Reviews

Hands-On with the Kowa Micro Four Thirds lenses at TPS

06/03/2014 By Mathieu

In February 2014, the Japanese brand Kowa announced the development of three MFT manual focus lenses: an 8.5mm f/2.8, a 12mm f/1.8 and a 25mm f/1.8. I had the chance to try two of them at The Photography Show in Birmingham. The lenses I tried had an older exterior design but the optical design inside is exactly the same as that in the definitive versions.

Hands-On with the Panasonic GH4, Leica 15mm and Nocticron 42,5mm at the TPS

04/03/2014 By Mathieu

If there was one thing I was dying to try at The Photography Show in Birmingham, it was the new Panasonic GH4. The reasons are many: it is a new high-end Micro Four Thirds camera with a brand new sensor, an improved autofocus system and 4K video recording at 100mbps, amongst many other things. The list of improvements is actually much longer but I will stick to the main aspects since I only had a few minutes with the camera, which, I should mention, was tied to the Panasonic desk like a dog on the leash. 😀

First Impressions of the LEE Filters Seven5 Starter Kit

24/02/2014 By Heather

The LEE Filters Seven5 Starter Kit arrived on our doorstep for testing well over a month ago, but between a mix of predictably miserable February weather and the onslaught of recent releases and announcements, I only just got around to testing it this past week.

M.Zuiko 25mm f/1.8 Review: A small yet capable prime from Olympus

18/02/2014 By Mathieu

A 50mm lens on 35mm format is the closest field of view we can get to the human eye. It is the focal length often found on the ideal kit lens for old SLR cameras and has always been one of the cheapest prime lenses you can buy for your camera (depending on the aperture). It is the standard lens by definition and you’ll most likely find it inside many a photographer’s camera bag. Up until now Micro Four Thirds users only had two options: the Panasonic Leica 25mm f/1.4 (equivalent to 50mm on MFT format), a great lens but expensive if you consider the system and the type of lens, and the Voigltänder Nokton f/0.95, a manual focus only lens that costs almost $1000.

Reviewing PhotoMADD’s X100s Grip and Tripod Plate Kit

17/02/2014 By Heather

“Why add a grip to such a svelte camera as the X100/s?”

This was a valid question we received when we posted an image of PhotoMADD’s X100/s grip and tripod plate kit the other day. Indeed, one of the biggest advantages of the X100/s system is its compactness and portability, so adding a grip may seem like creating a problem for an already-existing solution.

However, after extensively using the kit over the weekend, my impression is that despite the increase in size, it actually has improved my personal shooting experience with the X100s.