#or why the heavy use of vignetting

[abirdie]

Gael García Bernal photographed in Madrid by Juan Barbosa, 26 April 2024.

[5-secondsofcolor]

Wishful Thinking

Summary: What happens when Luke makes the wrong wish to the right person? A simple airplane conversation changes his life and now he’s got to find the resolve to fix it. Careful what you wish for, you just might get it.

Length: 4.8k

Warning: None

Eliza wakes up to find a text message from Luke Hemming, “There’s a delay on my way home, baby. I’m going to be stuck with a layover in Hong Kong overnight.” 

Who the hell is Luke? Luke. Luke Hemmings? Why’s anyone calling her baby nevertheless, Luke Hemmings. Confused, Eliza calls her best friend, if anyone’s setting this straight it has to be Teresa. 

“I’m going to assume Luke’s not home yet if you have the time to call me.” Teresa jokes. 

“Tere.” The seriousness in Eliza’s tone stops Teresa dead in her tracks. 

“Eliza?” 

“Who’s Luke?” 

There’s a pause on the other side of the phone, Teresa hesitates wondering if she should respond with sass instead she explains plainly, “He’s your boyfriend.”

“My what now?” 

“Boyfriend? Novio? Significant other?” She rambles on becoming alarmed at the lack of playfulness in Liz’s tone. 

Eliza look around her apartment. It’s the same one she’s lived in for years, the same decorations adorn the walls, the same pictures, save a few new ones, hang above her desk. She looks more closely at the new ones and sees herself with arms wrapped tightly around a man’s waist. His thin frame towering over her own as he leans down kissing the top of her head. Blinking rapidly she takes it down, yeah that’s definitely Luke Hemmings. 

She takes a seat feeling her body run hot as she tries to wrap her head around it, “I don’t remember this.” 

“What are you talking about Eliza? You’ve been together for almost two years.” 

“Tere, I can’t remember him.” 

“Liz, I’m coming over. Just sit still and I’ll be there in like 15 minutes,” She promises as she grabs her keys and heads out of her apartment. 

Liz sits at her desk, looking at all the other pictures of them together; they’re almost believable but there’s no way she could just forget it all. She gently runs her fingers along the border of the frames. It’s surreal, the small polaroids feeling fake as she stares and waits. 

—

Tere doesn’t bother knocking, letting herself in with a spare key instead. She finds Liz at her small desk still looking over the pictures of her with Luke. Her expression contorted with panic as she looks up at her best friend. It’s rare for them to find one another with anything other than a smile and a hug.

“Where’s piggy?” Tree asks. 

“Piggy?”

“Petunia,” Teresa calls and hears her soft barking from the kitchen.  “Liz, who’s shirt do you think you’re wearing?” 

Liz takes a jagged breath as she looks at the oversized band t-shirt she’s in. Immediate she feels woozy again. Taking a seat she tries to remember where the shirt’s from. Maybe it’s from that vintage store she likes. It has to have made its way into her closet without her noticing. 

Hesitance is thick on her tongue as she guesses, “Mine?” 

Teresa gently shakes her head and Liz is grateful she’s already sitting because she’d surely have fallen over otherwise. She balls her hands in an attempt to stop the tingling in her fingertips. Racking her brain for answers, Teresa wonders what it could be. A prank? Unlikely. There’s no way it’s a head injury. Do strokes cause memory loss? 

“Uh come here.” Teresa leads her to the hallway wall heavily adorned with pictures. “Do you remember this?” She asks pointing at an image of them together, dressed up in dresses. 

“That’s Lupe’s wedding, right? Like sometime last year?” 

“Ok. What about this one?” She says point to another image. This time it’s one of Eliza and Calum at Thanksgiving dinner. She remembers laughing at something silly but can't remember the joke. The memory vignetting around the edges, there but not as clear as it used to be. 

“That memory is blurry. It was that Friendsgiving party but it feels like I was blacking out.” 

“Do you remember who took that picture?” 

Eliza shakes her head, “You?” 

“No. That was Luke.” 

“¡¿Como que fue Luke?!” 

“¡No me grites! Let me see.” She scans the all before settling on another picture. This time one of Luke and Liz from their early friends Christmas. “Do you remember this?” 

“No. It’s like I know that’s him and that’s me but I have absolutely no memory of it.” 

“Fuck, dude.” Teresa exasperated tone only adds to the panic growing in her stomach. Liz presses her forehead to the wall with a light thud. Maybe it is a little brain damage. 

“Ok, we’re taking you to my place. Let’s go,” Tere says leading Liz into her bedroom by her shoulders. There’s little difference between their apartments but Liz’s panic-stricken face makes it clear that she needs out. Liz tries to ignore the extra clothes in the drawers that have always been empty; she quickly finds a shirt and jeans to toss on before leaving. 

Calum’s warm smile fades as he sees Liz and Teresa make it back to the apartment. The color drained from Liz’s face makes her look positively sick as she forces a smile in return. Brows furrowed, he searches her face for some answer but all he sees is a blank stare, “What’s up, Liz?”

“She’s not feeling well. Women’s issue,” Tere in interjects, dragging Eliza through her apartment by the arm. 

“Woman’s issue?” Liz says closing the door to the bedroom after them. 

“He’d have tried talking to you. You two are basically best friends.”

“Yeah. I remember that much. What’s he still doing in your apartment?” 

“He moved in when his place got termite. You helped him move in with… Luke. Ok so it’s anything with him that’s cleared from the hard drive.” 

“That's comforting,” Liz whispers as she bursts into tears. 

After a while on the couch, Calum can’t help it. He finds some resolve and goes to Tere’s door, knocking gently he asks, “Hey is everything alright?” 

Taking in a deep breath, Liz opens the door.  Better to nip it in the bud now. “Cal, I can’t remember Luke.” 

“What do you mean?”

“All my memories of him are gone,” She repeats her voice cracking as Calum opens his arms to her. She burrows her face into his chest as her sobs take over again. Over her head, Calum turns to Tere. She gives him a solemn nod and he pulls her tighter against him. “We’re going to sort this out. He’ll be home tomorrow and we’ll be with you the whole time. Ok?” 

—

“Casi llegas?”

“No, I’m on my way to Baja. Bye.” Liz hears Teresa’s heavy sigh and returns one of her own, “I’m like 5 minutes away.”

“Better be. You can’t go to Baja without me.” 

“Is… is he there?” 

“Yeah, he got here this morning. They’ve just been catching up while we wait for you," she explains.

Luke’s already settled on the couch when Liz gets to Teresa’s apartment. Liz’s heart skips a beat when she spots him; she’s immediately tempted to sit beside him and curl into his side. She knows she misses the comfort of his warmth despite not remembering it. Instead, she sits opposite to him beside Calum, feeling the awkward silence closing in on her. 

“Welcome back to the states,” She says unsure how to start. If it’s appropriate to jump straight in or make small talk. 

“Hey.” He responds breathlessly. His blue eyes clouded with worry as he watches her sit, bouncing her knee restlessly. It feels foreign to have her in the same room yet so far away; he wants to move beside her and rest a hand on her knee but he sits still and listens. 

“Ok. After a day of prodding from Teresa and Calum, we’ve learned that my memory is a weird gradient and it correlates with the degrees of separation from you. If the memory is with you, it’s gone. There are also some memories that are just fucked up because you’re there but not directly, you know? Memories with family and independent from you are pretty intact.” Her voice cut and dry as she concludes with, “that’s as far as we got.” 

Calum and Luke share a knowing look and Liz can’t help but feel the anxiety bubble over. “What are you two doing?” 

“Nothing.” They answer in unison. 

“No. That’s not a fucking nothing. What is it?” 

“I think I know what caused this.” Luke answers. 

“What do you mean? I’m going to the doctor tomorrow.” Liz answers 

“Just, listen, please? Don’t panic and listen?” Luke says, eyes pleading for calm as he waits for an answer. 

“Ok.”

“When I was flying back to the states, there was this woman on my connecting flight. Her name is Lucinda and we got to talking, I told her about one of our arguments. It happened right before I went back to Australia. I wasn’t supposed to go we were supposed to spend these two weeks together but I had to. Anyways-- she said she was a fairy and that she’d fix up our relationship issues. I thought that she was just an odd woman on her way to Hong Kong but now I think there might be more to it.” 

“Are you two high right now?!” Teresa interrupts before Liz can get her thoughts together. 

“I know how it sounds but it’s obviously not memory loss. There’s a chance...” Calum says. 

“Ok. I’ve been saving this memory to test this. You both talked about this for months and swore you’d never forget it. Do you remember Luke’s gift from last Christmas?” 

“I can remember the joy around it. I remember my heart beating really hard and the heat of the excitement but I can’t remember it. No.” 

“Luke pull up one of the videos.” 

Immediately knowing what she’s referring to, he pulls up a video of Liz backstage at a Fleetwood Mac concert. The emotions of the day flood her as she watches herself hugging the members and meeting them briefly. Liz struggles to hold it together, her face contorting as she gets angry at the memory loss. 

“I met Fleetwood Mac and don’t remember because of you and some fairy woman, Lucinda?!” Her indignant tone bouncing off the walls. “I don’t remember Stevie Nicks because of you?!” 

“You met Fleetwood Mac because of me.” 

“Oh wow. Thank you! You want thanks for wiping out the last 18 months for that matter?” Luke recoils as she paces the living room before turning back to him. “What were your words, exactly? What did you tell her?” 

“I don’t remember.” 

“Luke, you said it like two days ago. Try real fucking hard.” 

“I said sometimes I thought your life would be easier if we weren’t together and I think I said something about wishing I could erase myself from your memory to spare you the pain. I think.” 

“You think? Wow now you know how I feel,” She scoffs, venom laced in her words in a way foreign to Luke. 

“Liz—“ Teresa starts trying to place a comforting hand on her back. 

“No. Nobody gets to Liz me. Not today. I’m missing chunks of my memory because this one wants to go blabbering around wishing that I’d forget him and, by some fucking twist of fate, he said it to the right person. I didn’t do anything and I’m the only one affected.” Her lower lip trembles and she feels fat, hot tears start to pool in her eyes. “I need to get out of here. I can’t do this.” 

Liz grabs her keys and bolts from the apartment, leaving them all staring at one another. She drives for miles before she ends up at the beach. The blue sea stretches ahead of her as she settles in her hoodie on the sand. It’s far too cold to be in the water but regardless she takes off her shoes and dips her feet in a moment.

After a while, Liz feels someone standing too close to her side. She doesn’t have to turn to know it’s Luke, almost as if her body remembers what her mind cannot. 

“What do you want, Luke?” 

“I want to help.” 

“I think you’ve done enough helping.” 

“Then I want to make sure you make it home safe. I’ll wait in your car.” He says picking up her keys from the beach and walking towards the parking lot. 

“No, Luke. You can stay.” 

Luke takes off his shoes and rolls up his pants before joining her in the water. He watches out of the corner of his eye until he grows the bravery to face her. “Are you ok?” 

“No.,” she says. Luke watches as she presses her lips together before she speaks again. “I can’t begin to explain how not ok I am right now. There’s photographic evidence of what we used to be but that was then and now it’s just you and me. There’s this weird longing in my heart like it misses something but my brain can’t connect and it hurts, Luke. It’s like when you break up with someone, it still fucking hurts, but I can’t even find comfort in any of our memories.” 

“I can fill you in if you want?” 

Luke takes her silence as a go ahead as he takes her hand and intertwines their fingers. He rubs gentle circles on the back of her hand with his thumb, knowing she’ll find it comforting. 

“You’re the best partner I’ve ever had. I love having you sleep beside me. Even when you’re angry, you’ll let me hook pinkies. Half the time, I wake up long after you but I never have to worry about you leaving me because you’re just hanging with Petunia in the yard. I push myself to improve for you, to be the person you deserve.”

Liz feels horrible, the admission of love does little to answers where this all left them. The questions played on both their minds. Stay together and find a way to sort it out? Give a final goodbye and go? The first line is already scored would it be so hard to finish it?

“I think it’s time to go home. Maybe it’s time for a pros and cons list.” She says brushing the sand from her pants. 

Luke’s heart swells recognizing the woman he’d fallen in love with. “Is it ok if I crash on your couch? I was supposed to crash at yours until I closed on the new house.” 

Maybe it’s the way her body still remembers his or the way his simple presence has calmed the panic in her brain, she’s knows it’ll calm her too. It feels silly but she knows she can’t sleep with him too far. 

“Only if you promise not to make any more fucking wishes.” 

—

Liz wakes up early the next day, laying still she keeps her eyes closed searching for any memory of Luke. Unable to understand what happened to make him wish her to forget in that way. Instead, she finds a broken mind, her blank slate. She opens her eyes to an empty bed, to the walls of her bedroom still adorned with pictures of them, and a wish of her own; so simple yet so hard, all she wants is her memory back to be able to move forward. 

Temptation says break it, take down all the pictures and destroy the memories; Send Luke home and be done with him too. Start a new life, he wished her away anyways. What could have made him wish that? Her? Him? Her ears begin beating in her ears as she feels the lump in her throat come back. She swallows it down and goes to her shower. If anything, she can start the day off right. 

Before she can start the water, there’s a light knocking on the door. 

“Yeah?” She asks, moving closer.

“Don’t forget you switched face wash. The pink one dries your face out.” Luke calls out. 

“Thank you.” Tears sting in her eyes as she hears her voice waver. 

Liz is surprised to find Luke fully dressed and waiting for her at the dining table when she gets out of her shower. His duffle bag packed away and settled at his feet. She immediately recognizes his Guns N’ Roses shirt; it’s the same one she woke up in two days ago. 

“I’m heading to a hotel. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable hosting me. It was wrong to put you out like that yesterday.” Luke stares at his hands as he explains, fidgeting with a ring, instead of turning to her all too aware he couldn’t face her with a brave face.

“Luke, we need to talk about things. Every time I look at you my heart swells before it sinks. I need to know what went so wrong that you’d wish that.” She blinks quickly trying to stop the tears building up unsure why the thought of him leaving scared her so much. Without a thought she sits in front of him, taking his hand in her own, calming them both. “I understand that are days where things are wrong and all you want to do is go, that’s all a part of relationships, but before you leave, if… if this is done, if we’d lost out love, then I need to know because I need closure too.” 

If they’d lost their love, the idea of that alone makes Luke recoil slightly in pain. He turns to look at her expecting anger but only sees her eyes pleading for truth. There’s no anger in her. He recognizes the look from the last time they were together before he had to rush off to Australia, it’s sadness and pain as she tries to understand. 

“No. No matter what happened and what I wished, we never lost our love or our compassion and respect for each other,” Luke sighs heavily, “The last time I left, I could see it weighing on you differently. I leave and get to tour but you carry the pain of distance. Then when we finally have time together, I have to go back to Australia. I know you understood but the hurt in your eyes made me so afraid that it was all starting to crack. I never wished for it because I didn’t love you or I wanted this to be over.”

She’s afraid to speak, that her voice will deceive her and falter as she takes in what he’s said. It feels like an eternity of silence until she speaks silently, “Not promising anything but you can stay on the couch if you want. It’s ok.” 

“You write the rules, I got the time,” Luke assures with a comforting smile. “Can I ask you something?” 

“Yeah.”

“Are Calum and Teresa… you know? 

She can’t help the laughter that rumbles in her chest. With a shrug, she breaks out into a smile that lights up Luke’s day, “I don’t know but you’re poking a sleeping bear if you go snooping.”

“I’m not afraid of Cal.” He says picking up his phone and texting Ashton.

“Who said anything about Cal?” She laughs as she texts Teresa, letting her know her decision.

—

“The doctor said it’s not neurological, whatever this is likely psychological. He referred me to a specialist but… I don’t know,” Liz sighs as she throws herself beside Luke. It’s been four whole days since her memories gone, she continues without any idea if it’s magic or just a stroke of bad luck. She thought it would be weirder to have him around her apartment but it’s been comforting and right now she wants all she can get. 

“Luke?”

“Yeah?”

“Do you want to help me make dinner tonight?” Liz asks looking for any semblance of normalcy between them. 

Luke’s heart leaps into his throat at the offer, “Yeah. What’d you want help with?” 

“You want to roast the veggies while I make pasta?” 

Without another word, they’re off to the kitchen. Luke pulls out veggies; carrots, asparagus, even zucchini. Truthfully he hates zucchini but for her, he’ll have it every night. They share a comfortable silence as she starts on meatballs. She watches out of the corner of her eye as he dices the mushrooms, terrified he’ll dice through his finger but she holds her breath letting him do his part.  

“Hey, Luke can you put on some music? I got meat on my hands,” Liz says as she mixes the ground meat and breadcrumbs. 

“You got it,” He says as he brushes past her, laying a gentle hand on the small of her back as he moves to grab his phone. It’s so natural neither of them think anything of it until a moment later. 

“I’m so sorry-- it’s just--”

“Its okay Luke,” she says trying to conceal the smile upon her lips as she forms meatballs onto a baking sheet. They fall into a comfortable silence each working on their own thing. Dinner’s ready in a heartbeat and Liz takes their plates to the table. Luke wants to tell her they never eat here, that they bought the coffee table large enough to sit in the living room but instead he bites his tongue. 

“Are you a red wine or a white wine kinda guy?” Liz asks as she reaches into her alcohol cabinet.

“Honestly? Not crazy about wine,” he says putting two beers on the table before he settles across from her. 

—

“We have to level the playing field, Luke!” Liz says as he clears the table. He’s unsure what she’s getting at until he comes back to a stack of index cards and a pair of pens placed them between them, “How about we each write out 10 questions and we gotta answer them truthfully? First one’s ‘do you actually like zucchini?’” 

