Review: Viltrox AF 85mm 1.4 FE Pro

June 16, 2025 BastianK 17 Comments

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

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Laowa, lenses, Review

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

June 10, 2025 Martin 16 Comments

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-icon2 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.

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

June 8, 2025 BastianK 12 Comments

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

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Accessories, Review

Review: TTArtisan Flash M01 + Wireless Trigger J01

June 6, 2025 Martin 3 Comments

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-icon2 I 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

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Analogue, Leica M, Voigtlander

Analogue Adventures – Part 41: Fujichrome Velvia 50

June 3, 2025 BastianK 10 Comments

Fujichrome Velvia 50 is one of the few slide films still in production. Many people swear by it for its punchy colors and superior image quality. Is that all true? Let’s have a closer look to find out.
Processing (E-6) was done at ProLab in Stuttgart, scanning was done by one of our readers via a DSLR. The pictures you see in this article are from one roll.