#manualfocuslens
Light Lens Lab 28/2.8 9 Element Lens Review: Impressive and Character Rich https://petapixel.com/2024/11/15/light-lens-lab-28-2-8-9-element-lens-review-impressive-and-character-rich/ #lightlenslab28mmf2.8 #leica28mm9element #manualfocuslens #lightlenslab #leicammount #mmountlens #Equipment #primelens #9element #Reviews #mmount #review
The TTArtisan 75mm f/1.5 is a Swirly Bokeh Lens with Vintage Charm https://petapixel.com/2024/09/25/the-ttartisan-75mm-f-1-5-is-a-swirly-bokeh-lens-with-vintage-charm/ #ttartisan75mmf15 #manualfocuslens #bokeheffect #swirlybokeh #fullmanual #Equipment #ttartisan #swirly #bokeh #News #75mm
The Harbor
https://www.dylanabbott.com/2024/02/08/the-harbor/
#lisinevodopad #lisine #kucajbeljanica #serbia #squirrel #photography #omzuiko #manualfocus #manualfocuslens #naturephoto #photo
#catsofpixelfed #photography #photo #cat #cats #catphotos #manualfocus #manualfocuslens #omzuiko #sonyalpha
#cycling #bicycle #bike #belgrade #newbelgrade #evening #photography #photo #manualfocus #manualfocuslens #sonyalpha #sonyilce7 #omzuikol
#belgrade #serbia #newbelgrade #postmodernism #internationalism #architecture #photography #photo #city #cityphotography #sonyalpha #sonyilce7 #manuallens #omzuiko #manualfocuslens
Finally got an adapter to put my #olympusOM glass on my #fujixs10
Today’s lens: the 17mm 3.5 Tokina. This lens was kinda rough on the Canon 20/30D, but the 10-15 shots I’ve done with it on the Fuji are pretty nice
Trying to get used to manual focus again. Trying to remember to hyperfocus.
#photography #manualfocus #manualfocuslens
Laowa Argus 35mm f/0.95 is the ‘World’s Fastest’ Full-Frame Lens
Venus Optics has announced the Laowa Argus 35mm f/0.95, a lens it claims is the fastest ever designed for full-frame cameras. It is available for Sony E, Nikon Z, and Canon RF mounts.
Venus Optics claims that the Argus 35mm f/0.95 is the first full-frame 35mm lens with an f/0.95 aperture, which must be a claim specific to full-frame mirrorless 35mm cameras from Sony, Canon, and Nikon and excludes Leica rangefinders, as there are multiple first and third-party lenses for the Leica M-mount that have reached the wide-open f/0.95 mark.
On that note, aside from Leica rangefinder lenses which have been historically compact, wide and fast lenses tend to be larger and bulkier. Venus Optics says its engineers have managed to strike a balance between ease of operation and optical performance and pushed the design to a level that can cover a mainstream full-frame sensor, achieve that performance, and offer a wide perspective in a shallow depth of field for a price that is still approachable at $899.
The Argus 35mm f/0.95 is constructed of 14 elements in nine groups including a single aspherical lens, an ED glass element, and four high-refractive-index glass elements. Venus Optics says that now only is the lens excellent for portraiture thanks to the shallow depth of field, it is also unbeatable in low light conditions.
The lens features an aperture de-click switch to allow it to smoothly transition among its aperture range for video use. Speaking of video use, Venus Optics says that it has well-controlled focus breathing which eliminates a distraction that can come from changes in the angle of view when moving focus from one object to another. It also features a 300-degree focus thread for use on geared rigs.
The Argus 35mm f/0.95 uses a similar internal focusing system as the Argus 33mm f/0.95 CF APO which Laowa says maximizes optical performance in both infinity focus and minimum focusing distance by "enhancing the stability." The construction also is somewhat sealed and prevents dust from getting into the body of the optic.
Below are a set of sample images taken with the Argus 35mm f/0.95, provided by Venus Optics:
The Laowa Argus 35mm f/0.95 is currently available for purchase through the Venus Optics website and will also be available through various resellers for $899.
