The Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 Macro is a lightweight prime capable of 1:2 close focus photography. At $499, it is positioned as a value option rather than one of Canon's high-end L-series lenses, but it still has some tricks up its sleeve. Should you add the Canon RF 35mm f/1.8...
Post Archive By Spencer Cox - Page 13
Sony FE 24mm f/1.4 GM Review
This is an in-depth review of the Sony FE 24mm f/1.4 GM, one of Sony's top wide-angle prime lenses meant to offer the highest image quality and brightest aperture available at 24mm. The 24mm f/1.4 GM lens incorporates many of Sony's most advanced lens technologies, including high-end coatings, multiple aspherical...
Nikon Z 70-180mm f/2.8 Review
One of Nikon's most intriguing decisions in the mirrorless era is to sell two different f/2.8 zoom trios - one set of professional, S-line lenses for $2000+, and another set for about half the price but with Tamron-designed optics. In the cheaper trio, the longest lens is the $1250 Nikon...
Canon RF 24-105mm f/2.8 L Announced: The Holy Grail Midrange Zoom
One of my favorite long-running gags in the photography world is that, whenever someone wishes for an unrealistic lens, another photographer will chime in sarcastically asking for a lightweight 14-200mm f/2.8 with perfect optics, or something just as impossible. Apparently Canon took that as a challenge. The newly released RF...
Sony FE 20mm f/1.8 G Review
The Sony FE 20mm f/1.8 G is an $898 wide-angle, wide-aperture prime lens for Sony full-frame cameras. As you’ll see throughout this review, this small and somewhat unassuming lens has extraordinary performance, making it a top choice for landscape, Milky Way, and other wide-angle photography.
Nikon’s Secret Macro Lens
I love using macro lenses, but that isn’t the only way to focus up close. Plenty of non-macro lenses, too, have enough magnification for small subjects like flowers or dragonflies. In fact, one Nikon lens can reach 1:1 macro capabilities without any third-party accessories, even though “macro” isn’t in its name!
Landscape Photographers – Are You Stopping Down Enough?
What’s the right aperture for landscape photography? Is it the sharpest aperture measured in the lab (usually f/4 or f/5.6), or is it “f/8 and be there”? Maybe something narrower? Of course, it depends on the photo. But, on balance, most landscape photographers don’t stop down enough!
Photographing the 2023 Solar Eclipse from Arizona
I just got back from a trip to the American Southwest where I photographed landscapes, the Milky Way, and a rare annular ("ring of fire") solar eclipse. My bag was filled with lenses that I'll be reviewing imminently - some from Nikon, of course, along with a few Canons and...
Nikon Z 600mm f/6.3 VR S Announced
Nikon just announced the newest supertelephoto lens for the mirrorless Z system: the Nikon Z 600mm f/6.3 VR S. Partly thanks to the phase fresnel (PF) lens element, the 600mm f/6.3 VR S is the smallest and lightest lens in its class – weighing the same as the 500mm f/5.6 PF F-mount lens.
5 Common Landscape Photography Mistakes
To get better as a landscape photographer, I find it very helpful to look back on my photos and evaluate the mistakes I've made. Many of these mistakes are things that I see other landscape photographers do wrong, too - from technical errors to creative pitfalls. Today, I've compiled five...