Viltrox has just announced the Viltrox AF 28mm f/4.5 Chip lens, a fixed-aperture autofocus lens for the Nikon Z mount, which has been available for the Sony E mount for some time. This pancake lens is pretty small, inexpensive, and has some interesting features all for $99. In this review,...
Nikon HE* Versus Lossless Compressed .NEF Files
Nikon's Expeed 7 processor - used in the Nikon Zf, Z5 II, Z6 III, Z8, and Z9 - added a variety of capabilities to the Nikon Z lineup. Among its most notable characteristics is that the handling of RAW (.NEF) files on these cameras has a new option called High...
New Video: I Made 100 Darkroom Prints for Our Viewers
Today, to celebrate crossing 100,000 subscribers on the Photography Life YouTube channel, I published a video with a giveaway of 100 contact prints from my apartment darkroom! I took all of these photos with a large format camera and printed them by hand, no digital steps involved.
Photography News: Fuji X Half, Nikon Price Increases
While Libor travels in Ecuador, I'll be bringing you the weekly news - and this was a big week in the photography world. It was also a big week for one of the projects I've been working on: an upcoming YouTube video (our first in more than a year!) where...
Viltrox AF 50mm f/2 Air Review
Sometimes I feel haunted by 50mm lenses! My first prime lens was a Pentax 50mm f/1.7, and later my first Nikon lens was the 50mm f/1.8G. Although I think 50mm is a little on the wide side for my style, my first Nikon Z lens was also a 50mm. So,...
The Right Time, the Wrong Place: A Story of Wildlife Photography
You might be smiling ironically right now, thinking those words – “the right time, the wrong place” – sum up a misadventure you’ve had as a wildlife photographer. And because I know that shared misery is half the misery, let me reassure you with this little story that you are not alone.
The Role of Negative Space in Nature Photography
Wildlife photographers often use long telephoto lenses to “fill the frame,” but there’s more to capturing a great photo. Previously, I wrote about photographing wildlife through animalscapes. Now, let’s discuss the use of negative space – an often underused technique that deserves more attention.
Photography News: Panasonic S1 II Announced, Nikon ZR Rumors
By the time you’re reading this letter, I'll be far away. But this isn't a farewell - just the opposite. As we speak, I’m photographing high up in the Ecuadorian Andes on the western slopes of the Pichincha volcano. My plans for the coming weeks are anything but modest. In...
Voigtlander APO-Lanthar 50mm f/2 II Review
The Voigtlander APO-Lanthar 50mm f/2 II is a full-frame, manual focus lens designed with an emphasis on build quality and image quality. Today, I wanted to offer my full review of this interesting little lens and show you how it performs both in the field and in the lab.
K&F Concept Nano-X UV Filter Review
UV filters are perhaps the most popular type of lens filter, with many photographers using them to protect the front element of an expensive lens. Unfortunately, there's a huge range in the quality of UV filters out there. I wanted to put together a methodology to test UV filters, and...