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.

Accessories, Review

Review: TTArtisan Flash M01 + Wireless Trigger J01

June 6, 2025 Martin 3 Comments

Introduction

TTArtisan had earlier released LED lamps in the shape of a 35mm film roll. Later, they also released the RGB version of those lamps. Tiny LED lamps that can be easily carried in a pocket and hidden behind any object to be photographed, adding an extra element to the images. Now, they have released camera flashes in that format, the M01 flash together with the wirelless trigger J01. Let’s have a brief look at them.

camera-icon2 I tested these falshes 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

Continue reading Review: TTArtisan Flash M01 + Wireless Trigger J01 →

lenses, Nikon, Nikon, Review

REVIEW: Nikon Z Nikkor 14-30mm F/4 S

May 21, 2025 Martin 14 Comments

Introduction

In my recent quest to review some of the zoom lenses in the Nikon Z series, we’ve arrived at the NIKKOR Z 14-30mm f/4 S — an ultra-wide-angle zoom and one of the first in the “S” line after the 24-70mm f/4 S. The other two f/4 S zoom lenses I reviewed (24-70mm f/4 and 24-120mm f/4) delivered impressive performance, but this one is an ultra-wide — a category that has historically been more challenging to get right. That said, Nikon has marketed it as part of the “S” line, which promises higher quality. Let’s see how it performs!

camera-icon2 I 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 14-30mm F/4 S | @20mm f/16 (Stockholm, Sweden)

Nikon Zf | Nikon Z Nikkor 14-30mm F/4 S | @30mm f/4

Nikon Zf | Nikon Z Nikkor 14-30mm F/4 S | @18mm f/13 (Tokyo, Japan)

Nikon Zf | Nikon Z Nikkor 14-30mm F/4 S | @21mm f/22 (Nagano, Japan)

Continue reading REVIEW: Nikon Z Nikkor 14-30mm F/4 S →

Comparison, Laowa, lenses, Review

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

May 15, 2025 Martin 26 Comments

Introduction

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-icon2 I 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/4.5

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

May 11, 2025 Martin 22 Comments

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-icon2 I 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 | @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

April 23, 2025 Martin 3 Comments

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-icon2 I tested this lens on a 46 Mp Nikon Z7ii (Sample images were taken with Nikon Zf , Nikon Z6, Nikon D600, and Nikon D7200)
I 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.