#equipment #news #35mm #canon #canonrfmount #fullframe #fullframelens #laowa #laowaargus35mmf095 #manualfocus #manualfocuslens #nikon #nikonzmount #sony #sonyemount #venusoptics
Tokina SZX 400mm f/8 Reflex Review: A Challenging But Fun $250 Lens
Remember when lenses had character? Tokina remembers. Last year, it released the SZX 400mm f/8 reflex lens which oozes personality that most modern lenses miss out on -- it's a tiny but mighty telephoto lens.
While Tokina originally announced the lens in July of 2020, it recently also added support for Canon RF and Nikon Z mounts, making it available in just about every major popular lens mount outside of L-mount.
As a preface, the Tokina SZX 400mm f/8 is what’s called a mirror lens or a reflex lens (or if you want to sound like a real nerd: a catadioptric lens). This general design has been around for a very long time, going back to the 1800s when it was first developed for microscopes. With regular photography lenses, the light enters and travels down the optical path right to the camera’s sensor. For reflex lenses, the path is folded by an internal mirror which makes it possible to have long focal lengths contained in a relatively small housing.
Most all of these lenses, including this SZX 400mm, do not have autofocus and are manual focus only. They also all have a fixed aperture. That means that this f/8 lens is only an f/8 lens and cannot be stopped down further without the use of neutral density filters or other external means. Finally, they have a weird-looking front glass element because of the mirror system inside. This round shape that sits in the center of the lens shows up in the out of focus areas of a photo for a distinct look that we’ll see below.
Build Quality and Design
Owning a 400mm lens usually comes with limitations on where it would be comfortable to bring along. You wouldn’t necessarily want to casually take it on a dog walk where photography is not the primary focus, for example. Yet, the Tokina SZX 400mm to me does not reach the threshold of being a burden on almost any occasion. It’s quite small -- about the size of a standard 24-70mm f/4 lens -- and also very lightweight at just 12.5 ounces (354.4 grams). It’s a carry-everywhere type of lens, but it’s also got heavy firepower with that 400mm reach. That’s an exciting combination.
Looking at the full lens, we see a very simple metal construction on the outside. Virtually the entire lens rotates and acts as the focus ring, but there is a wide strip of rubber as well to allow for a better grip. The focus ring twists a very smooth 270 degrees that you’re either going to love or hate. While it allows for gentle, precise movements, it pays for this by being slow to focus greater distances.
For wildlife, I found it to be irksome having to twist so much in order to focus from subjects near to far and back again -- I cannot sweep the focus range in a single twist of my left hand while holding the camera steady in the other. As the focus moves from infinity toward the close focus distance of 3.77 feet (1.15 meters), the physical length of the lens also extends out up to around 0.75 inches (1.91 centimeters).
Left: Lens at infinity focus. Right: Lens at close focus distance.
Another point that I think many will agree with me on is that the lens hood design is not good. The metal hood screws right onto the lens’s 67mm filter threads and creates a few problems in doing so. For one, the lens hood cannot be reversed and attached to save room in the bag. Instead, it will need to be wrapped unsecured around the lens. Secondly, when the lens hood is attached, that means the supplied lens cap cannot be clipped on at the same time. Thirdly, one cannot use filters and the lens hood at the same time as they require the same threading.
On a positive note, Tokina designed the SZX 400mm to have interchangeable camera mounts. That’s right: the camera mount end can unscrew off and be replaced with any of the other supported mounts that are sold separately. For this review, I’ve been using the Sony E-mount version. However, if down the line I get into the Canon mirrorless system, I simply purchase the $29 RF mount, swap them out, and the lens comes with me. Mounts are available to be purchased independently for Canon EF and RF, Nikon F and Z, Fujifilm X, Micro Four Thirds, and Sony E.
The removable camera mount can be replaced with other available camera mounts from Tokina.
Image Quality
Inside, the lens uses six elements in five groups and has multi-layered anti-reflective coatings. For a $250 400mm lens, the image quality ended up exceeding my expectations. I never assumed this lens to be wildly sharp with stellar contrast and clarity, and sure enough, it doesn’t go that far. That said, Tokina SZX 400mm holds up quite well for the cash spent. After some minor tweaking in editing to bring back contrast in photos, it’s hard to complain when that’s all it really needs.
One benefit typical to the reflex lens design is the elimination of chromatic aberrations. While other cheap photo lenses out there typically suffer from heavy color fringing, there is none to be found with this 400mm lens.
