I recently took a trip to Aizuwakamatsu, Japan and this represented an ideal situation to also test the Sigma Contemporary 20-200mm f/3.5-6.3 DG super zoom lens. The autumn colors were just staring to turn and the mountainous area around Mt. Bandai promised some excellent landscape and wildlife opportunities.
The "M" in the Leica M series stands for Messucher, which refers to a large and accurate rangefinder incorporated with a viewfinder. For decades, this Leica rangefinder system has been synonymous with its brand and is the basis for the charming shooting experience that Leica M cameras are famous for. But with the Leica M EV1, Leica has forged a new path, and it is sure to polarize its fans.
Fujifilm has a crowded lineup of cameras, which, from an optimistic viewpoint, offers photographers many choices. However, from a pessimistic viewpoint, the degree of choice can be intimidating to beginners. This is part of why it is so important to have a solid entry-level camera to welcome new photographers into the Fujifilm family. For many years, the X-T30 series has served this role well, and now a third version has arrived. Priced at $999, it keeps photography affordable.
Many of us started our photographic journeys with a fixed 50mm lens. Arguments abound about what the best focal length is, but none can deny that a 50mm is the crossover point from wide angles to telephotos. It is a versatile focal length that can accommodate so many different kinds of photography if one is simply willing to move their legs.
Zeiss is a famous and prestigious name in the world of optics, and it is very willing to partner with other brands to bring the weight of its name to the table. So often we see the Zeiss name attached to Sony products, Vivo smartphones, Contax cameras, and Cosina optics, to name a few brands, both past and present.
Sony was one of the first major manufacturers to switch from DSLRs to mirrorless cameras and subsequently rushed to bring out a line of dedicated lenses for what was then the new E-mount. To be completely honest, some of these lenses were less than stellar, but nonetheless had to carry the line for many years.
Nikon debuted its Z-mount cameras in 2018 and shortly thereafter came out with its first professional 24-70mm f/2.8 S lens. Unlike some of the other companies that also began making mirrorless full-frame glass, Nikon came out with a legendary lens right out of the gates. The original 24-70mm f/2.8 lens may have been a little bulky, but it was incredibly sharp, immune to flare issues, and excellent for video work, too.
Two things that I love are 85mm lenses and Tokyo, Japan. I was fortunate to experience both, and PetaPixel's Jeremy Gray joined me for a week in Japan to visit Canon headquarters and the Utsunomiya optical factory. We missed Jordan on this trip, but Jeremy had never before visited Japan, and we wanted him to experience all that it has to offer for the first time.
Arguably, a smartphone is the most important piece of tech most of us own, considering how integrated it is into our daily lives. However, they are also capable picture takers, and it is in this spirit that I look over the new iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max.
When it comes to the longer telephoto ranges, even Micro Four Thirds lenses can still be big, and not everyone needs -- or can afford -- the full reach of an OM System 150-400mm f/4.5. OM System has a couple of 40-150mm lenses in various sizes, and they have longer zooms up to 300mm with slow apertures. The time is ripe for something in the middle, and that's where the 50-200mm f/2.8 IS Pro comes in; but it will cost you $3,699.
Apple unveiled its iPhone 17 family today, including the much-improved iPhone 17, the ultra-thin iPhone Air, and the redesigned flagship iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max. The PetaPixel team flew to Apple Park in Cupertino to witness the unveiling and go hands-on with the new-look iPhone 17 Pro, and there is much to like for photographers and videographers alike.
In an effort to learn to love the 35mm full-frame focal length, I took the latest Meike 35mm f/1.8 Pro lens out for a spin. The Meike 35mm f/1.8 is an affordable take on the popular focal length, but it has some handy tricks up its sleeve that belie its lower cost. Many creatives who are looking for a compact and sharp lens will find the Meike 35mm ideal for street photography and travel. I carried it on a little road trip around southern Alberta, and it proved to be a handy companion.
Small, pocketable cameras with fixed lenses hold an enviable position in the camera world. If a manufacturer makes one, it sells out.
Smartphone season is here, and, as usual, Google is starting things off. The Pixel 10 series has arrived, and although a telephoto lens has now been added to the base model, we prefer to evaluate the highest-end Pro series for its creative photo and video usage. At first glance, the specs and hardware look almost unchanged from the previous models. So is new software enough, or is this the most iterative update Google has ever released?
The industry desperately needs more lens support for APS-C cameras and it often feels like a neglected market. Full frame is clearly the favored child when it comes to the camera game, but I happen to love smaller sensor cameras, which give a great mixture of compactness and quality. Sigma is on a roll, making sure to give users excellent and affordable optics for Sony E mount, Canon RF mount, and Fujifilm X mount. The latest $629 Sigma 12mm f/1.4 DC Contemporary lens seeks to cover the ultra-wide arena with plenty of light-gathering potential to boot.