“Shhh! We’re not asking yet,” He argues as he takes his pen and begins writing. 

The rest of the night gets away from them as they sit at the dining table. The 20 questions multiply as answers become a mess of overlapping stories. Some answers are new and a few they’ve heard before but her reaction means so much more this time. Sadness creeps in as Luke piles of questions shrinks and he picks up her final question, “why didn’t you eat your zucchini?” He gives her a look and genuine laughter filling the room as she doubles over with tears in her eyes, Luke’s only wish is that he could hear that laugh forever. He would never admit it but it’s his favorite question of the night.

“Want to go for another round?” She asks, tired but not ready to break the peace of their night together.

“Yeah but let’s move this to the couch because my butt is numb, someone talks too much!” He flirts.

“I know! P, does your poppa always talk so much?” She flirts back and they move over to her couch together. 

They continue to speak without cards this time. Liz slowly leaning further and further into Luke until her head rests upon his shoulder and he takes her hand in his. They swap stories until the day’s weight it too much on Liz; Luke’s still speaking when he hears her soft snores. He helps her lay across the couch, draping her favorite blanket onto her before he settles on the floor beside her. He’s thankful she bought the fluffy carpet as he holds her hand. In the dim light of her living room, he prays that they’re finding their resolve to stay together. Even if that means remaking all the same memories so be it. 

Up early again, Liz is surprised to see Luke laying on the floor beside her. Concentrating on his features as she wills her brain to reconnect. For any part of the universe to fall back into place so she can have the memories back.  She just notices the soft slope of his nose, his eyelashes almost gold in the soft sunlight, the way his soft snores start to lull her back to sleep. She wonders if these are the things that made her fall in love with him once. Maybe that’s the weirdest part of it all, some part of her remembers that love. She can’t help the way she so desperately wants to lay on his chest and listen to his sleep. 

With a sigh, Liz pushes off the couch to find her phone. She finds a mess of texts from Tere as well. 

Tere 10:13 pm: I don’t know if you remember but we have concert tickets for tomorrow. You still want to go? Yes?

Tere 10:20 pm: HELLOO?

Tere 11:32 pm: Love me, choose me, pick me. 

Calum 10:50 pm: Teresa would like you to answer her messages. 

Tere 11:18 pm: I’ll be DD please come?!

Tere 11:54 pm: Damn bitch you throw your phone in the ocean?

“I’m down. I’ll check with Luke when he wakes up,” Liz responds.

Before she can put her phone back down, Teresa responds, “We’ll pick you up at 7! Be ready!”

They get to the concert late, Teresa’s 7 pm became 7:40 and LA traffic became the final nail in the coffin. Eliza and Luke both used to Teresa’s perpetual tardiness. They only bother to pause for a beer before rushing through the venue to general admission. It doesn’t matter that they end up in the back, Liz and Luke immediately find their groove singing and dancing. At their favorite song, Luke wraps an arm around her waist and holds her close. Taking in his warmth and his scent, Liz feels herself melting into him. 

As the night wears on the comfort only grows along with the need to hold him. Run a gentle hand through his hair and plant a kiss to his lips. She might not remember but she knows it’s no coincidence that he all her favorite places feel like him. 

She gently bites her lower lip before she finally asks. “Can I kiss you?” 

He doesn’t bother to answer, instead leaning down and connecting their lips gently. The rest of the night feels as though he’s floating on a cloud, he wants nothing more than to hold her close, his arms wrapped around her waist holding her close. Liz can’t make sense of the feeling of deja-vu, like coming home, it’s as though she’s done it a thousand times.

By the end of the night, their faces hurt from the smiles plastered across their faces. It’s a night of small touches and stolen kisses. Pulling each other in for a tiny peck again and again as they go home. Luke’s content sigh alone makes her heart soar as they get ready for bed. Without thinking, he hands her his shirt as he changes into his own pajamas. Though somewhat awkward, the rhythm of bedtime is not fully foreign between them.

For the first time in days, Liz curls into his side and sleeps well through the night. Luke spends half the night awake watching her breathing, afraid to close his eyes and find that it’s all a dream. Ultimately, sleep wins him over and he too falls asleep. Waking up abruptly to Liz’s panic-stricken voice, “Lu! Lu!” She repeats as she sits up, she doesn’t dare to try to stand, feeling unstable. 

“What’s wrong?” He asks, holding her face gently between his hands. Tears make their way down her face and his stomach sinks further than it’s sat all week. He braces himself for the worst, she’s forgetting more. 

“Moon River.”

Luke can’t contain the joy, tackling her back onto her bed and planting a plethora of kisses across her face; her laughs carrying down the hall as she tries to catch her breath. The relief alone is enough for her, “It’s back! My memories back!” she shouts at no one in particular. 

“Oh thank god,” He mumbles again as he hides his face in the crook of her neck. She can hear the tightness in his throat as he holds back his tears, nestling his face further into her as he tries to calm down.

“If you make a wish on a flight ever again, I will smother you. Petunia and I will live nice, full lives and visit you on the weekends. I promise you.” She laughs as she rubs his back soothingly a moment. “Oh and I remember now, they are— Tere and Calum— are something.” 

[thisfuckingbeach]

⤷          @cheatdeaths​  sent:   “ don’t  pass  out  on  me.  ”

𝙿𝙷𝚈𝚂𝙸𝙲𝙰𝙻  𝙿𝙰𝙸𝙽  :   𝚃𝙷𝙴  𝙴𝙰𝚂𝚈  𝙿𝙰𝚁𝚃.           too easy,  because he was taught  ( forced )  to deal with it in earlier  &  sheltered days, ones filled with curiosity at it’s most innocent.  curiosity that was never pardoned,  yet would forever remain unchecked.  undoubtedly,  this was another example when curiosity served as a consequence for higgs,  more than it could ever be described as a mere outcome;  that would be to imply the incentive had developed  &  refined itself by chance,   &   that ?  that had been no toss-up.  no,  he knows better than that.  he also knows that knowing better  &  doing better are two different things.  knowledge is —  as the saying goes,  free.   higgs cannot agree with the idea that actual, carried-out action, didn’t come at some cost,  though.  especially when all you do is try to do better.  you know,  for other’s sake.  at some point the idea of altruism,  constantly reinforced  ( unlike the nature of his curiosity ),  &   the metaphorical cost of said altruism,  had all become part of a growing pile of enormous debt,  so to speak.

          it doesn’t mean he was incapable of it,  either.  all too well,  he understood why she had it in her to help.  just didn’t understand,  seemingly ever,  why it was being given to him.  in specific.   that confusion is obvious on his face,  especially in the haze that was his mind.  busy sending out signal after signal to incessantly remind him that he’s experiencing pain.  even so,  he’s still able to speak — even if it is just unnecessary remarks to hear himself talk,   “   oh  ...  sweetheart, that just cuts to the quick ...  thinkin’ i would even  DREAM  of doin’ such a thing to ya.   ”    heavy breaths between each word,  a sign of his current condition,  his view vignetting as he battles with the urge to let that darkness on the fringes of his vision swallow him. might as well be used to being, well, worse-for-wear, too.

          his smile is surprisingly genuine,  though weak  &  fleeting.    “  ...  ain’t gonna pass out.  always seems i’m—good at that part.   ”   he mumbles with a vague sense of personal enmity at the end. after moving barely, he’ll wince,  &  white light will flicker behind his eyelids like a cued change-over during a motion picture.

         of course, he meant, he wouldn’t pass out — if he only had a say in the matter.  

[livingcorner]

7 Best TV Suitable For Outdoor 2021 – Reviews and Buying Guide@|what tv is best for outdoor viewing@|https://top-rated-tvs.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Outdoor-TV.jpg@|24

Best 4k TV 7 Best TV Suitable For Outdoor 2021 – Reviews and Buying Guide

Most of the TV’s are designed for the indoor purpose for watching movies, sports, playing games, etc. If any relatives and guests come to the home and we need to enjoy the day by watching movies, it boring to sit at home and watch the TV. So we go to the cinema theater. But nowadays the TV which we can use outdoor are released to the market by which we can enjoy with our guest, relatives, and friends in outdoor.

[external_link_head]

Our Best Pick

Best Value

Also Consider

Samsung QN65LST7TA The Terrace 65″ Outdoor-Optimized QLED 4K UHD Smart TV with an Additional 1 Year…

LG OLED55CXPUA Alexa Built-In CX 55″ 4K Smart OLED TV (2020)

Sony XBR85X950H 85 inch X950H 4K Ultra HD Full Array LED Smart TV 2020 Model Bundle with 1 Year…

Our Best Pick

Samsung QN65LST7TA The Terrace 65″ Outdoor-Optimized QLED 4K UHD Smart TV with an Additional 1 Year…

Best Value

LG OLED55CXPUA Alexa Built-In CX 55″ 4K Smart OLED TV (2020)

Also Consider

Sony XBR85X950H 85 inch X950H 4K Ultra HD Full Array LED Smart TV 2020 Model Bundle with 1 Year…

As a way to maintain guests entertained or simply provide the ultimate outdoor relaxation, outdoor TVs are becoming more popular. Only the few TV are designed for outdoor use, because of the heavy light during the day we should check the reflection quality, clarity of the picture and the brightness.

One of the best TV with these qualities and used for outdoor use is Sony XBR85X950H. Not many televisions meet the requirements for good outdoor television; below are our recommendations for the best outdoor televisions you can buy this year. See also our recommendations on best kitchen TV, the best bedroom TV, and the best smart TV.

Brand Name Standard Features Samsung Terrace It gets incredibly bright and handles reflections well, so you can watch outside during the day. LG CX Infinite contrast ratio.,Wide viewing angles, Displays wide color gamut. Vizio P Series Produces extremely bright HDR highlights, Low input lag for gamers, Excellent motion handling Samsung Q90T Deep and uniform blacks, Exceptional reflection handling, Gets very bright in SDR and HDR. Hisense H8G Outstanding low input lag, The image remains accurate when viewed at an angle.

Best TV for Outdoor Use – Reviews

Outdoor television is a great way to entertain your family and friends. It can be used in outdoor or indoor settings, but it is not always necessary. It is also good for outdoor activities like hiking, camping and other outdoor activities.

1. Best overall: Samsung The Terrace

Check the Price on Amazon

Samsung The Terrace is the best outdoor TV that we’ve reviewed. It’s a specially built QLED TV for outdoor use, and it’s the first real outdoor TV we’ve checked. It’s outstandingly well-built, and the whole framework is made of metal. There’s a cover where the inputs are to shield them from the elements, and IP55 water resistant is valued for this model, but this is not something we are looking for.

How bright it gets is the standout feature. Simply put, it’s the brightest we’ve checked, and combined with its superb reflection handling, even with bright sun on it, you shouldn’t have any trouble using it outdoors.

The VA panel has an excellent contrast ratio, amazing black uniformity, and a good full-array local dimming function that offers exceptionally deep blacks, even if you want to watch television with it at night. Without any issues, it upscales lower-resolution content, and the built-in Tizen OS has a lot of applications you can use.

[external_link offset=1]

Thankfully, it has small viewing angles, but when viewing from the edge, you sacrifice image accuracy. The built-in speakers are very loud, but when you play at their full volume, you can detect some distortion. Thanks to its exceptionally high peak brightness and wide color gamut, the HDR content still looks really good. All in all, you can’t really go wrong with this one if you want to purchase a TV dedicated to outdoor use.

Pros:

High contrast ratio.

Exceptional build quality.

Can get extremely bright.

Outstanding reflection handling.

Cons:

Sub-par viewing angles.

2. Best OLED Outdoor TV For Night Use: LG CX OLED

Check the Price on Amazon

The best outdoor TV we’ve reviewed for late night use is the LG CX OLED. It’s a well-built entry-level OLED that can turn off pixels independently, resulting in an almost infinite contrast ratio and absolute black uniformity. This suggests that when seen in the dark, blacks look deep and inky, and there are no uniformity concerns such as backlit fading or blooming in dark scenes around light objects.

It offers amazing image consistency in which most people should be delighted. For HDR content, it has an exceptional color gamut and gets respectably bright to bring out highlights. It has outstanding out-of-the-box color accuracy, without any issues, upscales lower-resolution video, and can delete judder from all sources.

It has very wide viewing angles, but when viewed from the edge, photographs remain correct. It also has exceptional reflections handling, but it doesn’t get very hot, which is why nighttime use is recommended.

Unfortunately, it’s not resistant to permanent burn-in, like every OLED. This can only be a real concern if you are continuously viewing content, like the television, with static elements. However, if you use it for a few hours every night to watch movies or shows, it shouldn’t be a challenge. All in all, it’s filled with functionality and looks fantastic in the dark, making it the best nighttime outdoor TV we have checked for viewing.

Pros:

Infinite contrast ratio.

Wide viewing angles.

VRR support.

Displays wide color gamut.

Cons:

Risk of permanent burn-in.

Only decent HDR peak brightness.

3. Best Outdoor TV For Sports: Samsung Q90/Q90T QLED

Check the Price on Amazon

The Samsung Q90/Q90T QLED is the best outdoor TV for viewing sports we have reviewed. It is an incredibly well-designed model with small borders on both sides and an attractive center-mounted stand. It manages reflections extremely well, and being more than bright enough to fight glare, so even on sunny days, you don’t have to think about exposure. Unlike the Samsung The Terrace, a TV specially made for outdoor use, it has the ‘Ultra Viewing Angle’ layer from Samsung that significantly enhances viewing angles.

Even without causing any upscaling artifacts, it upscales lower resolution content, such as cable sports. In quick-moving scenes, it has a fast response time to provide transparent images and a Black Frame Insertion function to further enhance the quality of motion.

It has a refresh rate of 120Hz and can interpolate up to 120fps of low frame rate content to make motion look smoother. If you want to play some video games, it has very low input lag, and it has variable refresh rate support to minimize screen tearing. In addition, it has HDMI 2.1 ports, perfect for those of a Series X PS5 or Xbox.

The good news is that the internal speakers get really loud and therefore do not distort much at full volume if you don’t have dedicated speakers for outdoor use. The frequency response, though, is only okay as there is a lack of low bass to create the thumping, rumbling tone. Samsung’s Tizen OS is user-friendly, lots of applications are available, and you can scan for content using voice control. Overall, it’s an impressive TV that most individuals can be pleased with.

Pros:

Gets very bright in SDR and HDR.

Decent viewing angles.

Exceptional reflection handling.

Cons:

Vignetting and dirty screen effect.

4. Best Large Outdoor TV: Sony XBR85X950H

Check the Price on Amazon

The Sony XBR85X950H is the best available outdoor TV that we’ve checked in an 85 inch size. It is available in models of either 75 inches or 85 inches, and it has excellent overall image quality. It’s well-built, and it’s packed with Android TV, which has an outstanding choice of downloadable apps, so you won’t need to get your outdoor system from an external media device.

In Sony’s 2021 range, this is the flagship 4k model and it has the performance associated with a high-end TV. It has outstanding handling of reflection, but sunlight won’t be distracting. In both SDR and HDR, it has outstanding peak visibility, so it combats glare and pulls out highlights in HDR the way they are meant to. It comes with the ‘X-Wide Angle’ layer from Sony, which, at the expense of its comparison, slightly increases the viewing angles for a VA panel TV. Even, in order to enhance the contrast, it has a full-array local dimming feature.

Unfortunately, for gamers, it’s not perfect. It has a decent response time, but no variable refresh rate technology is enabled by it, and its input lag is not as short as other versions. Regardless, this is the best outdoor TV available in a large size that we have reviewed if you’re only planning to use it to watch shows or movies outdoors.

Pros:

Excellent SDR and HDR peak brightness.

Outstanding reflection handling.

Cons:

Mediocre viewing angles.

5. Best Budget Outdoor TV: Hisense H8G

Check the Price on Amazon

The Hisense H8G is the best outdoor TV in the budget category we have reviewed. It is a simple, affordable model that most consumers should be satisfied with. The built-in Android TV includes a lot of downloadable apps, so you won’t have to purchase an extra package to keep your outdoor setup clean.

In SDR, it has great peak visibility, adequate to fight glare. It’s not optimal to put direct sunlight on it, like any TV, but in most outdoor conditions it should work well. It has a VA screen, creates deep blacks, and it has a great local dimming option for full-array, so it’s a fine nighttime viewing option. It supports HDR10+ and Dolby Vision, and for HDR content, it shows a wide color gamut, but in that mode it doesn’t get very bright.

Unfortunately, it has narrow viewing angles, so a wide seating arrangement outside is not recommended. It has strong reflective handling, but if there is bright sunlight on it, the reflections can be too distracting. Fortunately, without any complications, it upscales lower-resolution content. All and all, this is one of the better outdoor TVs that we’ve reviewed, if you’re on a budget.

Pros:

Displays deep blacks.

Great SDR peak brightness.

Incredibly low input lag.

Cons:

Narrow viewing angles.

Limiting HDR experience.

6. Best TV For Bright Settings: Vizio P Series Quantum

Check the Price on Amazon

If you want to buy a 4k TV for the outdoor watching and If you need a very bright TV for daytime and you find that the LG SM9500’s brightness isn’t enough, then I would recommend you to get the 2018 Vizio P Series Quantum.

You won’t get the same wide display angles as the LG, and you should plan to stand directly away to enjoy the best performance of the picture. On the other hand, this television can be stronger able to battle daylight than the LG. It’s wonderful to manage reflections, which can be a problem with outdoors TVs.

This TV has a smooth finish that minimizes reflection interruptions, so you don’t have to care about it too much. This TV provides an excellent value of picture and an excellent HDR experience that you will most appreciate in the dark of the night.

