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.

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Review: Laowa Argus 25mm f/0.95 CF APO (APS-C)

February 4, 2024 Martin Leave a comment

Introduction

Review Laowa Argus CF 25mm f/0.95 APO APS-C nikon z6 Z6ii z50 z30 zfc z7 z7ii Z8 Z9 Zf nikon z f fc Sony FE Fuji X canon rf m43 review nikon z z-fc z30 z50 test sharpness bokeh coma vignetting Flare 24mp nikon z6 z6ii 46mp nikon z7 z7ii Z8 Z9 Zf nikon z f — Laowa Argus 25mm f/0.95 CF APO with the lens hood on a Nikon Z fc

We have seen a few exciting lenses from Laowa in recent years, especially in their Argus product line, which seems to be Laowa’s premium line of lenses. The one here, Laowa Argus 25mm f/0.95 CF APO is one of them. A manual focus “standard/wide-angle” lens for APS-C cameras with an ultra-fast maximum aperture of f/0.95. It has an unusual focal length of 25mm (fullframe equivalent of 37.5mm*), between the more usual 23mm and 27mm focal lengths (FF equivalents of 35mm and 40mm*). The 0.95 aperture promises impressive and nice background separation and hopefully a nice bokeh and extreme low-light capabilities. Besides, the APO designation indicates Laowa has used its APO technology in this lens and it should give much better correction of spherical and chromatic aberrations than non-APO lenses. Let’s see how good it is in the real world!

* The fullframe equivalent focal length of 37.5mm is true for Sony, Nikon, and Fujifilm cameras, while on a Canon APS-C, it will be equivalent to a 40mm lens on a fullframe camera.

I tested this lens on a Nikon Zfc
You can see this review a YouTube video here

Sample Images

In my liking the bokeh leaves something to be wished. — Nikon Z fc | Laowa Argus 25mm f/0.95 CF APO | f/0.95

Continue reading Review: Laowa Argus 25mm f/0.95 CF APO (APS-C) →

Pergear, Review

Review: Pergear 14mm f/2.8 II (FF)

January 14, 2024 Martin 16 Comments

Introduction

Review pergear 14mm f/2.8 II FF fullframe full-vrame APS-C nikon z6 Z6ii z50 z30 zfc z7 z7ii Z8 Z9 Zf nikon z f fc Sony FE Fuji X canon rf m43 review nikon z z-fc z30 z50 test sharpness bokeh coma vignetting Flare 24mp nikon z6 z6ii 46mp nikon z7 z7ii Z8 Z9 Zf nikon z f

It has generally been difficult to find ultra wide-angle prime lenses for any system until a few years ago. If you wanted a lens as wide as 14mm your only options were from Sony, Canon, or Zeiss for a lot of money that no ordinary man could afford. It has gradually changed and there are several affordable manual lenses available now. One of them is the Pergear 14mm f/2.8 II, which for about €240 seems to be a bargain. Let’s see if it’s any good!

Sample Images

Review pergear 14mm f/2.8 II FF fullframe full-vrame APS-C nikon z6 Z6ii z50 z30 zfc z7 z7ii Z8 Z9 Zf nikon z f fc Sony FE Fuji X canon rf m43 review nikon z z-fc z30 z50 test sharpness bokeh coma vignetting Flare 24mp nikon z6 z6ii 46mp nikon z7 z7ii Z8 Z9 Zf nikon z f — Nikon Z6 | Pergear 14mm f/2.8II | f/8

Continue reading Review: Pergear 14mm f/2.8 II (FF) →

Comparison, K&F, Nikon, Nikon Z, Pergear, Sigma, Tamron, Techart, Viltrox, Zeiss, Zeiss C/Y mount

Comparison: The Battle of 35mm lenses – Nikon Z vs Sigma vs Tamron vs Zeiss vs Pergear vs Nikon Ai-s

