Took the new Sony RX10 for a spin recently. Am still waiting for a reviewing model, so no sample images to post yet. But using and handling the RX10 was such a pleasant surprise that I’m seriously considering buying one myself. Was actually in the market for a pocketable RX100 II — right, albeit being […]
Wow. What a great APS-C lens. Quite a beast, screaming “quality” all over, Samsung’s new 16-50mm F2-2.8 S ED OIS. It’s Samsung’s first “premium” S series lens, extremely bright and incorporating an “Ultra Precise Stepping Motor.” Make no mistake, Samsung ups the ante with this standard zoom offering greater “precision, high quality materials and value […]
By BENGT NYMAN It’s easy for the casual camera user to have deeply felt ideas about what a camera should look and perform like. However, the technology behind a well functioning camera is hidden to most and produces a marketable product only when properly combined and perfected. To support my claim I will make examples […]
With the exception of Canon, about every major camera maker has jumped on the bandwagon of retro-styled gear. Add the many nostalgia filters and looks available. “Classic” — a trend started by Olympus and Fujifilm with the OM-D and X series — continues to be popular with photographers and camera makers alike. The Nikon Df […]
The 1/4,000th of a second fastest shutter speed isn’t much of a problem with the Nikon Df. You get ISO 50, so there you go. The viewfinder? In another league, we hear from reviewers. Other not highest specs? Well wouldn’t that beat the purpose of an all manual, retro Nikon Df? You don’t buy the […]
First off: the Nikon Df is a kind of trinity between D4, Leica M and good old film. Right, of the D4 that costs $6k and Leica $7k. And I am the only one excited?! Online commentaries are rather condescending, accusing Nikon of too much and not enough retro for the sake of retro. But […]
Interesting premium superzoom by Olympus offering “serious features for serious photographers” — Even if you don’t consider yourself a fan fixed lens superzoom cameras, this new Olympus of top-notch build quality with more features than you’ll ever need looks like a solid compact travel and backup camera. Sleek and easy to carry, it offers a […]
Here’s a short synopsis of Michael Evans’ essay Leica Lenses on Sony’s A7s: The Big Controversy. At first take, writes Evans, the A7(R)s open up a fairyland of opportunity for owners not only of Leica glass but all M mount lenses including those from Zeiss, Voigtländer and others. Tantalizing thought, isn’t it, but the basic […]
By TIM ASHLEY Of all the tempting bones that the News Feed of THEME regularly tosses us, new cameras that offer improved IQ and resolution to users of much loved legacy lenses (and for me that often means Leica M glass) are amongst the most toothsome. Sony has announced just such an item of late […]
It’s made by no-frills film revivalist Lomography, all plastic and compatible with Micro Four Thirds cameras: an experimental lens kit including a 160° fisheye lens, a standard 24mm and a 12mm wide angle lens as well as color gel filters. Right, there’s a filter slot behind the lens so you can experiment with different color […]
What a beautifully diversifying industry digital photograph has become. As much as digital cameras seem to be “advancing,” they’re also diversifying. Photographers have access to more options than ever before. We all can enjoy photography with fewer compromises. Whatever your shooting style is, it’s highly unlikely you won’t find a camera that suits your style […]
Size and weight are the big selling points of Micro Four Thirds. But with the full-frame mirrorless Sony A7/A7R system cameras becoming reality, will there anyone still seriously insist that Micro Four Thirds is compelling on a size/weight basis? No denying: the larger the sensor = the better the pixel quality. Period. And today, with […]
Zeiss calls its new groundbreaking Otus 55mm F1.4 APO-Distagon the perfect standard lens. And no better lens to shoot with at night, promises Zeiss. Manually focused, rather big and heavy, the first Otus lens stands for the perfection of Zeiss optical design and engineering. Announced a year ago, the Distagon has finally been baptized, slightly […]
By DIERK TOPP My topic is sort of special and probably not for many readers, but it may be worth to think about using tilt-shift lenses on your Leica when shooting architecture. We’re not talking the miniaturization tilt-shift, but the serious architectural photography. Now, what are tilt-shift lenses? Wikipedia does a better job explaining it […]
Fujfilm’s most successful cameras — the X series — are all about retro feel. Now the Japanese camera maker takes the nostalgia to another level with the Instax Mini 90, a neoclassical instant camera that revives the old Polaroid feel. Well the Polaroid we once knew has become The Impossible Project still making the film, […]
