Lenses

When zoom camera lenses creep – who do you call? Lensband!

Are you a DSLR shooter and do you own a super zoom lens? If you can answer yes to that double-question, then you’ve probably already heard about “lens creep”, or perhaps you’ve experienced it yourself, on your own lens(es), maybe even quite often. If you answered “no” to the double-question, but you’re considering buying a … Read more →

Sony NEX converters: Ultra Wide Angle & Fisheye, on 16mm f2.8 [Photos]

Here’s a quick comparison shot between three Sony NEX lenses. Actually, it’s only one lens, but with two converters. So what we have here, are the following lenses/converters: Sony SEL16F28 which is a 16mm f2.8 wide-angle lens. Sony VCLECU1 which is a 12mm ultra-wide angle converter. Sony VCLECF1 which is a fisheye converter. Voigtländer Nokton … Read more →

Tamron 18-270mm PZD review – well, kinda, it’s just my impressions!

The thing about opinions is that they change from time to time. Just one year ago, I was on about “lens quality” and “pixel sharpness” etc., I was shooting with expensive, good quality glass on my D7000. I even published a blog post comparing the expensive Nikon 24-120mm F4 VR lens with the cheaper superzoom … Read more →

Nikon: Why in-lens stabilization (VR) is better than in-camera [video]

Nikon published in a recent article four reasons why in-lens stabilization (Vibration Reduction) is better than in-camera stabilization: Corrected finder image makes photo composition easy. Each lens is optimally tuned to achieve reliable correction. Image information captured by the AF and metering sensors is corrected with in-lens VR. Patterns of image blur are not the … Read more →

Nikkor 24-120mm f4 (vs Nikkor 18-200mm VR in quick lens sharpness comparison test)

I’ve been a happy user of Nikon’s 1st generation Nikkor 18-200mm VR f3.5-5.6 DX lens since I got it for my Nikon D5000 shortly after I purchased the D5000. However, I quickly learned that a fast prime was a must so I also purchased the Nikkor 35mm f1.8 AF-S, which is an amazing (and cheap) lens, I highly recommend it.

As for the 18-200mm VR lens, it ended up spending more and more time collecting dust on the shelf after I upgraded my D5000 to the new Nikon D7000. An upgrade which was well worth-it in my case, I might add (also read: 5 reasons to replace your Nikon D5000 with D7000 and 5 reasons not to replace your Nikon D5000 with D7000). The only downside is, the D7000 demands quality glass. You’re not going to get worse pictures with D7000 and the same lenses as used on D5000 or similar, but D7000 more easily shows minor faults in your not-so-expensive lenses. For me, this meant my trusty old 18-200mm lens really started to show those compromises that everybody is talking about in terms of super zooms.

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Fixing Lens Creep on Nikon 24-120mm f4 and 18-200mm VR lenses

What’s lens creep? Well, lens creep is basically what happens when your zoom lens is quite front-heavy so if you hold it down it might creep out (zoom) by itself, or if it’s already zoomed out and you hold it up, it might creep back down again. If your lens is creeping in or out … Read more →

Nikon: New cameras & lenses in 2010

We probably shouldn’t expect any more product announcements from Nikon this year as we’re closing in on 2011, so here’s a list of the camera-related products released/announced by Nikon in 2010: Click on the pictures below to enlarge! DSLR & Speedlight Nikon D3100 ($647 with 18-55mm kit lens) Nikon D7000 ($1,199 body only) SB-700 Speedlight … Read more →

Video: Comparing autofocus motor noise on camera lenses

One of the reasons I picked the Sigma 70-200/2.8 HSM II over Tamron’s 70-200/2.8 was because of the faster – and quieter autofocus motor – in the Sigma, so I decided to throw together a quick video to demonstrate the differences in autofocus motor noise on the following lenses: Sigma 70-200/2.8 HSM II Nikkor 18-200mm … Read more →

Nikon D5000 DSLR Review – 6 Months After Purchase

It’s been more than six months since I purchased my first Digital SLR camera, the Nikon D5000, a camera that recently won the reddot design award 2010. If you’re looking for in-depth Nikon D5000 reviews, check out these great ressources. They do a much better job at reviewing cameras, than I would ever be able … Read more →