Like many people across the United States, I got a chance to experience a total solar eclipse yesterday, April 8, 2024. The path of totality ran very close to my home. I wasn’t able to travel to see the total eclipse in 2017, so I was extremely excited to get the opportunity to witness this…
Reviewing and Ranking Nikon Zf Grip Options
The Nikon Zf is a great camera, with a beautiful retro aesthetic, satisfying manual controls, excellent image quality, and a wide array of modern features packed into the body. However, one area where the Zf is a bit lacking is in the camera’s ergonomics. One downside to emulating the brick-shaped cameras of the 70s and…
The Best Lenses – In My Experience
Last updated 2/10/24 What lens is best? I get asked this all the time, and there’s never really a right answer. “Best for what?” is what I usually reply, as the answer will depend on what the photographer wants to accomplish, what their budget is and what is important to them. Everyone will have a…
Review: Nikon Nikkor Z 70-180mm f/2.8
Today I’m reviewing Nikon’s relatively new fast telephoto zoom lens for their Z system: the Nikkor Z 70-180mm f/2.8. This is an interesting release, as Nikon already has an f/2.8 telephoto zoom in the 70-200mm f/2.8 S, which was released in 2020. Now the 70-180mm comes out with a less expensive build, a slightly shorter…
My Favorite Photos of 2023
Longtime visitors to the site will know that each year, I go through the photos I’ve taken and select a group of images that I personally liked the best. They may not be the absolute best output of the year, but they’re the ones I like, for whatever reason. 2023 was an OK year for…
Review: Nikon Nikkor Z 14-24mm f/2.8 S
In 2007, Nikon made waves with their F-mount 14-24mm f/2.8. At the time, most major manufacturers wide zooms were limited to the 16mm range on the wide end. The 14-24mm became known as a legendary lens that not only had extreme width, but was also simply excellent optically. 16 years later, 14mm ultra-wide zooms are…
Review: Pergear 14mm f/2.8 II
In recent years, there has been a rise in the production of mirrorless lenses from smaller companies in China. The early efforts were sometimes a bit spotty, but over the years we’ve seen brands like Laowa, TTArtisan, 7Artisans and Viltrox produce more and more high quality lenses at reasonable prices. Pergear is a company that…
Review: Nikon Nikkor Z MC 105mm f/2.8 VR S
Macro lenses are one of the staple primes of any lens system, and almost all of them are very good optically. Nikon’s latest for their Z-mount mirrorless cameras, the MC 105mm f/2.8 VR S, is a pretty standard lens when you look at the specifications. It’s got an approximately 100mm focal length, with an f/2.8…