About Spencer Cox

I'm Spencer Cox, a landscape photographer based in Colorado. I started writing for Photography Life a decade ago, and now I run the website in collaboration with Nasim. I've used nearly every digital camera system under the sun, but for my personal work, I love the slow-paced nature of large format film. You can see more at my personal website and my not-exactly-active Instagram page.

Post Archive By Spencer Cox

Photography Basics eBook Announced!

We brought you one eBook last week, and we’ve got another for you today! Nasim and I just published “Photography Basics: The Complete Beginner’s Guide” for the first time in a downloadable PDF format. This 145-page eBook explains the most important basics of photography in detail, including camera settings, composition, and more.

Four Sigma Lenses for Canon RF Have Arrived

It wasn’t just Sony that had a big day yesterday! Sigma also announced the arrival of four APS-C lenses for the Canon RF mount: a 16mm f/1.4, 23mm f/1.4, 30mm f/1.4, and 56mm f/1.4. These fast prime lenses bring the total number of Sigma RF lenses up to six – all APS-C so far.

Creative Landscape Photography eBook Updated!

Today, I’m excited to announce the newest edition of “Creative Landscape Photography: Light, Vision, and Composition”! Along with many smaller changes, Nasim and I have added two major new chapters that cover post-processing with artistic intent. The book is now 167 pages long (up from 149) and stands as our most detailed tutorial on landscape photography yet.

Photography News: Sony a1 II Rumors, Early B&H Holiday Deals

Some photographers see landscape photography as a “static” genre where you can take your time and nothing really moves. But that’s not the case – a landscape can change so quickly that I sometimes feel as frantic as a wildlife photographer! And that also means raising the camera’s ISO more often than you might think.

Hasselblad XCD 75mm f/3.4 P Review

The Hasselblad XCD 75mm f/3.4 P the newest prime lens for the Hasselblad X system, announced yesterday as part of their “Portable” series. Today, I wanted to offer my full review of the XCD 75mm f/3.4 P and show how it performs both in the field and in the lab.

Nikon Z50 II Announced: Autofocus and Video Improvements

Nikon just announced their follow-up to the original Nikon Z50 of 2019, the Nikon Z50 II. What’s changed in the last five years? While the camera’s 20 megapixel DX sensor is the same, we’ve seen big improvements in other areas, especially autofocus. Here’s what you need to know about the Z50 II!

Photography News: New M4 MacBook Pros, Nikon Gear Sale

In photography, something that rarely gets enough attention is the importance of organization. There are a few layers to it: organizing your camera equipment, organizing the photos on your computer, even organizing your priorities and mindset. And in all these cases, having a messy system will lead to missed opportunities...

Canon Announces Four RF Lenses

It was a big day for Canon mirrorless shooters, with four new RF lenses joining the EOS R system! Newly announced are the RF 24mm f/1.4 L, the RF 50mm f/1.4 L, the RF 70-200mm f/2.8 L Z, and the RF-S 7.8mm f/4 Dual. Here’s a quick look at these lenses.

Photography News: Sirui 85mm f/1.4, Big Monitor Sales

This has been quite a year for those of us who love astrophotography. The solar eclipse in April took a tour across North America. The Aurora Borealis crept unusually close to the equator multiple times this year. And just recently, the comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS has been putting on a once-in-80,000-years show.

Viltrox AF 16mm f/1.8 Review

Today, I’m reviewing the Viltrox AF 16mm f/1.8 – a fast, wide-angle prime lens available with autofocus for Nikon Z and Sony E mounts. Although Viltrox is a budget Chinese manufacturer, they’ve positioned the AF 16mm f/1.8 as higher-end than most of their lenses. Here’s what you need to know!