primelens

Chris Niccolls
A bearded man with short hair is smiling excitedly behind two cameras placed on a brick surface. The camera on the left is a Sony Alpha series, and the one on the right is a Canon EOS R5. Both cameras have large lenses facing forward.

Just How Good Are the Voigtlander Nokton 50mm f/1.0 and 40mm f/1.2?

Recently, I've pushed myself to look at third-party lens brands from China, which offer interesting character at a relatively low price. I wanted to try out the lenses that cost more money but might provide a more compelling user experience and the Voigtlander manual focus primes could be the answer.

Mike Smith
A black camera lens sits on a rock surrounded by vibrant purple flowers and green foliage. In the top right corner of the image, the PetaPixel logo is displayed alongside the word "Reviews" on a blue background.

Viltrox AF 56mm f/1.7 XF Review: Fantastic Images at a Budget Price

Viltrox has been busying itself with full-frame Z-mount releases over the last year, building upon the core of its business which has been centered around APS-C. In fact, the last Fuji X-mount release was the "Pro" monikered 27mm f/1.2 that I reviewed in August 2023. The new 56mm f/1.7 sits at the opposite end of the spectrum, retailing at an extremely modest $139. It may be budget in price, but its performance is far from it.

Chris Niccolls
Sigma 50mm f/1.2 Art hands on review

The 50mm f/1.2 Art Proves Sigma Has Mastered Lens Making

I normally dismiss ultra-fast aperture lenses because they tend to be overly large, overly expensive, and overly excessive. I rarely want to have the shallowest depth of field possible, and an f/1.2 lens is only two-thirds of a stop brighter than a reasonably priced f/1.4 lens. But what if I can have my cake and eat it too?

Chris Niccolls
Pentax 50mm Review

Pentax 50mm FA f/1.4 HD and Classic Review: A Tale of Two Fifties

I consider myself an ardent supporter of Ricoh/Pentax products and have always endeavored to review its cameras and lenses when many others have chosen not to. I also think that the Pentax brand has really found its niche as more of a boutique manufacturer, focusing on the classic SLR design -- a move that I think makes a ton of sense in today's waning market.