Category Archives: lenses

lenses, Nikon, Review

REVIEW: NIKON NIKKOR Z 14-24mm f/2.8 S

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Z-14-30-2.8-S
Nikon Nikkor Z 14-24mm f/2.8 S on a Nikon Z7II

Introduction

Nikon has a history of producing outstanding ultra-wide-angle zoom lenses, including the long-standing top-tier F-mount 14–24mm f/2.8. They kicked off the mirrorless Z lineup with the excellent 14–30mm f/4, and after a while they really went big by releasing the fast Z 14–24mm f/2.8. It’s fast enough to handle dark indoor scenes or even night photography. While this lens definitely isn’t budget-friendly, its price and Nikon’s track record set the expectation that it should deliver well above-average performance. Let’s check it out!

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 | Nikon Z 14-24mm f/2.8 S | @21mm f/9
Nikon Zf | Nikon Z 14-24mm f/2.8 S | @24mm f/5
Nikon Zf | Nikon Z 14-24mm f/2.8 S | @14mm f/5
Nikon Zf | Nikon Z 14-24mm f/2.8 S | @14mm f/3.5
Nikon Zf | Nikon Z 14-24mm f/2.8 S | @14mm f/9
Nikon Zf | Nikon Z 14-24mm f/2.8 S | @16mm f/2.8

Continue reading REVIEW: NIKON NIKKOR Z 14-24mm f/2.8 S →

Leica M, Review, Thypoch

Review: Thypoch 35mm 2.0 Ksana

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Introduction

thypoch ksana 35mm 2.0 compact leica m10 m11 m9 m8 m10r review 42mp 24mp 61mp contrast sharpness bokeh vignetting limited evf
Thypoch 35mm 2.0 Ksana on Leica M10

As second lens for their “Ksana” series Thypoch decided to release a compact 35mm 2.0 M-mount lens with black paint finish. These Ksana lenses feature vintage coatings – to create a distinct color signature – but are otherwise modern designs. The Thypoch 21mm 3.5 Ksana proved to be a capable yet compact lens, will this Thypoch 35mm 2.0 Ksana follow its footsteps? Let’s find out in this review!
This lens will be reviewed on the 42mp Sony A7rII and the 24mp Leica M10.

Sample Images

thypoch ksana 35mm 2.0 compact leica m10 m11 m9 m8 m10r review 42mp 24mp 61mp contrast sharpness bokeh vignetting limited evf
Leica M10 | Thypoch 35mm 2.0 Ksana | f/2.0
thypoch ksana 35mm 2.0 compact leica m10 m11 m9 m8 m10r review 42mp 24mp 61mp contrast sharpness bokeh vignetting limited evf
Leica M10 | Thypoch 35mm 2.0 Ksana | f/2.0
thypoch ksana 35mm 2.0 compact leica m10 m11 m9 m8 m10r review 42mp 24mp 61mp contrast sharpness bokeh vignetting limited evf
Leica M10 | Thypoch 35mm 2.0 Ksana | f/2.0
thypoch ksana 35mm 2.0 compact leica m10 m11 m9 m8 m10r review 42mp 24mp 61mp contrast sharpness bokeh vignetting limited evf
Leica M10 | Thypoch 35mm 2.0 Ksana | f/2.0
thypoch ksana 35mm 2.0 compact leica m10 m11 m9 m8 m10r review 42mp 24mp 61mp contrast sharpness bokeh vignetting limited evf
Leica M10 | Thypoch 35mm 2.0 Ksana | f/2.8
thypoch ksana 35mm 2.0 compact leica m10 m11 m9 m8 m10r review 42mp 24mp 61mp contrast sharpness bokeh vignetting limited evf
Leica M10 | Thypoch 35mm 2.0 Ksana | f/2.0

Continue reading Review: Thypoch 35mm 2.0 Ksana →

Guides, lenses, Opinion

Sony FE Lenses: The honest Guide for the A7/A9/A1 Series

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Choose the right lens for your Sony Alpha with the help of our independent knowledge gained by writing many in-depth reviews.

