Category Archives: Accessory

Accessories, Accessory, lenses, Manual Photographers, Manual Photographers series, Zeiss

Projector Lenses – Reviving the Joy of Old Petzval Lenses (Guest Article)

November 2, 2025 Mark Stein 19 Comments

Introduction

Martin recently reviewed Lomo’s replica of a Petzval lens. I commented, perhaps slightly snidely, that vintage Petzval lenses are still around, often for less money, and often with better centre sharpness – and certainly with a vast choice of models and thus rendition nuances.

Martin suggested I share my knowledge in an article. And like an inverse Spice Girl, one became two. This one seeks to introduce you to the weird magic of Petzval lenses and their widespread availability from old cinema film projectors. The next will look at adapting them, and indeed any old projection lens, to a modern-day camera.

So here we go, I guess.

All pictures were taken on full-frame evils: a Sony a7r2 and an a7cr. Some were cropped; all were adjusted for proper blacks and whites according to ancient darkroom principles. None had additional sharpening or aberration correction applied.

Sample Images

Meopta Meostigmat 50/1.3, 617-inspired 1:3 crop out of 3:2 full frame image.

Meyer Görlitz Kinon Superior 50/1.6 – A characteristic of Petzval lenses is the swirly bokeh, which also results in lentilesque distortion of highlights (some call it cat’s eyes; you’d need a pretty deformed cat to see that analogy).

The Meyers date from the 1930s! This 50/1.6 cost someone 6 pound sterling in 1938, according to an old advert.

Continue reading Projector Lenses – Reviving the Joy of Old Petzval Lenses (Guest Article) →

Accessory, Review, Viltrox

REVIEW: Viltrox Spark Z3 Flash

October 10, 2025 Martin 20 Comments

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-icon2 I 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

Continue reading REVIEW: Viltrox Spark Z3 Flash →

Accessories, Accessory, Review

Review: Pergear CFexpress Typ B 512GB

September 10, 2025 Martin 2 Comments

Introduction

Pergear entered the memory card market later than many of the bigger players, but in 2022 and 2023 they launched high-spec CFexpress Type B and Type A cards at far more budget-friendly prices. They’re quickly carving out a place for themselves alongside more established brands.

When they asked if I wanted to test their newest card, I agreed—mainly because I wanted to see how it stacks up against the cards I already use in my cameras. Let’s take a closer look.

camera-icon2 I tested this card on a 46 Mp Nikon Z7ii
You can see this review as a YouTube video here!

Continue reading Review: Pergear CFexpress Typ B 512GB →

Accessories, Accessory

REVIEW: FotoPro Origin Plus Travel Tripod

March 12, 2025 Martin 14 Comments

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

Continue reading REVIEW: FotoPro Origin Plus Travel Tripod →

Accessories, Accessory, Comparison, Review

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

June 20, 2024 Martin 14 Comments

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!