Category Archives: photography

Nikon, Nikon, Technical

Nikon AF 180mm 2.8(D): Versions, Teardown and Repair Guide

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Introduction

nikon af af-d 180mm 2.8 ed if sharpness review contrast resolution 42mp 61mp 24mp vignetting coma bokeh build quality flare resistance
Nikon AF 180mm 2.8 D on Nikon FM2n

As you may or may not know there have been several different versions of the Nikon AF 180mm 2.8 over the years. Most notable was the addition of the “D” feature in 1994, allowing the lens to transmit distance information to the camera for more accurate usage of camera flash. As this lens was first released in 1986 some of the samples approach an age of 40 years. As with every product that old, there are some things to be aware of when you are looking to buy a used sample. One of our readers, Q. Xu, did a side-by-side teardown of both versions, so we get to have a closer look at the differences between these versions and what to watch out for.
Of course this article may also be of help if you are looking to perform some kind of repairs on this lens on your own.

Continue reading Nikon AF 180mm 2.8(D): Versions, Teardown and Repair Guide →

Meta, Opinion, photography, The creative process, The Team's favorites

2023 in Pictures

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Introduction

laowa 35mm 0.95 worlds fastest lens review bokeh 42mp 61mp laowa venus optics venuslens fullframe contrast resolution bokeh optical vignetting fall off
Sony A7III | Laowa 35mm 0.95 | f/8.0

We always tell you about new gear here, but at the end of the day lenses are just tools needed to take nice pictures. Martin and I went through all the pictures we took in 2023 to choose our 10 favorites. You can find those pictures here with a bit of additional information, for which there is not always a place in the gear reviews.

Continue reading 2023 in Pictures →

Analogue, Leica M, The creative process, Voigtlander

Analogue Adventures – Part 27: Kodak Portra 800 Push +1 ECN-2

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kodak portra 800 analogue leica m6 contax canon fd olympus om
Kodak Portra 800

Here we will look how the Portra 800 holds up when pushed by one stop in combination with the ECN-2 processing.
Exposed as ISO800. Processing (ECN-2, Push +1) and scanning was done at Silbersalz35 in Germany.

kodak portra 800 analogue leica m6 contax canon fd olympus om
Leica M6 | Voigtländer VM 40mm 1.4 MC | f/2.0 | Portra 800 +1 ECN-2
kodak portra 800 analogue leica m6 contax canon fd olympus om
Leica M6 | Voigtländer VM 40mm 1.4 MC | f/1.4 | Portra 800 +1 ECN-2
kodak portra 800 analogue leica m6 contax canon fd olympus om
Leica M6 | Voigtländer VM 40mm 1.4 MC | f/1.4 | Portra 800 +1 ECN-2
kodak portra 800 analogue leica m6 contax canon fd olympus om
Leica M6 | Voigtländer VM 40mm 1.4 MC | f/1.4 | Portra 800 +1 ECN-2
kodak portra 800 analogue leica m6 contax canon fd olympus om
Leica M6 | Voigtländer VM 40mm 1.4 MC | f/2.0 | Portra 800 +1 ECN-2

Continue reading Analogue Adventures – Part 27: Kodak Portra 800 Push +1 ECN-2 →

photography, The creative process

How to: Create Environmental Portraits

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Introduction

laowa 35mm 0.95 worlds fastest lens review bokeh 42mp 61mp laowa venus optics venuslens fullframe contrast resolution bokeh optical vignetting fall off
Sony A7III | Laowa 35mm 0.95 | f/0.95

With lenses like the Sony FE 24mm 1.4 GM, Sigma 35mm 1.2 Art DG DN, Laowa 35mm 0.95 Argus and the Sony FE 50mm 1.2 GM in the E-mount lens lineup and the ongoing Instragram hype it might be a good time to talk a bit about environmental portraits.
What is an environmental portrait and what is the difference compared to a normal portrait? Which lenses work best? Which mistakes I made in the past but you can already avoid today?
These are the questions I will try to answer in this article.

Continue reading How to: Create Environmental Portraits →