All posts by Martin

Martin M.H. lives outside Stockholm, Sweden. He is a M.Sc. in Computer Technology but he has been a passionate photographer for over 50 years. He started his photographic adventures when he was thirteen with an Agfamatic pocket camera, which he soon replaced with a Canon rangefinder camera that his mom gave him in his teenages. After that he has been using Canon SLR, Nikon SLR manual focus and Autofocus, Sony mirrorless crop sensor, Nikon DSLR and Nikon Mirrorless. He has photographed any genre he could throughout the years and you can see all kind of images in his portfolio. During the later years though it has been mostly landscape, nature, travel and some street/documentary photography.
7Artisans, lenses, Nikon Z, Review

REVIEW: 7Artisans AF 35mm f/1.8

2 Comments

Introduction

The 7Artisans AF 35mm f/1.8 full-frame lens for E-mount was released on September 4th, and now the company has added L- and Z-mount versions. It follows their earlier 24mm f/1.8 full-frame lens, which was well received by photographers. At a launch price of $299, this new 35mm sits on the budget-friendly side of the lineup, and if it performs as well as its 24mm sibling, it should offer great value for money. Let’s check it out!

camera-icon2I tested this lens on a 46 Mp Nikon Z7ii (Sample images were taken with a Nikon Zf)
You can see this review as a YouTube video here!
Sample images in high resolution here.

Sample Images

Nikon Zf | 7ARTISANS AF 35mm F/1.8 | f/4
Nikon Zf | 7ARTISANS AF 35mm F/1.8 | f/1.8
Nikon Zf | 7ARTISANS AF 35mm F/1.8 | f/4
Nikon Zf | 7ARTISANS AF 35mm F/1.8 | f/4.5
Nikon Zf | 7ARTISANS AF 35mm F/1.8 | f/8
Nikon Zf | 7ARTISANS AF 35mm F/1.8 | f/1.8

Continue reading REVIEW: 7Artisans AF 35mm f/1.8 →

lenses, Nikon, Review

REVIEW: Nikon AI Nikkor 24mm f/2

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Introduction

Today, I’m taking a look at a vintage classic — the Nikkor 24mm f/2 AI. With analogue photography making a strong comeback, old film-era lenses like this are getting attention again. Nikon first released it in 1977 as the AI version, followed by the AI-S in 1981 — same optical design, just refined mechanics. This lens was designed near the end of the era when Nikon still held absolute dominance in the professional segment.

For decades, this was Nikon’s fastest 24mm, holding that title until the AF-S 24mm f/1.4G came along in 2010. Even more impressive, Nikon kept producing it until 2005 and sold it as new until 2007 — nearly 30 years on the market. That’s a remarkably long run for any lens, but was it truly because of its performance, or something else? Let’s find out.

camera-icon2I tested this lens on a 46 Mp Nikon Z7ii (Sample images were taken with a Nikon Zf )

You can see this review as a YouTube video here!
Sample images in high resolution here.

Sample Images

Nikon Zf | Nikon Ai 24mm f/2 | f/8
Nikon Z7ii | Nikon Ai 24mm f/2 | f/5.6
Nikon Z7ii | Nikon Ai 24mm f/2 | f/2
Nikon Zf | Nikon Ai 24mm f/2 | f/5.6
Nikon Z7ii | Nikon Ai 24mm f/2 | f/2

Continue reading REVIEW: Nikon AI Nikkor 24mm f/2 →

Accessory, Review, Viltrox

REVIEW: Viltrox Spark Z3 Flash

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Introduction

This is the full review of the flash.

Viltrox previously released the retro-styled manual flash Z1. Now they’ve followed up with a new flash that operates in both Manual and Auto (TTL) modes.

As I haven’t had enough time with the flash to make a full review, I’ve put together a preview with a handling section here. Later on, I’ll test the flash in the field and complete the review with my experience and sample images.

camera-icon2I tested these flashes on a Nikon Zf and a Nikon Zfc.
You can see this review as a YouTube video here!
Sample images in high resolution here.

Sample Images

Viltrox Spark Z3 flash | TTL | 60mm | f/16
Viltrox Spark Z3 flash | 35mm | f/2.8
Viltrox Spark Z3 flash | 35mm | f/16
Viltrox Spark Z3 flash | 35mm | f/1.8
Viltrox Spark Z3 flash | 60mm | f/16

Continue reading REVIEW: Viltrox Spark Z3 Flash →

Review, Viltrox

REVIEW: Viltrox 56mm f/1.2 Pro (APS-C)

8 Comments

Introduction

Viltrox has been on a roll lately, releasing new lenses at a rapid pace. One of their latest additions is the APS-C 56mm f/1.2 Pro, equivalent to an 85mm on full-frame—a classic and highly popular focal length for portrait photography. As the name suggests, this lens belongs to the Pro series, following the earlier 75mm f/1.2 and 27mm f/1.2 models. Both of those lenses delivered excellent performance on APS-C cameras, so I’m eager to see how this new release stacks up.

camera-icon2I tested the X mount version of this lens on a Fujifilm X-S10.
You can see this review as a YouTube video here!
Sample images in high resolution here.

Sample Images

Fujifilm X-S10 | Viltrox 56mm f/1.2 Pro | f/1.2
Fujifilm X-S10 | Viltrox 56mm f/1.2 Pro | f/1.2
Fujifilm X-S10 | Viltrox 56mm f/1.2 Pro | f/1.2
Fujifilm X-S10 | Viltrox 56mm f/1.2 Pro | f/1.2
Fujifilm X-S10 | Viltrox 56mm f/1.2 Pro | f/1.2

Continue reading REVIEW: Viltrox 56mm f/1.2 Pro (APS-C) →

Review, Viltrox

REVIEW: Viltrox AF 9mm f/2.8 Air (APS-C)

15 Comments

Introduction

On the same day that Viltrox introduced the AF 14mm f/4, an affordable autofocus ultra-wide-angle lens for full-frame cameras, they also announced a 9mm f/2.8 autofocus lens for APS-C cameras — the widest AF prime lens for crop sensors and another addition to their compact, lightweight Air series.

camera-icon2I tested this lens on a Nikon Zfc via a Megadap adapter (Sample images were taken with a Sony a6700)
You can see this review as a YouTube video here!
Sample images in high resolution here.

Sample Images

Sony a6700 | Viltrox 9mm f/2.8 Air | f2.8
Sony a6700 | Viltrox 9mm f/2.8 Air | f2.8
Sony a6700 | Viltrox 9mm f/2.8 Air | f6.3
Sony a6700 | Viltrox 9mm f/2.8 Air | f3.5
Sony a6700 | Viltrox 9mm f/2.8 Air | f2.8

Continue reading REVIEW: Viltrox AF 9mm f/2.8 Air (APS-C) →