Before the war on terror, american photographers were welcomed almost everywhere in the world with incredible graciousness. After we invaded Iraq, we were the pariah of any tourist hotspot and it was free reign to rip off americans as a matter of principle for what they did.

As mentioned, sigma 19 and 30 2.8 primes were $99 new! Why on earth lenses have now shot through the stratosphere chasing perfection is beyond me. These were great lenses for sony APs-c. Such a shame there aren't more $99 AF lenses that just work. The last thing I want is a perfectly corrected lens.

The cheap chinese industrial lenses on m43 are a good replacement for the clinical lenses of today. 7 artisans 35 1.2, old school drawing. Risespray 35 1.2, also dope with slightly more wide open sharpness. Risespray 35 .95... well, all I can say is it's the best of all time portrait lens, for m43. Kaxinda 25 .95... just a beauty so heavy it nukes my lighter m43 cameras... i would take this lens to the grave with me, so good. Ever adapt the pentax 110 lenses? They can be had for cheap and cover APS-c... non clinical for sure, lovely simple optics, perfect soft portraits.

The GFX 50R has a mechanical shutter, the 907x doesn't. This means the GFX can use adapted lenses. While you can use adapted lenses on the Hassy, the readout from the sensor is so slow, the electronic shutter is unusable for everything except still life, and it reduces the dynamic range. This affords me the ability to use the Nikkors that cover the GFX sensor, of which I own a few. I shouldn't mention it, because the last time I praised a lens here they shot up in value, but the Nikkor Quanta lenses work on GFX. The GFX also has the awesome Zhongyi 65mm 1.4. If you haven't tried this lens, its better than anything else on the market, bar NONE (although I haven't tried the nikkor .95 or the APO Leica 50, but everything else non-exotic in the 50 range I have pretty much tried). With this lens and a couple of others, I was able to assemble a GFX kit that goes from 28mm to 180mm for less than $1000. Manual focus on the FUji with adapted lenses is pretty good, good enough at least to make me forego thoughts of ever buying a native lens. Indeed after m43 debacle, and my alpha debacle before that, I have decided never to buy into another system, and will adapt the lenses i have in my arsenal for life. GFX and m43 cameras until I die, largely because 3:2 seems too 1970's for me.

Head down to Miami for a weekend bender in November, I suggest getting a table at whatever nightclub is in the basement of the fountainbleu. Then, when you get back home, you will have NA meetings as another option.

Ming Thein broke some seriously underreported news that people should have noticed but didn't. Notably, negotiations that Sony refused to make a square sensor for Hasselblad medium format. This one piece of news should have sent shockwaves through the photo press. There will never be a square true medium format sensor for 500 series... like, think about how stupid that is. Even at $20k or $30K it would be assured buyers, simply based on the fact people pay $10k for the miniature medium format 907x now.

Fred, I own a couple modified sensor cameras with a Deep IR cutoff filter etc and all I can tell you is I can print much larger than with the bayer version of the same camera. Its a real treat, but a pure BW camera it is not, although all images end up grayscale. I find it to be a real boon to my photography.

The Chinese optical industrial parks produce lenses that are very good. Have you ever heard of Risespray? Neither have I, but I own their 35mm .95 lens for m43 and I can tell you the results are stellar. Kamlan 50mm 1.1 ver 1? I never heard of a Kamlan before... guess what, its a perfect portrait lens and length on m43 with great subject separation and wide open usability. Neewer, Mitakon, Zhongyi, 7 artisans... they may not be autofocus but these lenses are freaking amazing, especially for the price. The 7 artisans 35mm 1.2 on m43 is just superb at capturing people, with rendering an image that is a cross between a 75 summilux and a petzval. Hard to describe, but lovely.

I love your site Mike, especially these small pieces where you manage to take an exceptionally easy thing that millions of people do everyday without thinking, and somehow turn it into a problem that only Oppenheimer and a government project in the desert could solve. I have an answer to all your needs, and it's easy, but if I elucidate it here, my greatest fear is that the struggle you encapsulate within your mortal coil will find peace, and I will get less of these articles. Your intelligence is the real problem. :)

This is what it’s all about

There is still no interchangeable digital FF rangefinder camera other than leica. This is 20 years into the digital “revolution”. Seems mighty odd nobody has even tried it. Xpro is garbage because its aps-c, we all know it’s impossible to get a good shot with a crop sensor camera.

Thanks for sharing. Dancing is super important, and photography doesn’t always do it justice.