Category Archives: Manufacturers

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)

Review: Canon TS-E 135mm 4.0L Macro

Introduction

61mp 42mp high res resolution canon tilt shift ts-e pc-e perspective control TS T/S sony adapter 135mm 4.0 l macro review resolution contrast bokeh makro
Canon TS-E 135mm 4.0L Macro via megadap adapter on Nikon Zf

At the end of the DSLR/EF-mount era Canon released a bunch of newly designed extremely high quality TS-E lenses. This Canon TS-E 135mm 4.0L Macro is one of them. It is also Canon’s longest Tilt/Shift lens so far. Is this the dream lens for product photography? Let’s find out in this review.

Sample Images

61mp 42mp high res resolution canon tilt shift ts-e pc-e perspective control TS T/S sony adapter 135mm 4.0 l macro review resolution contrast bokeh makro
Nikon Zf | Fringer EF NZ II | Canon TS-E 135mm 4.0L Macro | f/4.0 | unshifted/untilted
61mp 42mp high res resolution canon tilt shift ts-e pc-e perspective control TS T/S sony adapter 135mm 4.0 l macro review resolution contrast bokeh makro
Nikon Zf | Fringer EF NZ II | Canon TS-E 135mm 4.0L Macro | f/4.0 | unshifted/untilted
61mp 42mp high res resolution canon tilt shift ts-e pc-e perspective control TS T/S sony adapter 135mm 4.0 l macro review resolution contrast bokeh makro
Nikon Zf | Fringer EF NZ II | Canon TS-E 135mm 4.0L Macro | f/4.0 | unshifted/untilted
61mp 42mp high res resolution canon tilt shift ts-e pc-e perspective control TS T/S sony adapter 135mm 4.0 l macro review resolution contrast bokeh makro
Sony A7III | Sigma MC-11 | Canon TS-E 135mm 4.0L Macro | f/4.0 | unshifted/untilted
61mp 42mp high res resolution canon tilt shift ts-e pc-e perspective control TS T/S sony adapter 135mm 4.0 l macro review resolution contrast bokeh makro
Sony A7III | Sigma MC-11 | Canon TS-E 135mm 4.0L Macro | f/4.0 | unshifted/untilted

Continue reading Review: Canon TS-E 135mm 4.0L Macro

Analogue Adventures – Part 40: Fujichrome Provia 100F

Fujichrome Provia 100F Slide Film

In the Fujichrome world, Provia is supposed to be the more neutral slide film compared to Velvia. I wasn’t a huge fan of Velvia 100, so let’s see how this Provia 100F worked out for me.
Processing (E-6) and scanning was done at urbanfilmlab in Germany. The pictures you see in this article are from one roll.

fuji fujifilm fujichrome slide film provia 100f france review nikon f analogue film hamburg germany f80
Nikon F80 | Fujichrome Provia 100F | Nikon AF-S 24-70mm 2.8G
fuji fujifilm fujichrome slide film provia 100f france review nikon f analogue film hamburg germany f80
Nikon F80 | Fujichrome Provia 100F | Nikon AF-S 24-70mm 2.8G | 70mm | f/2.8
fuji fujifilm fujichrome slide film provia 100f france review nikon f analogue film hamburg germany f80
Nikon F80 | Fujichrome Provia 100F | Nikon AF-S 24-70mm 2.8G
fuji fujifilm fujichrome slide film provia 100f france review nikon f analogue film hamburg germany f80
Nikon F80 | Fujichrome Provia 100F | Nikon AF-S 24-70mm 2.8G
fuji fujifilm fujichrome slide film provia 100f france review nikon f analogue film hamburg germany f80
Nikon F80 | Fujichrome Provia 100F | Nikon AF-S 24-70mm 2.8G
fuji fujifilm fujichrome slide film provia 100f france review nikon f analogue film hamburg germany f80
Nikon F80 | Fujichrome Provia 100F | Nikon AF-S 24-70mm 2.8G

Continue reading Analogue Adventures – Part 40: Fujichrome Provia 100F

Review: Thypoch Simera 75mm 1.4 – Their best lens yet?

Introduction

thypoch simera 75mm 1.4 fast portrait leica m10 m11 m9 m8 m10r review 42mp 24mp 61mp contrast sharpness bokeh vignetting
Thypoch Simera 75mm 1.4 on Leica M10

Thypoch continues completing their f/1.4 M-mount lens lineup with this Simera 75mm 1.4. Almost the same size as the Voigtländer VM 75mm 1.5 Nokton, only 40g heavier, but with floating elements and a better minimum focus distance. Is this Thypoch’s best lens yet? Let’s find out in this review!

Sample Images

thypoch simera 75mm 1.4 fast portrait leica m10 m11 m9 m8 m10r review 42mp 24mp 61mp contrast sharpness bokeh vignetting
Leica M10 | Thypoch Simera 75mm 1.4 | f/1.4
thypoch simera 75mm 1.4 fast portrait leica m10 m11 m9 m8 m10r review 42mp 24mp 61mp contrast sharpness bokeh vignetting
Leica M10 | Thypoch Simera 75mm 1.4 | f/1.4
thypoch simera 75mm 1.4 fast portrait leica m10 m11 m9 m8 m10r review 42mp 24mp 61mp contrast sharpness bokeh vignetting
Leica M10 | Thypoch Simera 75mm 1.4 | f/2.8
thypoch simera 75mm 1.4 fast portrait leica m10 m11 m9 m8 m10r review 42mp 24mp 61mp contrast sharpness bokeh vignetting
Leica M10 | Thypoch Simera 75mm 1.4 | f/1.4
thypoch simera 75mm 1.4 fast portrait leica m10 m11 m9 m8 m10r review 42mp 24mp 61mp contrast sharpness bokeh vignetting
Nikon Zf | Thypoch Simera 75mm 1.4 | f/1.4
thypoch simera 75mm 1.4 fast portrait leica m10 m11 m9 m8 m10r review 42mp 24mp 61mp contrast sharpness bokeh vignetting
Leica M10 | Thypoch Simera 75mm 1.4 | f/1.4
thypoch simera 75mm 1.4 fast portrait leica m10 m11 m9 m8 m10r review 42mp 24mp 61mp contrast sharpness bokeh vignetting
Leica M10 | Thypoch Simera 75mm 1.4 | f/1.4

Continue reading Review: Thypoch Simera 75mm 1.4 – Their best lens yet?

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