Category Archives: Review

camera, lenses, Nikon, Nikon, Nikon Z, Review

Review: Nikon Nikkor Z 85mm f/1.8 S

November 17, 2024 Martin 2 Comments

Introduction

The Nikon Nikkor Z 85mm f/1.8 S is a short telephoto lens that delivers excellent background blur thanks to its large aperture. While it’s ideal for portrait photography, it can also be effectively used for landscape and street photography, thanks to its relatively wide field of view for a telephoto lens. This professional-grade lens is designed for both professionals and enthusiasts. From 2019 to 2023, it was Nikon’s only 85mm option for professional use on Z cameras, until the introduction of the 85mm f/1.2 S. Let’s take a closer look!

camera-icon2 I tested this lens on a 46 Mp Nikon Z7ii (Sample images were taken with a Nikon Zf and Nikon Zfc)
You can see this review as a YouTube video here!

Sample Images

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Laowa, Review, Sony E-mount

Review: Laowa 15mm 5.0 Cookie – Tiny and Useful

November 12, 2024 The Team 18 Comments

Introduction

laowa 15mm 5.0 II fe venus optics review architecture 42mp 61mp sony a7riv a7rv sharpness contrast vignetting cookie pancake compact — Laowa 15mm 5.0 Cookie on Sony A7rII

In the SLR era some people came up with the term “pancake lens” for very thin 40 to 50mm lenses. Because of the short back focus distance of mirrorless cameras it is very hard to make actually useful lenses for them that are as thin as a pancake though, hence Laowa came up with the term “cookie lens”. This does not only sound more realistic but also pretty cute and the latest addition to this cookie line-up is this Laowa 15mm 5.0. Usually new features are reserved for expensive top-of-the-line products, but this lens already marks a very important point in Laowa’s history. Let’s have a closer look!

camera-icon2 The lens was tested on a 42 Mp Sony A7 RII (Sample images with Sony A7 III, Leical M10, and Nikon Zf)

You can see this review as a YouTube video here

Sample Images

nikon nikkor af-d 28mm 1.4 noct wide angle historical review contrast resolution famous 42mp 61mp bokeh vignetting coma aspherical sony a7rII z7 z8 z9 z6 zf — Leica M10 | Laowa 15mm 5.0 M | f/11

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Nikon, Nikon, Nikon Z, Review

Review: Nikon 58mm 0.95 Noct-Nikkor – The Ultimate Lens?

November 9, 2024 BastianK 18 Comments

Introduction

nikon 58mm 0.95 noct nikkor arneo nano high resolution bokeh portrait sharpness resolution lateral ca chromatic aberration aberrations zf z6 z6iii z8 z9 z7 z7ii z6ii 24mp 42mp 61mp — Nikon Z 58mm 0.95 S Noct-Nikkor on Nikon Zf

When camera manufacturers introduce a new mount, they usually also announce some fancy new lenses, which were simply not possible to design for the previous one. Canon for example did that by introducing the Canon EF 50mm 1.0L USM when they made the switch from FD to EF mount in 1989. And when Nikon made the switch from F to Z mount in 2019, it led to the release of this Nikon Z 58mm 0.95 S Noct-Nikkor, to showcase the possibilities of the much wider Z-mount. This is not only a rare, expensive and quite unpractical lens, it is also the best f/0.95 lens ever made. In the manual Nikon even goes as far as calling it the “Ultimate Lens”. Is there any truth to that? Let’s have a closer look!

Sample Images

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Nikon, Review, Tokina

Review: Tokina 17mm 3.5 SL RMC

November 7, 2024 BastianK 12 Comments

Introduction

tokina 17mm 3.5 rmc sl wide angle ultra review architecture 42mp 61mp sony a7riv a7rv sharpness contrast vignetting compact nikon d700 d800 d810 d850 d780 fm fe f3 f f5 z6 z7 z8 zf — Tokina 17mm 3.5 RMC SL on Nikon FM2n

In the SLR era it wasn’t easy to find ultra wide angle lenses and it was even more difficult to find decent, affordable ones. The Tokina 17mm 3.5 SL RMC was one of these few options. Back in the day I used it on my D700, looking for a wide angle lens for my analogue FM2 now, I thought it was a good idea to revisit this compact vintage lens.

Sample Images

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Review, Sony E-mount, Viltrox

Review: Viltrox AF 135mm 1.8 FE LAB

November 4, 2024 BastianK 14 Comments

Introduction

viltrox 135mm 1.8 lab fe pro af bokeh master gm sony 42mp 61mp a7rii a7riv a7riii a1 a9iii a7rv review resolution sharpness contrast bokeh vignetting coma astrophotography z6 z7 z8 z9 — Viltrox 135mm 1.8 LAB AF on Sony A7rII

In 2023 Viltrox started dipping its toes into the higher end lens market with the releases of their Viltrox AF 16mm 1.8 FE for fullframe as well as the Viltrox AF 75mm 1.2 Pro for APS-C cameras. Both lenses with great performance at a fair price point. Now at the end of 2024 we are getting this Viltrox AF 135mm 1.8 FE LAB, their most expensive lens so far. Let’s find out how it compares to the strong competition in this review!