The fixed 200mm f/2 is a very rare and specialized lens. In the DSLR days, there were very few available, and they were all ridiculously expensive. Canon and Nikon both made some very prestigious versions that delivered razor-sharp optics and incredibly shallow depth-of-field. They were also useful for low-light sports and action photography.
The Sony RX1R II was such a unique product for its time, offering high resolution mated to a stunning Zeiss lens, all in a compact size. However, it was always a premium product that demanded an exorbitant price. The RX1R II debuted at around $3,300, and let’s keep in mind that was nine years ago.
In Calgary, we have an annual Japanese festival aptly named Omatsuri. This is a fun event with lots of vendors, great food, and displays of Japanese culture. It's also an excellent testing ground for the new Samyang 85mm f/1.8 P FE.
If you have a Sony E-mount camera body, the world is your oyster when it comes to lens selection. If you have a camera in Nikon Z-mount, you'd better like Tamron and Nikon glass. With all the excellent third-party lenses being manufactured, Nikon users can feel a little left out. But what if you could mount E-mount lenses onto your Nikon body? Megadap decided to allow just that, and we got our hands on the $249 ETZ21 Pro to see if E-mount lenses play nice with Nikon bodies.
LK Samyang revealed a very exciting lens at the CP+ show in 2024 and it turned my head when I walked past the booth. Not only are ultra-compact ultra-wide zoom lenses few and far between, but this particular lens was a co-venture with the storied lens manufacturer, Schneider-Kreuznach.
I don't really like fisheye lenses. I've never found much use for them and find the surreal look of the images to be of limited utility. But that doesn't mean that I won't jump at the chance to give a new one a try.
"Then shalt thou count to three, no more, no less. Three shall be the number thou shalt count, and the number of the counting shall be three". The Quest for the Holy Grail by the comedy troupe, Monty Python, had it right. There is a Holy Trinity, and many professional photographers abide by it.
Light Lens Lab is all about recreating classic -- and hard-to-acquire -- lenses from the past. Its latest revelation is a faithful homage to the P. Angenieux S21 50mm f/1.5 lens. Originally designed in the 1950s with an M42 thread mount for the Exacta SLR, the S21 delivered that Silver Screen look, with soft corners and a gentle glow to the frame when shooting wide open.
Did Christmas come early? It’s the middle of the summer, and I am testing my favorite lens focal length. Not only that, the lens also happens to have a fast f/1.4 aperture and this comes just days after having tested the very impressive Viltrox 85mm f/1.4 Pro. I must be really lucky because the Sirui Aurora 85mm f/1.4 is lightweight, well-built, and a very affordable $600.
Recently, at the Bild Expo in New York City, I asked some prestigious photographers and creative professionals an important question: What is the greatest digital camera of all time? Some said the Fujifilm X100 series, some said the Nikon D780, and I even heard the DJI Pocket 3. Of course, they were all wrong. The correct answer is, of course, the Panasonic Lumix GM-5.
The Viltrox FE 85mm f/1.4 Pro is a professional-quality lens, but it is not the highest-end offering from Viltrox. The Lab series is the premier line of optics from Viltrox, and with this Pro series lens being a $599 bargain, I started to wonder if it was too good to be true.
The Sigma 17-40mm f/1.8 DC Art is the successor to Sigma's legendary 18-35mm zoom lens for crop-sensor cameras. It has been a long time coming and stands out as a truly professional APS-C zoom lens in a mirrorless era where APS-C zooms often target beginners and enthusiasts more than seasoned professionals. But does Sigma's latest live up to its legacy?
I'm not a huge fan of ultra-light travel tripods. As compact as they are, they often lack the stability required for anything beyond casual use. There is a balancing act involved in finding the right amount of stability while still keeping the tripod convenient enough to enjoy. I did not like the Peak Design Travel Tripod due to its fiddly head design and slightly wobbly legs, but they may have reached the Goldilocks zone with the latest Peak Design Pro Lite. This one feels just right. At $800, though, you have a fairly high price of admission.
Flagship cameras always get the biggest fanfare but it’s often the model that sits right below that gets the most play. These are the cameras made for the enthusiast photographer who does not need the biggest and fastest camera but does want some high-end features at a decent price. Where the OM System OM-1 Mark II is the pinnacle of OM technology, the new $1,200 OM-5 Mark II will probably be the workhorse of the lineup.
The Fujifilm X100 series of cameras is the most popular design out of the entire brand and possibly out of anyone else's brand, too. These cameras hit an ideal balance between styling and compactness, but they never really appealed to me as much as they seem to for everyone else. I know that I am in the vast minority with this very unpopular opinion but I think that a better Fujifilm camera exists and we all get to appreciate it together now because the X-E5 has finally arrived.