All posts by BastianK

My name is Bastian and I am your expert here when it comes to ultra wide angle lenses, super fast portrait lenses (ranging from a 50mm f/0.95 to a 200mm f/1.8) and I also have reviewed way too many 35mm lenses. Don't ask me anything about macro or wildlife shooting though.

Review: Sirui 85mm 1.4 Aurora

Introduction

sirui 85mm 1.4 aurora fe af gm sony 42mp 61mp a7rii a7riv a7riii a1 a9iii a7rv review resolution sharpness contrast bokeh vignetting coma astrophotography z6 z7 z8 z9
Sirui 85mm 1.4 Aurora on Sony A7rII

Released at the end of 2024, this Sirui 85mm 1.4 Aurora was Sirui’s first non-cine fullframe lens aimed at photographers. It is one of the most affordable and compact 85mm 1.4 lenses, but is that enough to pick it over the strong competition? Let’s try to find out in this review!
Update June 2025: Comparison to Viltrox AF 85mm 1.4 FE Pro added

Sample Images

sirui 85mm 1.4 aurora fe af gm sony 42mp 61mp a7rii a7riv a7riii a1 a9iii a7rv review resolution sharpness contrast bokeh vignetting coma astrophotography z6 z7 z8 z9
Sony A7III | Sirui 85mm 1.4 Aurora | f/1.4
sirui 85mm 1.4 aurora fe af gm sony 42mp 61mp a7rii a7riv a7riii a1 a9iii a7rv review resolution sharpness contrast bokeh vignetting coma astrophotography z6 z7 z8 z9
Sony A7III | Sirui 85mm 1.4 Aurora | f/1.4
sirui 85mm 1.4 aurora fe af gm sony 42mp 61mp a7rii a7riv a7riii a1 a9iii a7rv review resolution sharpness contrast bokeh vignetting coma astrophotography z6 z7 z8 z9
Sony A7III | Sirui 85mm 1.4 Aurora | f/1.4
sirui 85mm 1.4 aurora fe af gm sony 42mp 61mp a7rii a7riv a7riii a1 a9iii a7rv review resolution sharpness contrast bokeh vignetting coma astrophotography z6 z7 z8 z9
Sony A7III | Sirui 85mm 1.4 Aurora | f/1.4
sirui 85mm 1.4 aurora fe af gm sony 42mp 61mp a7rii a7riv a7riii a1 a9iii a7rv review resolution sharpness contrast bokeh vignetting coma astrophotography z6 z7 z8 z9
Sony A7III | Sirui 85mm 1.4 Aurora | f/2.8

Continue reading Review: Sirui 85mm 1.4 Aurora

Site Update: Gallery

The header bar has a new category called “Gallery”, you can also go there directly here.

This is for those of you that are mainly here for the pictures and less so for the lenses. I am starting with 9 different galleries and before extending those, I first want to see what the feedback looks like. 

So drop a message in the comment section, especially if you encounter any kind of issues.

Review: Canon TS-E 135mm 4.0L Macro

Introduction

61mp 42mp high res resolution canon tilt shift ts-e pc-e perspective control TS T/S sony adapter 135mm 4.0 l macro review resolution contrast bokeh makro
Canon TS-E 135mm 4.0L Macro via megadap adapter on Nikon Zf

At the end of the DSLR/EF-mount era Canon released a bunch of newly designed extremely high quality TS-E lenses. This Canon TS-E 135mm 4.0L Macro is one of them. It is also Canon’s longest Tilt/Shift lens so far. Is this the dream lens for product photography? Let’s find out in this review.

Sample Images

61mp 42mp high res resolution canon tilt shift ts-e pc-e perspective control TS T/S sony adapter 135mm 4.0 l macro review resolution contrast bokeh makro
Nikon Zf | Fringer EF NZ II | Canon TS-E 135mm 4.0L Macro | f/4.0 | unshifted/untilted
61mp 42mp high res resolution canon tilt shift ts-e pc-e perspective control TS T/S sony adapter 135mm 4.0 l macro review resolution contrast bokeh makro
Nikon Zf | Fringer EF NZ II | Canon TS-E 135mm 4.0L Macro | f/4.0 | unshifted/untilted
61mp 42mp high res resolution canon tilt shift ts-e pc-e perspective control TS T/S sony adapter 135mm 4.0 l macro review resolution contrast bokeh makro
Nikon Zf | Fringer EF NZ II | Canon TS-E 135mm 4.0L Macro | f/4.0 | unshifted/untilted
61mp 42mp high res resolution canon tilt shift ts-e pc-e perspective control TS T/S sony adapter 135mm 4.0 l macro review resolution contrast bokeh makro
Sony A7III | Sigma MC-11 | Canon TS-E 135mm 4.0L Macro | f/4.0 | unshifted/untilted
61mp 42mp high res resolution canon tilt shift ts-e pc-e perspective control TS T/S sony adapter 135mm 4.0 l macro review resolution contrast bokeh makro
Sony A7III | Sigma MC-11 | Canon TS-E 135mm 4.0L Macro | f/4.0 | unshifted/untilted