We have an in-depth knowledge of many of the lenses listed here not only because we have used them, but also because we have reviewed many of them in detail. We are also independent from any lens manufacturer and when you check our reviews you will see that we do not hesitate to name any shortcomings of a lens.
We will also talk about lens aberrations, if you don’t know too much about these terms maybe have a look at our article Lens aberrations explained first.

Originally the idea of this guide was to include all available fullframe E-mount lenses. The number of fullframe E-mount lenses has significantly grown over the years though, so that has become an impossible task.

From now on this article will only include lenses that we find currently recommendable. That will make this article much easier to navigate and read and therefore more valuable. It should also make it easier for us to keep it up to date, as we don’t have to waste a lot of time adding uninteresting or mediocre lenses anymore. I also removed most of the super tele lenses, as we have too little experience with them. The aim is to generally keep this article below 10000 words, which is still a whole lot.

We do also have guides for:
9-18mm ultra wideangle FE lenses
20-28mm wide angle lenses
35mm FE lenses
50mm FE lenses
85-200mm FE portrait lenses
Macro lenses for the FE system
These guides often contain some older, discontinued or adapted lenses not listed here (anymore). 

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
several lenses added, prices updated, several further changes

Continue reading Sony FE Lenses: The honest Guide for the A7/A9/A1 Series →

Review, Sigma, Sony E-mount

Review: Sigma 20-200mm 3.5-6.3 DG Contemporary – Better than you think

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Introduction

sigma 20-200mm 3.5-6.3 dg dn c contemporarly e fe l superzoom mega zoom 10x small review sharpness contrast bokeh coma vignetting 42mp 63mp sony a7 a7rii a7iii a7riv a7rv a7iv a1 a9 a9ii
Sigma 20-200mm 3.5-6.3 DG Contemporary on Sony A7rII

You haven’t seen (m)any reviews of superzoom lenses on this blog so far, because traditionally many of those ~10x zoom lenses were either lacking in terms of optical performance (e.g. Sony FE 24-240mm 3.5-5.6 OSS) and/or I personally didn’t find the focal length range particularly useful, often starting at 28mm (e.g. Tamron 28-200mm 2.8-5.6 Di III RXD). Furthermore, if you want to review such lenses properly, it takes a lot of time and effort, equal to reviewing several prime lenses.
With its unique focal length range this Sigma 20-200mm 3.5-6.3 DG Contemporary intrigued me though, but can the performance of such a bold design be any good? I ultimately decided to buy one and see for myself how it performs, so here we are.

