Category Archives: Comparison

Guide to Ultra Wideangle lenses for the Sony A7/A9/A1 Series

Leica M10 | Laowa 9mm 5.6 | f/8.0

We summarize our experience with all the native E-mount and a few manual legacy lenses in the 9-18mm bracket to give you a compact and independent resource for choosing the right super- to ultra-wide-angle lens for your Sony A7 cameras. In this summary we also included some adapted lenses we think are worth mentioning.

We also have a general guide to FE lenses, guide to 20-28mm lenses as well as a guide to 35mm lenses, 50mm lenses and 85-200mm portrait lenses.

We have no association with any lens manufacturer apart from occasionally loaning a lens for a review. Before any short introduction we tell you how long we have used a lens and if we have borrowed it from a manufacturer. But in most cases we have bought the lenses new from retail stores or on the used market. 

Many of these lenses are manual focus only (MF) whereas some of them feature auto focus (AF). There is also a noticeable amount of lenses listed here that do not feature electronic contacts to communicate with the camera (no Exif).

If we have left any question unanswered please leave a comment or contact us on social media and we will do our best to answer it.

Last update: May 2026 | Added: Samyang x Schneider-Kreuznach 14-24mm 2.8, TTArtisan 14mm 2.8, Laowa 17mm 4.0 TS C-Dreamer, TTArtisan 17mm 4.0 TS Asph | Updated: Sigma 14mm 1.8, Sigma 17mm 4.0 DG DN C

Continue reading Guide to Ultra Wideangle lenses for the Sony A7/A9/A1 Series

Review: Nikon Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3

Introduction

Could the Nikon Z 24–200mm f/4–6.3 be the only lens you really need? After reviewing the Nikon Z 24–70mm f/4 S and the Nikon Z 24–120mm f/4 S, several readers asked if I could also take a look at this superzoom.

I said that if there was enough interest—and if I could get my hands on a copy—I’d do it. The interest was clearly there, and thanks to my friends at Kamerastore I managed to get a loaner. A deal is a deal. So let’s see how it performs—and whether it can match the other two standard zooms.

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 Z7ii | Nikon Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3 | 155mm f/6.3
Nikon Z7ii | Nikon Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3 | 200mm f/6.3
Nikon Z7ii | Nikon Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3 | 200mm f/6.3
Nikon Z7ii | Nikon Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3 | 79mm f/6.3
Nikon Z7ii | Nikon Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3 | 120mm f/6.3

Continue reading Review: Nikon Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3

REVIEW/Comparison: Thypoch Simera 35mm f/1.4 ASPH. (Z) vs Leica Summilux 35/1.4 FLE II

Introduction

Can a $369 lens really compete with a $6,600 Leica?
Fair warning: some results may surprise Leica fans, for better or worse.

Today I’m taking a closer look at the Thypoch Simera 35mm f/1.4 ASPH. Thypoch entered the market about two years ago, joining a growing group of Chinese manufacturers initially producing lenses for the Leica M mount. Since then, they’ve expanded their lineup from 21mm to 75mm, mostly with fast f/1.4 apertures, and have begun offering additional mounts beyond M.

In this post, I’ll be testing the Nikon Z version of the 35mm f/1.4—and putting it side by side with Leica’s own Summilux FLE II.

camera-icon2I tested this lens on a 46 Mp Nikon Z7ii and a Nikon Zf (Sample images were taken with a Nikon Zf)

You can see this review as a YouTube video here!

Sample Images

Nikon Zf | Thypoch Simera 35mm f/1.4 Z | f/1.4
Nikon Zf | Thypoch Simera 35mm f/1.4 Z | f/1.4
Nikon Zf | Thypoch Simera 35mm f/1.4 Z | f/1.4
Nikon Zf | Thypoch Simera 35mm f/1.4 Z | f/1.4

Continue reading REVIEW/Comparison: Thypoch Simera 35mm f/1.4 ASPH. (Z) vs Leica Summilux 35/1.4 FLE II

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

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)

Comparison: Super Fast 35mm f/0.95 | f/1.2 Fullframe Lenses

Introduction

35mm fullframe comparison 0.95 1.2 f/0.95 f/1.2 voigtländer laowa viltrox sigma lab argus nokton art dg dn contrast resolution bokeh vignetting coma sharpness loca ca
Sigma 35mm 1.2 DG DN Art | Viltrox AF 35mm 1.2 FE LAB | Samyang 35mm 1.2 XP | Laowa 35mm 0.95 Argus | Voigtländer VM 35mm 1.2 Nokton III

35mm are the favorite focal length of many reportage, event and wedding photographers. In the last years we saw boundaries being pushed as we can now choose from f/1.2 lenses with autofocus and manual focus lenses that even offer a maximum aperture of f/0.95. I gathered five recent ones of these super fast 35mm lenses with maximum apertures ranging from f/0.95 to f/1.2 and will compare them, to give you an idea which might work best for your needs.

Continue reading Comparison: Super Fast 35mm f/0.95 | f/1.2 Fullframe Lenses