Compact 180-200mm primes are pretty much dead today and have been replaced by bigger and heavier zoom lenses. Personally, I have been hoping for a modern incarnation of something like the Voigtländer 180mm 4.0 SL Apo-Lanthar or the Sigma 180mm 5.6 Apo Macro for a long time. In 2025 Laowa released this Laowa 180mm 4.5 1.5:1 Apo Macro. Is this the versatile tele prime we have been waiting for? Let’s try to find out in this review. Update 10/25: a firmware update has been released allowing for automated focus stacking, see here.
Inspired by a 19th-century design with a cult following, Lomography has brought the spirit of Joseph Petzval’s optics into the mirrorless era. Over the years, Lomography has released several lenses based on Joseph Petzval’s original 1840s optical designs. The Lomography Petzval 55mm f/1.7 Bokeh Control MKII is the company’s first Art Lens built specifically for full-frame mirrorless cameras. It’s a reimagining of the original design, aiming to replicate the aesthetic qualities of those early lenses: a sharp centre and wild, swirling bokeh that makes any merry-go-round effect fade in comparison.
I’ve reviewed other lenses that produce a somewhat similar effect — such as the Helios 40, Helios 44, and TTArtisan’s remake of the Carl Zeiss Biotar 75/1.5 — but in terms of effect, those are more like corrected versions of this lens, taming the aberrations that create its distinctive bokeh.
While I usually follow a standard testing procedure, you’ll see that there’s little point in doing so with this lens. After all, it’s not sharpness charts or corner performance that matter here—this is a lens about feel, character, and swirly chaos. So, this will be part review, part test—let’s dive in!
Nikon Zf | LOMOGRAPHY New Petzval 55mm 1.7 Bokeh Control Mark II | f/1.7 | BC7Nikon Zf | LOMOGRAPHY New Petzval 55mm 1.7 Bokeh Control Mark II | f/2Nikon Zf | LOMOGRAPHY New Petzval 55mm 1.7 Bokeh Control Mark II | f/1.7 | BC7Nikon Zf | LOMOGRAPHY New Petzval 55mm 1.7 Bokeh Control Mark II | f/1.7 | BC7Nikon Zf | LOMOGRAPHY New Petzval 55mm 1.7 Bokeh Control Mark II | f/1.7
Pergear entered the memory card market later than many of the bigger players, but in 2022 and 2023 they launched high-spec CFexpress Type B and Type A cards at far more budget-friendly prices. They’re quickly carving out a place for themselves alongside more established brands.
When they asked if I wanted to test their newest card, I agreed—mainly because I wanted to see how it stacks up against the cards I already use in my cameras. Let’s take a closer look.
I tested this card on a 46 MpNikon Z7ii You can see this review as a YouTube video here!
Sometimes when new lenses are being announced they sound too good to be true and here that was certainly the case: the Sony FE 16mm 1.8 G has a lower MSRP than the already amazingly great Sony FE 20mm 1.8 G while being similarly sized. But not enough: it is “only” 2 mm less wide than the higher priced and much bigger Sony FE 14mm 1.8 GM which doesn’t even feature a filter thread. Is this the perfect ultra wide angle prime for fullframe Sony E-mount cameras? Let’s find out in this review.
Sample Image
Sony A7III | Sony FE 16mm 1.8 G | f/1.8Sony A7III | Sony FE 16mm 1.8 G | f/2.2Sony A7III | Sony FE 16mm 1.8 G | f/1.8Sony A7III | Sony FE 16mm 1.8 G | f/2.8Sony A7III | Sony FE 16mm 1.8 G | f/2.8Nikon Zf | megadap ETZ21pro | Sony FE 16mm 1.8 G | f/5.6Sony A7III | Sony FE 16mm 1.8 G | f/4.0
As promised in my previous analogue articles, “Analogue Photography – A Personal Journey Part 1 and Part 2”, I’ve started shooting with film again and will be sharing the results from each roll in this series.
The pictures you see in this article all come from a single roll of Tri-X, shot at ISO 400 and developed and scanned by bildskanning.com in Sweden.
You can see this article as a YouTube video here!
For the first instalment, I wanted to begin with one of the oldest and most classic black-and-white films available: Kodak Tri-X. It’s a cornerstone of analogue photography, used for generations by renowned photographers. Tri-X first appeared in the 1940s as a sheet film rated at ASA 200, and since 1954 it has been available in 35mm and 120 roll formats at ISO 400.
Sony α | Leica M | Nikon F/Z New article every week
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I tested this lens on a 
You can see this review as a 
Sample images in high resolution 