Pros:

Produces extremely bright HDR highlights

Low input lag for gamers

Excellent motion handling

Cons:

The image loses accuracy when viewed at an angle

7. Best Large TV: Sony XBR85X900F

Check the Price on Amazon

Sony XBR85X900F is one of the largest Tv with 85 inches wider. The features in Sony XBR85X900F excellent are more compared to the other TV’s. We can enjoy watching the movie on this TV as we feel we are in a cinema theater.

The people who like to play games and watch video games like this TV because of its outstanding performance in delivering the image as it has a very low input lag. The brightness and the contrast ratio are excellent in the daylight and deep black levels as well. The disturbance from the reflections has been reduced. The viewing angles are not much clear who does not sit in front of the TV.

Pros:

Deep and uniform blacks

Excellent motion handling

Bright HDR highlights

Cons:

Picture quality degrades at an angle

What to Look for in an Outdoor Television

Outdoor TVs are great for having fun and watching the game on your patio. Like standard indoor televisions, they can handle high humidity, intense temperatures, and salt-air without breaking. Many of them can also handle full exposure to the weather.

With that being said, there are other items to bear in mind when buying an outdoor TV, such as TV location, screen size, and brand, if you choose a smart TV, and if there is a chance of physical damage (i.e. do you have children playing where the TV is going to be?). There are also two separate types of weatherproofing to be considered: enclosures and nano-coating materials.

The enclosure is a weatherproof external cover where the television is within, which defends it from all elements and physical damage. For nano-coating, the internal elements of the TV are equipped with a proprietary conformal procedure that prevents the TV from dust, salt air, and high temperatures.

Silicone and 3 M cover are used on certain nano-coated televisions to make them fully weatherproof against all conditions, including rain and snow, although these TVs are not as resistant against physical harm as those in the enclosures.

To make your decision simpler, we selected the best outdoor televisions and based our lists on the following:

Value- The worth of an outdoor TV should not be dependent exclusively on the price. They must take into consideration the form of television, size, resolution, display quality (i.e. 2160p is better than 1080p), weatherproofing, brightness, and other features.

Placement- The placement of outdoor TV is another factor that we consider. Although all outdoor TVs are designed to be used outside and can handle humidity, salt-air, and high temperatures, others are built for maximum visibility and can manage the elements, and some are designed to be hidden only and can not be rained on. Full exposure TVs tend to be more costly, but there are more choices on where you can place them.

Features- There are several options to consider when you’re looking for an outdoor TV: quality, TV brand, brightness (some are designed for shade only), including accessories, whether a soundbar is required if it’s a Smart TV and more. When determining its value, we take into account all the features of an outdoor TV. To know more, head over to our Outdoor TV Buying Guide.

How to Choose the Best Outdoor TV

Keep in mind that outdoor TVs are distinct from indoor TVs because they have unique features that render them usable because durable in outdoor living spaces.

But, before you buy, these are the things you ‘re going to be looking for on the outdoor Screen.

Water Resistant Vs. Waterproof

Most people believe these two words are the same, but they are somewhat different. Waterproof TVs will be functional, even though they are fully immersed in water.

Water-resistant TVs can withstand being wet, so are likely to be safe with any heavy rain, but submerging them can result in long term damage.

Just use the option you think is ideally adapted to your outdoor patio. If your TV is protected by a roof or a wall, water resistance can be perfect. If it’s going to be open, we highly suggest waterproof.

[external_link offset=2]

Environment

Okay, consider the environment. Many TVs, while considered to be outdoor-specific, do not perform well in such weather or environmental conditions. Some may prescribe specific connectors to reduce corrosion or build up deposits in high humidity or salty environments.

Many TVs can only work well within a specific temperature range. If you stay in a colder climate, look for a TV with an internal heater that holds the interior of the Screen nice and dry when it’s cold and snowy.

Full Sunlight vs. Shaded vs. Partial-Shaded

Lighting is another significant factor while you’re looking for outdoor Television. Lighting can be rough on screens, so intense lighting will render it difficult to see a picture.

Outdoor TVs come with various lighting requirements to render watching them easier under a range of light levels. We recommend that you have the best outdoor TV covers to deal avoid so much sunshine.

Full day, full shade, and partial shade TVs are supposed to be installed at the required level of light. Hanging a shadow TV in the sun can make it difficult to see the picture.

Once you buy, decide just where you’re going to put your TV, so have the perfect level of light for the optimal viewing.

Size

Outdoor TVs, like indoor TVs, come in a range of sizes. Remember the room you ‘re going to have to put the Television, the size of your entertainment area, and how many people are going to watch. If your room is small, there could be a 75 “TV for your space.

Picture Quality

Look for panels that are made of anti-reflective, high-temperature glass. This mix would result in higher image quality than other options. This form of the screen would also be more robust and have a better picture quality in the sun.

To further improve the picture quality, make sure that the TV you pick has options for adjusting the display attributes such as light, color, and width.

Features

Outdoor TVs, including the features that protect them from the elements, have many of the same features as indoor TVs.

Things to remember include size, inputs and outputs, brightness, device features, smart choices, and Wi-Fi connectivity.

Conclusion:

Our suggestions above are the best 4k TV that is mostly liked by the people for outdoor usage for entertainment. We have analyzed the features and functions of each product and reviewed our best for the buyers. We are here to help you to choose the best TV based on your requirements.

All TV’s that I have reviewed are similar with little difference only if you notice them. While no TV is perfect every model or the product has its own drawback so as not to get it so deeply.

Take a look at these products from the same price range, that are available right now on Amazon:

SunBriteTV Weatherproof Outdoor 55-Inch Veranda (2nd Gen) 4K UHD HDR LED Television -…

TRUE OUTDOOR TV. SunBrite’s Weatherproof 4K HDR Television – the Veranda Series TV is optimal for full-shade outside living areas like a covered…

UPGRADED ULTRA 4K HDR SCREEN. The latest model in the Veranda Series offers a premium 4K UHD HDR screen with direct LED backlight and is up to…

ENGINEERED TO HANDLE ALL WEATHER. Rugged case and components are designed for permanent outdoor installation. The durable aluminum case protects…

INCLUDES BUILT-IN SPEAKERS. Veranda Series includes built-in speakers and a generous media bay for popular streaming devices.

CONNECTIVITY. Supports connections for multiple media sources – HDMI 2. 0 and HDCP 2. 2 to help ensure compatibility with 4K sources; equipped…

SAMSUNG 65-inch Class Crystal UHD TU-8000 Series – 4K UHD HDR Smart TV with Alexa Built-in…

Crystal processor 4K: This ultra-fast processor transforms everything you watch into stunning 4K.

Multi voice: Smart TV with Alexa and Bixby.

Smart TV powered by Tizen: Go beyond Smart TV with next-gen apps, super easy control, and a host of enhancements that elevate the TV watching…

HDR: Unveils shades of color you can’t find on HDTV.

Crystal display: Experience crystal clear colors that are fine-tuned to deliver a naturally crisp and vivid picture.

TCL 50S425 50 Inch 4K Smart LED Roku TV (2019)

Direct lit LED produces great picture quality | Compatible with Alexa and Google Assistant | Dual-band Wi-Fi & Ethernet port

TV Dimensions | Without Stand – 44.1″ W x 25.7″ H x 3.2″ D | With Stand – 44.1″ W x 28″ H x 8″ D | Stand Separation distance – 39.6” |…

Pairs 4K ultra HD picture clarity with the contrast, color, and detail of high dynamic Range (HDR) for the most lifelike picture

Smart functionality delivers all your favorite content with over 500,000 movies and TV episodes, accessible through the simple and intuitive Roku…

Inputs/outputs: HDMI – 3 | USB – 1 | Ethernet – 1 | RF Input – 1 | SPDIF Digital Audio Optical – 1 | Audio Output Headphone – 1 | AV…

Sale

Toshiba 50LF621U21 50-inch Smart 4K UHD with Dolby Vision – Fire TV, Released 2020

Fire TV brings together live-over-the air TV and your streaming content on the home screen. Connect any HD antenna (sold separately) to watch…

This TV is smart and simple in every way. Just plug it in, connect to Wi-Fi and enjoy. Plus, your TV keeps getting smarter with new Alexa skills…

Experience breathtaking 4K Ultra HD picture quality with over 8 million pixels for stunning clarity, deep contrast and vivid colors. Watch movies…

Everything you’d expect from a remote – plus launch apps, search for TV shows, switch inputs, control smart home devices and more, using just…

Item arrives in packaging that reveals what’s inside and can’t be hidden.

Sale

Sony X80J 43 Inch TV: 4K Ultra HD LED Smart Google TV with Dolby Vision HDR and Alexa Compatibility…

4K HDR PROCESSOR X1 – Powerful TV processing that delivers a picture that is smooth and clear, full of rich colors and detailed contrast.

TRILUMINOS PRO – Reproduces more colors than a conventional TV resulting in picture quality that is natural and precise, and closer than ever…

GOOGLE TV – Seamlessly browse 700,000+ movies and TV episodes from across your favorite streaming services, all in one place. Watch content…

MOTIONFLOW XR – On-screen motion stays smooth and clear, allowing fast moving sequences in sports, action movies, and games to be seen with…

4K X-REALITY PRO – Our unique 4K database upscales all the HD content you love to near-4K resolution bringing back real-world detail and…

Sale

TCL 75-inch 5-Series 4K UHD Dolby Vision HDR QLED Roku Smart TV – 75S535, 2021 Model

Superior 4K Ultra HD: Picture clarity combined with the contrast, color, and detail of Dolby Vision HDR (High Dynamic Range) for the most…

QLED: Quantum dot technology delivers better brightness and wider color volume.

Product size (WxHxD) with stand: 65.7″ x 16.2″ x 40.4″; Product size (WxHxD) without stand: 65.7″ x 3.7″ x 37.6″; Product weight without stand:…

Roku Smart TV Platform: Roku Smart TV platform provides access to thousands of streaming channels

Auto Game Mode: Ready. Set. Game When a compatible game console is detected, game mode will be engaged automatically for the smoothest action,…

VIZIO 70-Inch V-Series 4K UHD LED HDR Smart TV with Voice Remote, Apple AirPlay and Chromecast…

Dolby Vision HDR – Watch your favorite content with the incredible brightness, contrast and color with support for Dolby Vision, HDR10, and HLG…

4K Ultra HD – With over 8 million pixels, 4 times the resolution of 1080p and pixel level brightness adjustments with Active Pixel Tuning- stream…

SmartCast – With lightning fast navigation, enjoy instant access to the best selection of apps from top tier streaming services like Netflix,…

VIZIO Voice – With an all-new push-to-talk voice remote, VIZIO Voice enables you to say simple, intricate, or follow-up commands on SmartCastTM…

VIZIO IQ Active 4K HDR Processor – Inside, the lightning-fast IQ Active processor delivers superior picture processing, and more intelligent 4K…

LG LED Smart TV 75″ Real 4K UHD TV, Native 60Hz Refresh Rate, Apps Enabled, Voice Commands,…

REAL 4K DISPLAY: The rich 4K displays of LG UHD TVs deliver quality you can see in every scene. Enjoy bright colors, high contrast, and…

QUAD CORE PROCESSOR 4K: Our Quad Core Processor 4K gives you a smooth, crisp viewing experience with enhanced contrast, color and blacks.

WEBOS + LG THINQ AI W/ MAGIC REMOTE: Control your smart home theater with ease. ThinQ AI and the Magic Remote enable simple navigation and…

TRUMOTION 120 (Native 60Hz): TruMotion 120 technology reduces blur to sharpen details with up to 120 frames per second, giving fast-moving action…

WORKS WITH HEY GOOGLE / ALEXA: Customize and control your smart home with ease. LG UHD TVs work with “Hey Google,” Amazon Alexa, Apple Play2, and…

Philips 75PFL4864 4K UHD Roku TV

4K UHD brings your TV experience to a whole new level

Works with voice-enabled devices featuring Google Assistant

Wireless LAN 802.11ac MIMO for seamless streaming

HDR 10 delivers more detail and captivating colors

Simple, intuitive interface for easy navigation

[external_footer]

source https://livingcorner.com.au/7-best-tv-suitable-for-outdoor-2021-reviews-and-buying-guidewhat-tv-is-best-for-outdoor-viewinghttps-top-rated-tvs-com-wp-content-uploads-2021-01-outdoor-tv-jpg24/

[magzoso-tech]

Realme 6 Pro vs Redmi Note 9 Pro: Which Phone Offers the Best Value?

New Post has been published on https://magzoso.com/tech/realme-6-pro-vs-redmi-note-9-pro-which-phone-offers-the-best-value/

Realme 6 Pro vs Redmi Note 9 Pro: Which Phone Offers the Best Value?

In our recent comparison of the Redmi Note 9 Pro (Review) and the Realme 6 (Review), we found that the latter offered better value and performance in most areas, compared to Xiaomi’s offering, which made it the best smartphone to buy at Rs. 12,999. However, we’ve been getting a lot of questions of late about which would be the better pick — the Realme 6 Pro (Review) or the Redmi Note 9 Pro?

Technically, it’s the Redmi Note 9 Pro Max which would directly compete with the Realme 6 Pro, going purely by product positioning. However considering that the Realme 6 Pro price in India starts at just Rs. 1,000 more than the top-end variant of the Redmi Note 9 Pro, we can see why most people are wondering whether it makes sense to put in a bit more money for a possibly better product.

Both these phones have the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G SoC, and with the Realme 6 Pro, you get additional features which are missing from the Realme 6, such as a glass back panel, a secondary selfie camera, and a rear telephoto camera. All these features put it in a comfortable position to one-up the Redmi Note 9 Pro, but does it manage to? It’s time to examine both smartphones and find out.

Realme 6 Pro vs Redmi Note 9 Pro prices and variants

As a value proposition, it’s hard to beat the Redmi Note 9 Pro, as it starts at just Rs. 12,999, for the version with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. The second variant gets you 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage for Rs. 15,999.

The Realme 6 Pro starts at Rs. 16,999 for 6GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, which is not bad, but for Rs. 17,999, you can get double the storage, with the same amount of RAM. If you really want to splurge, then Realme offers a third variant for Rs. 18,999, which gets you 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage.

Realme 6 Pro vs Redmi Note 9 Pro design

There’s something very likeable about the Redmi Note 9 Pro’s design. Perhaps it’s the fact that it doesn’t look like anything else on the market, which gives it a unique advantage. However, there’s no getting around the fact that it’s big and can be cumbersome to use with one hand. We love the new colours too, especially the blue. The buttons are a little tricky to reach, which can be a big ergonomic issue. The Gorilla Glass back picks up smudges easily but it is resistant to scratches.

Realme has upped its game with the 6 Pro, as compared to the Realme 6. This model gets a Gorilla Glass 5 back panel, which puts it on par with the Redmi Note 9 Pro in terms of durability. It’s a big phone too, nearly the size of the Note 9 Pro, but a bit lighter, weighing around 195g. We found the button placement to be a lot more ergonomic, compared to the Redmi Note 9 Pro, but perhaps the most attractive thing about the 6 Pro’s design is the new lightning-inspired pattern on the back, which is one of our favourite Realme designs so far. It can look flashy or subtle when the light hits it at different angles, with a heavy vignetting effect around the edges of the back.

The camera module doesn’t have the most original design though. Both phones also claim to have some basic level of water resistance, even though neither has an official IP rating.

It’s hard to pick a winner for this round, so we’ll just call it a tie.

Realme 6 Pro vs Redmi Note 9 Pro performance and gaming

The Realme 6 Pro and the Redmi Note 9 Pro use the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G SoC, which is a brand new chip from Qualcomm, focused on gaming but also on power efficiency. It also happens to support the new NavIC satellite system from India, for navigation. Both phones also use LPDDR4X RAM and the flash format of choice is UFS 2.1.

Unsurprisingly, benchmark numbers were very similar. In AnTuTu, the Redmi Note 9 Pro scored 279,978 points, while the Realme 6 Pro scored 282,716 points. We had a similar experience with actual usage too. Both MIUI and Realme UI work smoothly, and multitasking was easy. Scrolling and swiping through menus feels faster on the Realme 6 Pro though, thanks to the 90Hz screen refresh rate, versus 60Hz on the Redmi Note 9 Pro.

In gaming, both smartphones once again offer similar performance. They can handle heavy games such as PUBG Mobile with relative ease, and the best part is that neither of them get excessively hot even after gaming for long stretches.

We found the fingerprint sensors on both phones to be pretty quick at authentication and neither of them ever really missed a read. Face recognition is equally quick, and works quite well in low light on both devices.

In terms of manageability, we found the Realme 6 Pro to be a little easier to live with due to its lower weight. One-handed use is still challenging on both phones, due to their large displays.

Realme 6 Pro vs Redmi Note 9 Pro display and speakers

Speaking of displays, the Realme 6 Pro continues to use an IPS LCD panel, just like the Realme 6, however, we get Gorilla Glass 5 instead of 3 here, which should make it more resilient to scratches. Both the Realme 6 Pro and Note 9 Pro have the exact same full-HD+ resolution of 2400×1080 and are similarly sized too, measuring 6.6 inches and 6.67 inches respectively. Colour reproduction and brightness are very good and both and we didn’t really have any issues in this regard with either phone.

There are camera cutouts in both displays, but the Realme 6 has a more elongated, pill-shaped one for its dual front cameras. In apps that mask the area it’s not a problem, but they can be a little distracting when watching full-screen videos. Realme has also added a neat little animation around the hole every time you wake the screen or switch to the selfie camera within the camera app.

