Introduced alongside Sony’s first full-frame mirrorless cameras in 2013, the Sony Sonnar T* FE 55mm f/1.8 ZA lens was the first fast-aperture, “standard” focal length prime lens available for the FE mount. The 50mm prime lens has seen a resurgence in popularity in recent years, with many new lenses in this focal range introduced by lens manufacturers over the last half-decade. Sony themselves now offer four different 50mm prime lens options for the FE mount. Beyond the FE 55mm f/1.8…
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Sony RX100 VI Review
Announced in June 2018, the RX100 VI is the latest iteration of the Sony’s RX100 series of pocketable high-end compact cameras. The last few years haven’t been kind on point-and-shoot cameras with smartphone cameras now the tool of choice for most casual photographic situations. This has nearly eradicated the point-and-shoot camera market, but one niche segment remains seemingly unscathed: advanced bridge cameras like the Sony RX100 VI. With its large 20.1-megapixel stacked 1-inch imaging sensor, the RX100 VI captures more…
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Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM Review
The 70-200mm focal length f/2.8 lens has become a staple in the photography world with each camera manufacturer offering their variant on this now classic design. The history of the autofocus-capable 70-200mm f/2.8 lens within the Canon universe stretches all the way back to 1989 with the introduction of the Canon 80-200mm f/2.8 L lens, whose high quality and innovative design went a long way in cementing Canon’s strong market position heading into the 90’s.
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Apple iPad Pro 2018 Review for Photography Needs
One of the big updates of this year from Apple was the new iPad Pro 2018 models that come with an insanely fast A12X Bionic chip that is capable of outperforming even some of Apple’s own laptops in performance. With up to to 1 TB of storage, a USB Type-C port that allows plugging in most types of accessories and devices, and a very compact / lightweight footprint, Apple has been trying to push the new iPad Pro as a…
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Nikon Z7 Review
This is an in-depth review of the Nikon Z7, the first iteration of a high-resolution mirrorless camera that Nikon released in August of 2018. The camera was announced together with the 24 MP Nikon Z6 and the 24-70mm f/4, 35mm f/1.8 and 50mm f/1.8 Z-mount lenses. One could argue that Nikon’s entry into the mirrorless market took too long, but many Nikon shooters waited patiently for this highly-anticipated system to see the light of the day. With over 100 million…
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Tokina 300mm f/4 ATX Review
Recently, as I packed my cameras for a trip, it dawned on me how much the contents of my camera bag have changed since the first days of my photographic journey. With all the professional grade Canon cameras and lenses neatly tucked in my bag, it was easy to forget that it wasn’t so long ago when my camera of choice was an entry-level DSLR (Sony A100) and a consumer-grade telephoto zoom lens in the form of the Tamron 70-300mm.…
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Fuji X100F Review
This is an in-depth review of the Fujifilm X100F camera, which was released by Fuji on January 19, 2017. The X100-series cameras have been very popular since they were introduced to the market and the X100F is the fourth iteration of the product. Sporting a 24.3 MP X-Trans CMOS III sensor, a fast X-Processor Pro image processor, an improved 91-point AF system and an updated button layout with joystick autofocus control for easier AF point selection, the X100F is the…
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Nikon 45mm f/2.8D PC-E Review
This is an in-depth review of the Nikon 45mm f/2.8D PC-E, also known as PC-E Micro Nikkor 45mm f/2.8D ED, a special purpose normal-angle lens designed for architecture, commercial, macro, and nature photography. “PC” stands for “Perspective Control”, but I will refer to this type of lens as “tilt-shift” in this article.
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Hoya Pro1 Digital Circular Polarizing Filter Review
This is a review of the Hoya Pro1 Digital Circular Polarizing Filter in both 72mm and 77mm filter thread sizes. Polarizing filters are designed to reduce glare and reflections of light while at the same time greatly enhancing the natural colors and saturation of an image. This filter is produced by Hoya which is one of the most respected producers of photographic filters, ocular lenses, and optical components in Japan.
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Peak Design 45L Travel Backpack Review
Carrying the right amount of camera equipment in a comfortable, accessible bag is an eternal problem for photographers, or at least for me. At this point, I’ve settled on a system of a technical hiking backpack with a camera insert for my longer landscape photography trips, but I haven’t yet found the perfect bag for more moderate travels. Enter the Peak Design 45L Travel backpack, advertised as Peak Design’s top travel bag. Does it fit the bill?
