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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 ED glass, 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…
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Capture One Deals Explained
Update (December 07, 2019): Phase One has announced Capture One Pro 20 (version 13). There aren’t any special prices now, but you can still buy a license and bundle some styles together for impressive savings. Please add the promo code ‘DJP’ during checkout (you can make sure it’s recognized as a penny/cent is removed from the price) as a show of support for this site. I’ll earn some small commission payments which will help towards maintaining the site. Update (November 05, 2019): There are no discounts available for purchasing Capture One Pro 12 now, but there are still some savings to be had if you buy their styles with a…
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Nikon to launch new Noct-Nikkor end of October
Update: Nikon UK kindly sent me one to review for a leading UK photo magazine – you can see my first impressions here. Nikon’s previously announced Nikkor Z 58mm F0.95 S Noct is set to ship at the end of the month (31st October) for a shade under $8,000 in the US, and around £8,299 (in VAT) in UK. The ultra-high speed Z-mount lens takes the Noct moniker from the AI/AIS 58mm F1.2 from the 70’s and early 80’s (first production was 1977) respectively. That lens was originally designed for low-light reportage and featured a single large diameter, hand-ground aspherical element in its optical design, where the brighter…
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Save 10% on Capture One during October
From today through to 31st October, you can save 10% on any Capture One Pro product (perpetual licenses, subscriptions and styles) purchased through the official Capture One store. During checkout, please add the promo code: OCT-AF-VAG. 1 Go to the official Capture One store, and select the product you want. Then click on Enter Promotional Code and add the OCT-AF-VAG in the dialog box that opens. Click Apply, and verify the 10% discount has been applied before adding your details. If you click on the checkout basket, top left, you’ll see two items have been added. The licence and a $20 gift card (offer extended through October) to spend on…
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Sony a9 II announced with new improved body design and enhanced connectivity features
Introduced today, the new Sony a9 II follows a familiar body design to its predecessor but includes some design cues from the Sony a7R IV, including a larger grip and improved button design, refined (larger) joystick design and a lock button for the exposure compensation dial. Other refinements include an upgraded Bionz x processor, improved IBIS up to 5.5-stops (from 5-stops), upgraded weatherproofing, a shutter mechanism tested in excess of 500k cycles (in line with Nikon and Canon pro-models) and an improvement in the burst rate to 10 fps when used mechanically, up from around 5 fps. Continuous shooting with the electronic shutter remains at 20 fps, however, the dual…
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New Editorial Style Packs Announced for Capture One Pro
If you’re looking to improve the workflow for your editing in Capture One Pro, then I’m pleased to announce that our new Editorial Styles collection (available for instant download from this site) are perfect for saving time and recreate that cinematic effect with the popular matte look to the shadows. Available in a complete set for $79.99 reduced to $49.99 (plus sales tax, if applicable) the Editorial Style Pack consists of 24 individual Styles which have six different colour grades – Orange/Blue, Sage, Stone, Magenta, Tan and Cool Blue, each available in four density and contrast variations. Each Style adopts the stated colour grade with a matte look for the shadows…
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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 who cover sports. This new model, though, is much more than just an update – it’s a redesigned 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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How to easily install and organise Styles in Capture One Pro
Capture One Styles are an important feature in Capture One and Capture One Pro. Styles are perhaps the single most important aid to your branding, and can save you both time and money when re-creating your unique creative vision. In addition to the Built-in Styles that are supplied with Capture One Pro, which you can use as a starting point to edit your images, you can also buy additional Styles or “Style Packs” from the official Capture One site [official link*] or from our Store. While Styles can greatly improve your workflow and reduce the time you spend editing, they’re not an instant fix for problem images. It’s…
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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…
