Category Archives: Review

Review, Sony E-mount, Viltrox

Review: Viltrox AF 85mm 1.4 FE Pro

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Introduction

viltrox 85mm 1.4 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 AF 85mm 1.4 FE Pro on Sony A7rII

Released in 2019, the Viltrox 85mm 1.8 AF was one of Viltrox’ first fullframe lenses and has been an easy recommendation to anyone looking for an affordable 85mm 1.8 AF lens with great bokeh since. Six years later, in 2025, Viltrox released this Viltrox AF 85mm 1.4 FE Pro aimed at the higher end market. Will it also be an easy recommendation like the f/1.8 version? Let’s find out in this review!
Update June 17th, 2025: Bokeh comparison to Sirui 85mm 1.4 Aurora and Sony FE 85mm 1.4 GM added

Sample Images

viltrox 85mm 1.4 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
Sony A7III | Viltrox AF 85mm 1.4 FE Pro | f/1.4
viltrox 85mm 1.4 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
Sony A7III | Viltrox AF 85mm 1.4 FE Pro | f/1.4
viltrox 85mm 1.4 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
Sony A7III | Viltrox AF 85mm 1.4 FE Pro | f/1.4
viltrox 85mm 1.4 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
Sony A7III | Viltrox AF 85mm 1.4 FE Pro | f/1.4
viltrox 85mm 1.4 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
Sony A7III | Viltrox AF 85mm 1.4 FE Pro | f/1.4
viltrox 85mm 1.4 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
Sony A7III | Viltrox AF 85mm 1.4 FE Pro | f/1.4
viltrox 85mm 1.4 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
Sony A7III | Viltrox AF 85mm 1.4 FE Pro | f/1.4
viltrox 85mm 1.4 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
Sony A7III | Viltrox AF 85mm 1.4 FE Pro | f/1.4

Continue reading Review: Viltrox AF 85mm 1.4 FE Pro →

Laowa, lenses, Review

REVIEW: Laowa 8-15mm f/2.8 FF Zoom Fisheye

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LAOWA 8-15mm f/2.8 Fisheye Zoom on Nikon Z7ii

Introduction

The Laowa 8-15mm f/2.8 FF Zoom Fisheye is a full-frame lens that combines the characteristics of two distinct fisheye types in one: circular and rectangular. Fisheye lenses are already uncommon in the mirrorless world, and fisheye zooms are even rarer—this is, in fact, the only fisheye zoom ever made for any mirrorless system, and the fastest fisheye zoom ever made. Let’s see how it performs!

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 8-15mm f/2.8 Fisheye Zoom | @15mm f/8
Nikon Zf | LAOWA 8-15mm f/2.8 Fisheye Zoom | @13mm f/8
Nikon Zf | LAOWA 8-15mm f/2.8 Fisheye Zoom | @mm f/5.5
Nikon Zf | LAOWA 8-15mm f/2.8 Fisheye Zoom | @15mm
Nikon Zf | LAOWA 8-15mm f/2.8 Fisheye Zoom | @15mm f/5.6
Nikon Z7ii | LAOWA 8-15mm f/2.8 Fisheye Zoom | @15mm f/2.8

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Canon EF-Mount, Review, Samyang

Review: Samyang 85mm 1.2 XP – A true hidden Gem

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Introduction

samyang 85mm 1.2 xp premium mf canon ef sony a7r 42mp review sharpness bokeh coma vignetting contrast a7riii a7riv a7rv z6 z7 z8 z9 zf z7ii z6iii
Samyang 85mm 1.2 XP via Sigma MC-11 on Sony A7rII

Released at the end of the DSLR era, these Samyang XP lenses had a very bad timing to begin with. And unlike many of Samyang’s other lenses, this Samyang 85mm 1.2 XP was only available for Canon EF-mount, where it faced fierce competition from the Canon EF 85mm 1.2L USM II, which also featured autofocus – and on a DSLR with its subpar focusing aids no one wants to give up on that. Today we have mirrorless cameras that actually work much better with manual lenses, time to find out, if this is an overlooked gem or just an outdated relic from the past.

