Hardware
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CFexpress Type B cards: Which to choose for the Canon EOS R5 and Nikon Z8?
CFexpress (Type B) cards are expensive, so choosing the right type is an important decision. As both the Canon EOS R5 and Nikon Z8 have a second SDXC UHS-I/II compatible card slot I suspect many users have simply opted for to use their existing cards. For stills, it’s not too difficult a decision and the faster UHS-II cards (V60 and V90) can also handle the bandwidth required for some of the lower-end video options with the V90-rated cards being the most capable. However, to access the high bit-rate options, including 8K and high-frame video, CFexpress is required. Prices of CFexpress have tumbled in recent months and even the most affordable…
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Zeiss 35mm F1.4 ZM Distagon lens review
Intro Although marketed for the maker’s M-mount Zeiss Ikon rangefinder, the range of ZM lenses is rightly popular with Leica M users. All are accessibly priced compared with their Leica equivalents and optical performance is often on a par, if not sometimes regarded as being technically superior. With the Zeiss Ikon camera now retired, this new high-speed 35mm model is aimed squarely at Leica’s core users. Compared to the latest iteration from Wetzlar, the Zeiss is priced somewhat modestly at around £1680 inc VAT. It’s supplied without a case or hood, but there’s no mistaking the quality. Build Externally the design is reminiscent of previous models complete with click stopped…
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Leica Summilux-M 50mm F1.4 ASPH Close Focus 2023 model: First impressions
The new Leica Summilux-M 50mm F1.4 ASPH Close Focus 2023 (11728) model follows the recent update to the Summilux-M 35mm F1.4 ASPH CF last year and adopts the built-in rangefinder decoupling or “double-cam” feature of the focus ring. The feature enables focusing down to 0.45m from the usual 0.7m – the former is the typical minimum focus of DSLR/mirrorless lenses of this focal length (50mm). The double-cam feature was first introduced on the Leica Summilux 35mm F2.0 APO and was quite stiff on the model I tried. To disengage rangefinder focusing, you push the focus ring through some slight resistance at the minimum focus distance marked at 0.7m in orange-coloured…
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OWC USB-C Travel Dock review: Great addition for MacBook Pro power users
If you’re a photographer, and perhaps an occasional videographer, using a modern MacBook Pro with USB-C ports you’re likely in the market for a compatible SD card reader or a dock, such as the OWC USB-C Travel Dock. Few photographers will not have heard of OWC’s multi-port docks, they are well known but these are desktop models and while excellent they’re relatively pricey. I have this model as well as the Travel Dock and it greatly simplifies my desktop. Fortunately, as a forward-looking company, OWC introduced a small Travel Dock version which is not only purposefully small but also relatively affordable. There are now two versions, the original (available in a range…
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Nikon Nikkor Z 58mm F0.95 S Noct: Initial Impressions
The Nikkor Z 58mm F0.95 S Noct is one of Nikon’s showcase lenses – a sort of throwback to the early days of Nikon’s interest in optical research. It’s certainly a lens that splits opinions – I’m still not sure exactly how I feel about it – though there’s no denying it’s a beautifully made lens that’s capable of extremely high image quality in all its nuances. You can read additional opinion on this lens here. Build Like other Nikon exotics it’s delivered in a massively oversized cardboard box but inside it contains a large Pelican type hard-case, instead of the more usual soft-padded type. I didn’t weigh the case…
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Sony FE 85mm F1.8 lens review: Excellent image quality at a reasonable price
Overview Announced in early 2017, the Sony FE 85mm F1.8 is a short-tele designed for the company’s mirrorless full-frame a9/a7 models. It will of course also serve double duty on the APS-C a6000 series, where it’s more or less a 135mm equivalent. Although not a premium G-master model like the F1.4 version announced the year before, it’s a lot smaller and lighter and still has some features that might be considered “premium.” This includes a near-silent, twin-focus drive system using a stepping motor, a focus-hold button that can be customised, weather sealing and a nine-blade circular aperture. It’s also quite nicely made, with a mainly metal exterior and a large…
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Nikon Nikkor Z 24-70mm F4S lens review: Compact and capable performer
This is what you’ll get if you buy one of the mirrorless Nikon Z 6 or Z 7 cameras as part of a kit, but as one of Nikon’s S series of primes it’s meant as a ‘premium’ model. While we’ve yet to see what one of the ‘standard’ models is like build-wise, this sober-looking lens is a step or two above the DX equivalent zooms in the company’s range. It’s nicely made but it’s not quite up to the pro-oriented build of the Nikkor Z 24-70mm F2.8 S (reviewed here). Still, with a part-plastic part-metal outer, this is intended as lightweight and compact design. It even has a retractable…
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Nikon AF-S Nikkor 180-400mm F4E TC1.4 FL ED VR lens review: Nikon’s best tele-zoom
The Nikon AF-S Nikkor 180-400mm F4E TC1.4 FL ED VR is an updated version of the AF-S Nikkor 200-400mm F4G ED VR – one of the first lenses Nikon added stabilisation (VR) to (the other being the AF-S Nikkor 200mm F2.0, effectively a 300mm on the DX only bodies back then) and the favourite of animal safari photographers everywhere. Not surprisingly, it’s also a popular choice with those that cover sports. This new model though is much more than just an update – it’s a re-designed lens complete with a built-in 1.4x teleconverter that’s meant to counter the Canon EF 200-400mm F4L IS USM Extender 1.4x, itself a showcase model…
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Sigma 45mm F2.8 DG DN Contemporary lens review: Great rendering and build quality
Sigma’s range of ‘Contemporary’ series lenses, such as the Sigma 45mm F2.8 DG DN Contemporary, are all about maintaining a balance between size, performance and price. They’re not smaller versions of the Art series lenses, which are meant to deliver the best possible image quality, regardless of size. With a 55mm filter thread, and weighing 215g ( 7.58 oz) its diminutive size in E-mount nicely complements the Sony a7/9 series and in the L-mount version, maybe also the larger Leica SL and Lumix S1 models, which it has also been designed for. At around £549 / $549 [advertiser links], this all-metal lens is beautifully made. It even comes with…
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Nikon Nikkor Z 24-70mm F2.8 S lens review: Nikon’s best 24-70mm to date
What is it? The Nikkor Z 24-70mm F2.8 S [advertiser link] is the first pro-oriented lens for Nikon’s full-frame mirrorless Z series cameras, currently the 24MP Z 6 and the high-resolution Z 7. Naturally, it’s a constant-aperture, high-speed standard zoom and has several features not found on the earlier consumer grade Nikkor Z 24-70mm F4 S [concise review]. Besides the larger initial aperture the new lens features 17 elements in total, two of which are ED glass to lower color fringing and four are aspherical to reduce distortion and spherical aberration. Like others in the S-series, it has Nikon Integrated coatings while fluorine coatings are used to help keep the front…
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