As for image sharpness, I felt that was more a matter of attaining accurate focus in the first place. It can be a difficult task to hit critical focus manually with 400mm at f/8. The fact that the lens naturally lacks some clarity also contributes to the difficulty in eyeballing it.
I quickly learned that the best way to ensure sharpness was to use the focus magnifier setting mapped to a custom button on my Sony camera and digitally punch in on the image to adjust focus as I’m firing away on the shutter. It’s not the easiest thing in the world for constantly moving subjects like birds, but it gets the job done with greater accuracy than focus peaking or eyeballing from the full-frame display.
Lastly, we can’t talk about a reflex lens without bringing up one of its defining qualities: the bokeh. Since the lens features a round opaque structure set in the middle, this results in matching donut-shaped bokeh balls in out-of-focus areas of the image.
It’s busy, it’s strange, and it’s pronounced, but it’s also unique and fun and can give photos the extra spark needed to stand out in a positive way. Personally, I love it, but the trick is to really lean into the look and embrace it. If I shoot with the sun to my back and there’s flat lighting in the out of focus areas, it tends to not look flattering. On the other hand, shooting backlit and really trying to find out-of-focus backgrounds and foregrounds with scattered high-contrast light everywhere makes photos shine with a special, original look to them.
Previous image cropped 100%.
The Greater the Challenge, the Greater the Reward
This is not an easy lens to use, but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad lens. It’s actually quite fun to be challenged to find scenarios where the photos from this lens will pop because once you do, the results are magical. It’s also extremely handy to keep around since the size and weight means it can be tossed in any bag or left on the camera for whenever the occasion strikes to zoom in.
Are There Alternatives?
For $300, there’s the more expensive Rokinon Reflex 300mm f/6.3 ED UMC CS that can be purchased new for select camera mounts. It’s less focal length but also a fixed f/6.3 rather than f/8 like the Tokina.
Alternatively, since the mirror reflex lens design is more of a historical product in photography these days, there’s always the option to head to eBay and pick up one of the older designs and adapt them to a modern mount where possible. You can find 500mm, 600mm, and even 800mm f/8 reflex lenses out there for relatively cheap.
Should You Buy It?
Yes. For $250 and the ability to switch out camera mounts down the line, the Tokina SZX 400mm f/8 Reflex is a creative-use lens that’s worth the cost if you’re up for a fun challenge.
#equipment #reviews #400mm #birdphotography #catadioptric #lensreview #manualfocuslens #mirrorlens #reflexlens #supertelephoto #telephoto #tokina #tokinaszxsupertele400mmf8reflex #wildlifephotography
A Review of the 7Artisans 60mm f/2.8 Mark II Macro Lens
Macro photography in the field is not always easy or comfortable, often requiring long hours outdoors in the heat. So now more than ever, I’m seeing the benefits of lightweight lenses and bodies. Something as simple as being less burdened by a heavy camera in the field can help you brave the heat just a bit longer, and get more successful shots.
As a long-time Pentax user, I’ve become reliant on heavy traditional DSLRs and their pentaprism viewfinders, and haven’t gotten too deep into the mirrorless game yet. Although, a few years back, I did buy an old used Canon EOS M body (Canon’s first mirrorless offering) off eBay on which I installed Magic Lantern so I could use it to shoot RAW video.
Despite the poor ergonomics, lack of a viewfinder, and being a bit dated now, at only 262 grams, the Canon EOS M is still one of the lightest APS-C camera bodies (with a hot-shoe!) you can find out there. From the moment I got it, I dreamt of making a tiny lightweight macro setup with it. So when 7Artisans reached out asking if I wanted to review an EF-M mount version of their upcoming mkII 60mm macro, I jumped at the opportunity.
At only about 340 grams, the lens feels very lightweight, and paired with my Canon EOS M and Meike MK300 flash, I can get a very capable (and cheap!) macro setup that only weighs a total of about 800 grams.
Although the overall quality is nowhere near as good as the full-frame Pentax (largely a fault of the Canon’s dated APS-C sensor), the little setup is a welcomed relief from my usual Pentax K-1 setup, which weighs in at a whopping 2,200 grams!