January 1, 2024 Martin 25 Comments

Introduction

Comparison: The Battle of 35:s - Nikon Nikkor Z 35 1.8 S vs Sigma 35 mm HSM Art vs Tamron USD vs Carl Zeiss Distagon vs Pergear vs Nikon Ai-s 35mm Which one best 35mm Viltrox ETZ ef to Z, FTZ adapter Megadap adapter K&F Concept adapter AF adapter

If you ask all the photographers, which single prime lens they would choose if they could own only one lens in the world, the majority would say the 35mm, and most of the rest would say a fast 35mm. This is because it is one of the most versatile prime lenses. Although it’s a wide-angle lens, it is sometimes referred to as the alternative normal lens because it is so close to the standard focal length that it does not distort the subject much. With such lenses, you can also get a good background separation with a nice bokeh. They are useful in almost all kinds of photography, especially in everyday photography, street photography, environmental portraits, landscapes, weddings, events, and travel. Additionally, it works well for stitched astrophotography.

Its popularity has led to numerous 35mm lenses being produced by various manufacturers from the early days of photography to the modern era. In this article, I will compare six of them, from vintage to old to new. Let’s have a look together!

Sample Images

Comparison: The Battle of 35 35s - Nikon Nikkor Z 35 1.8 S vs Sigma 35 mm HSM Art vs Tamron USD vs Carl Zeiss Distagon vs Pergear vs Nikon Ai-s 35mm Which one best 35mm Viltrox ETZ ef to Z, FTZ adapter Megadap adapter K&F Concept adapter AF adapter Nikon z7 z7ii Z8 Z9 Zf — Nikon Z6 | Nikon 35/1.4 Ai-s | Nikon FTZ | f/1.4

Continue reading Comparison: The Battle of 35mm lenses – Nikon Z vs Sigma vs Tamron vs Zeiss vs Pergear vs Nikon Ai-s →

Nikon Z, Review, TTArtisan

Review: TTArtisan 10mm f/2 (APS-C)

December 18, 2023 Martin 28 Comments

Introduction

TTArtisan 10mm f/2 APS-C nikon z6 Z6ii z50 z30 zfc z7 z7ii Z8 Z9 Zf nikon z f fc Sony FE Fuji X canon rf m43 review nikon z z-fc z30 z50 test sharpness bokeh coma vignetting Flare 24mp nikon z6 z6ii 46mp nikon z7 z7ii Z8 Z9 Zf nikon z f

It has generally been difficult to find ultra wide-angle prime lenses for any system until a few years ago. It has become much better for full-frame cameras, but still a scarce market in the APS-C world. If available, most of the ultra-wide angle lenses are zoom lenses, with variable apertures and usually not that fast. Here we have a new lens that breaks that trend, a 10mm (15mm equivalent on FF) at the impressive f/2. Let’s see how this lens is!
UPDATE: 2023.12.19 , Flare Resistance.

Sample Images

TTArtisan 10mm f/2 APS-C nikon z6 Z6ii z50 z30 zfc z7 z7ii Z8 Z9 Zf nikon z f fc Sony FE Fuji X canon rf m43 review nikon z z-fc z30 z50 test sharpness bokeh coma vignetting Flare 24mp nikon z6 z6ii 46mp nikon z7 z7ii Z8 Z9 Zf nikon z f — Nikon Z fc | TTArtisan AF 10mm f/2 | f/8

Continue reading Review: TTArtisan 10mm f/2 (APS-C) →

Laowa, Macro, Nikon Z, Review

Review: Laowa FFII 58mm f2.8 CA-Dreamer Macro 2X APO

December 10, 2023 Martin 15 Comments

Introduction

While most popular macro lenses have been in the range of 90-105mm and Laowa themselves having all, an 85mm, a 90mm, and a 100mm macro 2X lens, they opted for making a 58mm lens too, as some macro photographers prefer a wider angle of view or use the lens both as macro and allround lens. Also the perspective might make a difference for some people as you can include more surroundings with a wider lens for the composition. Laowa has shown that they can produce very nice macro lenses during the past few years, let’s see if this one can match them!