Continue reading Review: Canon TS-E 135mm 4.0L Macro

Review: Fujifilm X100VI – The Hype Camera

Introduction

fuji x100vi fujifilm fujicolor eterna acros velvia compact rangefinder digital 40mp 24mp review contrast resolution sharpness bokeh image quality leica q rx1 sony q2 q3
Fujifilm X100VI

The original Fujifilm X100 hit the market in 2010 and it was an instant success for Fuji. It laid the groundwork for Fuji’s complete APS-C “X” camera system and it remains so popular that they keep updating it every few years, so in 2024 already this 6th generation had been released. Thanks to an internet hype this camera series became so popular, that at some point the prices of used ones were higher than their original prices. Is all that hype justified? Time to find out.

Sample Pictures

fuji x100vi fujifilm fujicolor eterna acros velvia compact rangefinder digital 40mp 24mp review contrast resolution sharpness bokeh image quality leica q rx1 sony q2 q3
Fujifilm X100VI | f/2.0
fuji x100vi fujifilm fujicolor eterna acros velvia compact rangefinder digital 40mp 24mp review contrast resolution sharpness bokeh image quality leica q rx1 sony q2 q3
Fujifilm X100VI | f/2.0
fuji x100vi fujifilm fujicolor eterna acros velvia compact rangefinder digital 40mp 24mp review contrast resolution sharpness bokeh image quality leica q rx1 sony q2 q3
Fujifilm X100VI | f/2.0
fuji x100vi fujifilm fujicolor eterna acros velvia compact rangefinder digital 40mp 24mp review contrast resolution sharpness bokeh image quality leica q rx1 sony q2 q3
Fujifilm X100VI | f/2.0
fuji x100vi fujifilm fujicolor eterna acros velvia compact rangefinder digital 40mp 24mp review contrast resolution sharpness bokeh image quality leica q rx1 sony q2 q3
Fujifilm X100VI | f/2.0
fuji x100vi fujifilm fujicolor eterna acros velvia compact rangefinder digital 40mp 24mp review contrast resolution sharpness bokeh image quality leica q rx1 sony q2 q3
Fujifilm X100VI | f/5.6

Continue reading Review: Fujifilm X100VI – The Hype Camera

Analogue Adventures – Part 40: Fujichrome Provia 100F

Fujichrome Provia 100F Slide Film

In the Fujichrome world, Provia is supposed to be the more neutral slide film compared to Velvia. I wasn’t a huge fan of Velvia 100, so let’s see how this Provia 100F worked out for me.
Processing (E-6) and scanning was done at urbanfilmlab in Germany. The pictures you see in this article are from one roll.

fuji fujifilm fujichrome slide film provia 100f france review nikon f analogue film hamburg germany f80
Nikon F80 | Fujichrome Provia 100F | Nikon AF-S 24-70mm 2.8G
fuji fujifilm fujichrome slide film provia 100f france review nikon f analogue film hamburg germany f80
Nikon F80 | Fujichrome Provia 100F | Nikon AF-S 24-70mm 2.8G | 70mm | f/2.8
fuji fujifilm fujichrome slide film provia 100f france review nikon f analogue film hamburg germany f80
Nikon F80 | Fujichrome Provia 100F | Nikon AF-S 24-70mm 2.8G
fuji fujifilm fujichrome slide film provia 100f france review nikon f analogue film hamburg germany f80
Nikon F80 | Fujichrome Provia 100F | Nikon AF-S 24-70mm 2.8G
fuji fujifilm fujichrome slide film provia 100f france review nikon f analogue film hamburg germany f80
Nikon F80 | Fujichrome Provia 100F | Nikon AF-S 24-70mm 2.8G
fuji fujifilm fujichrome slide film provia 100f france review nikon f analogue film hamburg germany f80
Nikon F80 | Fujichrome Provia 100F | Nikon AF-S 24-70mm 2.8G

Continue reading Analogue Adventures – Part 40: Fujichrome Provia 100F