The 85mm lens is generally the most popular choice for portrait photography, but 135mm has long been an alternate favorite of a lot of photographers. Just like the former focal length, there are some impressive 135mm options out there, one being the Sony FE 135mm f/1.8 GM. This great video review takes a look at the lens and the sort of performance and image quality you can expect from it in practice.
Laowa’s ever-increasing wide angle lens range is getting larger with the introduction of the 12-24mm f/5.6 C-Dreamer for mirrorless cameras. With a fixed f/5.6 aperture throughout the zoom range, an all-metal construction, 15 elements in 11 groups, is this lens a dream to use?
A few years ago, if you wanted good image quality from a supertelephoto zoom lens, your only real choice was a first-party option. In the past few years, however, we have seen a real surge in high-quality third-party options that offer a lot of versatility and image quality at prices that often significantly undercut first-party lenses. This great video review takes a look at three of those, the Tamron 50-400mm f/4.5-6.3 Di III VC VXD Tamron 150-500mm f/5-6.7 Di III VXD, and Sigma 100-400mm f/5-6.3 DG DN OS Contemporary.
The Sigma Art Series has earned a reputation for impressively sharp lenses that offer loads of image quality at prices that often significantly undercut those of equivalent first-party options. One such lens in the lineup is the 24mm f/1.4 DG DN Art, and this excellent video review takes a look at it and the sort of performance and image quality you can expect from it in practice.
While Canon initially focused on full frame cameras and lenses with the RF mount, the release of cameras like the EOS R7 and EOS R10 and associated RF-S lenses has shown that the company also intends to develop APS-C options in tandem with the full frame line. For those APS-C cameras, there are two relatively new lens options, the RF-S 18-150mm f/3.5-6.3 IS STM and RF-S 18-45mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM. Which one is right for you? This excellent video comparison will help you pick.
Samyang has been long known for creating sharp, highly affordable lenses, and in recent years, they have added autofocus capabilities to many, increasing their appeal. One such lens is the AF 85mm f/1.4 FE II, which offers the popular combination of a classic portrait focal length and a wide maximum aperture. And at $799, it is far more affordable than many comparable lenses. Can it keep up with those other options? This great video review takes a look at the performance and image quality you can expect from it in practice.
Although I’ve watched videos and read reviews about Topaz products, I had never actually tried them, remaining faithful to my workflow and not venturing farther afield. I do like software and seeing what it can do with my images, but felt safe with what I currently use. So, what could Topaz Photo AI bring to the table that I couldn’t already accomplish?
