poetry crafted in fiber. Whispering reminders of a human’s hands. Patient tradition. Timeless artistry that machines simply cannot replicate. Every deckle-edged sheet of handmade paper tells a profound story of authenticity. Craftsmanship. A direct lineage to centuries-old papermaking traditions. Handmade deckle-edged paper isn’t cheap at two to five times more expensive than regular fine art paper. Why? Because it’s the very essence of handmade quality. The papermaking process is meticulous. Labor-intensive. Highly skilled, and involving traditional techniques and premium fibers like Kozo, Gampi, Mitsumata, in Japan or 100% pure cotton rag in Europe.
Read moreBooking A Photo Workshop?
So You’re Thinking About a Photo Workshop? A photography workshop can be a spectacular adventure. You step out of your daily grind, land in a bucket-list destination, make new friends who speak your language (f-stops and framing), and—if you’re lucky—leave with not just better photos, but a deeper understanding of your own artistic voice. But don’t confuse it with a vacation. Real photography workshops are work. Rewarding, intense, often exhausting work. Learning to see—truly see—isn’t a skill you pick up between piña coladas. It’s a discipline. A lifelong one. And in today’s overcrowded workshop market, it’s harder than ever to
Read moreFujifilm GFX100S Built-in Stereo Video Mics
Surprising Audio Quality I’ve always viewed built-in camera microphones with a bit of a withered eye – something of a last-resort solution – usable in emergencies, but not something I want for serious recording. My expectations and assumptions took a delightful hit recently when I first recorded my stepdaughter playing a native drum her mother gave me for Christmas a couple years back. My stepdaughter has been a professional drummer, performing with a couple bands in past years, so her playing is nuanced and skillful – she knows what she’s doing and how to hit the drum and when. Something I’m
Read moreNevada Weir – Adventurous Photo Tours.
Nevada Weir: Adventurous Photo Tours 3 sources Nevada Wier, a travel photographer, offers unique, small-group tours to remote global locations for adventurous photographers who are physically fit and comfortable with basic accommodations. These immersive experiences prioritize photography in challenging environments and require flexibility and a passion for the craft, differing from structured workshops. Separately, the Lehigh Valley Photography Club announces a virtual presentation by Nevada Wier titled “Seeing Photographically,” where she will discuss techniques for interpreting and capturing compelling travel and personal images, emphasizing the mental aspect of photography and practical considerations like equipment and light. This event requires registration, with
Read moreThe Integration of The Serendipitous Cycle and The Way of the Crow
Life, like photography, unfolds in a series of moments—some expected, others wholly unexpected. This flow of occurrences, interconnected yet unpredictable, forms The Serendipitous Cycle. It is the rhythm of existence, a perpetual dance between chance and choice. When integrated with The Way of the Crow, this cycle transforms into a profound philosophy of observation, action, and connection, guiding us toward seeing and engaging with life as it truly is. Understanding The Serendipitous Cycle At its core, The Serendipitous Cycle is about embracing the unpredictable nature of life. It’s the recognition that beauty and meaning often arise in the spaces between our plans, in the
Read moreThe Crow’s Way Of Photography – Learning To See
Smartphones vs. Photographic Cameras
In recent years, smartphones have had a significant impact and advancement in terms of image quality and photographic capabilities, which has revolutionized the photography industry, as more and more people use their mobile devices to capture moments and share them on social media. However, Nikon, Canon, Sony, and other manufacturers continue to invest in cutting-edge camera technology, with high-resolution sensors, multiple lenses, image stabilization, and improvements in image processing. In light of this, the question is… are smartphones going to replace cameras? – Of course, observing here that both are used to take photos. Let’s analyze the current differences: Today,
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