Category Archives: Accessories

REVIEW: FotoPro Origin Plus Travel Tripod

Introduction

Do you even need a tripod these days? To be honest, the necessity of tripods has been significantly reduced thanks to highly effective in-body image stabilisation, improved image quality at high ISOs and AI noise reduction, super-wide dynamic range of today’s digital sensors, and in-camera HDR modes.

Despite modern tech making tripods less necessary in some situations, they’re still invaluable in plenty of others. Tripods remain essential for long-exposure and astro photography, staging group photos, and focus stacking, to achieve sharp and crisp landscapes from close foreground to infinity, and especially for macro photography. Other applications where tripods are crucial include architectural photography, when you need to set up your camera with supreme precision, or when taking a series of shots with incremental panning to create panoramas. They also free up your hands for attaching or removing accessories like lens filters and microphones. Furthermore, tripods are indispensable for video work and studio photography.

So, which tripod should you choose?
Many of us know about high-end tripods like Gitzo and RRS, but are we always willing to pay a premium for that level of quality and reputation? And what about newer, lesser-known brands? one of them: the Fotopro Origin Plus Travel Tripod, a model that promises innovation and stability at a competitive price. Let’s have a look!

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

Sample Images

Long exposure on Fotopro Origin Plus tripod
Precise architectural photography in Low light (1/6 s) on Fotopro Origin Plus tripod
Panorama made of multiple exposures on a Fotopro Origin Plus
The original panorama of the previous image
Multiple exposures on a Fotopro Origin Plus tripod
Long exposure on Fotopro Origin Plus tripod

Continue reading REVIEW: FotoPro Origin Plus Travel Tripod

Leica M to Sony E Close Focus Adapters

Introduction

Sony A7s with Leica 90mm 2.0 Summicron M (pre Asph) and VM-E Close Focus Adapter

Classic rangefinder lenses usually spot less staggering minimum focus distances compared to (D)SLR and the latest lenses for mirrorless cameras because of how focusing with rangefinder cameras works. In 2022 several manufacturers are offering close focus adapters. These adapters have their own additional helicoid which allows you to focus your lenses much closer than you could with a conventional adapter. I have used several of these myself, so let’s see which ones are worth the asking price.
Last Update: December 2024

Sample Images

7artisans leica summulix 28mm 1.4 f/1.4 wide angle fast 42mp sony feplus resolution contrast coma review close focus range macro extension tube helicoid adapter hawks factory
Sony A7rII | 7artisans 28mm 1.4 | f/1.4 | Hawk’s Factory Close Focus Adapter
raven Bokeh Voigtlander 28mm 2.0
Sony A7 | Voigtländer Ultron 2.0/28 | f/2.0 | Voigtländer VM-E Close Focus Adapter
7artisans leica summulix 28mm 1.4 f/1.4 wide angle fast 42mp sony feplus resolution contrast coma review close focus range macro extension tube helicoid adapter hawks factory
Sony A7rII | 7artisans 28mm 1.4 | f/1.4 | Hawk’s Factory Close Focus Adapter
bokeh summicron 90mm 2.0 sony a7 review 42mp leica m10 24mp sharpness contrast
Sony A7rII | Leica Summicron 90mm 2.0 pre-Asph | f/2.0 | Voigtländer VM-E Close Focus Adapter

Continue reading Leica M to Sony E Close Focus Adapters

The best fullframe mirrorless camera for adapting manual focus lenses

Introduction

etz e to z e2z adapter neewer megadap techart comparison haoge nikon sony e-mount z-mount
Laowa 35mm 0.95 via Neewer ETZ on Nikon Zf

With the release of Sony’s first A7 series camera we saw a renaissance of many legacy lenses from “dead” mounts like Canon FD, Olympus OM, Minolta SR and several more. Because of flange focal distance issues these lenses often couldn’t be attached to modern DSLRs. And even if it was possible, it was a pain to use them on DSLRs, thanks to their matte screens being unsuitable for manual focus lenses.