Both phones have single bottom-firing speakers, but the one on the Realme 6 Pro sounds louder and richer, partially thanks to Dolby Atmos. There’s no surround effect of course, but this always-on audio boost makes the sound richer and clearer. The Redmi Note 9 Pro doesn’t have any such enhancement for its speaker and ends up sounding a little tinny, with a lower maximum volume level too.

Realme 6 Pro vs Redmi Note 9 Pro battery life

Despite having a larger 5,020mAh battery and the same processor, the Redmi Note 9 Pro lasted for just 16 hours in our HD video battery loop test. The Realme 6 Pro on the other hand, with its 4,300mAh battery, lasted for an amazing 21 hours and 42 minutes in the same test. Both phones easily offer a day and half worth of actual runtime.

Charging the battery of the Realme 6 Pro is a lot quicker thanks to its support for 30W fast charging. The Redmi Note 9 Pro on the other hand only supports up to 18W fast charging, and given the larger capacity, charging it fully takes longer. Both phones ship with chargers that supply these Wattages.

Realme 6 Pro vs Redmi Note 9 Pro cameras

Starting with the Realme 6 Pro, we have the same 64-megapixel Samsung GW1 sensor as the one on the Realme 6 for the primary camera. Then, there’s an 8-megapixel ultra wide-angle camera; a 12-megapixel 2x optical telephoto camera, and finally a 2-megapixel macro camera. The Redmi Note 9 Pro has a 48-megapixel primary sensor; an 8-megapixel ultra wide-angle camera; a 5-megapixel macro camera; and a 2-megapixel depth sensor.

The camera apps of both phones are similarly designed but they differ a bit in features. For instance, the camera app in the Realme 6 Pro has a 5x zoom toggle button; Night mode can be used with the wide-angle and selfie cameras; and you can enable an ‘Ultra Steady’ stabilisation mode while shooting video. The Note 9 Pro has a few unique tricks too such as a ‘Short video’ recording mode; a shortcut to access Google Lens; and easy-to-access shortcuts for changing the video resolution or switching to macro mode.

During the day, both phones captured good detail and HDR was handled well. The Redmi Note 9 Pro adds a warmer tone to images compared to the 6 Pro’s more neutral tone. Wide-angle shots are handled decently too, but the quality and details take a bit of a hit on both, when compared to their main sensors.

Tap to see full-sized image

Tap to see full-sized image

Both shoot detailed macros too, but in this test we found that the Realme 6 Pro boosted reds a little too much. When it comes to extreme close-ups, the Redmi Note 9 Pro captured better details than the Realme 6 Pro thanks to the higher-resolution macro camera.

Using the 2x optical zoom camera on the Realme 6 Pro, we got some sharp details and good colours. The Redmi Note 9 Pro did a decent job with its 2x digital zoom, but upon closer inspection, the 6 Pro produced slightly better sharpness and details.

Tap to see full-sized image

With selfies, the Realme 6 Pro captured much better details on our subject’s face, with good skin tones. HDR isn’t the most effective here but that’s okay considering that selfies themselves were exposed well. The Redmi Note 9 Pro does a better job of exposing backgrounds but our subject’s face was a lot darker, with less detail. The Realme 6 Pro’s wide-angle front camera is useful as it lets you get a lot more people into a frame.

Tap to see full-sized image

Tap to see full-sized image

In low light landscapes, the Realme 6 Pro clearly has much better exposure, compared to the Redmi Note 9 Pro. As a result, we can see more detail on objects in the dark. Switching to Night Mode, things only get better for the Realme 6 Pro, but strangely, it doesn’t make much of a difference to photos on the Note 9 Pro. Shooting with the wide-angle cameras of both phones at night yields poor results, but the 6 Pro can use Night Mode for this camera too, which improves things a bit.

Shooting close-ups in low light, the Redmi Note 9 Pro really struggled to focus on small objects such as flowers, whereas the Realme 6 Pro didn’t have any trouble. After many tries, the Note 9 Pro finally managed to focus but images were not as bright or detailed as the ones taken with the Realme 6 Pro.

With a slightly larger subject and better light, the Note 9 Pro appeared to capture the better photo at first glance, since it’s brighter. While details were good, it’s the Realme 6 Pro that did a more accurate job with white balance and even exposure. If you take a closer look at the tiles on the floor in our sample shots, the picture taken with the Realme 6 Pro shows more detail.

Trying to use the Realme 6 Pro’s optical zoom camera in low light, we got some pretty decent results. The Redmi Note 9 Pro also produces a usable picture with its 2x digital zoom capability, but sharpens things a bit too much.

Both smartphones are capable of 4K video recording but neither stabilises video at this resolution. Under good light, footage captured with both phones is fairly detailed, but the Note 9 Pro boosts colours, particularly blues, a bit too much. At 1080p, stabilisation kicks in to make the footage smoother on both phones, and here, we found the Redmi Note 9 Pro to do a slightly better job.

In low light, we found the Realme 6 Pro’s video quality slightly better, as it was brighter overall. At 1080p, both phones do a decent job with stabilisation but they also introduce slight distortion in the footage. Wide-angle videos look blurry and washed out, since the sensor isn’t as good as the main one on either phone.

Realme 6 Pro vs Redmi Note 9 Pro software and usage experience

The Realme 6 Pro and Redmi Note 9 Pro run on their manufacturers’ respective custom skins, both based on Android 10. Realme recently pushed out an update for the 6 Pro, which updated the Android security patch to March, along with bug fixes and performance improvements. This also brings the Soloop video creation app which was promised at launch. It lets you automatically create mini movie clips from photos and videos you select. You can use one of the ‘Smart Templates’ or fine tune the result by selecting your own music, adding text, applying filters, etc.

Realme UI is lean and feels quite a bit like stock Android in some ways. The preinstalled apps thankfully don’t spam your notification shade all that much, which is something we can’t say about MIUI.

Xiaomi’s popular skin on Android might be loved by many, but it can be frustrating since the stock apps tend to clutter your notification shade with unwanted alerts. Other than this, the interface is fairly feature-rich, with lots of options to customise the way you interact with your phone.

Verdict

If you’ve gone through this entire comparison and haven’t simply jumped to the verdict, then it’s pretty clear by now that the Realme 6 Pro (Review) has a lot more to offer, if you can spend a bit more money on it. It’s on par with the Redmi Note 9 Pro (Review) in terms of most features, but is lighter and more ergonomic to use. It also has a better speaker, much quicker charging, and better cameras — all of which make it the better buy.

Now in all fairness, Xiaomi does have a higher-end model called the Redmi Note 9 Pro Max, which starts at Rs. 14,999 and features a 64-megapixel primary camera, a 32-megapixel selfie camera, and 33W fast charging. We haven’t reviewed this model yet, but since the rest of the specifications are more or less identical to those of the Redmi Note 9 Pro, we can say that it should put up a tougher fight and also doesn’t cost much more.

Do also keep in mind that both models from Xiaomi are only available through flash sales, while Realme’s offerings are ready to buy whenever you want them. It will be interesting to see how the Redmi Note 9 Pro Max and Realme 6 Pro stack up, but that’s a comparison for another time.

Is Redmi Note 9 Pro the new best phone under Rs. 15,000? We discussed how you can pick the best one, on Orbital, our weekly technology podcast, which you can subscribe to via Apple Podcasts or RSS, download the episode, or just hit the play button below.

[creativephotographystuff-blog]

Detailed Lens Buying Guide

When it comes to professional photography gear, most people underestimate the importance of choosing the right lens. Most beginners start off by purchasing an expensive full-frame or professional camera body but then end up with a very tight budget for their lens. Eventually, you end up only owning a cheap kit lens, which is a pity.

Why Is The Lens So Important?

So now you might be wondering, why the lens plays such a big role, well there are a couple of factors which the lens has a significant influence on.

Field Of View

Depth of Field

Sharpness

Distortion

Chromatic Aberration

Vignetting

Flare

Lowlight Performance

Autofocus Performance

These are just a few factors, that the lens influences a lot. Notice that all these issues are quite important and affect the way your images eventually look. So now that you’ve got a basic understanding of why you should care about choosing the right lens, we should get into a more detailed buying guide, explaining the specifications & features to look for, but also how you can understand reviews the best.

Technical Data:

When looking for a lens, it makes the most sense to first begin by going through technical data, that every manufacturer has to provide! There are 3 essential factors to look for;

Focal Length

As you should know, the focal length tells you how narrow or wide your field of view is, but also how much a lens can zoom. But since there are many different sensor sizes, focal lengths might get a bit confusing at the start. So make sure to check that the lens was made for the right lens mount.

The 3 most common sensor formats are;

Full-Frame

APS-C (1.5x crop)

MFT (2x crop)

So a 24mm full-frame lens would give you a field of view of 36mm on an APS-C sensor, whereas you shouldn’t use lenses made for smaller sensors on cameras with larger sensors as it would result in a heavy vignette.

Aperture

Another vital aspect is the Aperture of the lens, as it decides how much bokeh you would get. Furthermore, it is critical when it comes to low light performance, as it declares how much light the lens lets in.

Aperture is measured in F-stops, whereas the lower the number the wider the aperture. Anything below F2.8 is considered as quite fast, and a good option for portrait & low light photography.

Size & Weight

Last but not least, people tend to forget that size & weight are necessary to be considered when purchasing a lens. You really don’t want to end up purchasing a heavy lens that you never use because you don’t want to carry it. Therefore please make sure to double-check, especially if you travel frequently!

Sharpness

Overall, sharpness is the most important aspect to go through when reading a lens review. Obviously, you want to avoid soft corners & poor sharpness, since it drastically limits the optical performance of your camera system.

To gain a better understanding of sharpness you should go through this sample review.

Final Words

Share this article with others if you found it helpful! Keep experimenting with photography & have fun out there!

[alexteltevskiy]

Vintage russki camera review - Zenit-B w/ Industar 50-2 f/3.5

Intro

I have a modestly sized family and most about every in it is/has been crazy about photography at some point in their lives. My father, in particular, has been in the cozy company of cameras since, like, forever. I've got a picture of him somewhere: a cheerful little lad, no older than a year, crawling around right next to my grandpa's trusty little rangefinder...

What does this have to do with anything? Well, today I'll be reviewing one of my dad's many old cameras - his trusty Zenit-B with an Industar 50-2 50mm f/3.5. He used this one as his 35mm camera of choice after his FED rangefinder, having abandoned it much later after moving on to Japanese SLRs. I actually accidentally bumped into this camera about a year ago in my older brother's attic. Turns out, my dad gave the camera as a present to my bro, who used it for a bit but ultimately forgot about its existence, having moved on to more modern snappers.

Imagine my surprise when I unearth the leather-case-clad tank-of-a-camera with a big bold Made in USSR stamped onto it. The thing was lightly used, lens had no malices typical of a subterranean attic-dweller (haze, fungus), nothing was seriously loose or wrong... until I popped it open to check shutter operation...

Design & build quality

The thing is built like a tank. Mass produced from 1968 to 1973. Rugged and over-engineered, and that is even before I tore it down to get inside and fix it. Inside it looked like it was built to withstand a nuclear blast. A Tchaikovsky Overture of heavy duty gearing, solid steel parts, heavy gauge springs, all tightly wedged against each other with thick flat head screws.

All the more baffling why, oh WHY did they bother to use simple glue to keep together the rubber-coated cloth shutter??? The most important piece of the puzzle, the cornerstone, the heart of the system... why was it made to be so weak? And it's not like there was a large amount of redundancy built into the mechanism - a little bit of glue going undone and the whole curtain self-destructs. Just don't get it.

Anyway, I had to hunt down a spare body with a functioning shutter on eBay to kindly act as a donor. As soon as the box touched down on my front porch the organ transplant was underway and not long afterwards my neighbors probably heard me go on a creepy "it's alive" howl. Frankenzenit was ready for action.

Apart from the shutter glue drama, the camera is a brick, chiseled out of the Terminator's spare parts. And there's just something about that Soviet design aesthetic that gets me every time. Like an old friend you'd sometimes like to forget, but can't. An eclectic mix of extreme cases of forms following function and the necessity for every single object in the country to be fixable with a skeleton toolset of dull screwdriver and hammer. Heck, most of the time even just the hammer was necessary.

Tech specs

Under the covers it was all business and no frills. Barebones feature set, all manual, nothing extra. Shutter goes from 1/30 to 1/500 (the accuracy of which I can't attest to after seeing the mechanism up close and personal), has Bulb. Shutter knob has twist-proof mechanism, reminded me of something you'd find on a T-34 instead of a camera but it has a charm to it, adding an extra step to process.

Winder/shutter button combo with a built-in hand-resetable frame counter and provisions for a standard cable release. A rewind button and rewind/ISO memory wheel. Oh, and a self-timer. Mirror slap is not too obnoxious but don't expect to pull a ninja with this camera - loud and clunky. Next to zero foam in the body, the only seals are made of felt that are still going strong after 45+ years.

The lens is a copy of a Zeiss design, M42 mount, opens up to 3.5 and stops down to 16. Filter thread is, wait for it, 35mm in diameter. Good luck finding a pinch lens cap for it. More details on image quality further down the review.

In use

Armed with a meter and a trusty roll of Ilford HP5+ @400 (I ran out of Tri-X at that moment), headed out Downtown with Kris from 43 Stories to see the sights and sounds of the Big City. From the sun-soaked vantage point of a 12-floor parking garage all the way down to chilly pale breeze of the distant skyline from the shores of Navy Pier, the 7-mile 6-hour walk took us all the way from Printer's Row, through the Loop on the L and onto River North, crossing the Magnificent Mile and into Streeterville. Crash at Navy Pier then back home.

Right from the beginning you get a sense that this will be a no-nonesense camera. Everything is roughly where you expect it. The gears are less ergonomic than its peers and the levers dig a little deeper into your skin, but the classic layout was a breather from some of the other cameras I've tested lately. Compact, easy to hold and grip, even with gloves. Aggressive knurling on the controls made fine manipulation easy. Everything clicks solidly.

In addition to the Victorian-Era steely thunderclap of a shutter, the camera has further handicaps that keep it back from being a street-smart photoninja. The shutter speed can't be set blindly, as there are no indicators of what speed you're on anywhere else but the knob. And to change speeds, you have to raise the knob, rotate it and plop it back into the correct setting. There are no physical clicks or stops when you rotate it, so unless you have super-dexterous fingers and a built-in angle meter accurate to the degree, you have to take the camera off of your eyes to readjust exposure.

Same goes for aperture, but this time it's even worse - camera needs to be focused wide open as the finder is too dim. And after you focus you'll most likely have to stop down the aperture. This cannot be done without peeling away from the camera and looking down at the aperture ring. It's clickless, so unless you have a sixth sense for degrees, you will need to look down. Forget quick turnaround time on the streets - this camera is a methodical shooter that requires planning ahead and patience, both from you and any animate object in front of you.

The viewfinder is pretty dim and features a regular ground glass - no fresnel circles in the center or any other focusing aids. With a f/3.5 lens it may not make that much of a difference, but any other lens with a larger aperture may require you to hunt quite a bit to nail that f/2 or f/1.4. Another minor (major, actually) annoyance is that the ring around the viewfinder is, just like most else on this camera, made of metal. Yours Truly Four-Eyes over here needs to first focus with glasses on, making sure not to have direct contact with the metal ring, then slide the glasses over to zoom the eye closer in to compose. The viewfinder optics are recessed deep into the body and it's impossible to see the entire viewfinder area coverage with glasses on. Haven't been able to dig up specs on viewfinder coverage but I have a hunch it's around the 80%-90% mark - I always saw extra features on the negs that I thought were long gone from the frame.

One final note about the viewfinder is that in the camera that I have, the viewfinder is misaligned horizontally, with a couple degrees of rotation to the right. Plain English: when the horizon is straight in my viewfinder, it's actually crooked in the actual photo. I haven't tested this with a bubble level yet, but people call me "human horizon" for a reason - I'm usually very, very careful with that. You hear horror stories about little irking details like this all the time with Soviet cameras, guess they've got some validity behind them, eh? Looking inside, I found no way of adjust the mirror or the ground glass. After peaking into the donor body, that one was misaligned as well, this time leaning to the opposite side.

The winder on this camera is an absolute beast. Quite literally. Be very, very gentle with it. Treat it real slow, nice and easy. The winder sprocket cams inside the body are born from a crude metal cast with razor-sharp edges on the teeth. I consider the Ilford HP5+ film base to be on the pretty durable side, yet even it has had ripped sprockets along most of the length. The winding lever has virtually zero feedback compared to modern cameras and Hulk-like leverage. The only way I was informed that I'd gotten to the end of the roll is when I heard a loud rip of the film from it's canister. Removing it required a dark changing bag. Apart from that expect to get 37-38 shots per 36 exposure roll. Film spacing is pretty consistent and film gate is at a slight angle but at least with no major light leaks (pressure plate still good after all these years).

Image quality

So what do the images look like? They're pretty good, actually. I was expecting it perform a lot worse, but it is a knock-off of a Zeiss design, so that probably helps. First, the numbers. 3.5 is predictably soft, with decent center, medium vignetting and mildly mushy corners. Modern pixel peepers would consider this atrocious, but that's not what film aficionados are after, and to my eye it actually appears pleasantly vintage looking. I found the lens sharpest in the center by f/5.6, with f/8 improving the corners but starting to lose a bit in the center. F/11 exhibits a uniform image from center to corner, that's as in "uniformly soft", and f/16 starts looking like somebody took the photo and printed it on a rug made of low-denier fabrics.

