Category Archives: Review

lenses, Nikon, Nikon Z, Review

REVIEW: Nikon Z 20mm f/1.8 S

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Introduction

Today I’m taking a look at the Nikon Z 20mm f/1.8 S—a focal length that sits right on the edge between ultra-wide and more “safe” wide-angle lenses. It offers the immersive field of view that many people love for landscape, architecture, and environmental portrait photography, without being so wide that composition becomes tricky. The fast f/1.8 aperture is useful in low light, and combined with the focal length, makes this lens a strong option for astrophotography. It’s not among Nikon’s cheapest lenses at around $1000, but it is, of course, an f/1.8 S-Line lens. Let’s see if it’s worth the price.

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 20mm f/1.8 S | f/14
Nikon Zf | Nikon Z 20mm f/1.8 S | f/16
Nikon Zf | Nikon Z 20mm f/1.8 S | f/14
Nikon Zf | Nikon Z 20mm f/1.8 S | f/10
Nikon Zf | Nikon Z 20mm f/1.8 S | f/14

Nikon Zf | Nikon Z 20mm f/1.8 S | f/11 Continue reading REVIEW: Nikon Z 20mm f/1.8 S →

Comparison, Nikon, Review

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

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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 →

7Artisans, Leica M, Review

Review: 7Artisans 75mm 1.25 II

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Introduction

review 7artisans 75mm 1.25 ii f/1.25 china leica m lens contrast resolution m11 m10 42mp 24mp 61mp m6 analogue contrast bokeh vignetting
7Artisans 75mm 1.25 II on Leica M10

Released in 2019, the 7Artisans 75mm 1.25 was actually one of my favorite 7Artisans lenses so far, especially due to its nice bokeh rendering. Now the 7Artisans are back with this improved and at the same time lighter 75mm 1.25 II. Let’s find out in this review what has changed compared to the predecessor and what the pictures taken with this unusually fast 75mm lens look like!

Sample Images

review 7artisans 75mm 1.25 ii f/1.25 china leica m lens contrast resolution m11 m10 42mp 24mp 61mp m6 analogue contrast bokeh vignetting
Leica M10 | 7Artisans 75mm 1.25 II | f/1.25
review 7artisans 75mm 1.25 ii f/1.25 china leica m lens contrast resolution m11 m10 42mp 24mp 61mp m6 analogue contrast bokeh vignetting
Leica M10 | 7Artisans 75mm 1.25 II | f/1.25
review 7artisans 75mm 1.25 ii f/1.25 china leica m lens contrast resolution m11 m10 42mp 24mp 61mp m6 analogue contrast bokeh vignetting
Leica M10 | 7Artisans 75mm 1.25 II | f/1.25
review 7artisans 75mm 1.25 ii f/1.25 china leica m lens contrast resolution m11 m10 42mp 24mp 61mp m6 analogue contrast bokeh vignetting
Leica M10 | 7Artisans 75mm 1.25 II | f/1.25
review 7artisans 75mm 1.25 ii f/1.25 china leica m lens contrast resolution m11 m10 42mp 24mp 61mp m6 analogue contrast bokeh vignetting
Sony A7III | 7Artisans 75mm 1.25 II | f/1.25
review 7artisans 75mm 1.25 ii f/1.25 china leica m lens contrast resolution m11 m10 42mp 24mp 61mp m6 analogue contrast bokeh vignetting
Sony A7III | 7Artisans 75mm 1.25 II | f/1.25
review 7artisans 75mm 1.25 ii f/1.25 china leica m lens contrast resolution m11 m10 42mp 24mp 61mp m6 analogue contrast bokeh vignetting
Sony A7III | 7Artisans 75mm 1.25 II | f/2.0

Continue reading Review: 7Artisans 75mm 1.25 II →

Laowa, lenses, Review

REVIEW: LAOWA FF TS 17mm f/4 C-Dreamer

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laowa venus optics 61mp 42mp 46mp nikon z7ii high res resolution canon tilt shift ts-e pc-e perspective control TS T/S 17mm 4.0 review resolution contrast bokeh makro

Introduction

Laowa has already produced a couple of good tilt-shift lenses, such as the T/S 55mm f/2.8 and the impressive T/S 100mm f/2.8. Now they’ve introduced an ultra-wide-angle option — the T/S 17mm f/4 — designed primarily for architectural work. It offers the same handling flexibility as the previous two, including a tripod foot. Let’s see how the optics perform on this one!

camera-icon2We tested this lens on a 46 Mp Nikon Z7ii (Sample images were taken with Nikon Zf , and Sony A7III )
Sample images in high resolution here.