Let’s have a look at the history of focusing aids in fullframe mirrorless cameras and who does it best.

Continue reading The best fullframe mirrorless camera for adapting manual focus lenses

Review: Walkingway Effect Filters: Black Mist, Streak, Star, Prism, and Soft Filters

Introduction

Walkingway filters, Black mist soft filter streak blue star filter 4 6 8 points stars Retro soft camera photography Nikon Z z7 z8 Z9 Zf Z6 II

Today, you can create almost any effect in post-processing. However, there are hurdles: 1) you need a good editing program, 2) you have to master the program to get good results, 3) you have to spend some time in front of your computer to get the desired effect. Alternatively, you can invest in expensive specialty lenses to achieve a specific result. This is especially challenging, if not impossible, for achieving the effect in videos.  Given these challenges, especially in video, a simpler solution emerges – using filters. Let’s have a look!

Sample Images

Walkingway filters, Black mist soft filter streak blue star filter 4 6 8 points stars Retro soft camera photography Nikon Z z7 z7ii ii z6 zf z8 z9
Nikon Z 7II  (DX mofd) | Nikkor Z 28/2.8 | Walkingway Retro Soft filter
Walkingway filters, Black mist soft filter streak blue star filter 4 6 8 points stars Retro soft camera photography Nikon Z z7 z7ii ii z6 zf z8 z9
Nikkor Z 24-70 S | Walkingway Black Mist 1/2
Walkingway filters, Black mist soft filter streak blue star filter 4 6 8 points stars Retro soft camera photography Nikon Z z7 z7ii ii z6 zf z8 z9
Nikkor 50/1.4 Ai-s | Walkingway Retro Soft filter
Walkingway filters, Black mist soft filter streak blue star filter 4 6 8 points stars Retro soft camera photography Nikon Z z7 z7ii ii z6 zf z8 z9
Nikkor 50/1.4 A-is | Star 4 filter
Walkingway filters, Black mist soft filter streak blue gold star filter prism filter kaleidoscope 4 6 8 points stars Retro soft camera photography Nikon Z z7 z7ii ii z6 zf z8 z9
Nikkor Z 24-70 S @70mm f/9 | Walkingway Kaleidoscope filter
Walkingway filters, Black mist soft filter streak blue star filter 4 6 8 points stars Retro soft camera photography Nikon Z z7 z7ii ii z6 zf z8 z9
Nikkor 28/2.8 | Walkingway Black Mist 1/2

Continue reading Review: Walkingway Effect Filters: Black Mist, Streak, Star, Prism, and Soft Filters

Review: Monster LA-FE1 and LA-FE2 AF Adapter (Nikon-F to Sony-E)

Introduction

monster la-fe2 lafe2 lafe 2 la-fe 2 II Mark MK autofocus autofokus auto focus adapter sony nikon z e mirrorless screwdrive screw driven review performance eye af
Monster LA-FE2 adapter

Canon users that wanted to get into the fullframe mirrorless E-mount world early were in a good spot: the Sigma MC-11 and the metabones Canon EF to Sony E adapters allowed using Canon EF-mount lenses on Sony cameras with only little limitations. For Nikon F-mount users the situation was sadly way worse and it took some time before the first similar adapter (Commlite CMF-EN1) was released – and that one had a lot of issues.

But suddenly, out of nowhere, the situation changed. With the release of the Monster LA-FE1 and later the LA-FE2 adapter we can now finally adapt Nikon F-mount lenses in a similar quality as those Canon EF-mount ones. The LA-FE2 even allows auto focus with the screwdriven Nikon AF(-D) lenses to work on Sony – something not even possible on Nikon’s own Z-mount cameras. Let’s have a closer look.
Update 07/24: more lenses tested, FW 06 for LA-FE1 tested

Continue reading Review: Monster LA-FE1 and LA-FE2 AF Adapter (Nikon-F to Sony-E)