Bokeh is minimal and can get quite busy unless you get REAL close to something. Wide open the bokeh is also quite swirly (couldn't find a more technical term), reminiscent of many vintage lens, where it looks like time and space itself are being bent around your subject matter. A look I actually quite like and one that is currently being revived thanks to Lomography's efforts with lens based on ancient optical formulas.

Flaring can be an issue, but the way the lens handles it is by dissipating the flare across the entire field of view, unlike some other lens where the flare affects the image only partially. I would assume this is because minimal, if any coating was used on the elements. I actually prefer this.

I was also quite surprised by the copious amounts of barrel distortion I noticed when photographing objects close up. I mean, come on - it's a 50, not even a 35! At infinity though, distortion is gone and buildings don't look like they're binging on burgers.

Conclusion

So, what do I think about a camera that has more misalignments than a knocked over vase that was superglued back together? The camera has a lot of sides the modern snapper would find archaic, impractical and irritating. It's a menace to film rolls and close ups of straight brick walls. It's an exercise in patience and meticulousness. And it's a lottery of settings and angles plagued by inconsistency and vagueness. But despite all this it still works, and works solidly. I am still surprised by the engineered heart failure on these cameras, but at a dime a dozen, there's no reason one should stay away from these exotic relics from a bygone world order.

PS: Did I mention that it's a conversation starter? "Hello sir! May I make a portrait of you?" "What kind of camera is that?" "It's almost 50 years old, shoots black and white film and was made in the USSR!" (eyes bulging in surprise) "No way! Sure man, take as many as you like!"

Sample pics

[cosmotographer]

Introduction

In this review, we will be reviewing the [eafl id=”5272″ name=”Leica Summicron-M 35mm f/2 ASPH (11879)” text=”Leica Summicron 35mm f/2 ASPH”] as one of my most in-depth reviews. I chose this lens because if I had to choose just one lens out of the plethora of lenses in the history of the Leica M mount, it would be the first aspherical version of the 35mm f/2 of the legendary Summicron line of lenses. It’s no surprise that the 35mm focal length is the most versatile lens, but on a Leica rangefinder, it pretty much defines the whole M mount system. It is, in my personal opinion, Leica’s best lens.

We’ll go over why.

The Summicron 35mm

You could say the 35mm focal length is one of the most popular focal lengths in any photographer’s bag, typical alongside the “nifty-fifty” 50mm. Doesn’t matter if you shoot Canon, Nikon, Sony or Olympus, these are the two most popular (and most recommended) focal lengths for any manufacturer. However, not all lenses are the same.

The Summicron comes in on its own like the Apple iPhone – Leica’s only comparative competitor is their previous model. This lens is legendary in its own right as it simply defines what Leica lenses are known for. Compact, sharp as hell, lightweight (relatively speaking) and famous ergonomics that is an obvious pairing for any Leica M rangefinder camera. As other phone manufacturers compare their latest flagship to the ubiquitous iPhone, the Summicron is the benchmark where all other lenses are judged by.

Leica’s Summicron is the Porsche 911 of the lens world.

This Review

When I was originally shopping around for this lens, particularly this aspherical version manufactured during 1990s until the mid 2000s, it was surprisingly difficult to find decent reviews on the second latest lens among the Summicron family. This is shocking because why is such a legendary lens so hard to find any decent reviews?

I think there are a few reasons for this.

The lens is so good that there is little to be said about it. This happens more often than not for any latest variation of any lens. Look at the [eafl id=”5282″ name=”Voigtlander Nokton 35mm f/1.4 MC II” text=”Voigtlander Nokton 35mm f/1.4 MC II”] – you’ll be hard pressed to find more than a handful of reviews on it.

The lens is overshadowed by its latest version, the [eafl id=”5267″ name=”Leica Summicron-M 35mm f/2 ASPH II” text=”ASPH II”] (11673), but ironically also suffers from the first point above.

I have a lot of love for this lens and since passion make for an interesting review, I will break down how this lens competes in 2020 in a market saturated with other attractive propositions from other manufacturers, but convince you why the Summicron is my favorite.

Compact Power | Summicron-M 35mm f/2 ASPH

Build and Design

The 35mm of Leica’s Summicron line of lenses have surprisingly have not changed much in terms of their raison d’être: keep it small, make sure that it’s sharp, and the ergonomics must be on point. With these values that date back all the way back when the first M mount was first conceived (almost 75 years ago), this ASPH version continues to carry that legacy as it remained the king of compact 35mm with an f/2 aperture for decades. 

History

The double gauss formula that dates back to the 1950s haven’t changed since the ASPH, but with the adaptation of computers and improvements with new manufacturing processes, the aspherical was born to prepare for the future that would follow after the Leica M6. The made in Germany, hand-made components paired with new production methods were further improved, albeit more complicated due to the addition of an aspherical element among its seven elements and five groups. The body is beautifully machined from a solid block of aluminum, as the brass internal helicoid help maintain its smooth focusing while keeping the overall body durable from normal wear and tear. Nothing feels cheap or flimsy here, but for almost $2,000 in today’s used market, it better not be.

Weight: 255g

Minimum Focus Distance (MFD): 0.7m

Build: Aluminum and Brass

Incredible Micro-Contrast | Leica M10 | f/2.0 / 1/4000 / ISO 200

No Compromise

If you’ve never handled this lens before (or any Leica lens for that matter) I highly recommend you hold one in your hands and try to maintain a poker face. I say this because every time I let someone handle one of these lenses for the first time, they would react with have one or more of the following:

“Holy shit, that’s heavy!”

“Wow, that’s solid!”

“I could kill someone with this!”

These lenses are not your typical plastic shells with bits of metal inside that you would typically get from other manufacturer’s top line of lenses. No, that’s not what you’ll find here. Leica lenses are manufactured at such incredibly high standards, that their expensive price tags almost seemed justified due to the amount of labor involved and how well made they are. These hand-made pieces of aluminum, brass and glass were built to outlive you, your car, your kids and your grandchildren. It’s not surprising that these things were built to last and passed down to your future generation or someone’s attic find for their next garage sale.

@cosmotographer

@cosmotographer

@cosmotographer

From the Hood

If I had to find one major gripe about this lens is the lens hood.

My God is the lens hood crap.

I don’t know what the Germans were thinking when they designed the plastic hood back in the ’90s, but it’s a finicky thing. Brand new, they’re great as the two tiny metal prongs that attach to the outer rim by the front element is sturdy, which can only be attached and removed pinching two buttons on the side with your fingers. Seemed like a solid solution at first.

However…

If either the metal prongs on the lens plastic hood or if the metal rim of the lens show any type of wear, and I’m talking minuscule amount of wear like a dull sheen on the attachment points, it’s only a matter of time for that lens hood to pop off and ghost on you like a bad Tinder date. To make matters worst, this over-engineered and under-developed lens hood will cost you over $100 to replace. That’s an expensive Tinder date that just walked out on you.

To help fellow readers and sad Leica owners whom used Google to search for a replacement hood, let me help you out:

Leica Lens Hood for the 11879 Summicron (12526): Link

Leica Hood Cap for the Lens Hood: Good Luck

Leica E39 Front Lens Cap (14038): Link

I’ve gone through two copies of this lens within a year and both lens hoods were promptly taken off and stored away in their leatherette lens cases for storage into forever world. Future investments I can sell one day and buy myself an island or something. Fortunately, the lens does an effective job of suppressing flares without the lens hood on.

Image Quality

Ocean City | Leica M9 | f/8 / 1/3000 / ISO 160

It’s not out of the ordinary to say that the image quality you get from Leica lenses in general, especially their Summicrons, are nothing short of extraordinary and the [eafl id=”5272″ name=”Leica Summicron-M 35mm f/2 ASPH (11879)” text=”ASPH I”] is no exception. If you’ve ever used any of the older variations of this lens, you can tell that Leica was clearly learning from the past to get to where they are now.

Micro-Contrast is Real

The details are sharp with high contrast, with crisp details at the edges around your subject with dramatic fall-off wide open at f/2.0. The lens get even sharper stopped down at f/4.0, but f/5.6 is just the sweet spot to hit that perfect balance. It’s very easy to see very high levels of micro-contrast at the edges of your subject, exhibiting the “Leica look” due to high levels of fidelity and tonality that you can only get with these lenses paired with Leica’s proprietary sensor.

This is what it means to be an exceptional lens.

Classical and Modern | Leica M10 | f/2.0 / 1/180 / ISO 200

Note about Adapting Lenses: I can tell you first hand that you will not get the same rendering adapting M mount lenses to other sensors like the Sony A7 series. The addition of the filter stack (which Leica sensors lack) and without its processing, you won’t get the same look. Been there. Seen that.

An example of the “Leica Look” | Leica M10 | f/2.0 / 1/4000 / ISO 200

Another thing that I find interesting is how flat the field looks at wide open aperture. The images look sharp and while the corners still show a hint of vignetting and softness, it’s very impressive how the lens renders so well in such a small body.

However, the lens is not perfect as the lens can suffer a bit of coma on the corners, but this is immaterial and you won’t notice it in practical situations. Not a big deal, but just shows that the Summicron is still a piece of machinery made by mortals.

User Experience

In my opinion, this is the most important aspect of the lens as it’s primarily one of the main reasons why anyone shoots with a Leica: the overall user experience.

If you ever want to shoot an “ideal” Leica setup, pair any Leica rangefinder and this Summicron (or any 35mm Summicron for that matter). The solid weight in your hands with this compact lens, allow the focus tab to sit close to the body of the camera.

This is really close to perfect.

I can’t explain what it is, but when you curl left index finger and adjust the focus tab between your first and second knuckle.

The palm of your left hand rests under the base of the body while your right hand holds the right side of the body.

You can feel the smooth throws as you move the focus lever as you line up your rangefinder patch.

Everything just feels right.

Balance of classical and modern

Kitty

Micro-Contrast in the shadows

Inspiring Combo

It feels welcoming – inspiring even. It’s as if you’re holding a piece of art from the company that was responsible for famous black and white photos that you saw in your history books. You’ll know once you hold one in your hands.

The hefty weight of the lens sits comfortably, far back towards the body, therefore not throwing off the weight distribution of the body. The short overall length of the lens doesn’t invade your view inside the optical viewfinder, even with the hood on, as you can clearly see the 35mm framelines.

The focus feels buttery smooth. Like a freshly oiled gear moving freely, but enough resistance like stirring a bucket of water. The Leica [eafl id=”5270″ name=”Leica Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 ASPH FLE” text=”Summilux 35mm FLE”] (11663) with its floating lens element can’t touch the focus throws on the Summicron as it feels inconsistent and heavy in comparison.

The aperture clicks into place with positive detents as your turn them between your left thumb and index finger, feeling the finely machined ribbed pattern at the front of the barrel. The resistance between each aperture click feels perfect, just enough so that you won’t accidentally bump your aperture. It doesn’t feel as tight as your typical M-Mount Zeiss lenses, but it’s good enough.

With this combination between the lens and a compact body like the [eafl id=”5266″ name=”Leica M10″ text=”Leica M10″] (or film M6 and M7), you have a one lens, one body solution. A lot of people call their Summicron 35mm as their “body cap”, meaning it’s pretty much stuck on their camera most of the time and you can clearly see why. If you’ve mastered focusing quickly at f/2.0, the short throws from this lens will make you feel like a master as there is very little overrun (meaning you won’t slip past your focus from overdriving the focus throw) thanks to its perfect resistance.

Conclusion

The Summicron 35mm ASPH is a superlative lens that does everything well, but not the best at any one category. In 2020, there are a plethora of lenses you can choose from within this focal length that are sharper, cheaper, lighter and a better lens hood. However, as someone who had been around the block a few times, I can assure you that the Summicron just hits all the right notes. There really isn’t any other lens out there that offers the balance and performance you get from this lens. Besides, how often do you hear people say, “one day I’ll get a Summicron”? Trust me, it’s worth getting and I recommend you save up for one because this is the one lens where all lenses, regardless of manufacturer, are still striving to match.

If you’ve enjoyed this review and plan on making a purchase, please help out the site by using the affiliate links below as that helps the site to maintain its good relationship with its WordPress overlords and buy the writer a cup of coffee.

[eafl id=”5272″ name=”Leica Summicron-M 35mm f/2 ASPH (11879)” text=”Leica Summicron 35mm ASPH I”]

  Review: Leica Summicron-M 35mm f/2 ASPH (11879) – Balanced Perfection Introduction In this review, we will be reviewing the as one of my most in-depth reviews. I chose this lens because if I had to choose just one lens out of the plethora of lenses in the history of the Leica M mount, it would be the first aspherical version of the 35mm f/2 of the legendary Summicron line of lenses.

[delaneypeter]

On Safari with Fujinon XF200 F2

On Safari with Fujinon XF200 F2

One Camera One Lens

When one of the world's best photographers emails, and asks if you would co-host exclusive photographic safari with three of the world's top wildlife photographers. I didn't have to think about it too long; I waited for the obligatorily 5 seconds before accepting, after all, I didn't want to seem to keen.

On arrival, at the safari lodge, I have to admit I was somewhat overawed, it's not every day you get to meet your photography heroes. I did my best to remain calm. Then my fellow co-hosts unloaded their camera gear. I lost count of the long lenses, 800mm, 600mm, 500mm, 80-400mms, various pro DSLR bodies plus smaller focal length lenses...

I was the only FujiFilm and mirrorless wildlife photographer.

I couldn't help but enquire from my fellow wildlife photographers about their gear. They told me that they were sponsored by Nikon, Canon, Leica respectively As brand ambassadors, they didn't purchase their camera gear. I have to admit I was somewhat envious of them.

FujiFilm South Africa had received the new Fujinon XF 200 F2 lens. I rang and asked if I could borrow the new Fujinon XF 200. A few days later they agreed. They sent a FujiFilm XT-3 , That was music to my ears. I was excited to test the new flagship camera. I left behind my Fujifilm XT-2 as I deemed it surplus to my requirements. A costly mistake or serendipitous?

The photography workshop clients would arrive in two days. We photographers used that time to familiarise ourselves with the game reserve, our rangers and of course each other. A more friendly an inspiring group of wildlife photographers I could not have asked for, there was the usual banter about camera gear, and my FujiFilm XH-1 was given the nickname “the sewing machine” due to its quiet shutter.

To be honest I think my photography peers might have been slightly envious, as time and time again when out on safari, the DSLR cameras sounded like "machine gun fire " in burst mode, it was so loud that on more than one occasion it caused our wildlife subjects to scamper away, resulting in what I call " Butt Pics".

With the quiet shutter speed of my Fujifilm XH-1, I had the opposite results and was able to photograph the natural behaviour of my subjects.

There is nothing more rewarding to a wildlife photographer than to be accepted by your subject, allowing you to concentrate on capturing beautiful behaviour photographs.

I was excited to test out the Fujifilm XT-3. On my first day of photography, I realised that I had given me a beta test prototype camera. The camera behaved erratically with the screen greying out or freezing. I tried removing batteries, but, eventually, I had to admit to defeat and retire the XT-3.

I was disappointed, as I wanted to test the new autofocus system. Instead of being upset I looked at the camera failure as a challenge, with the right mindset you can turn a negative situation into a positive one.

Now I had the dilemma of having only one camera body. I wanted to save face with my fellow photographers and clients. I told them that I was challenging myself on this safari. Keeping my photography simple by using "One Camera One Lens" This decision of using one camera and one lens turned out to be fortuitous.

The Fujinon XF 200 is a beast but in the best possible way. Yes, it is big and heavy in comparison to Fujifilm's other lenses. Compared to equivalent DSLR lenses it is lighter and shorter. Once I attached my FujiFilm XH-1 to this lens, it all made sense... this was why Fujifilm had made the XH-1, it was a perfect fit, the balance in hand was terrific. It was love at first sight, and I hadn't even taken a photograph.

I marvelled at the design, the build quality, the placement of buttons, aperture dial and the manual focus ring. I loved the off-white colour of the lens. Take a bow, engineers and designers at Fujifilm.

This lens will become the go-to lens for wildlife and action photographers. It will become a classic. It will send a message to all camera companies, Fujifilm is here to stay and are setting the standard bar high, very high.

Our photography clients arrived, and after introductions and briefing, we were assigned clients for the day. My role was to explain not just the technical side of photography, but my style of photography, how and why I would choose a particular subject to photograph.

Our first encounter was a herd of elephants. Typically I would be reaching for my XF 50-140mm as the Elephants were close. Photographing with the XF 200, I challenged myself to find interesting compositions with this focal length. At first, I found it daunting and began to doubt myself.

After a while, my mind's eye began to find interesting elements and compositions. I have a "Celtic Zen" way of photographing, within, my brain and heart are battling to balance creativity with the technical side, on the outside I am calm and relax, I enter almost a meditative state, and when I awake from my reverie I realise that I have witnessed and photographed something beautiful.

When I photograph with any long lens be it my 100-400mm zoom or this XF200, I will never handhold unless I have no choice. I always use some form of stabilisation. In my case a big bean bag.

No matter how good you may believe you are hand holding a big lens, why take a chance and miss the opportunity of having a sharp image. It is always better to use a stable platform, tripod or bean bag.

The only issue I had with bean bag was from time to time I would accidentally move my aperture F Stop.

I was surprised by my results of using just one camera and one lens. I believe I have captured some of my best wildlife photographs.

"Sometimes adversity is what you need to face in order to become successful"

When I photograph with a telephoto lens, I will never handhold the lens unless I have no choice. Having in body stabilisation and OIS on this lens does give me confidence if these situations arise, however, I always use a tripod mounted to a car bracket or a bean bag. Why risk getting a soft image by handholding when using a stable platform almost guarantees you a sharp image. Instead, give your self the best opportunity of getting the picture. The only issue I had with using the bean bag was from time to time I would accidentally move my aperture F-Stop.

