Reviews
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Sigma 24mm F2 DG DN C lens review
Sigma is well known for its Art series lenses, but the maker’s full-frame ‘Contemporary’ or C series lenses deserve equal recognition for offering great image quality in a smaller, lighter package. Take the Sigma 24mm F2 DG DN C lens reviewed here, for example, with a metal outer barrel and milled metal aperture and focus rings, it’s a very nicely made lens indeed. What’s more, weighing just 365g and measuring 72mm in length, the L-mount version I was sent pairs incredibly well with the tiny Sigma fp sent for testing. Inside, the lens has 13 elements arranged in 11 groups, with one fancy, fluorite-like FLD element, two SLD (Super-Low Dispersion)…
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Fujifilm Fujinon GF50mm F3.5 R LM WR lens review
What is it? The Fujifilm Fujinon GF50mm is a highly compact and relatively lightweight lens for Fujifilm medium format mirrorless cameras. It’s the equivalent of a 40mm on a full-frame 35mm camera, and at one time, back in the 70s, this focal length was hugely popular. Much of that had to do with price, as they competed with medium-speed (F1.8/2) 50mms – the kit lenses of the day – and were often sold as a more affordable alternative. These smaller and lighter 3-group, 4-element Tessar ‘pancake’ designs were and still are highly compelling. Indeed, the Olympus Zuiko 40mm F2 is around £600, secondhand, and the Contax Zeiss T* 45mm F2.8…
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Fujifilm Fujinon GF30mm F5.6 T/S review
What is it? The Fujifilm Fujinon GF30mm F5.6 T/S is a highly anticipated lens in the GFX system. Why? Because, it’s the first serious challenger to the Canon TS-E lenses (and the Nikon PC Nikkors), which are routinely adapted to fit on the larger-sensor GFX cameras. As a 30mm lens designed to cover the 44x33mm MF sensor, it is the equivalent of a 24mm in full-frame 35mm terms and is, without doubt, the most popular focal length for architecture and interiors. The manual-focus lens will also appeal to landscape photographers. (Arguably, a 35mm tilt/shift might be as popular or even more so (the Nikon and Zeiss 35mm shift-only models are…
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Fujifilm Fujinon GF20-35mm F4 R WR
Technical Data Manufacturer Fujifilm – Fujinon Model Fujinon GF20-35mm F4 R WR (equivalent to 16-28mm in 35mm format) Web www.fujifilm-x.com Elements/construction 14 elements in 10 groups Angle of view 108° to 76° (diagonal) Max aperture F4 Min aperture F22 Min focus distance 0.35 m (13.8″) Mount G mount Filter size 82mm Length 112.5 mm (4 in.) Diameter 88.5 mm (3.5 in.) Weight 725 g (25.6 oz) Price £2349 inc VAT ($2,499) Check stock and prices of the Fujifilm Fujinon GF20-35mm F4 R WR at the following retailers: WEX Photo (UK)| Park Cameras (UK) | MPB Used (UK) B&H Photo (US) | Adorama (US) | KEH Used (US) Articles…
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Review: Samsung T7 Shield Portable SSD USB 3.2 Gen 2
Samsung’s highly portable T7 Shield SSD with USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gbps) promises high transfer speeds in a robust housing, Kevin Carter takes a look. What is it? This small, highly portable bus-powered NVMe SSD with a USB-C 3.2 Gen2 (10Gbps) with read/write speeds of up to 1,050 MB/s and 1,000 MB/s respectively, is almost twice as fast as SATA-based SSDs (and 10x that of HDDs). As such it is ideal for photographers and occasional videographers. It’s also a rugged (IP65 rated) drive that’s ideal for replacing any old hard-disk drive for sharing across multiple devices, such as direct-to cameras (mainly but not limited to the newer Panasonic, Sony and…
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Review: Samsung T9 Portable SSD USB 3.2 Gen 2×2
Samsung’s flagship T9 SSD with USB-C (3.2 Gen 2×2) promises high transfer speeds of up to 2000MB/s not that far off from TB3/4 SSDs, Kevin Carter takes a look. What is it? Housed in a wonderfully tactile and equally practical black silicone rubber housing, the Samsung T9 is aimed at all types of content makers. Particularly though, with its high transfer speeds from a USB-C 3.2 Gen 2×2 (20 Gb/s) connector, this bus-powered NVMe SSD looks highly attractive for photographers and occasional videographers. The Samsung T9 is a small, highly portable and robust drive that’s ideal for sharing across several devices, such as typical laptop-to-desktop (short to long-term storage) scenario.…
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LEE100 Polariser Filter review
Lee100 Filter Holder – Why do you need it? Although you can use image editing software to achieve many of the same effects using specific filters such as a polariser to cut reflections and improve saturation remains an advantage for some types of photography, such as interiors and landscapes. As they cut down on exposure somewhat, they’re also used as an ND. They are also pretty expensive so if you have several lenses of different thread diameters using a holder can save a lot of money. Please note this review has been edited and updated from the Lee100 Filter Holder review, which can be read here. Lee100 circular-type polariser Lee…
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Leica APO Summicron-SL 50mm F2 ASPH lens review
Announced on 15 August 2019, the Leica APO Summicron-SL 50mm F2 ASPH is a relatively compact high-end lens for Leica SL cameras. Inside, the lens design is complex for a 50mm. But, it’s designed for a digital sensor so there are some prerequisites to satisfy. It has no less than 12 elements in total, with several AD (anomalous dispersion) elements to mitigate CA and fringing plus three with aspherical surfaces to reduce SA and distortion. The lens also adopts what some call. a ‘digital element,’ or a lens profile, to correct vignetting, distortion and CA, more as an afterthought in this case as the lens is so well corrected optically.…
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Nikon Nikkor Z 14-24mm F2.8 S lens review
The Nikkor Z 14-24mm F2.8 S is one of Nikon’s high-end S-line triumvirate of high-speed zooms (at the time of writing) and in effect replaces the renowned F-mount lens of the same focal length and ratio that redefined the ultra-wide-angle zoom in the SLR era. Kevin Carter takes a closer look. As a ‘made for mirrorless’ lens, it’s much smaller and lighter than its esteemed forerunner (650g vs 970g), thanks largely to a far less wildly convex front element. Indeed, the two highly convex elements at the front of the F-mount lens have been replaced by a single double-sided aspheric front element in the new S-line. While the change in…
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Gitzo GC5101 and GC4101 tripod bags reviewed
When a tripod is needed, a decent one is essential and most high-end models don’t come with a bag. A good tripod is a long-term investment so a decent bag is another essential, especially if you use it on location. Kevin Carter takes a closer look. I own both the Gitzo GC5101 and GC4101, which are designed for Gitzo’s Systematic range of tripods. While there’s only around 8cm or so in length between them the GC5101 is much larger in terms of internal volume and was designed presumably for the Geant (Giant) model, a 5-series Systematic that still measures some 73cm (35-in) even when collapsed. I don’t have that tripod,…
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