This has honestly changed the way I shoot this summer, as opting for a lighter-weight mirrorless setup has made spending more time outdoors less of a burden. I can't overemphasize how valuable a lightweight macro setup is when you're out in the sun for hours, covered in sweat and battling mosquitos!
I also appreciate the simplicity of the lens: it has no shake reduction, no autofocus, and no electronic coupling. These things are nice, but just add weight and cost, and are not necessary to take nice macro photos.
Maybe I’m a bit spoiled and used to higher magnification lenses now, but the max magnification of 1x feels a little basic or underwhelming with so many nice 2x macros on the market right now. If anything though, the lens has got me more excited about mirrorless setups and little lenses, notably the 335 gram Laowa 65mm 2x macro. I’m sure there are even smaller, lighter macro setups to be achieved in the Micro Four Thirds realm, but I’m not sure if I’m willing to compromise with a sensor that small just yet.
In summation, the 7Artisans 60mm f/2.8 Mark II Macro Lens is a sharp, small, lightweight, and inexpensive macro that would pair well with a modern mirrorless body and has got me hooked on putting together smaller macro photography setups. One of the primary joys in macro photography for me is the time spent outdoors enjoying nature at my own pace, so any tool that can help me do that more comfortably is a huge plus.
About the author: Thomas Shahan is an artist and photographer based out of Tulsa, Oklahoma, who specializes in high-magnification macrophotography and has a particular interest in Oklahoma’s jumping spider diversity. He has worked as a co-instructor of BugShot macro photography workshops, imaging specialist for the Oregon Department of Agriculture, video game artist, and book illustrator. For more from Shahan, subscribe to his YouTube Channel.
#equipment #reviews #7artisans #7artisans60mmf28markii #apsc #canonmmount #efmmount #insectphotography #insects #lensreview #macro #macrolens #manualfocuslens #mirrorlesslens #review
ZY Optics Launches its 50mm f/0.95 Speedmaster for L-Mount
Zhong Yi (ZY) Optics has announced that the mirrorless Mitakon Speedmaster 50mm f/0.95 lens originally launched for Sony E-mount, Canon RF-mount, and Nikon Z-mount (and later came to Leica M-mount) is now available for Leica L-mount. It is the first-ever f/0.95 lens that has been produced for L-mount.
The design of ZY Optics' 50mm f/0.95 was originally announced in 2019 and features 11 elements in eight groups and includes two extra-low dispersion elements to reduce color fringing and chromatic aberration as well as one ultra-high refraction element near the rear of the lens. The company included both an MTF chart and a diagram of the optical construction which can be seen below:
As noted in the original launch, ZY Optics says that the lens gives photographers "excellent control" over the depth of field and provides an "enchanting and dreamy" image thanks to its shallow depth of field. The bokeh is promised to be perfectly round thanks to the nine-bladed aperture. The lens also uses the common 67mm filter thread size.
The Mitakon Speedmaster 50mm f/0.95 has what the company describes as a "premium" build, with an all-metal housing that ZY Optics claims is highly durable.
"A solid feel of precision in hand is given by an evenly scaled aperture control ring and clear markings on the lenses’ bodies," the company writes.
That extremely fast aperture of f/0.95 is ideal for subject isolation, but also for low light photography.
"For any low light and night environment, our ultra-wide aperture is the best match for your shooting. Mitakon Speedmaster 50mm f/0.95 can reproduce light source consistently over the entire frame, without the presence of spiky coma flare," ZY Optics says. "The f/0.95 fast aperture also excels in night photography. Photographers can capture charming moments at night with ease with the Mitakon Speedmaster."
Photo by Wen Tai Photo by Wen Tai Photo by Wen Tai
The company also touts the lens as ideal for videography, and says that filmmakers will find its de-clicked aperture allows for smooth transitions of exposure control. ZY Optics also says that its close-to-460-degree long focus throw allows a high level of precision in the adjustment of the focus point.
The Zhong Yi Optics Mitakon Speedmaster 50mm f/0.95 for L-mount is available now directly from the company's website for $800.
#equipment #news #f095 #fastlens #leica #leicalmount #lmount #lmountalliance #manualfocuslens #panasonic #sigma #zhongyi #zhongyioptics #zyoptics #zyopticsmitakon50mmf095