Level8 Voyageur Suitcase Review

I’ve spent years reviewing camera gear, lenses, and accessories, but travel itself is a constant companion in this work. Long flights, multiple connections, and the inevitable luggage carousel scramble mean that the suitcase you choose matters almost as much as…

Thypoch Eureka 28mm F2.8 X-mount Review

Thypoch has been one of the more intriguing new lens makers out of China in large part because of their unconventional approach.  Viltrox has muscled onto the scene by sheer force of wills, standing up to the big brands and…

Tamron 12-20mm F2.8 FE Review

Tamron has proven to be the zoom king in the mirrorless era, releasing a number of popular and commercially successful zoom lenses for a variety of camera makes. They have released relatively few prime lenses (mostly leaving that space to…

Nikkor Z 85mm F1.8 S Review

I’ve noted over the years that Nikon’s marketing strategy at the typical prime focal lengths (35mm, 50mm, and 85mm) is a bit unconventional. In the past the usual strategy was entry level (F1.8), mid-tier (F1.4), and premium (F1.2) options. But…

Viltrox EVO 26mm F2.8 FE Review

Until this point, the Viltrox EVO series has been fairly predictable. The series has been a winning combination of compact size, rich features, excellent optics, and a reasonable price. Across the three full frame (35mm, 55mm, and 85mm) lenses and…

Sony RX10V Bridge Camera Review

Before I shot DSLRs, and then mirrorless, there were ‘bridge’ cameras. I used multiple bridge cameras because of the great appeal of having better image quality than a ‘point-and-shoot’ camera (and more telephoto reach) while not having to deal with…

7Artisans AF 135mm F1.8 Review

Just a couple of years the number of native 135mm lenses on Sony E, Nikon Z, and L-mount could be counted on one hand, but first Samyang (my review here), then Viltrox (my review here), and with a big splash,…

Sony α7RVI (a7R6) Review

The Sony a7RV was already one of the most complete high-resolution cameras on the market when it launched. It took the excellent 61MP sensor and refined nearly everything else—ergonomics, AF, video, buffer depth, and flexibility with MRAW options—into a truly…

Viltrox EVO 75mm F1.8 E-Mount Review

The Viltrox EVO series has hit the sweet spot for a lot of people. First came the 85mm F2, then the 35mm and 55mm F1.8 full frame options, each of which has proven to be both critical and commercial successes.…

Viltrox EVO 90mm F2.2 X-Mount Review

The Viltrox EVO series has hit the sweet spot for a lot of people. First came the 85mm F2, then the 35mm and 55mm F1.8 full frame options, each of which has proven to be both critical and commercial successes.…

Brightin Star AF 12mm F2.8 Review

The newer lensmakers that were making manual focus lenses last year are all moving on into autofocus this year. This is the first time that I’ve reviewed an autofocus lens from Brightin Star, and they’ve created an interesting one –…

Viltrox TC-2.0x Teleconverter for Sony Review

Sony’s relationship with teleconverters on their mirrorless E-mount platform has been, well, difficult. While in many ways Sony E-mount has been the most open platform in the history of photography, Sony essentially chose two primary areas to “put a thumb”…

Thypoch Voyager 24-50mm F2.8 Review

Sometimes companies surprise you. I’ve been waiting for an autofocus zoom lens to come from one of the Chinese lensmakers, fully expecting it to be Viltrox or perhaps Sirui. Instead it comes from a very unexpected source – new lensmaker…

Sony FE 100-400mm F4.5 GM OSS Review

Lens design often becomes othodoxy. 70-200mm telephoto zooms “always” have fixed aperture of F2.8 or F4, but 70-300mm or 100-400mm zooms are “always” variable aperture. 70-200mm zooms are internally zooming, but 70-300mm or 100-400mm zooms are always externally zooming. There…