A Cycle Round the Communist Block with the Leica M2 and Voigtländer 35mm f/1.5 Nokton Vintage

… in which I discover Tiananmen Square and Beijing's hutongs by bicycle and record the experience on film. Beijing is a vast modern city but is also the historic capital and political centre of the People's Republic of China. It has had a tumultuous history and now I arrive and manage to cause more chaos, my constant stopping to take photos a source of frustration for the guards that are stationed on every street corner. I didn't face down tanks but I record monuments to China's communist and pre-revolutionary history in vivid Kodak Colorplus. I also took time to explore the backstreets of old Beijing in black and white, roaming the hutongs, around which the shared lives of the locals were traditionally centred. All of the shots are taken on one day with the Leica M2 and the Voigtlander VM 35mm f/1.5 Nokton. It's part of Voigtlander's 'Vintage' line - modern optics housed in a traditional compact form factor that matches perfectly with this 1960 rangefinder. The glass is contemporary but they've given it just enough character wide open to have your choice of moody vignetting or clinical precision. Regardless, it's a sharp lens, and perfect as a companion for the streets. The fixed 35mm focal range limits your compositional choice and paired with the Leica it's a slower form of photography. But perhaps that's what makes it such a special combination. Camera: Leica M2 Lens: Voigtlander VM 35mm f/1.5 Nokton Vintage Film: Fujifilm 400 | Kodak Colorplus 200 | Harman Kentmere 100 Date: 26 October 2025 Location: Beijing, China Web: https://markmcmahon.me   / patternsinsand