The sharpness and contrast of the XF 200 have to be seen to be believed, Every night while downloading the day's images I would stop and marvel at the crisp sharpness and the excellent contrast of my photographs... the bokeh, oh the bokeh, creaminess and the wonderful out of focus background. Once viewed, I was so smitten, that nearly all my photographs were shot wide open. This allowed me to create beautiful out of focus images which in the past I was unable to do with my XF 100-400mm lens.

I am not a teleconverter fan, and in my DSLR days, I rarely used them. Results were decidedly mixed, often more soft focus images than sharp. I was pleasantly surprised to find that FujiFilm had included a 1.4 teleconverter with the XF 200, in 35mm terms a focal increase from 305mm to 428mm. I loved the combination of the XF 200 with the 1.4 Tele Converter, which only meant losing a stop in light from F2 to F2,8.

The extra reach proved invaluable, and the results were astounding. I have no qualms about photographing with this teleconverter. Once again Fujifilm has shown that they have the technological expertise that their equipment works seamlessly.

The Fujifilm XF 200mm image quality is simply stunning from F2-F11, edge to edge sharpness, achieving some of the best bokeh I have ever witnessed. Vignetting and chromatic aberrations are non-existent from f2-F11. This lens is for professional action and wildlife photographers, it is pricey, but you get what you pay for, a premium lens that will become the daily workhorse of any professional.

What are the benefits of photographing with one lens and one camera?

I believe the more constraints we put on ourselves, the more artistic and creative we will become. Your mind's eye adapts to the constraints actually I should say freedom as it was liberating not having to worry about lens choice. I truly believe as photographers sometimes we have too much gear, too much choice.

Less gear equals less stress which in returns equals better creativity.

I was overjoyed by my results and truly believe by photographing with just "One camera and One lens" It help me improve my photography and my creativity.

I urge you, no I challenge you, whatever genre you photograph, to try using "One camera and One lens" it is liberating and you too will be equally surprised as I was by the results. I truly believe, having this photographic constraint trust upon me allowed me to create some of my best fine art prints.

The six-day photography safari workshop was an overwhelming success, clients and photographers shared their passion and love of wildlife and photography. New friendships formed, and some fantastic photographs were created. Much to the surprise, of my fellow wildlife photographers quite a few photography clients, expressed an interest in moving from DSLR to Fujifilm. I call it the "sewing machine effect"!

[slrlounge1]

The Nifty 35 | A Review of Canon’s New RF 35mm F1.8 Lens

The Canon RF 35mm F1.8 IS Macro is the widest prime lens Canon has released to date for the new EOS R line of mirrorless cameras. It’s also the first native lens I bought for the camera due to it’s relatively affordable price tag of $499.00. While its price and plastic build befit an amateur level lens, I wanted to test it out and see if it might be good enough for professional use, especially because of its versatile focal length, image stabilization, and macro abilities.

In this review, I’ll provide a summary of the lens’ features and break down the positive and negative points. While it’s not a perfect 35mm lens to be sure (is there such a thing?), there are many reasons that I’ve enjoyed using it and will keep it in my kit for both personal and professional use.

The new Canon RF 35mm F1.8 weighs only 10.67 oz and includes image stabilization, macro capability, and the new RF mount control ring.

Quick Specs

Aperture Range: f/1.8-f/22

11 Elements in 9 Groups

Optical Image Stabilizer

Macro

Super Spectra Coating

Customizable Control Ring

Rounded 9-Blade Diaphram

Things I Loved About This Lens

The Canon RF 35mm F1.8 is a great little lens with impressive image quality and features galore. It’s about as light as a hamster (seriously, I looked this up), and with image stabilization and macro, this thing does a bit of everything.

1. Impressive Image Quality

The image quality on the RF 35mm F1.8 is surprisingly very good. The lens is sharp in the center at F1.8 with some vignetting and softness towards the corners. At F4, there’s still some vignetting and softness in the corners but the sharpness is fine. By F8, vignetting is minimal and the lens is very sharp across the scene. I actually found this lens at F1.8 to be sharper in the corners than my Sigma 35 at F1.8 and just as sharp in the center. In real world testing, the lens performs well for portraits, detail shots, and just about anything you could think to use it for.

2. Dreamy Bokeh

This lens produces beautiful bokeh, with out-of-focus elements looking smooth and creamy. When shooting details close up using the macro ability of the lens, the bokeh was insane as you can see in the image below. Since the widest aperture on this lens is F1.8, you’re not going to get the kind of smooth bokeh that you might with the Canon or Sigma F1.4 lenses. But with 9 rounded aperture blades, you’re not going to be disappointed by the bokeh in this lens. You may even be blown away.

3. Light weight

When I first bought the new Canon EOS R, one of the first things I noticed, and lamented a bit, was the size and weight of the new Canon RF lenses. Add to that the size and weight imbalance when you use Canon’s EF lenses with the optional adapters, and you’re in for quite a wrist and hand workout. I’m not really one to complain about the size of a lens if it helps create incredible images, but it’s nice to also have an option of bringing a lens with you on vacation or just walking the streets without lugging around some heavy monster. The Canon RF 35mm F1.8 is small, well balanced, and very light, which makes it great to carry around on a daily basis.

4. Image Stabilization

For those who’ve complained about the EOS R not including in-body image stabilization, this lens has optical image stabilization. It works well to help keep shots in focus at low shutter speeds. It works so well, in fact, that I ended up with a few blurry images when I accidentally turned it off during a family shoot and didn’t adjust my shutter speed accordingly.

5. Macro Capabilities

This tiny plastic 35mm lens also shoots macro! It’s perhaps the perfect lens for shooting details at weddings or just about anything else up close. At a recent stylized shoot, I was able to take wider shots of the cake and rings, and then seamlessly move in for a tight shot. The results were really impressive and this is one of the major reasons I’ll be keeping this lens in my kit at weddings.

6. Versatility

The Canon RF 35mm F1.8 is one of the most versatile and fun lenses I’ve ever used. It’s kind of like a Swiss Army pocket knife. While it’s probably not the best lens for any one thing, it does a lot of things well. Want a small, light lens for street photography? Check. Need a macro lens for tight detail shots? Check. Need a lens with image stabilization for those hand-held low shutter speed shots? Check. This lens really can do it all.

Things I Didn’t Love About This Lens

Ok, so let’s come back down to earth. This lens is surprisingly good for $499, but it’s not perfect. Here are some of the things I don’t love about this lens.

1. Slow Focus

There were multiple instances where I had to try over and over again to get the lens to auto-focus while using the outer focus points. This isn’t a big deal if you’re shooting still portraits, but it can be frustrating if you’re trying to capture a candid moment and just can’t lock focus.

2. Loud Noise Factor

This is not a lens that you’d want to use during the middle of a quiet moment at a wedding ceremony in a church. It sounds a little like a tool you’d hear at a dentist’s office at times, especially as it hunts for focus. What did you expect for $500?

3. Cheap Plastic Lens

What else is there to say? The lens is made of plastic. It’s actually a beautifully designed plastic lens with the same silver brushed metal look on the mount connector as the other RF lenses, but it’s plastic nonetheless. Does that make it less durable than Canon’s metal lenses? I don’t know because I didn’t drop it on the ground to find out. I’d actually bet that, because it’s so light, it might lightly fall to the ground and bounce a few times if you drop it. But I’ll let you test that yourself.

4. No “It” Factor

Does the Canon RF 35mm F1.8 provide a unique look to it’s images that the Sigma 35mm F1.4 ART is renowned for? I’m not sure. I’d need to test it in a lot more circumstances to be able to say if this lens provides photographers with that extra something. At this point, based on my current testing, I’d have to say no. I don’t think it has that unique “wow” factor. But again, that’s probably not why you’re thinking of buying this lens.

Why I’m keeping this lens

After using this lens for the last week, I’ve decided to keep it for three reasons:

It’s the perfect RF mount lens for everyday use. I plan to carry my EOS R around with me as my day-to-day camera now because this lens is light and inconspicuous.

I’ll be using it a lot at weddings for detail shots and other moments where I might want to use the image stabilization for creative portraits.

It actually takes great images!

Should You Buy This Lens?

This lens will only work on the new Canon EOS R, and future Canon cameras in the lineup. So if you don’t have one, then this lens is not for you.

If you do have an EOS R, I’d highly recommend this lens. If one of the reasons you were really excited about switching to a mirrorless camera was to take a little bit of weight off, this is the only lens in the current lineup that actually makes the camera feel light. And it feels extremely light! If you are a wedding photographer who wants a versatile lens for detail shots, you’re going to love this lens. If you just want something small and light that you can use when on vacation or when you’re out walking around, you’re probably going to love this nifty little 35.

However, If you’re looking for a workhorse 35mm that you can use for portraits, and rely on to capture those fast moving candid moments for family photography or weddings, I’d recommend the Canon or Sigma 35mm F1.4 lenses and an adapter instead.

Samples

from SLR Lounge https://www.slrlounge.com/the-nifty-35-a-review-of-canons-new-rf-35mm-f1-8-lens/ via IFTTT

[thegloober]

Fstoppers Reviews the Laowa 24mm f/14 Macro Probe Lens: Weird and Wonderful

As a company, Laowa has been making some really interesting and unique lenses. My personal favorite so far is the 12mm f/2.8 Zero-Distortion lens, although this new lens might just take its place. 

In my latest video, I review the Laowa 24mm f/14 macro probe lens to see what it’s all about and how practical it actually is. With its relatively tiny aperture, I was initially very skeptical. As someone who regularly makes YouTube videos, I was trying to figure out exactly how I would use this lens. Sure, you can use it for commercial videos where you’re filming products up close, but that market is relatively small. Fortunately, I realized it’s potential when I was filming some B roll; this lens is simply incredible for that purpose. I love how you’re able to film something with a wider view and then cut to a shot super close. This gives you a whole new dimension to the type of clips you can produce, and I properly enjoy it. I don’t think there is another lens from any of the major manufacturers that can produce the kind of clips the Laowa 24mm lens can, making this very unique. To see how the lens performs for specifically filming, check out the full video. 

Build Quality and Design

Laowa clearly cares about build quality, and it’s an area they do not take lightly. As with some of their other lenses, the build quality on the 24mm probe lens is fantastic. The solid metal design is very pleasing and gives a proper premium feel to it. This lens is completely manual and does not have any electronic contacts on the mount. This means there’s no autofocus and the aperture can only be controlled from the lens. The focus ring has a long enough throw on it for those who want to be precise with their focusing. Although with the super small aperture on this lens, it’s not that difficult to find focus. The aperture ring is de-clicked, making is great for videographers. Unfortunately, in my use, I found the aperture ring to be a little loose, and on several occasions when using the lens normally, I found the aperture ring inadvertently closed down to f/16 or even f/22. I don’t consider this to be a major flaw, but it has affected some of my footage; I think the aperture ring may be too close to the focus ring. 

The design of this lens is what really makes it stand out. The long, probe-type design really did catch many viewers’ eyes when I was out filming. The reason why this lens is so long in design is purely so it can focus close enough to achieve it’s 2:1 magnification without disturbing the subject. This is double the magnification of most macro lenses available on the market, meaning you can have your subject much larger in the frame. 

Other features of this lens include the LED lights built into the lens, which can be powered by a portable battery. I personally have mixed feelings about this, because on one hand, I absolutely love it and think it’s a fantastic feature to offer. I’m sure someone somewhere who needs that extra little bit of light will find it invaluable. On the other hand, I really didn’t like using them, because the light quality isn’t great. I ended up not using them at all for the same reasons that I don’t use built-in flash. 

The long, probe-like design does cause a few issues in regards to transporting the lens. When filming, chances are you’ll be carrying a selection of equipment, and the Laowa lens does create a challenge because it’s difficult to fit in a bag properly. Even with a relatively large backpack like the Lowepro Flipside 400 II, the lens didn’t fit properly and took up a lot of space. Due to this, although I think it’s a fantastic lens, it does make me think twice before packing it for a shoot. 

Image Quality

When it comes to image quality, there a couple of things I found. First thing is that although this lens does allow you to focus all the way to infinity, at that distance, footage and images look very soft. As you can see with the images below, the Canon 24mm f/2.8 is much sharper and more detailed even when looking at the images from a distance. Both images have been shot with the exact same settings and camera. 

You’ll also notice some very heavy vignetting in the Laowa image, and the colors are different too. In my use, I’ve found that the Laowa lens has a very distinct yellow cast to the footage and images it produces. Sure, this can be corrected with some adjustment in post; however, straight out of the camera, you won’t get accurate colors. Essentially, if you are interested in making sure the colors are accurate, then you will absolutely need a color checker passport for this lens. 

Fortunately, when it comes to video, the color shift is actually very pleasing and gives a more cinematic, warm look to the clips. This can, of course, be corrected, but I actually preferred it, 

Where this lens shines is at very close distances, and that’s where you can really get the most out of it. It’s simply incredible how close you can get to your subject and still have sharp focus. Images at close distances look very sharp and detailed, and although the colors may need some work, the detail is definitely there. 

When comparing the Laowa 24mm to a more standard macro lens like the Canon 100mm f/2.8L, there are some very notable differences. For one, due to the wider angle of view, at any given magnification, you’ll have noticeably more in the frame with the Laowa lens than you will with the 100mm macro. The benefit of the Laowa lens is that you can have context with the shots you produce, so not only can you get really close to your subject, you can also have more interesting backgrounds. The issue is that due to the working distances, you’ll notice significantly less compression with the Laowa lens at any given magnification. The images below have been shot with the same lighting setup, camera, and settings. The images have also not been edited. 

What I Liked

A relatively unique lens with incredible potential.

Fantastic image quality up close.

Build quality is fantastic. 

De-clicked aperture.

Fantastic for video shooters. 

What I Didn’t Like

It’s easy to accidentally knock the aperture

A little unwieldy and difficult to take with you on shoots. 

Small aperture can make it a little tricky to use in lower-light scenarios.

A very prominent color shift.

Final Thoughts

Although you can use this lens for photography, it’s more effective for video shooters. Even the configurations available to buy from Laowa demonstrate that they are positioning this lens more towards video shooters than photographers. Sure, you can use it for photography; however, the impact of this lens can only properly be felt when filming. For video, this lens is absolutely incredible. The kind of footage you can produce is very unique and gives a whole new dimension. You can start with a context-building shot and then cut to a very close shot. This, I believe, will give videographers some amazing creative possibilities. The other fantastic thing about this lens is the lack of compression at any given magnification. In many cases, people consider that to be an issue; however, if you know how to use perspective tricks to your advantage, you can create some very interesting shots.

I have created a short video for a company using this lens, which can be seen at the end of the video above. In any case, if you’re a videographer, I highly recommend this lens. For photographers, I’d say it depends. 

You can preorder the lens for $1,499 here.

Source: https://bloghyped.com/fstoppers-reviews-the-laowa-24mm-f-14-macro-probe-lens-weird-and-wonderful/

[chromacomaphoto]

Hey Babe, Take a Walk on the Wide Side

Full apologies to Mr. Reed for the title but the trite cliche just jumped right out at me. Back to attack in sunny Bangkok once again this month to look at things from a new angle, a very wide angle to be more precise. Despite typically preferring 35mm as a standard lens on a 135 film camera, I don't often find myself tempted to go significantly wider than that. I have however thoroughly explored 28mm from time to time as I liked the added drama this gives and it's not too far of a step away if somebody is already used to seeing the world through 35mm eyes (or Leica goggles for that matter). It was the work of Winogrand that first caught my eye for the 28mm focal length and I enjoyed it in the past shooting film on both Nikons and Leica M's for out and about in the city kind of work (my top choices on black and white film were the AI-s 28mm 2.8 Nikkor and Elmarit 28mm v3 in case anybody's interested). Other than that and a very brief fling with an 18mm 3.5 AI-s Nikkor ten years ago, I haven't ever really had a good long run with any quality glass at the really wide end of things.....but that all seems about to change!

In Leicaland, I have always been very intrigued by the 21mm Super Angulons, namely the f4 but especially the 3.4. Some tatty versions of the former often float about in Bangkok and are not generally too hard to score but I really had serious lust for the 3.4 and to find the right one in great condition isn't as easy as with other classic Leica glass. So, why the 3.4 anyway? Well, after having trawled threads on the more credible sites such as Rangefinderforum that pertain to this classic, it shows what can be done with such glass and my interest was only piqued even further through conversations with other photographers whose work I very much admire (both with and without this lens) when they sang the praises of the 21SA. I was interested to see what could be done on the street with this focal length on a Leica M film body in and around Bangkok on my beloved black and white films of choice.

Regular readers might well know by now that I generally prefer to shoot on film and do so using classic German glass of the 50's and 60's, in fact to me, sixties Leica glass and the way it renders on good quality black and white film is pretty much about as good as it gets. The high res, uber sharp yet low contrast 'National Geographic of the sixties' look just never gets old to me, it's just so classic. Remember, you can also nudge a slider after the fact to bump up as much contrast as you want in Photoshop but there is no 'make it look like the best of the best lenses from Leitz in 1965' slider option in any software that I am aware of. I fully understand why people prefer clinical, sharp looking Leica ASPH glass and why they wanna pay out the big bucks for it but for me I just can't get enough of that old timer, 3D looking glow packed Leitz goodness.  Already owning some of the classics from this era, I felt the 21mm Super Angulon would be an ideal match. As I am always wary of becoming a hoarder, I choose any new item carefully these days. I also force myself to use what I have, which isn't always that hard but I do stick to this quite religiously.  I also seem to be in the minority in that I actually prefer the silver lenses, especially of this time period. There's just something about the satin matt chrome over solid brass stuff that rocks, the very pinnacle of its type and something we'll not be likely to see again anytime soon. Of course, finding one of these lenses then got harder if I was going to score a silver one too.

