SongRaw AF 85mm F1.2 MS Review
In August of 2026 I had never seen an 85mm F1.2 lens on Sony E-mount, but here in the middle of September 2026 I am testing not my first but second 85mm F1.2 lens available for E-mount (though I’m testing…
Category Boutique Third Party Brands
There are a number of small lens makers who have been developing lenses particularly for modern mirrorless cameras. Most of these (but not all) are budget, manual focus alternatives.
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…
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 –…
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…
Meike MIX 24mm F1.4 FE Review
I’ve reviewed a few Meike lenses before, but never one like this one. My early experience with Meike lenses was that they were budget lenses that stood out above all for their bargain price rather the quality of their performance.…
SongRaw Moonlit 50mm F1.2 Review
SongRaw? Who is SongRaw? SongRaw is the most recent lensmaker to rise up in China, and they are starting in a much more ambitious space than most new lensmakers. Their first lens is a full frame autofocus 50mm F1.2, something…
Kase AF 85mm F1.4 Review
The company Kase has long been known as a filter maker, with a wide variety of filters and filter systems. But they have just released their first lens, and it is a surprisingly ambitious one. The Kase AF 85mm F1.4…
Yongnuo YN 35mm F1.8 ART Gallery
I’ve praised Yongnuo over the past few years for being innovative rather than derivative. My first exposure to Yongnuo is when they started making cheap versions of Canon optical designs (very derivative), but more recently they’ve found their footing in…
Yongnuo YN 35mm F1.8 DA ART Review
I’ve praised Yongnuo over the past few years for being innovative rather than derivative. My first exposure to Yongnuo is when they started making cheap versions of Canon optical designs (very derivative), but more recently they’ve found their footing in…
Yongnuo 56mm F1.4 DA DSM WL Pro Gallery
Yongnuo’s “Commander” series of lenses has thus far been consistently good. I’ve previously reviewed first an 11mm F1.8, then the first of the trio of faster primes at standard focal lengths. First came the 33mm F1.4, then the 23mm F1.4,…
Yongnuo YN 56mm F1.4S DA DSM WL Pro Review
Yongnuo’s “Commander” series of lenses has thus far been consistently good. I’ve previously reviewed first an 11mm F1.8, then the first of the trio of faster primes at standard focal lengths. First came the 33mm F1.4, then the 23mm F1.4,…
Tokina ATX-M 11-18mm F2.8 X Gallery
It’s been a long time since I’ve used a Tokina lens. I actually owned multiple Tokina wide angle zooms back in my time as a photographer before I became a reviewer. Tokina has released relatively few lenses in the mirrorless…
Tokina ATX-M 11-18mm F2.8 X-Mount Review
It’s been a long time since I’ve used a Tokina lens. I actually owned multiple Tokina wide angle zooms back in my time as a photographer before I became a reviewer. Tokina has released relatively few lenses in the mirrorless…
Yongnuo YN 23mm F1.4 DSM WL Pro Gallery
It was just a little over a month ago that I spent time reviewing the Yongnuo 33mm F1.4 DA DSM WL Pro lens, which I knew was the first to release from a series of three lenses in YN’s “Commander”…
Yongnuo YN 23mm F1.4S DA DSM WL Pro
It was just a little over a month ago that I spent time reviewing the Yongnuo 33mm F1.4 DA DSM WL Pro lens, which I knew was the first to release from a series of three lenses in YN’s “Commander”…
Pergear 100mm F2.8 2x Macro Gallery
A good macro lens opens up a whole new world of photographic possibilities, but it also represents a very niche area of photography. Some people are born macro photographers; it’s their favorite type of photography. Others don’t mind dabbling in…
Pergear 100mm F2.8 2x Macro Review
A good macro lens opens up a whole new world of photographic possibilities, but it also represents a very niche area of photography. Some people are born macro photographers; it’s their favorite type of photography. Others don’t mind dabbling in…
Yongnuo YN 33mm F1.4 DA DSM WL Pro Gallery
I’m back with another Yongnuo (YN) review. I was interested in covering their most recent lens on the strength of what I’ve seen from the 11mm F1.8 WL Pro I’ reviewed on Sony and the 50mm F1.8 DSM Pro that…