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…
Review: Nikon Nikkor Z 24-120mm f/4 S
An f/4 standard zoom has been an essential part of any system’s lineup for several decades now. Canon had their FD 28-85mm f/4 from 1985. Nikon had a manual focus 24-50mm f/4 starting way back in 1979. As zoom designs became more modern, the f/4 standard zoom has expanded in range, with Canon settling on…
Review: Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L USM
Canon was the first lens maker to create an 85mm lens with a giant f/1.2 aperture, way back in 1976 with the release of the FD 85mm f/1.2 S.S.C. Aspherical. Since then, they’ve had an 85mm f/1.2 continuously in their stable, with the slightly revised FD 85mmf /1.2L, then the two revisions of the EF…
Review: Nikon Z7 II
So, after dabbling in the DSLR realm once again with my Nikon D750, I wanted to begin reviewing Nikon Z lenses and bodies. I’m starting with Nikon’s Z7 II, a camera that has had a mixed reception since release, but offers a compelling combination of features and very high image quality at a reasonable price….
Revisiting the DSLR – Is Mirrorless Really Better?
If you’ve been following my site since around the time I started it up in 2012, you’ll know I was a very early adopter of mirrorless cameras. When I first really got into photography around 2004, my first real high end camera was the Canon Digital Rebel – a 6 megapixel DSLR that brought high-end…