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The problem withcommon wisdom, is that it’s often too common and rarely wise enough. One bit of so called common wisdom has been that Soviet made cameras and lenses were cheap and poorly made. Since I’ve had little exposure to such products, over the years I have simply taken such comments at face value. The odd Zenit occasionally seen on the second-hand shelves at camera shops did nothing to refute this perception.

But that was then and this is now, (to coin a phrase). I’m here to tell you about the latest addition to my medium format lens arsenal, theHartblei 45mm f/3.5 Super-Rotator, and in addition to singing its praises, to soundly affirm its many strengths.

Fig. 1Log and Surf. Salt Point, CA. November, 2003Contax 645 with Hartblei 45mm f/3.5 f.3.5 Super-Rotator lensand Kodak DCS Pro Back at ISO 100What is it Exactly, and Where Does it Come From?Hartbleiis a Ukrainian lens manufacturer which sells its products around the world directly over the Intern...

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Michael Reichmann
Michael Reichmann
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Michael Reichmann is the founder of the Luminous Landscape. Michael passed away in May 2016. Since its inception in 1999 LuLa has become the world's largest site devoted to the art, craft, and technology of photography. Each month more than one million people from every country on the globe visit LuLa.
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