Sample Images

Nikon Zf | Laowa TS 17mm f4 | f8 | Panorama by shifting left/right and stitch (Martin)
laowa venus optics 61mp 42mp high res resolution canon tilt shift ts-e pc-e perspective control TS T/S 17mm 4.0 review resolution contrast bokeh makro
Sony A7III | Laowa T/S 17mm 4.0 | f/4.0 | shifted up (Bastian)
laowa venus optics 61mp 42mp high res resolution canon tilt shift ts-e pc-e perspective control TS T/S 17mm 4.0 review resolution contrast bokeh makro
Sony A7III | Laowa T/S 17mm 4.0 | f/4.0 | shifted up (Bastian)
Nikon Zf | Laowa T/S 17mm 4.0 | f/4.0 | shifted up (Martin)
laowa venus optics 61mp 42mp high res resolution canon tilt shift ts-e pc-e perspective control TS T/S 17mm 4.0 review resolution contrast bokeh makro
Sony A7III | Laowa T/S 17mm 4.0 | f/4.0 | shifted up (Bastian)
laowa venus optics 61mp 42mp high res resolution canon tilt shift ts-e pc-e perspective control TS T/S 17mm 4.0 review resolution contrast bokeh makro
Sony A7III | Laowa T/S 17mm 4.0 | f/4.0 | shifted up (Bastian)

Continue reading REVIEW: LAOWA FF TS 17mm f/4 C-Dreamer →

Irix, Nikon, Review

Review: Irix 30mm 1.4 Dragonfly

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Introduction

irix 30mm 1.4 dragonfly firefly blackstone south korea 42mp 61mp 24mp z6 z7 z8 z9 a7iv a7v a7riv a7riii a7r2 a7 a9 a1 review contrast resolution bokeh vignetting coma ca loca sunstars distortion
Irix 30mm 1.4 Dragonfly on Sony A7rII

Irix released a bunch of high performance ultra wide angle and fast primes at the end of the DSLR era. Because of this rather bad timing I don’t have the feeling their lenses have been exactly popular. Their 11mm 4.0 and their 45mm 1.4 proved to be very capable lenses in my reviews, so I thought I give this 30mm 1.4 a chance as well. With its 30mm focal length it sits between 28mm and 35mm – my favourite focal lengths – so nothing can go wrong here, right? 

Sample Images

irix 30mm 1.4 dragonfly firefly blackstone south korea 42mp 61mp 24mp z6 z7 z8 z9 a7iv a7v a7riv a7riii a7r2 a7 a9 a1 review contrast resolution bokeh vignetting coma ca loca sunstars distortion
Sony A7III | Irix 30mm 1.4 Dragonfly | f/1.4
irix 30mm 1.4 dragonfly firefly blackstone south korea 42mp 61mp 24mp z6 z7 z8 z9 a7iv a7v a7riv a7riii a7r2 a7 a9 a1 review contrast resolution bokeh vignetting coma ca loca sunstars distortion
Sony A7III | Irix 30mm 1.4 Dragonfly | f/1.4
irix 30mm 1.4 dragonfly firefly blackstone south korea 42mp 61mp 24mp z6 z7 z8 z9 a7iv a7v a7riv a7riii a7r2 a7 a9 a1 review contrast resolution bokeh vignetting coma ca loca sunstars distortion
Sony A7III | Irix 30mm 1.4 Dragonfly | f/1.4
irix 30mm 1.4 dragonfly firefly blackstone south korea 42mp 61mp 24mp z6 z7 z8 z9 a7iv a7v a7riv a7riii a7r2 a7 a9 a1 review contrast resolution bokeh vignetting coma ca loca sunstars distortion
Sony A7III | Irix 30mm 1.4 Dragonfly | f/1.4
irix 30mm 1.4 dragonfly firefly blackstone south korea 42mp 61mp 24mp z6 z7 z8 z9 a7iv a7v a7riv a7riii a7r2 a7 a9 a1 review contrast resolution bokeh vignetting coma ca loca sunstars distortion
Sony A7III | Irix 30mm 1.4 Dragonfly | f/5.6
irix 30mm 1.4 dragonfly firefly blackstone south korea 42mp 61mp 24mp z6 z7 z8 z9 a7iv a7v a7riv a7riii a7r2 a7 a9 a1 review contrast resolution bokeh vignetting coma ca loca sunstars distortion
Nikon Zf | Irix 30mm 1.4 Dragonfly | f/1.4

Continue reading Review: Irix 30mm 1.4 Dragonfly →