Sample Images

sigma 20-200mm 3.5-6.3 dg dn c contemporarly e fe l superzoom mega zoom 10x small review sharpness contrast bokeh coma vignetting 42mp 63mp sony a7 a7rii a7iii a7riv a7rv a7iv a1 a9 a9ii
Sony A7III | Sigma 20-200mm 3.5-6.3 DG C | 70mm | f/5.6
sigma 20-200mm 3.5-6.3 dg dn c contemporarly e fe l superzoom mega zoom 10x small review sharpness contrast bokeh coma vignetting 42mp 63mp sony a7 a7rii a7iii a7riv a7rv a7iv a1 a9 a9ii
Sony A7III | Sigma 20-200mm 3.5-6.3 DG C | 130mm | f/6.3
sigma 20-200mm 3.5-6.3 dg dn c contemporarly e fe l superzoom mega zoom 10x small review sharpness contrast bokeh coma vignetting 42mp 63mp sony a7 a7rii a7iii a7riv a7rv a7iv a1 a9 a9ii
Sony A7III | Sigma 20-200mm 3.5-6.3 DG C | 70mm | f/8.0 | CPL
sigma 20-200mm 3.5-6.3 dg dn c contemporarly e fe l superzoom mega zoom 10x small review sharpness contrast bokeh coma vignetting 42mp 63mp sony a7 a7rii a7iii a7riv a7rv a7iv a1 a9 a9ii
Sony A7III | Sigma 20-200mm 3.5-6.3 DG C | 55mm | f/5.6
sigma 20-200mm 3.5-6.3 dg dn c contemporarly e fe l superzoom mega zoom 10x small review sharpness contrast bokeh coma vignetting 42mp 63mp sony a7 a7rii a7iii a7riv a7rv a7iv a1 a9 a9ii
Sony A7III | Sigma 20-200mm 3.5-6.3 DG C | 20mm | f/3.5
sigma 20-200mm 3.5-6.3 dg dn c contemporarly e fe l superzoom mega zoom 10x small review sharpness contrast bokeh coma vignetting 42mp 63mp sony a7 a7rii a7iii a7riv a7rv a7iv a1 a9 a9ii
Sony A7III | Sigma 20-200mm 3.5-6.3 DG C | 100mm | f/6.3
sigma 20-200mm 3.5-6.3 dg dn c contemporarly e fe l superzoom mega zoom 10x small review sharpness contrast bokeh coma vignetting 42mp 63mp sony a7 a7rii a7iii a7riv a7rv a7iv a1 a9 a9ii
Sony A7III | Sigma 20-200mm 3.5-6.3 DG C | 20mm | f/3.5
sigma 20-200mm 3.5-6.3 dg dn c contemporarly e fe l superzoom mega zoom 10x small review sharpness contrast bokeh coma vignetting 42mp 63mp sony a7 a7rii a7iii a7riv a7rv a7iv a1 a9 a9ii
Sony A7III | Sigma 20-200mm 3.5-6.3 DG C | 20mm | f/3.5
sigma 20-200mm 3.5-6.3 dg dn c contemporarly e fe l superzoom mega zoom 10x small review sharpness contrast bokeh coma vignetting 42mp 63mp sony a7 a7rii a7iii a7riv a7rv a7iv a1 a9 a9ii
Sony A7III | Sigma 20-200mm 3.5-6.3 DG C | 150mm | f/6.3
sigma 20-200mm 3.5-6.3 dg dn c contemporarly e fe l superzoom mega zoom 10x small review sharpness contrast bokeh coma vignetting 42mp 63mp sony a7 a7rii a7iii a7riv a7rv a7iv a1 a9 a9ii
Sony A7III | Sigma 20-200mm 3.5-6.3 DG C | 85mm | f/5.6

Continue reading Review: Sigma 20-200mm 3.5-6.3 DG Contemporary – Better than you think →

Canon EF-Mount, Guides, Leica M, lenses, Olympus OM, Sony A-mount, Sony E-mount

Guide to the best Portrait Lenses – Sony A7/A9/A1 series

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We summarize our experience with all the native E-mount and a few legacy lenses in the 85-200mm bracket for the Sony A7/A9/A1 series to give you a compact and independent resource for choosing the best portrait lens for your needs.

We also have a general guide to FE-lenses, 9-18mm ultra wide angle lenses, guide to 20-28mm wide angle lenses, 35mm lenses, 50mm lenses and macro lenses.

Unlike most other review sites we have no association with any lens manufacturer apart from occasionally loaning a lens for a review. No fancy trips and meals.

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. 

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.

If you purchase the lens through one of the affiliate-links in this article we get a small compensation with no additional cost to you.

Last update: May 2026,  Meike 85mm 1.4 FF STM added, Viltrox AF 85mm 1.4 Pro added, Viltrox AF 85mm 2.0 Evo added, Sigma 135mm 1.4 DG Art added, Laowa 200mm 2.0 AF C-Dreamer added, Sigma 200mm 2.0 DG OS Sports added, Zeiss Otus 100mm 1.4 added, many additional changes

Continue reading Guide to the best Portrait Lenses – Sony A7/A9/A1 series →