Laowa CF 8-16mm f/3.5-5.0 Zoom is an ultra-wide-angle zoom lens for APS-C mirrorless cameras with an impressive zoom range (equivalent to 12-24mm on fullframe sensors). It is a very compact lens and seems to fit nicely on smaller APS-C cameras. Its versatile focal length range makes it a good choice for landscape, architecture, and travel photography or whenever you want a dramatic perspective in your images. In times when it seems that all the major manufacturers (except Fujifilm) are neglecting the APS-C lens development and focusing on fullframe lenses, it is refreshing to see exciting lenses like this from third-party manufacturers. Let’s see how it behaves in real life!
This time we take a look at another famed vintage lens, namely the legendary Helios 40. It’s an 85mm f/1.5 lens, known for, let´s see if we get it from its many titles: The King of Bokeh, The Bokeh King, the Russian Bokeh King, The Funky Bokeh King, The King of Russian Weird Bokeh, The Vintage Lenses’ King of Bokeh, etc. etc. etc. Dear child has many names. You get it, it has a reputation for its bokeh. It is also very popular among videographers seeking a dreamy vintage look with beautiful bokeh in their footage. While this lens was quite popular even back in the day, it has grown in popularity during the digital era to new heights and created kind of a cult around itself.
It was made by KMZ in the former Soviet Union for the Zenit range of SLR cameras. Like the previously reviewed “Helios 44”, there is a belief that when Russians got their hands on Zeiss Jena factory by the end of WWII, they took back the technology and drawings of many lenses to the Soviet Union, copied, and manufactured them. This one is believed to be a “copy” of Carl Zeiss Biotar 75mm f/1.5 from 1938. While the optical formula is very similar, it is a widespread Double Gauss Planar design. Besides, it is an 85mm lens. Therefore, some claim it was designed by Russian engineers themselves “based on” the Biotar 75/1.5 in 1950. Anyway, let’s have a closer look at it!
Viltrox AF 27mm 1.2 STM ASPH ED IF PRO is the company’s second lens in its APS-C PRO series lenses, 75mm f/1.2 being the first. 27mm focal length in APS-C format, roughly equivalent to 40mm full-frame. While it”s not a “real” wide-angle lens, it is wider than a normal 50mm lens, which, in my opinion, can be more useful for everyday and street photography, compared to a 50mm lens, as it allows to include more of the environment. On the other hand, it does not introduce the perspective distortion of a 35mm wide-angle lens. This lens was released with X mount earlier and now it is released with Z and E mount, with a few improvements to the original X version. I test the new Z mount version on a Nikon Z fc camera.
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!
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.
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