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Sony FE 2x Teleconverter Review
Released in 2016 alongside the Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS and Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter, the Sony FE 2x Teleconverter is an essential addition to Sony’s full-frame E-mount lineup. Given the relative lack of dedicated telephoto options available to the mount, the Sony FE 2x Teleconverter dramatically enhances the versatility of the lenses it is compatible with: the Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS, the Sony FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM OSS and the recently released Sony 400mm f/2.8 GM…
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Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM Review
Frequently overshadowed by their more versatile brethren, macro lenses rarely receive much fanfare upon their release. Nonetheless, it is their function as close-up-photography specialists that makes them essential for a range of photographic pursuits like product photography, print reduction and close-up photography of living subjects. This role has made macro lenses a vital element of a camera manufacture’s lens catalog. Their niche design means that that new macro lenses are released rather infrequently, but all major manufactures have at least…
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Sony FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM OSS Review
Announced alongside the Sony Alpha 9 body last year, the Sony FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM is a crucial addition to Sony’s expanding full-frame E-mount lineup. The last couple of years has seen Sony release some beautiful lenses for their full-frame mirrorless cameras, but a glaring hole remained at the telephoto range of the lineup. With the introduction of the Sony FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM, Sony has released a lens that covers a very useful focal range that can appeal to…
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Sony A9 Review
In the camera world, real innovation is hard to come by and indeed more elusive than the camera manufacturers would like us to believe. Nowhere is this more pronounced than in the field of professional sports, wedding, and action photography where Canon and Nikon’s hegemony has created a field of highly competent cameras whose qualities are tied to their reliability and consistency more so than their innovation. Based on the decades-old DSLR design, these cameras rely on having accurate focusing…
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Canon SL2 Review
One of the smallest and lightest Canon DSLRs is the Rebel SL2, announced in June of 2017 and retailing for $549, body only. The SL2 also goes by the names “EOS 200D” and “Kiss X9” outside the US market. Despite the camera’s small size, Canon packed a lot into the SL2, including a tilt-flip touchscreen, dual pixel autofocus, and the company’s newest 24 megapixel sensor. This detailed review covers everything you need to know about the SL2.
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Kodak Aerochrome Film Reborn? A Review of the 550nm Infrared Filter
When Ilija, owner of Kolari Vision, emailed me regarding his introduction of the 550nm infrared filter this past winter and shared some of the initial images taken with it, I was intrigued. I had used various models of Nikon DSLRs converted for infrared photography since 2007, relying primarily on the 720nm filter. Over the years, however, I slowly began to develop an appreciation for those filters affording more faux colors. In April, I took the leap and had Ilija convert…
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Nikon D3400 Review
This is a detailed review of the Nikon D3400, the newest entry-level DSLR in the Nikon lineup (as of June 2018). The D3400 uses a top-of-the-line 24 megapixel DX sensor, which is capable of capturing very detailed and high quality photos. But it isn’t all perfect – the Nikon D3400 has noticeable compromises, especially in its handling and menu options. Is it still worth buying? Below, we’ll cover everything you need to know to make your decision.
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BenQ SW320 Monitor Review
As photographers, we spend quite a bit of time post-processing images. During this process, making sure that we are looking at calibrated displays is extremely important, because it allows us to ensure that the images are edited properly and consistently. Unfortunately, high-quality displays are not cheap, and anything on the lower-end is often too big of a gamble, so finding the right monitor that has a good balance of price and performance is a challenge in itself. Thankfully, some companies…
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Huawei Mate 10 Pro Camera Review
We are continuing our assessment of some of the latest mobile devices from different manufacturers, and this time we are going to dive deep into the photo capabilities of the new Huawei Mate 10 Pro. This smartphone was supposed to be marketed and sold by AT&T in the USA, after the company signed a large deal with the Chinese manufacturer (which happens to be the third largest smartphone maker in the world), but sadly, AT&T withdrew from the deal right…
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Sony Xperia XZ2 Camera Review
Without a doubt, the photography industry has been shaken by the rise of smartphone photography. The highly competitive market of smartphones has also been overrun by many options from a variety of different manufacturers. The Android platform dominates smartphone sales, having a whopping 87% market share – an impressive number when compared to the 12% that iOS represents. With Android being an open platform compared to iOS, it attracts many manufacturers from all over the world, including Sony. While Sony…
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