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"Maskenzauber" - Venetian Carnival and Maskenball 2013 in Hamburg

Hamburg is not only known as a town with more bridges than Venice, it also celebrates a Venetian carnival since 12 years now. It's an enchanting event for every visitor and a "must see" for every photographer.

This time I decided to catch the magic moments with a SLR Magic HyperPrime CINE 35mm T0.95 mounted to a Sony NEX7 to get that perfect melange of sharpness and bokeh in order to keep that mood of light and poetic noblesse. But pictures speak louder than words...

(Switching to fullscreen mode (rightmost button on the bottom icon bar) is highly recommended)

In order to be able to see the single images (also in full resolution), please follow the link to my Flickr-Album: http://www.flickr.com/photos/hhackbarth/sets/72157632617122420/

A Venetian ballroom night was celebrated at the enchanting "Lola Rogge Schule" in even more fascinating historical costumes:

Finally there was also a chance to take some impressive 3D-shots:

You find an album with the 3D images here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/hhackbarth/sets/72157632646619067/

Please use red/cyan filterglasses to see the 3D effect. You can download the stereoscopic 3D images in MPO-format for your 3D device here:

MPO-File #1
MPO-File #2

All images copyright by 3D-Kraft.com.

The 0.95 Shootout - Mitakon / Zhongyi Speedmaster 50/0.95 vs. SLR Magic HyperPrime CINE 50mm T0.95

You may have seen other comparisons of F0.95 or T0.95 lenses on my website already, e.g. the recent "Most adorable 50s, the "Adorable 35s", the "Adorable 25s" and an early "HyperPrime / Noctilux Comparison". Now, as new special lens - the Mitakon / Zhongyi Speedmaster 50mm f/0.95 - entered the arena, it's time for another shootout.

First, what's so magic on these lenses? Is it their weight and bulkiness? Of course, not for most of us. Is it their decreasing sharpness or their increasing aberrations when used wide open? May be, a little. In my opinion, what counts are emotions, character and bokeh! It's about seperation, drawing the viewer's attraction to the important things, making them pop out the image, some kind of medium format look. As pictures can better express what I mean, let me give you some examples (you can click on the images to view them in other sizes):

(Mitakon / Zhongyi Speedmaster 50/0.95 @ f/0.95, Photographer: Merlin Ulrich)

Mademoiselle Parfum

In January "Vice Miss Hamburg 2012" Lenea Martens visited me for a shooting themed "Mademoiselle Parfum". It was the first time I had the chance to use a Sony NEX-7 (for the 2D stills) and the last 3D shooting with my pair of Panasonic GH2.

(Click image for higher resolutions)

For the 3D version please click here.

Make-up artist: Kerstin Piehorsch.

Sony A7S - Queen of the Night - Comparison Review

The new Sony A7S created a lot of buzz with its outstanding low light / high ISO performance. Time for a more in depth analysis and a REAL WORLD comparison to the A7R, which was doing quite well at low light already.

As you might have studied already all kinds of technical specs, at this time I will not bother you with too many details anymore. Just the most relevant facts: Mirrorless E-Mount system camera with full frame sensor, 12 MP "only", ISO 100 ... 102400 (extended: 50...409600), 4K video (requires external recorder), FullHD 1080p with 50 MBit XAVC-S encoding on SDXC memory cards, up to 120 fps at 720p, 8 bit uncompressed output with 4:2:2 subsampling on HDMI, option for completely silent shooting.

Before we look at the video performance, let's start with some ISO samples (click on the images to see higher resolution versions).

ISO 100 (cropped, scaled), lens: SLR Magic HyperPrime CINE 50mm T0.95 @ T0.95:

Most adorable 50s - UPDATED: Sigma Art 50/1.4 DG HSM Review

Since a couple of chart based reviews of the new Sigma Art 50mm f/1.4 on a Canon 5D Mk3 claimed, it comes close to the majestic Zeiss Otus 1.4/55, this lens has drawn my attention. If you have read the article about the "Most Adorable 50s", you may remember my conclusion that the Zeiss Otus is currently the reference for me in the range of 50mm lenses, providing results on a 36 MP sensor comparable to current medium format cameras and that the Zeiss Sonnar T* FE 1.8/55 was an "Otus light" for me. Time for another REAL WORLD comparison!

The candidates this time tested on a Sony A7R:

Sigma Art 50mm f/1.4 DG HSM (Nikon mount version)
Zeiss FE Sonnar T* 55mm f/1.8
Leica Summilux-M 50mm f/1.4 ASPH
Zeiss Otus Apo Distagon T* 55mm f/1.4

As pricewise the Sigma Art 50/1.4 and the Zeiss FE 1.8/55 are closest to each other, this test focuses mainly on a direct comparison between these lenses but some aspects are compared in similar settings with the Summilux and the Otus as well.

Although the Sigma Art was designed for DSLR cameras, there are options to use the Canon EF-mount version with autofocus and aperture control also on the mirrorless A7 / A7R using a Metabones Mk III or IV or the A-mount version using a LA-EA4 adapter. The A-mount version is expected to come later this year. The Sigma Art 50/1.4 DG HSM is a complex optical construction with 13 lenses, the aperture has 9 blades and it weighs about 815g.

Sigma Art 50mm f/1.4 DG HSM with lens hood and quiver