While Sigma is mostly famous for their series of fast and big “Art” lenses they also offer a lineup of more compact and more affordable “Contemporary” lenses. At the time of writing this review, the widest prime entry of that series is this Sigma 17mm 4.0 DG DN Contemporary. Let’s have a closer look and also see how it compares to the Viltrox AF 14mm 4.0 FE Air.
Can a $369 lens really compete with a $6,600 Leica?
Fair warning: some results may surprise Leica fans, for better or worse.
Today I’m taking a closer look at the Thypoch Simera 35mm f/1.4 ASPH. Thypoch entered the market about two years ago, joining a growing group of Chinese manufacturers initially producing lenses for the Leica M mount. Since then, they’ve expanded their lineup from 21mm to 75mm, mostly with fast f/1.4 apertures, and have begun offering additional mounts beyond M.
In this post, I’ll be testing the Nikon Z version of the 35mm f/1.4—and putting it side by side with Leica’s own Summilux FLE II.
I tested this lens on a 46 Mp Nikon Z7ii and a Nikon Zf (Sample images were taken with a Nikon Zf)
You can see this review as a YouTube video here!
Many of the new manufacturers from China decided to start with all manual lenses and often of moderate specifications. With this Songraw 50mm 1.2 Moonlit the story is different: a complex autofocus 50mm lens with a maximum aperture of f/1.2, only Sony and Sigma released a lens with these specifications for the E-mount yet. But can a lens as ambitious as this from an unknown manufacturer actually be any good? Let’s find out in this review.
Released in 2007, the Nikon AF-S 14-24mm 2.8G was way ahead of its time. It pushed the limits of what can be expected from a very wide f/2.8 ultra wide angle zoom – by a lot actually – and not only rendered a bunch of primes in the 14mm to 24mm range useless, it also survived three generations of 70-200mm 2.8 zooms and two generations of 24-70mm 2.8 zooms, because it was simply so good, that it wasn’t necessary to replace it. Is it still a lens worth considerng today? Let’s find out in this review!
Continue reading Review: Nikon AF-S 14-24mm 2.8G – Way ahead of its time
In this review, we take a look at the Nikon Z 35mm f/1.4, released several years after the original Z-series 35mm, the Z 35mm f/1.8 S. It brings the long-sought f/1.4 aperture typically found on Nikon’s pro lenses, which is always an exciting option, but without the “S” designation used for the company’s higher-end optics.
The pricing is what really stands out: the f/1.8 S is actually more expensive, despite being about two-thirds of a stop slower. So which one makes more sense? A direct comparison should help clarify which lens is the better fit—and what compromises, if any, come with the faster option.
I 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.
Continue reading Review/Comparison: Nikon NIKKOR Z 35mm f/1.4 (vs. 35/1.8 S)