Sample Images

samyang 85mm 1.2 xp premium mf canon ef sony a7r 42mp review sharpness bokeh coma vignetting contrast a7riii a7riv a7rv z6 z7 z8 z9 zf z7ii z6iii
Nikon Zf | Fringer EF NZ II | Samyang 85mm 1.2 XP | f/1.2
samyang 85mm 1.2 xp premium mf canon ef sony a7r 42mp review sharpness bokeh coma vignetting contrast a7riii a7riv a7rv z6 z7 z8 z9 zf z7ii z6iii
Nikon Zf | Fringer EF NZ II | Samyang 85mm 1.2 XP | f/1.2
samyang 85mm 1.2 xp premium mf canon ef sony a7r 42mp review sharpness bokeh coma vignetting contrast a7riii a7riv a7rv z6 z7 z8 z9 zf z7ii z6iii
Nikon Zf | Fringer EF NZ II | Samyang 85mm 1.2 XP | f/1.2
samyang 85mm 1.2 xp premium mf canon ef sony a7r 42mp review sharpness bokeh coma vignetting contrast a7riii a7riv a7rv z6 z7 z8 z9 zf z7ii z6iii
Sony A7III | Sigma MC-11 | Samyang 85mm 1.2 XP | f/1.2
samyang 85mm 1.2 xp premium mf canon ef sony a7r 42mp review sharpness bokeh coma vignetting contrast a7riii a7riv a7rv z6 z7 z8 z9 zf z7ii z6iii
Sony A7III | Sigma MC-11 | Samyang 85mm 1.2 XP | f/1.2
samyang 85mm 1.2 xp premium mf canon ef sony a7r 42mp review sharpness bokeh coma vignetting contrast a7riii a7riv a7rv z6 z7 z8 z9 zf z7ii z6iii
Sony A7III | Sigma MC-11 | Samyang 85mm 1.2 XP | f/1.2
samyang 85mm 1.2 xp premium mf canon ef sony a7r 42mp review sharpness bokeh coma vignetting contrast a7riii a7riv a7rv z6 z7 z8 z9 zf z7ii z6iii
Sony A7III | Sigma MC-11 | Samyang 85mm 1.2 XP | f/1.2

Continue reading Review: Samyang 85mm 1.2 XP – A true hidden Gem →

Accessories, Review

Review: TTArtisan Flash M01 + Wireless Trigger J01

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Introduction

TTArtisan had earlier released LED lamps in  the shape of a 35mm film roll. Later, they also released the RGB version of those lamps. Tiny LED lamps that can be easily carried in a pocket and hidden behind any object to be photographed, adding an extra element to the images. Now, they have released camera flashes in that format, the M01 flash together with the wirelless trigger J01. Let’s have a brief look at them.

camera-icon2I tested these falshes on a Nikon Zf  and a Nikon Zfc.
You can see this review as a YouTube video here!
Sample images in high resolution here.

Sample Images

Three off-camera M01 flashes
One on-camera M01 flash
Four off-camera M01 flashes
One on-camera M01 flash
One on-camera M01 flash

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Nikon, Nikon, Review

Review: Nikon 58mm 1.2 Ai Noct-Nikkor

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Introduction

nikon 58mm 1.2 ai ai-s f/1.2 noct fast 1977 reportage press review 42mp sony nikon z 61mp z6 z7 z8 z9 a7riv a7rv contrast sharpness bokeh vignetting portrait coma
Nikon Ai 58mm 1.2 Noct-Nikkor on Nikom FM2n

Nikon made three manual focus f/1.2 lenses for the F-mount and the most famous one is undoubtedly this Nikon 58mm 1.2 Noct-Nikkor, often referred to as “the Noct”. What makes it special is its hand ground aspherical element, something you didn’t see often in 1977. Let’s have a closer look at this legendary lens!

Sample Images

nikon 58mm 1.2 ai ai-s f/1.2 noct fast 1977 reportage press review 42mp sony nikon z 61mp z6 z7 z8 z9 a7riv a7rv contrast sharpness bokeh vignetting portrait coma
Nikon Zf | Nikon 58mm 1.2 Ai Noct-Nikkor | f/1.2
nikon 58mm 1.2 ai ai-s f/1.2 noct fast 1977 reportage press review 42mp sony nikon z 61mp z6 z7 z8 z9 a7riv a7rv contrast sharpness bokeh vignetting portrait coma
Nikon Zf | Nikon 58mm 1.2 Ai Noct-Nikkor | f/1.2
nikon 58mm 1.2 ai ai-s f/1.2 noct fast 1977 reportage press review 42mp sony nikon z 61mp z6 z7 z8 z9 a7riv a7rv contrast sharpness bokeh vignetting portrait coma
Nikon Zf | Nikon 58mm 1.2 Ai Noct-Nikkor | f/1.2
nikon 58mm 1.2 ai ai-s f/1.2 noct fast 1977 reportage press review 42mp sony nikon z 61mp z6 z7 z8 z9 a7riv a7rv contrast sharpness bokeh vignetting portrait coma
Sony A7III | Nikon 58mm 1.2 Ai Noct-Nikkor | f/1.2
nikon 58mm 1.2 ai ai-s f/1.2 noct fast 1977 reportage press review 42mp sony nikon z 61mp z6 z7 z8 z9 a7riv a7rv contrast sharpness bokeh vignetting portrait coma
Nikon Zf | Nikon 58mm 1.2 Ai Noct-Nikkor | f/1.2
nikon 58mm 1.2 ai ai-s f/1.2 noct fast 1977 reportage press review 42mp sony nikon z 61mp z6 z7 z8 z9 a7riv a7rv contrast sharpness bokeh vignetting portrait coma
Sony A7III | Nikon 58mm 1.2 Ai Noct-Nikkor | f/1.2

Continue reading Review: Nikon 58mm 1.2 Ai Noct-Nikkor →