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.
Comparison, Laowa, lenses, Review

REVIEW/COMPARISON: Laowa 15mm f/4.5 Macro 0.5x (vs. 15mm f/4 1x)

22 Comments

Laowa 15mm f/4.5 Macro 0.5x on Nikon Z7IIIntroduction

The Laowa 15mm f/4.5 0.5x macro is one of the very few lenses that combine an ultra-wide angle of view with close focusing capabilities, offering up to 1:2 (half life-size) magnification.

Laowa previously introduced a 1:1 macro version back in 2019, but it came with a few quirks. It featured a shift mechanism that added bulk, the full 1:1 magnification required you to get extremely close, almost touching the subject, and its sharpness at infinity focus left much to be desired.

With this newer lens, Laowa has aimed to address all those issues in a more compact, practical design. Have they succeeded? Let’s find out in this review, as I compare it to its predecessor in each section.

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 | Laowa 15mm f/4.5 Macro 0.5x | F/8
Nikon Zf | Laowa 15mm f/4.5 Macro 0.5x | F/11
Nikon Zf | Laowa 15mm f/4.5 Macro 0.5x | F/9
Nikon Zf | Laowa 15mm f/4.5 Macro 0.5x | F/11
Nikon Zf | Laowa 15mm f/4.5 Macro 0.5x | F/4.5
Nikon Zf | Laowa 15mm f/4.5 Macro 0.5x | F/9

Continue reading REVIEW/COMPARISON: Laowa 15mm f/4.5 Macro 0.5x (vs. 15mm f/4 1x) →

lenses, Nikon, Review

REVIEW/COMPARISON: Nikon Z 24-120mm F/4 S – How It Compares to Z 24-70/4 S

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Introduction

Nikon Z 24-120mm f/4 S is often said to be one of the best all-around midrange zooms Nikon has made. It offers a versatile zoom range and a fixed aperture, and it’s part of Nikon’s premium S-line series. It’s also newer than the Nikon Z 24-70/4 S I reviewed recently — a lens I liked quite a bit. With its broader zoom range, Nikon Z 24-120/4 S promises more flexibility.
But is it the better lens overall? Let’s dive into this review and see how it compares to the Z 24-70mm S!

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 Z Nikkor 24-120mm F/4 S | @24mm f/4.5
Nikon Zfc | Nikon Z Nikkor 24-120mm F/4 S | @165mm f/5
Nikon Zf | Nikon Z Nikkor 24-120mm F/4 S | @24mm f/4.5
Nikon Zf | Nikon Z Nikkor 24-120mm F/4 S | @102mm f/4
Nikon Zf | Nikon Z Nikkor 24-120mm F/4 S | @24mm f/16

Continue reading REVIEW/COMPARISON: Nikon Z 24-120mm F/4 S – How It Compares to Z 24-70/4 S →

lenses, Nikon, Review

Nikon AF-S Nikkor 70-200 f/4G ED VR

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Introduction

The Nikon AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f/4G ED VR was Nikon’s latest enthusiast-level telephoto zoom lens with a constant aperture. Before its release, Nikon had long offered both professional 70-200mm and 80-200mm f/2.8 lenses, as well, a prosumer-grade fixed F4 70-210 and consumer grade variable-aperture telephoto zooms. With this lens, they aimed to provide a more budget-friendly alternative to their latest high-end 70-200mm f/2.8 VR. To achieve this, Nikon incorporated their latest advancements in coating technology, autofocus (AF), vibration reduction (VR), and optical design to create this lens by the end of 2012.

Let’s take a closer look!

camera-icon2I tested this lens on a 46 Mp Nikon Z7ii (Sample images were taken with Nikon Zf , Nikon Z6, Nikon D600, and Nikon D7200)
camera-icon2I used a Nikon FTZ II F-to-Z adapter with this lens on Nikon Z cameras.
You can see this review as a YouTube video here!
Sample images in high resolution here.

Sample Images

Nikon D600 | Nikkor AF-S 70-200/4G ED VR | @130mm | F4
Nikon D7200 | Nikkor AF-S 70-200/4G ED VR | @70mm | F5,6
Nikon Z6 | Nikkor AF-S 70-200/4G ED VR | @185mm | F4
Nikon Z6 | Nikkor AF-S 70-200/4G ED VR | @200mm | F4
Nikon D7200 | Nikkor AF-S 70-200/4G ED VR | @70mm | F4
Nikon Z6 | Nikkor AF-S 70-200/4G ED VR | @70mm | F4

Continue reading Nikon AF-S Nikkor 70-200 f/4G ED VR →

lenses, Review, TTArtisan

Review: TTArtisan 35mm T/2.1 – Dual-Bokeh Cine Lens

9 Comments

Introduction

The TTArtisan 35mm T2.1 Cine Dual-Bokeh is a unique lens. We rarely review cine lenses, but this one stands out. Over the past few years, TTArtisan has introduced innovative and daring lens designs. Their latest creation features a unique ability to control the bokeh character—an intriguing function with some unusual behaviour. Some will love its distinctive look, while others may find it unappealing.

On paper, it was very appealing to me, so I agreed to review it. Let’s take a closer look!

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 | TTArtisan 35mm T2.1 Dual Bokeh | T2.1 | BUBBLE
Nikon Zf | TTArtisan 35mm T2.1 Dual Bokeh | T2.1 | SOFT
Nikon Zf | TTArtisan 35mm T2.1 Dual Bokeh | T2.1 | BUBBLE
Nikon Zf | TTArtisan 35mm T2.1 Dual Bokeh | T4 | SOFT
Nikon Zf | TTArtisan 35mm T2.1 Dual Bokeh | T2.1 | BUBBLE

Continue reading Review: TTArtisan 35mm T/2.1 – Dual-Bokeh Cine Lens →

lenses, Review, Viltrox

REVIEW: Viltrox AF 50mm F/2 Air (FE)

28 Comments

Introduction

Viltrox AF 50mm F/2 Air on a Nikon Z7ii

The Viltrox AF 50mm f/2 is another addition to the company’s small, lightweight, and affordable ‘Air’ series. Though new, the few lenses released so far have shown impressive performance. This full-frame 50mm lens, with a maximum aperture of f/2, is compact, lightweight, and budget friendly at $199—but does its performance match that of its previous siblings? Let’s find out!

camera-icon2I tested this lens on a 46 Mp Nikon Z7ii (Sample images with a Nikon Zf ).
camera-icon2I used a Megadap ETZ21 PRO E-to-Z adapter with the FE mount version of the lens on Nikon Z cameras.
You can see this review as a YouTube video here!
Sample images in high resolution here.

Sample Images

Nikon Zf | Viltrox AF 50mm F/2 Air | f/2
Nikon Zf | Viltrox AF 50mm F/2 Air | f/2
Nikon Zf | Viltrox AF 50mm F/2 Air | f/2
Nikon Zf | Viltrox AF 50mm F/2 Air | f/2
Nikon Zf | Viltrox AF 50mm F/2 Air | f/2

Continue reading REVIEW: Viltrox AF 50mm F/2 Air (FE) →