Fast forward a little ways and I am delighted to say that I recently stumbled upon one in pristine condition, from the 1960's and with a mint condition original silver Leica finder. Trying to eyeball a 21mm without the finder is not recommended. You can get away with it with other focal lengths to an extent (a top tip is that for the Elmarit 28mm, a regular .72 Leica finder window will give you a pretty good built in finder if you just ignore the frameline sets and use the whole of the window when using a 28mm, saving you money and having to use external add ons) but there are no cheap and dirty life hacks laying in wait for the new 21mm user on a Leica M though, you really do need all the framing help you can get here. Oh well, the (pricey)  finder is clean and clear with the original factory silver brightmarks in great shape. Plus, it doesn't rattle its loose elements when shaken next to my ear like so many of the original period metal Leica finders now seem to this long after the fact, which is always a bonus. The good news didn't stop there either as the very specific lens hood (a must for this lens and only shared with one other Leica model I think?) was also available as a set. Due to the huge rear of this beast, it also needs an odd and very deep Leica end cap which is hard to find (can you spot a pattern here?) and this came with a non original but frankly probably shiny brand new better metal aftermarket one which is simply amazing. This particular lens was recently imported from Japan which, as we all know,  is a real haven for Leica vintage gear in top condition. The only bad news was the price, these ain't cheap and everybody knows it, especially the person you might find wishing to sell you a pristine one. I suppose I should at least be grateful that these can't be used on the modern digital full frame Leica M bodies without heavy purple colour fringing ruining the shots (they work ok in black and white modes though I believe) otherwise such prices would no doubt be even higher.

So, there was nothing left for it but to hit the streets with a roll or two and I'm throwing some of these up here with this post and please bear in mind that I haven't had long enough with this puppy to get the hang of it yet, I can already see it's going to take some time. This ain't no 50mm!  Many people (including me) found that going from a 35mm for 28mm for street work was harder to handle due to the amount of extra elements in the frame. Well, suffice to say that if we apply that thinking to 21mm, it's not hard to see why things get a whole lot trickier indeed. Have to say though, it really is great fun, especially in a city like Bangkok. As time goes on, I'll probably check back in with you all on the blog with more 21SA 3.4 shots and musings but just wanted to say that so far I am really enjoying the drama and fun with this lens and it really gives a look that I am fond of. The best way I can describe the shots from it is to say that it looks like a much wider version of the 35mm Summilux pre-asph and if you like that sort of style or the look of the 35mm Summaron 2.8, 50mm Rigid V2 Summicron and 90mm Elmarit V1 lenses, then you'll probably fall in love with the 21SA 3.4. It's very sharp in the centre and I like the fall off to the edges, it renders beautifully with some signs of vignetting at wider apertures but that's just something that I think will only add to the character of the shots on film and hey, it's a 21mm after all. I don't rate lenses by shooting walls and using measuring charts, I like high quality glass with real character and my tastes are purely subjective and might not match what others have to say about a certain lens.  Suffice to say, so far so good and highly recommended!

CCP

[pauldeckerus]

Sigma ‘Bokeh Master’ 105mm f/1.4 Art vs. the 85mm f/1.4 and 135mm f/1.8

Sigma has been crushing the competition with its Global vision line up. The combination of no-compromise image quality and a fair price is creating havoc in the Canon and Nikon camps. And the recent launch of Sony E-mount lenses will surely disturb Sony’s first-party glass business (and will also drive Sony’s mirrorless business by providing true 3rd party lens support).

In 2013, I bought my first prime lens, a Sigma 35mm f/1.4 art, and to this day it never leaves my camera bag. Since then, I have added Sigma’s 85mm f/1.4 and 135mm f/1.8 into my arsenal.

A couple of weeks ago, I was eagerly waiting for the postman to deliver my newest toy. Around noon I heard a knock on the door and it was the UPS guy with my package from Adorama. As soon as I opened the box, I knew it was no toy — this lens, the Sigma 105mm f/1.4 means business.

First, let’s get this out of the way: this lens should be nicknamed Bokeh ‘Monster’ instead of ‘Bokeh Master’. This lens is huge — not quite the Nikon 200mm f/2, but it is big and heavy. If you are shooting with this, people will come up and ask about it (yes, it happened as soon as I took it out for test shots).

Let’s go through the (not so boring) specs. I will be comparing Sigma’s three prime lenses, which are in the mid to short telephoto range. Best used for portraits; at least, that is what I am planning to use it for — you can shoot whatever you like.

I have had some time shooting with all 3 lenses now and I can say this from experience you will NOT be shooting all-day weddings with the 105mm f/1.4 unless you spend few hours at the gym every day (I don’t). I will be using this lens for my 1-hour and 2-hour portrait and pre-wedding/engagement sessions (and whenever I feel like working out).

If you are thinking of buying any one of these lenses, you can not go wrong with any of them. As we have size out of our way, I can think of three factors that can help you decide. The price, aperture, and focal length.

Price

The cheapest of the bunch is the $1,199 85mm f/1.4. Almost 400$ (25%) cheaper than the most expensive lens in our list. If the price is your concern, go with the 85mm and you will be happy. Buying the $1,599 105mm f/1.4 might not give you 25% better images. Comparing the Sigma prices to Canon and Nikon equivalent lenses, you can clearly see that Sigma will definitely give you better bang for your buck (the Nikon 105mm f/1.4 retails at $2,200).

Some people might be worried about the value depreciation of 3rd party glass. But rest assured: my 5+-year-old Sigma 35mm f/1.4 still sells for $550–$650 used on eBay (the original purchase price was $799).

Aperture

I am not going to talk numbers and get all technical here. The 135mm is f/1.8 while the 85mm and 105mm both rock an f/1.4 aperture. All three lenses let in lots of light and will give you creamy bokeh.

But I know why you are here — let’s check out some sample images.

All the images you’ll see were shot with the Nikon D850 in RAW and then converted to JPEG with minimal correction for exposure and exported with ‘camera portrait’ profile in Adobe Lightroom 7.4.

Before reading the description, which image you like the best?

From left to right we have: 105mm f/1.4 ISO100 1/1000s, 135mm f/1.8 ISO100 1/500s, 85mm f/1.4 ISO100 1/1000s.

In all 3 shots, I tried to keep exact same framing by changing my position in relation to the model. No lens correction was applied. You can clearly see how each focal length and aperture effects background and lenses distortion.

Let’s look at another example.

From left to right: 135mm f/1.8 ISO100 1/650s, 105mm f/1.4 ISO100 1/800s, 85mm f/1.4 ISO100 1/800s.

Focal Length

Changing focal length can have a dramatic effect on your pictures. In our case, all three lenses are under short to a medium telephoto range which is best for shooting portraiture. As you can see in the first samples, changing focal length from short (85) to long (135) makes subject look thinner or less distorted in the middle of the frame (assuming framing is kept the same by changing the distance to the subject). This can be somewhat corrected with the lens profiles in Adobe Lightroom or Photoshop. As of now, there is no lens profile available for the Sigma 105mm f/1.4 Art but the editing software will be updated soon. In the meantime you can create your own lens profiles with this tool.

Another aspect of the image which will be affected by the focal length is the background compression. As you can see from the above samples in the first image (135mm) the background is super compressed compared to the last image (85mm), where we can see lot more of the background.

The last effect of the focal length is the reachability. Zoom lenses have their place in my collection. I shoot most weddings and events with my Nikon 24–70mm f/2.8, which covers all the run-and-gun situations. But I always carry a prime lens on my second body or have the second shooter with a telephoto prime lens. For almost a year I have been using either the 85mm or 135mm on my second body, but it looks like the 105mm will fill out that perfect middle position for me.

Here are some samples where the subject and camera locations are static and the only variable is the lens.

From left to right: 135mm f/1.8 ISO100 1/500s, 105mm f/1.4 ISO100 1/1000s, and 85mm f/1.4 ISO100 1/1000s.

135mm f/1.8 ISO100 1/500sec

105mm f/1.4 ISO100 1/1000sec

85mm f/1.4 ISO100 1/1000sec

Image Quality

All three lenses are super sharp with minimum vignetting and negligible chromatic aberration. If I had a gun to my head and had to choose strictly based on image quality, the Sigma 105mm will give you the sharpest images, the least chromatic aberration (fringing), and the least amount of vignetting thanks to its 17 elements and huge (and I mean HUUUGE) front element.

Verdict

From my initial impression and playing with it on a shoot, I can say with confidence that Sigma has a winner on its hands. If you are in the market for a new short telephoto lens and don’t mind spending $1,600 on a lens, look no further — the Sigma 105mm f/1.4 Art is the lens for you.

A special thanks to my model, Manasi Joshi.

About the author: Kuldeep Patel is an engineer by education and a photographer by passion based in San Diego, California. The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author. You can find his work on Instagram. This article was also published here.

from Photography News https://petapixel.com/2018/07/09/sigma-bokeh-master-105mm-f-1-4-art-vs-the-85mm-f-1-4-and-135mm-f-1-8/

[ashxpad]

Laowa Argus 33mm f/0.95 CF APO Review: So. Much. Bokeh.

Venus Optics’ Laowa lenses have been growing in both notoriety and popularity over the last few years thanks to their nearly constant stream of new and interesting optics for a wide variety of mounts. The company’s latest is backed by the high-quality promise of its new Argus line: the Laowa Argus 33mm f/0.95 CF APO for APS-C systems.

The incredibly fast $500 50mm equivalent manual lens boasts an Apochromatic (APO) design — which should prevent or correct any chromatic and spherical aberrations — and is targeted at video shooters using APS-C systems. APS-C sensors generally means smaller optics, but the Argus bucks that trend and is by no means small. Weighing in at 590 grams (~20.8 ounces), you’ll definitely notice it making your camera a tad front heavy when attached on pretty much all modern APS-C cameras.

As for using with it, since my own work focuses mostly on still images instead of video (and PetaPixel as a whole focuses on still photography first and foremost), this review will be mostly from the perspective of a still shooter.

Build Quality and Design

The 33mm Argus is a great feeling lens with a solid metal build and mount giving it a “high-end” feel. Even though this lens is meant for smaller APS-C systems, the lens looks and feels just like its bigger cinema counterparts. The lens itself is quite sturdy with a smooth “clickless” aperture and focus ring, a sleek blue ring at the end of the barrel, and is finished with a rectangular lens hood for a little cinematic flair. The focus ring has just enough tension to feel a little resistance when making adjustments, while the aperture ring is left feeling slightly looser by comparison. Overall though, it’s wonderfully machined and feels great.

The only thing that threw me off on the aesthetic was the lens hood. Maybe my review sample is an outlier, but for some reason, it just does not sit symmetrically on the lens. That is to say, it sat just ever so slightly skewed to the right, and while this had absolutely zero impact on the shots I took, this tilt just kicked my OCD into overdrive and drove me crazy every time I had it mounted on the lens. It bothered me to such a degree that I just did not end up using it.

Focus and Aperture

Like many of the Laowa lenses in Venus Optics’s lineup, the 33mm f/0.95 Argus is a manual focus lens only. After weeks of using and testing cameras that specifically tout the speed of their autofocus systems, using this manual lens was actually kind of refreshing. Enabling focus peaking is a must when shooting at such wide-open apertures as the f/0.95 offered here, but even then, simply breathing can make you miss the shot so, be prepared to fire a few extra frames in order to assure you’ve nailed that perfect focus.

A bit of a frustrating point with this lens is despite the large and smooth focusing ring, there is an excessive amount of throw in it.

I practically have to stop and take a break every time I’d adjust from near to far focusing. You effectively have to rotate the focus ring almost entirely around (270 degrees) to go from the close 0.35 meter to infinity focus. If this were in a cinema rig that takes advantage of a pulling unit, this wouldn’t be an issue, but most shooters will definitely have to take two twists when quickly adjusting focus distance and likely you’ll miss some key moments if you’re shooting anything that’s not sitting still.

The extra pull does have some usefulness when you’re focusing up close as it allows you to really fine tune things, but if you’re using it as more of a walkabout lens, get working on your forearm strength.

As I mentioned above, the aperture ring is clickless which is ideal for video and will work great if the lens is mounted in a focus pulling kit or gimbal, but as a photographer, it was incredibly easy to accidentally shift the f-stop without immediately noticing. There were countless times while using this lens that I would set it to f/0.95 and it would shift to f/1.4 or f/2.8 by accident and I wouldn’t see it until I reviewed the shots. While I can see that having a clickless aperture is hugely useful in some cases, I think Laowa would have been better served giving us a click and de-click switch to make the lens more versatile like Sony does with its lenses. When in permanent de-clicked mode, it just feels like a cinema lens and not one that is tailored for photographers, which is a shame given the quality of images (more on that below).

Image Quality

How does this lens perform, especially considering the APO designation they claim? While we have not directly compared it yet to Mitakon or 7artisans rivals, from what I did shoot with the lens I found it to be surprisingly good, especially wide open in hard lighting situations. It was rather windy when I did some of the floral shots so nailing the focus was a challenge wide open, but the images were still pretty sharp and clean in the corners stepped up to f/2.8 but beyond that things got a little soft.

Does it perform the best here? No, but let’s be real: people don’t buy f/0.95 lenses for sharp images edge to edge at all apertures. They buy them for that super dreamy bokeh to draw attention to a subject that is very likely more centrally located in the frame. If it’s decently sharp there, that’s a win when the quality of the defocused area is nearly as important as what is in focus. While you can stop down with a lens like this, it’s not why you get one.

And speaking of those defocused areas, the bokeh on this lens is the reason to get it: it’s so dang nice. I did not notice any glaring rings or harsh spotting and only appreciated a soft, buttery goodness that the bokeh-addicts will absolutely love. I can see the Argus being used to create some incredibly dreamy portraits and even more interesting texture-driven and printable works of art.

The Apochromatic design of the lens supposedly ensures less color fringing and a much better color performance overall when compared to other fast lenses of similar focal length and aperture. This does not mean it will be sharper, only that you can expect better color accuracy in those extra shallow depth of field moments. Will there be vignetting when shooting wide open? Absolutely, but nothing unfamiliar and unexpected from a lens this shallow. The difference from the center to the corner edge is maybe about a stop of light when shooting closer objects and about two stops when shooting wide open for “landscape” images, but in both scenarios, the loss is easily recoverable in post.

Sample Images

Things I Liked

Gorgeous bokeh

Solid metal body and lens hood

Smooth focus ring

Sharper than I expected

Chromatic abberation was minimal

Great when set in a focus/aperture pulling kit for video

Affordable price for a nifty fifty equivalent lens at f/0.95

Things I Didn’t Like

Heavier than I expected for an APS-C lens

Clickless Aperture ring seems like a cool idea, but is frustrating in practice

The amount of focus throw is almost obscene

Crooked Lens hood drove me crazy

Great for video, iffy for still work

Super Bokeh, But Is It Useful For Still Work?

The Laowa Argus 33mm f/0.95 CF APO is the company’s first entry in its series of “high quality” lenses under the Argus branding. It seems like a fantastic lens for videographers and is definitely a good sign of things to come from the company. While there are a few things I did not enjoy about this lens — the tilted lens hood, the amount of focus throw, and the “loose” aperture ring that would occasionally mess up my shots — I still think it can be a fantastic addition to have in your APS-C kit. This opinion leans even more positive if you’re a video shooter. For photographers specifically, its quirks can be annoying, but perhaps worth it for the bokeh it produces.

Are there Alternatives?

This lens is rather unique in its positioning with its only real rivals being similar lenses from Mitakon and 7artisans which have pretty good reputations for the most part. Venus Optics claims its control of aberrations is superior and has many samples to back that up, but it will be up to you to decide based on the images I show here and any samples the company has shared.

Should You Buy It?

Yes, for the most part. If you are a hybrid shooter that does both video and stills, then the Laowa Argus CF 33mm f/0.95 APO lens would definitely be a welcome addition to your kit for only $500. On the other hand, if you focus solely on stills, there are other options out there with autofocus that will treat you better for “in the moment” and action-based shooting situations. You’ll just have to settle for f/1.4 or f/1.8 and miss out on some of that extra bokeh found here.

from PetaPixel https://ift.tt/3nZHFnb

[joya34blanco]

Switching from LEE to NiSi Filters: Was it a Mistake?

Filters are rapidly becoming an essential piece of equipment in most photographer’s camera bag. However, as the demand grows so does the number of suppliers; Lee, NiSi, Formatt-Hitech, Wine Country Camera, and more.

Choosing the right filters isn’t as easy as it sounds. High-quality filters are rarely cheap and many of us can’t afford to spend hundreds of dollars on a product that doesn’t meet our expectations. The price of ND Filters varies from $10-200+ which means that you don’t need to buy the most expensive (even though the price in many cases does also reflect the quality).

About one year ago I was contacted by a Chinese brand named NiSi and invited to test their products. Initially, I was a bit skeptical as I knew little about them and I haven’t had a great experience with Chinese equipment previously (unfortunately). This is my experience with their filter system and filters one year later.

First Impression

The NiSi Filter System provides a positive impression straight out of the box. The filter holder is contained in a beautiful leather box, just like the filter pouch.

I won’t spend too much time talking about the packaging, as I believe the filter quality is more important. Still, it is worth mentioning that the presentation is beautiful and it looks exclusive right away. The only drawback to these beautiful leather boxes is that they are a bit large and they take up a lot of space in your backpack compared to smaller pouches such as LEE’s. However, if it takes too much space you can just remove the holder and leave the box at home.