Genius move by Sony: a wolf in sheep’s clothing with the heart of a NEX. By introducing the A3000, a no-nonsense mirrorless camera disguised as a DSLR, Sony might very well convince the people that still think a good camera has to look like a DSLR. Mirrorless adoption is still lagging in the Western countries […]
Right, there is Virb, an easy way for photographers and videographers to build a nice website. And now there is VIRB, a GoPro-like Garmin action camera. VIRB is not just another 1080p HD, water- and shockproof gadget in a highly saturated market. VIRB is like the reborn action camera. Not only the form factor is […]
Let’s go back in time a bit, to the year 1840 exactly, the birth of the legendary Petzval lens developed by Joseph Petzval. The lens revolutionized photography thansk to its F3.6 aperture which was considerably faster than other lenses of that time. But not only its speed made this piece of glass consisting of two […]
The story usually goes like this: you buy a new camera, and then you decide on the optics. That doesn’t make a lot of sense, really. Shouldn’t it be the other way round. Aren’t the optics at the heart and soul of an image? Sensor and camera are second priority. Rather decide first which lens(es) […]
Interesting little comparison for the eyes that can see, kindly provided by Dr. Ulrich Rohde. Looks like you get what you pay for and the APO Summicron takes the trophy. The more gently rendering Zeiss second, maybe? No surprises about the regular Summicron.
Not only do we have the official announcement of the first X series native telephoto lens: the Fujinon XF 55-200mm F3-5.4 R LM OIS finally gives the X-Pro1 and X-E1 the longer reach that has been missing in the original lineup. This new lens, available in May (preorder from B&H or Adorama), starts off exactly […]
If I’d had to be on that proverbial island, with only one single lens, the choice is easy: to me the 28mm focal length offers the perfect photographic vision closest to the human eye, ideal for documentary style, photojournalism and street photography. Now I was never really a friend of Ricoh’s relatively cumbersome GXR modular […]
This is quite some work by German photographer Helge Hackbarth of 3D-Kraft! Helge compares a unique collection of super fast — some F0.95 — 25mm, 35mm and 50mm prime lenses. His posts are for connoisseurs of bright, hyper fast and wide lenses, and whom better to ask than Helge who prepared some extensive reviews. In […]
By BENGT NYMAN I have been looking for it, in the blues and jazz clubs of Europe and in churches and holy places as well. The following is the opposite of a scientific ISO comparison of the Nikon D800(E) and its nearest competitor, the Canon 5D Mark III. DxOMark has already done what you could […]
We soon reach a point where we can’t hold those darn cameras anymore! Now we get world’s smallest and lightest DSLR. Seriously, Canon gives the camera miniaturization trend another kick-start with the unveiling of the EOS 100D/SL1. Impressively small, it’s essentially a shrunken down Rebel. Is the 100D/SL1 a broad hint by Canon that Micro […]
As pointed out by Leica Rumors, the Leica M Typ 240 image quality scores tested by DxOMark provide a welcome boost for the Leica M. The improvements over the retired M9 model are significant, but strictly technically speaking the M is still not playing in Nikon’s full-frame or the Sony RX1 league, says DxOMark’s Leica […]
Well it’s a concept. An awesome one. By Vincent Säll, a young industrial designer who’s always asking the question, “What if?”. What if Leica combined the features of a smartphone and it’s own high quality cameras with new technology and innovative design? So he created the Leica X3 — again, a concept just to enjoy […]
In a fast moving world where everything’s so complex and complicated, couldn’t we all do with more simple things. Aren’t the best things in life simple? In other words, isn’t the immediacy of the LCD the bane of photography’s magic. Doesn’t digital technology somewhat cheapen the value of an image. How about a roll of […]
These results have been around for a while, but maybe Leica photographers preferred to look the other way and DxOMark labs, commonly known for reliable sensor and lens tests, did not want to open a can of worms. In essence a repackaged DxOMark report on the Leica M9 sensor says Leica enthusiasts better be exited […]
By BENGT NYMAN Much has been written and speculated about the high MP Nikon D800E versus the sufficiency of for example the Canon 5D Mark III. This is not another of those reviews. This is simply a Canon shooter who has decided to broaden his outlook and use both. When I shoot seriously I carry […]
