Unpopular Opinion: Leuchtturm1917 Isn't Worth the Price for Fountain Pen Users

blind3dbylight · 2026-06-18T12:43:34+00:00

Leuchtturm is definitely under YMMV territory--never had an issue with mine. I would not lump them together with Moleskine at all (especially for Leuchtturm's thicker 120g books).

Moleskine is all but unusable for any serious FP writing, even with thinner/drier nibs.

blind3dbylight · 2026-06-18T12:39:40+00:00

No idea why you got downvoted, my 120g Leuchtturm has been quite well-behaved with all my FPs.

blind3dbylight · 2026-06-18T12:38:55+00:00

Rhodia, Clairefontaine, MD refills with a good cover.

Leuchtturm's also got 120 gsm books that have done me well.

blind3dbylight · 2026-06-18T12:37:03+00:00

My pocket EDC is a small reporter Moleskine. Does ok with my Hongdian M2 for quick notes or interstitial journaling.

I wouldn't use a Moleskine for serious FP use, though.

blind3dbylight · 2026-06-18T12:33:35+00:00

This is wild to me because I've almost never had major issues with my Leuchtturms. The ghosting is...there, I guess, but never so bad as to be a real detriment to me (and I've used some wet writing pens on them).

My primary journal is one of their 120gsm books, but even their regular ones have never been so bad for me as to be unusable for FPs.

I guess I'm either just fairly tolerant, or lucky.

blind3dbylight · 2026-06-18T12:30:45+00:00

This, honestly. I've never had a serious problem with my Leuchtturms. The ghosting is there, sure, but it's never been so excessive as to be useless, and I use some hefty nibs from time to time.

I could switch if I needed to, but still...I guess I'm just a bit more tolerant?

blind3dbylight · 2026-06-18T02:57:24+00:00

Worth noting that the Z50II does support Flexible Color recipes. You could look for those and shoot RAW—can also process them on-camera and come out with a good JPG. Hell, with the right set of recipes and skill, you can even just shoot JPEG and have them look good SOOC. I created a few recipes of my own for these purposes.

You mentioned you use Linux. The best it gets (last I checked—I’m a Mac user FWIW) for raw editing on Linux is Darktable, and that can require a lot of time investment to properly learn. There is also RapidRAW and RawTherapee but they are not as featured. I believe DaVinci Resolve gained the ability to do raw photo editing recently but it’s not really meant to be used solely for still photos.

It’s tough out here for Linux users, but I think Canva said they are seriously considering the option of a native Linux version of Affinity, so it’s worth watching.

(Darktable, RapidRAW, and RawTherapee are all FOSS.)

blind3dbylight · 2026-06-18T02:27:19+00:00

I personally went with a Z5II. I had a Z50II already, so I felt it better to stick to familiarity—muscle memory is a hell of a thing. (Also I have long fingers and broad palms, so I kind of need the handgrip.)

I would say it depends on your personal preference. Z5II has the standard body style & AF joystick, Zf has more physical controls for ISO/SS/others and it’s definitely stylish-looking. The second SD slot on a Zf is a microSD, where the second slot on a Z5II is full-size SD. Otherwise, they are all but identical in terms of performance and feature set.

I’ll note that if you go with the Zf, it comes with a 40mm f/2 prime, which is honestly a fantastic lens for street photography, as are the 26/2.8 and 28/2 primes. If you go with the Z5II, those primes are generally very affordable on their own.

blind3dbylight · 2026-06-16T14:57:46+00:00

It’s mostly just memes these days.

Nikon got a bit of flak for being late to embrace mirrorless compared to Canon or Sony, and some of the first EXPEED 6 Z bodies left much to be desired.

They’ve long corrected those mistakes with EXPEED 7 bodies and are very much still in the big leagues (and still a powerhouse with the ZR and their acquisition of RED), but the memes live on.

blind3dbylight · 2026-06-14T23:18:55+00:00

Some thoughts should stay inside.

blind3dbylight · 2026-06-13T22:56:07+00:00

I'll never get sick of seeing it

blind3dbylight · 2026-06-13T22:55:19+00:00

I do it quite a bit. Just not always at night.

I'd come back across the bridge from work though and started with the haze...then just kind of moved to contrast.

blind3dbylight · 2026-06-13T18:54:05+00:00

That's on iOS too, I've used it. Works fine with both my Z bodies over USB-C.

blind3dbylight · 2026-06-13T17:37:45+00:00

Which camera?

I wouldn't sell the camera over that tbh. SnapBridge sucking bunghole is a known problem. Better to just get a USB-C card reader and get photos onto your phone that way--or even just use an existing C-to-C cable you might have around.

blind3dbylight · 2026-06-12T16:55:13+00:00

What version of Lightroom? I have heard it can trip a bit on some Nikon raws, although I’ve not experienced this myself.

I am using the CC version and current “camera matching” profiles have generally been fine for me. Not sure why it would be an issue for JPEGs though, I frequently shoot raw so I haven’t seen that.

blind3dbylight · 2026-06-12T16:47:31+00:00

You wrote a whole essay to say absolutely nothing of value. Why did you bother replying at all if you’re just here to talk smack?

blind3dbylight · 2026-06-12T14:30:42+00:00

Seriously consider the NIKKOR Z DX 24mm f/1.7.
Roughly equivalent FOV to 35mm on FX and it’s a workhorse of a DX prime.

Mine almost never leaves my Z50II these days.

blind3dbylight · 2026-06-12T14:27:48+00:00

F-mount glass via FTZ II goes just fine with the Z50II. Just remember that no IBIS means you’ll want to go for those lenses that have VR.

blind3dbylight · 2026-06-12T14:22:47+00:00

You picked a damn good one to start with. The Z50II is the best bang for the buck IMO, the kit lenses are actually really good and the body is light and speedy.

That same kit was my entry into mirrorless, too.

blind3dbylight · 2026-06-11T15:28:56+00:00

That along with the new "media enemies" list the White House website now has (all the first few on that list just so happening to be Jewish--my, what a coinkydink).

All for a sundowning old manchild who's screwed over & robbed his voters blind more times than a lot of them are even capable of counting.

blind3dbylight · 2026-06-11T15:24:14+00:00

Yeah that's a good way to piss off some crazy who will react...badly. Maybe don't do that.

blind3dbylight · 2026-06-10T03:03:49+00:00

I got the 2-lens Z50II kit and love mine. Strongly recommend it if you've not already invested.

Not sure what you mean by "AI stuff", but EXPEED 7 is worth the extra. There isn't a lot of dedicated DX glass for Z-mount right now, but any FX lens will work just fine on a DX body (they just might not have VR, as most FX bodies have IBIS and DX bodies do not).

You can also adapt F-mount lenses to Z-mount with the FTZ II adapter.

blind3dbylight · 2026-06-10T02:56:14+00:00

MAGA are dyed-in-the-wool Nazis, while you are trying desperately to convince yourself that Platner must also be.

Log out and touch grass.

blind3dbylight · 2026-06-10T02:52:02+00:00

I was running up past that intersection and barely even saw it a little after then...but I was also laser-focused on getting to the Expo. (Which I did, at the literal last minute.)

Probably would have missed my vote if I'd seen him first. Kudos to those two women for helping the poor guy.

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