Leitz Summaron 35mm f/3,5 LTM
A few weeks have passed since I received it and after a few rolls I’m already in love with this lens. Apart from being a steal (a mint 1954 Summaron is average €450) it’s a solid performer. Image quality is very good for such an old lens and sharpness is second only to the Summicron. I’m not the kind of guy that looks at 100% crops, so my opinion is solely based on results.
An example:
What I can objectively comment on is the build of the lens, solid and silk smooth on focusing. The only drawback of this lens is the absence aperture ring clicks, common to old Leitz lenses. At the beginning it was kind of annoying, because you need to lock to infinity, adjust aperture and focus again. For me it’s not an issue at all, since I do zone focusing all the time. My lens is always set to f/8 and I move it only when I need to do specific shots. Honestly, I don’t really change focus that often.
This is the end
Kodak is selling its consumer film division, among other things. Enemies became friends to feast on the dying company.
I’m going to miss Portra a lot, as I missed Kodachrome. Yet I won’t cry out loud my disappointment. That’s life, companies come and go. I’m not scared to remain without film for my Leica, my Nikon, my Canon, my Lubitel.
I’m scared to have less and less choice. Until now we have three big players: Kodak, Fuji and Ilford. Let’s speculate a little on what could happen.
Kodak is gone, so goodbye Tri-X and Portra. Fuji axed several Velvia products, luckily keeping both 120 and 135 format. Ilford is only for B&W. So what choice we really have? Without Kodak, the range of film drops dramatically.
You can’t shoot landscape and nature without Velvia 50. Nor you can shoot street photography without a good ISO 400 film. What’s really left for us? Without Tri-X, we can opt for Ilford Delta. I tried both and I like them equally. Without Portra, the only option is Fuji 400H. Ok, there is also Superia X-Tra, but I don’t see it as a real alternative.
Keilun Photography 