As many Fuji shooters are aware, Fujifilm released major firmware updates for many of the X-Series cameras today. While the venerable X-Pro 1 and X-E1 saw only minor improvements with the addition of full-time manual focus capabilities, X-E2 owners got a more substantial upgrade, adding remote shooting, an intervalometer and the Classic Chrome film simulation…
Category: Shop Talk
Fuji 50-140mm f/2.8 vs. Fuji 55-200mm f/3.5-4.8
The latest telephoto lens from Fujifilm is their long-awaited pro-grade 50-140mm f/2.8 OIS WR. The lens fills the role of the typical 70-200mm zoom lens in the Fujifilm system. Fuji already has a well-regarded telephoto zoom in a more compact package in the 55-200mm f/3.5-4.8 OIS. The 55-200mm is, of course, slower in aperture and…
First Impressions: Panasonic LX100
I’ve got the Panasonic Lumix LX100 advanced compact in for review this week, and I’ve had a few days to play around with it so far. The LX100 is Panasonic’s first real high end compact camera with a large sensor, packing a 16 Megapixel 4/3 sized sensor with a fast 24-75mm equivalent f/1.7-2.8 zoom lens….
Ibelux 40mm f/0.85 vs Canon FL 55mm f/1.2+Speed Booster
Today we are pitting the brand new HandeVision Ibelux 40mm f/0.85 against an ancient lens with a modern adapter. The Canon FL 55mm f/1.2 mounted to the Metabones Speed Booster gives us a combination resulting in a 39mm f/0.9 lens. Given the similar maximum aperture and similar focal length of these two optics, I thought…
First Impressions: HandeVision Ibelux 40mm f/0.85
I just received a copy of the HandeVision Ibelux 40mm f/0.85. This is the fastest lens in production for any system right now, and is available for most of the mirrorless mounts. This is simply a first impressions post, from a bit of shooting today. My full review will come sometime in the next week…
Why the Right Gear, Not the Best Gear, Is Essential
If you’re active in discussions about photography, you may have noticed that a lot of the discussion tends to revolve around which camera is best or what lens resolves the most detail or has the nicest bokeh, etc. These constant gear discussions can be very helpful, but often they devolve into evaluation of minute differences…
Subtle Revision to the Fuji X-T1
The Fujifilm X-T1 has been a hot topic in the photography industry the past few months. Many photographers are drawn to the old-school control scheme in a rugged, capable body with big performance improvements over previous Fuji cameras and a gloriously large EVF. However, one of the things that has been nearly universally criticized about…
First Impressions: Rokinon (Samyang) 8mm Fisheye Version II
One of the quieter announcements from Samyang last month (whose lenses are marketed around the world under the Rokinon, Bower, Walimex and other brand names) was an update to their 8mm fisheye lens for mirrorless cameras. I’ve owned the original 8mm f/2.8 fisheye for Fuji X mount for around a year, and I reviewed it…