The NiSi Filter Holder and Circular Polarizer Box

The Filter Holder

During the first couple of weeks using the NiSi Filters, I wasn’t quite sure whether I preferred their filter holder or the one made by LEE (which I had been using for more than two years). The NiSi holder is made of metal compared to LEE’s which is made of plastic, but it also seemed slightly less stable. Since the clips are so small I was afraid that the filter holder would fall off the adapter.

After having used the system for nearly one year, however, I’m no longer in any doubt that the NiSi holder is better. I’ve had no problems with neither the V5 Holder (standard for most lenses) or the larger holder for my Nikon 14-24mm.

NiSi Filters on my Nikon 16-35mm f/4

Also, the NiSi Filter Holder has one of my all-time favorite features. It has the possibility of having a Circular Polarizer behind the Graduated Neutral Density (GND) or ND Filters, and it is easily adjustable using a small wheel.

I’ve always found it hard to combine a Polarizer and Graduated or regular ND Filters. Either you need to screw the Polarizer on the lens and attach the holder outside, which usually results in vignetting. Or you need to purchase an adapter and a huge Polarizer to place in front of the lens (which also often leads to vignetting). NiSi has completely removed this problem and it’s never been easier to combine these filters. I’ll come back to the NiSi CPL in a bit.

It’s also worth mentioning that you are able to use other brands’ filters in the NiSi holder. I’ve tested with both Singh-Ray and LEE filters and it works perfectly fine, though it can be a little tight to insert them.

The Filters (ND, GND, CPL)

So, the filter holder proved to be of high quality but what about the actual filters?

NiSi 6-Stop Neutral Density Filter on the Nikon 14-24mm Holder

When I evaluate filters there are two main things I look for; colorcast and quality of the glass. This was my biggest worry in the beginning since, as I mentioned, I was already pleased with my current system.

NiSi Neutral Density Filters

One of my biggest frustrations with the majority of filters I’ve tested so far is the color cast. Worst of them all, despite being a great filter otherwise, is LEE Filters. I had used LEE Filters for years and had gotten used to the heavy blue color cast. Even though it’s fairly quick to fix in Adobe Lightroom or Camera RAW, it feels unnecessary to repeat this step each time you bring out a six or 10-stop ND filter.

To the left: No filter – to the right: NiSi 10-stop ND filter.

Even though I initially had no intent of switching from LEE. But I would consider it if I found the color cast to be significantly less and the quality of the glass to be no less. My biggest surprise when taking the first image with my new NiSi 10-Stop ND Filter was that there was absolutely no color cast. Nothing. Nada. I honestly had to rub my eyes a few times to make sure I saw it correctly. No heavy blue color cast, no bright yellow. Nothing.

This is a big reason why today, more or less, I only have NiSi Filters in my camera bag.

Another benefit of the NiSi filters is that the filters are of glass, not resin. This makes them more durable, harder to scratch and (most importantly…) easier to clean! All the ND Filters (regardless of strength) have a soft foam/sponge on the back to avoid any light leaks. This is similar to LEE’s Big Stopper and Little Stopper but NiSi also has it on their lighter ND Filters.

NiSi Graduated Neutral Density Filters

The NiSi Graduated Neutral Density Filters have a slightly warmer color cast compared to LEE. However, the color cast is so little that it’s hardly worth mentioning. The same goes for LEE; the GND color cast is hardly noticeable at all.

Again, the NiSi filters are glass, not resin, which makes them harder to scratch and damage. This is great for outdoor photographers who often find themselves in less than ideal situations. After a year of using these filters regularly, I still haven’t got any scratches besides the few on the edges as a result of being placed in and out of the filter holder. These scratches aren’t visible on images, though, and are completely normal for any brand.

While I do like the NiSi GND Filters, my only issue is that the color cast of the 175mm (for my Nikon 14-24mm) is more visible than on the V5 holder. I only recently received this filter so I haven’t been able to do extensive tests on it yet. But at the first glance, it was a yellowish cast in the upper part of the filter.

NiSi Circular Polarizer

As I mentioned in the introduction, the NiSi Filter Holder has one of my all-time favorite features of a filter system; the possibility of placing a Circular Polarizer inside the holder.

Compared to most other brands, NiSi’s Circular Polarizer is extremely slim. I was actually surprised by how thin it was when I first saw it and, honestly, that gave me a negative first impression.

NiSi Polariser inside the V5 Holder

Being able to insert the CPL within the holder and adjust it by turning a tiny wheel is a brilliant solution, though. Despite the fact that I felt like the filter was a bit too thin and perhaps not as high-quality as the other filters, it’s a more convenient solution than stacking a huge CPL outside of the other filters (and a more affordable option as well).

After testing the CPL for a while I concluded that the quality is in fact as good as my current B+W CPL and the color cast is, again, not a problem.

The biggest drawback is that you’re not able to use only the CPL without the Filter Holder. Since the CPL is placed in a special thread inside the holder you can’t place it on the lens without the holder. I often prefer to keep my CPL on the lens when walking around a city or going on a hike. This isn’t a good option with the NiSi CPL, unfortunately, so I still bring my B+W filter with me.

Besides the fact that it’s not as portable as other options the quality meets my demands. Therefore, I hope that they make an extra option where it’s easy to leave it on the lens at any given time.

Was it a mistake switching from LEE? 

It’s been almost a year since I got my first NiSi Filters now and every week I’m asked what I think about their filters and if it’s worth switching systems.

I think it’s important to state that I never considered switching from LEE and I was very satisfied with their filters and I still believe that they are among the best available on the market. However, I do not regret switching and I love using filters that have little-to-none color cast, while still being of a high quality.

The post Switching from LEE to NiSi Filters: Was it a Mistake? by Christian Hoiberg appeared first on Digital Photography School.

from Digital Photography School https://digital-photography-school.com/switching-lee-nisi-filters/

[joya34blanco]

Review of the New Sigma 500mm F4 DG HSM OS Sport Lens

The Sigma 500mm F4 is a big lens. I shoot with bigger lenses because I need the longer focal lengths when I’m on the wild horse ranges but this is a really big lens – the biggest I’ve ever used, actually. It’s a big ticket item too, as my dPS editor Darlene gently reminded me. Be extra careful.

Sigma has their lens safely back and I didn’t trip, fall, drop or dunk it so I guess it’s okay to share now that I’m very hard on my gear. This lens withstood two weeks with me and emerged unscathed. Bonus points to Sigma. This lens is built like a tank.

Finch on feeder, Chicago Botanic Garden, Glencoe, IL Canon 5DIII, Sigma 500mm F4, ISO 6400, 1/1000th, f/8, monopod with a gimbal head.

What I really wanted to know when I tested this lens

When I tossed my name in the hat as a reviewer for this lens, what I really wanted to know was if a large 500mm prime lens is a practical focal length for the rigors of photographing horses, birds, and wildlife? How is it to shoot using support, rather than hand held as I normally do? Is the autofocus responsive? Does the lens make ultra sharp images?

I tested it in as many situations as possible in the limited time that I had it, starting with a few birding trips to the Chicago Botanic Garden. Birding was followed by visits to the Lincoln Park Zoo to get up close with the lions and tigers. I wrapped everything up by using it for the “at liberty” portion of an equine portrait session with four polo ponies. I love my results. Read on to find out why.

Striding goose, Chicago Botanic Garden, Glencoe, IL Canon 5DIII, Sigma 500mm F4, ISO 400, 1/1000th, f/6.7, monopod with a gimbal head.

A few technical specs

Weight/Size: 7.3 pounds (3.3 kg), approximately 5.7″ wide x 15″ long (144.8 x 380.3 mm)

Focal length: Fixed 500mm prime, the lens does not extend further when focusing.

Maximum aperture: F/4.

Filter: Rear drop-in, 46mm.

Mount: Available for Canon, Nikon, and Sigma

Recommended uses: Nature, wildlife, sports and action

Price: $5999 USD

Release date: December 2016, shipping January 2017.

You can read more detailed specifications here.

Shop for the Sigma 500mm F4 for Canon or for Nikon mount at B&H Photo Video.

Detail of Sigma 500mm drop-in rear filter slot.

Supporting the lens

When photographing animals, birds, and wildlife, your typical gear is probably similar to mine. I mostly use the affordable Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens with either the Canon 7D Mark II or Canon 5D Mark III. If I’m a bit further from my subject, I add a Canon Extender EF 1.4X III. Normally I shoot handheld.

Comparison of my 100-400mm lens with the Sigma 500mm F4.

Comparison of my extended 100-400mm with the Sigma 500mm F4.

The Sigma 500mm lens with my Canon 5D Mark III (which also has an L-bracket on it) weighed approximately 10 pounds. That’s about three pounds more than my typical gear. It initially seemed possible to hand hold but fatigue and a resulting loss of sharpness set in quickly. My solution was to use a quick release plate to attach the foot of the Sigma 500mm F4 DG HSM OS Sport lens to my heavy-duty Feisol monopod with a Jobu gimbal head.

This combination supported the weight of the lens/camera combination while allowing me to position the lens exactly where I wanted it. It wasn’t as flexible as hand holding, but far more so than using a tripod.

Backward glancing goose, Chicago Botanic Garden, Glencoe, IL Canon 5DIII, Sigma 500mm F4, ISO 400, 1/1000th, f/6.7, monopod with a gimbal head.

Using support, I was able to shoot for a lot longer without fatigue – and without the shaky shots that come from fatigued hands. I also found the gimbal/monopod combination very portable and easy to maneuver when using this lens.

I would recommend using a sturdy tripod (rather than a monopod) to anyone setting up in a blind, with the intention of waiting for wildlife to approach a known watering hole or feeding spot. Over time, balancing this lens and camera combination on a monopod did take its toll on my shoulders. You wouldn’t want to miss a shot that you’d been waiting hours for, because your body was too fatigued from supporting your gear on a monopod, so use a tripod in that situation.

Horse profile with fence, Somewhere in Suburbia, IL Canon 5DIII, Sigma 500mm F4, ISO 500, 1/1000th, f/8, monopod with a gimbal head.

Profile of two horses with fence, Somewhere in Suburbia, IL Canon 5DIII, Sigma 500mm F4, ISO 500, 1/500th, f/8, monopod with a gimbal head.

Three “guilty” horses II, Somewhere in Suburbia, IL Canon 5DIII, Sigma 500mm F4, ISO 500, 1/500th, f/8, monopod with a gimbal head.

Performance in adverse weather

Illinois in the fall is mainly cool. It’s rainy sometimes but more dry than humid. It is also often very windy. I did not have a chance to test the Sigma 500mm F4 DG HSM OS Sport lens in rainy conditions but it shot flawlessly in the cold (the coldest temperature tested was about 30 degrees Fahrenheit, -1 celsius). Wind was more of a factor because of the large profile of the lens. Some gusts would really grab it and that movement caused a loss of sharpness.

Of course, this isn’t an issue specific to this lens – any larger, longer focal length lens will be affected by gusty winds. Solutions would be to shoot in a more protected area, to use higher-than-normal shutter speeds, or to wait for a less windy day to shoot (which is what I would have done if I wasn’t reviewing the lens in a limited timed frame).

Japanese Macaque (Snow Monkey), Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago, IL Canon 7DII, Sigma 500mm F4, ISO 800, 1/100th, f/10, monopod with a gimbal head.

Autofocus performance

The autofocus on the Sigma 500mm F4 DG HSM OS Sport lens is flawless.

First, you can turn the annoying autofocus beep off with a simple switch right on the barrel of the lens. Turning the autofocus beep off is essential when photographing wildlife since the noise can make your subjects anxious. Thumbs up to Sigma for putting this feature in such an accessible location.

Detail of Sigma 500mm F4 option switches.

There are also settings for autofocus, manual focus, and manual override. The point of the manual override mode is to have the lens in auto but be able to easily switch it into manual by grabbing the focusing ring. Because I could manually override the autofocus at any time, even when the lens was in auto mode, that’s the mode I preferred to use.

Stabilization

I tested the Sigma 500mm F4 DG HSM OS Sport lens with and without the stabilization turned on. There are two options; OS1 for handheld photography, and OS2 for panning and tracking. While using my monopod and gimbal head, I didn’t see a noticeable difference in sharpness between OS1 and OS2. There was, however, a noticeable difference in sharpness when OS was turned to the off position. Ultimately I switched it to OS1 and left it there.

More convenience at your fingertips

In addition to the stabilization, beep, and autofocus options there is a “focus limiter.” This switch allows you to choose within which range you need the lens to focus. For example, if you know you aren’t focusing on anything close to you, you can set the lens to focus only from 10 meters to infinity. Setting this limiter allows the lens to focus a smidge faster and that gives you a better chance of sharply capturing fleeting moments.

My favorite feature

Detail of the Sigma 500mm F4 Recall Button.

Perhaps my favorite feature is the group of four rubber buttons circling the front of the lens.

To use them, find a location you want to have as a primary focusing point, hold down one of the buttons and hit the set button on the lens barrel. This action programs the lens to focus on the specific point you selected. The focus lock on that point is based on distance so if you move, you need to reset your buttons.

If you are stationary, sitting in a blind photographing birds or wild animals, this is an amazing feature. You can essentially compose four different shots in four different locations by assigning one of these buttons to each location. When a bird lands in one of your four locations, press the button for that focus point, press the shutter and grab your shot. I tested this with some of the spunkier zoo inhabitants and it worked like a charm.

Again, the advantage here is that this is a little faster than asking the lens to refocus. That millisecond is a precious advantage when photographing wildlife.

Approaching lion, Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago, IL Canon 7DII, Sigma 500mm F4, ISO 1000, 1/640th, f/8, monopod with a gimbal head.

Image quality

Image quality is a subjective thing but without it, state-of-the-art features and well-placed buttons don’t mean a thing. I was blown away by the images I produced with this lens.

Straight out of camera the colors rendered beautifully. They were soft, nuanced and creamy. Backgrounds blurred softly away creating a clean canvas for wildlife compositions. The separation between elements was also phenomenal. I had a lot of fun experimenting with “layering,” like the series of four monochrome equine images above and the zebra image below.

Layered zebras, Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago, IL Canon 7DII, Sigma 500mm F4, ISO 2500, 1/640th, f/8, monopod with a gimbal head.

Images made with this lens are tack sharp. Details of eyes, fur, and feathers are crisp and well-structured. There is no visible distortion and only very minimal vignetting. For wildlife images, I prefer the  range of f/8 to f/11 but I didn’t find any unusable apertures. I could have happily shot at f/4 if the circumstance called for it.

Because I was so happy with the quality, all of the wildlife and bird images included in this review were very minimally processed in Lightroom CC. I sharpened the RAW files, adjusted the white balance, and made a few targeted adjustments to enhance details.

Transporting and carrying the lens

While the weight and length of Sigma’s 500mm F4 lens aren’t unusual for this lens category (the Canon version is almost exactly the same weight and dimensions, and also $3000 more!) it is a factor when using it. First, you need to be careful about how you carry a large lens like this to prevent damaging your camera’s lens mount. During a typical shoot you might normally hold your camera by its grip, and let the weight of the lens hang off of the camera body. With a lens this large, that isn’t recommended. Instead, make it a habit of holding onto a lens of this size by the foot, and support the camera’s weight with your other hand. You can also cradle the lens like a baby, which I did often (I didn’t sing it any lullabies, though).

You also need to consider carefully the logistics of hiking to your destination with such a large lens. Investing in a special large lens backpack like this one might be a solution for ease of carrying. Lastly, if you have weight and bag restrictions when you travel, you’ll have to find a workaround for that.

Baby zebra portrait, Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago, IL Canon 7DII, Sigma 500mm F4, ISO 1600, 1/640th, f/8, monopod with a gimbal head.

Zebra with turned head, Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago, IL Canon 7DII, Sigma 500mm F4, ISO 2000, 1/640th, f/8, monopod with a gimbal head.

Bottom line

This lens performed very well for me. Images were sharp and overall quality was excellent. For me, because I am often hiking (or recently, biking!) to locate and then keep up with very mobile herds of wild horses, the size and weight of the lens were a bit difficult to manage. Horses are also unpredictable and I often need a shorter focal length to capture all of their behaviors as their curiosity overcomes them and they start to approach me.

If you’re like me, I’d recommend the Canon 100-400mm I mentioned earlier in this review. For an affordable option with an even longer focal length, try Sigma’s own 150-600mm that weighs in at around 4 pounds for under $1000.

I would recommend the Sigma 500mm F4 DG HSM OS Sport lens for a birder, or any type of wildlife photographer that stations herself in a blind, and waits for the animals to come into view. If you’re that photographer, sign up at B&H to be notified when this lens will ship (here for Canon mount, or click here for Nikon) to ensure you get one of the first copies. You won’t be disappointed.

googletag.cmd.push(function() { tablet_slots.push( googletag.defineSlot( “/1005424/_dPSv4_tab-all-article-bottom_(300×250)”, [300, 250], “pb-ad-78623” ).addService( googletag.pubads() ) ); } );

googletag.cmd.push(function() { mobile_slots.push( googletag.defineSlot( “/1005424/_dPSv4_mob-all-article-bottom_(300×250)”, [300, 250], “pb-ad-78158” ).addService( googletag.pubads() ) ); } );

The post Review of the New Sigma 500mm F4 DG HSM OS Sport Lens by Lara Joy Brynildssen appeared first on Digital Photography School.

from Digital Photography School http://digital-photography-school.com/review-sigma-500mm-f4-sport-lens/