Lenses and camera bodies are the heart of any photography setup, and I enjoy putting them to the test. My reviews focus on how they perform in real-world scenarios, for capturing portraits wide open, landscape at f8, or experimenting with creative compositions. I share sample shots to highlight the strengths and limitations of each piece of gear, whether it’s a sharp prime lens, a versatile zoom, or a camera body with cutting-edge features. I’m honest about what works and what doesn’t. How does a lens handle wide open? I’m less about specs and charts and more about usability in the field. Whether it’s the latest flagship body or a vintage lens with character, I enjoy finding what makes each one special and sharing those insights with fellow photographers. I also review a few gadgets, sharing my thoughts on their performance, design, and overall usefulness. From cameras and lenses to everyday tech, I dive into how they work and whether they’re worth adding to your setup. Simple, hands-on reviews for anyone curious about gear!
The Voigtländer Nokton 75mm f/1.5 Aspherical is a beautifully crafted portrait lens designed for Leica M-mount cameras, offering an exceptional combination of compactness, fast aperture, and gorgeous rendering. With a classic telephoto focal length and an ultra-fast f/1.5 aperture, this lens is perfect for portrait photographers and rangefinder enthusiasts who want excellent subject isolation, creamy…
Released in 1993, the Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM is something of a classic in the world of telephoto lenses. Designed for wildlife, sports, and bird photography, it has built a reputation for being lightweight, sharp, and relatively affordable for an L-series prime. While it lacks image stabilisation, it compensates with excellent optical quality and…
Released in 2014, the Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM was the long-awaited successor to the original push-pull zoom version. This second-generation lens brought major improvements in optical quality, image stabilisation, and usability, making it a favourite among wildlife, sports, and aviation photographers. It delivers the reach of a super-telephoto lens while remaining compact…
Released in 2014, the Fujinon XF 10-24mm f/4 R OIS was Fujifilm’s first ultra-wide zoom lens for the X-mount system. Offering a 15-36mm full-frame equivalent focal range, this lens became a go-to choice for landscape, architecture, and interior photography. It combined excellent optical quality, a lightweight design, and built-in image stabilisation (OIS), making it a…
Released in 2015, the Fujinon XF 90mm f/2 R LM WR is one of Fujifilm’s best prime lenses, offering exceptional sharpness, beautiful bokeh, and lightning-fast autofocus. With a 137mm full-frame equivalent focal length, this lens is ideal for portrait, sports, and low-light photography. Thanks to its weather sealing and robust construction, it is also well-suited…
Released in 2014, the Fujinon XF 56mm f/1.2 R APD is a specialised version of the standard XF 56mm f/1.2 R, featuring an apodisation (APD) filter that enhances the smoothness of the bokeh. With an 85mm full-frame equivalent focal length, this lens is designed primarily for portrait photography, offering an ultra-fast aperture and a unique…
Released in 2013, the Fujinon XF 55-200mm f/3.5-4.8 R LM OIS is a versatile telephoto zoom lens designed for Fujifilm’s X-series cameras. Covering an 83-300mm full-frame equivalent focal length, this lens is ideal for portrait, wildlife, and sports photography. It offers a solid balance between optical performance, portability, and affordability, making it a popular choice…
Released in 2015, the Fujinon XF 35mm f/2 R WR is a compact and weather-sealed standard prime lens for Fujifilm’s X-series cameras. With a full-frame equivalent focal length of 53mm, it provides a classic normal perspective, making it ideal for street, portrait, documentary, and everyday photography. It offers a smaller, faster, and more durable alternative…
Released in 2012, the Fujinon XF 35mm f/1.4 R is one of Fujifilm’s most beloved prime lenses, known for its exceptional image quality, beautiful rendering, and distinctive character. With a full-frame equivalent focal length of 53mm, it provides a classic normal perspective, making it ideal for portrait, street, and documentary photography. Despite its age, this…
Released in 2016, the Fujinon XF 23mm f/2 R WR is a compact and weather-sealed prime lens designed for Fujifilm’s X-series cameras. With a full-frame equivalent focal length of 35mm, it provides a classic wide-angle perspective, making it an excellent choice for street, documentary, landscape, and everyday photography. This lens was introduced as a smaller,…
Released in 2015, the Fujinon XF 16mm f/1.4 R WR is one of Fujifilm’s most highly regarded prime lenses, offering a wide-angle field of view with a full-frame equivalent focal length of 24mm. With its bright f/1.4 aperture, weather sealing, and exceptional optical performance, it is a go-to choice for landscape, street, environmental portrait, and…
Released in 2019, the Canon RF 24-240mm f/4-6.3 IS USM is a superzoom lens designed for Canon’s full-frame RF-mount mirrorless cameras. Covering a 10x zoom range, this lens is an all-in-one solution for travel, landscapes, portraits, and even light wildlife photography. It offers image stabilisation (IS), a Nano USM autofocus system, and compact portability, making…
Released in 2021, the Canon RF 16mm f/2.8 STM is an ultra-wide-angle prime lens designed for Canon’s RF-mount mirrorless cameras. With its compact size, lightweight design, and affordable price, it is an excellent option for landscape, architecture, astrophotography, and vlogging. Despite being one of the most budget-friendly RF primes, it offers strong performance and a…
Released in 2020, the Canon RF 50mm f/1.8 STM is a compact and affordable prime lens for Canon’s RF-mount mirrorless cameras. Often referred to as the “nifty fifty,” this lens provides a versatile full-frame 50mm focal length, making it ideal for portraits, street photography, and everyday shooting. With a fast f/1.8 aperture, it offers strong…
The Voigtländer Nokton Vintage Line 50mm f/1.5 Aspherical II is a fast manual-focus prime lens designed for Leica M-mount cameras and adaptable to mirrorless systems. It is an updated version of the original 50mm f/1.5 Nokton, offering improved optical performance while maintaining a vintage-inspired design. With a classic 50mm focal length and a bright f/1.5…
Voigtländer Nokton 28mm f/1.5 Aspherical Review Overview The Voigtländer Nokton 28mm f/1.5 Aspherical is a fast manual-focus prime lens designed for Leica M-mount cameras and adaptable to mirrorless systems. With a full-frame equivalent focal length of 28mm, it sits in the sweet spot between 24mm and 35mm, offering a versatile wide-angle perspective that is ideal…
The Voigtländer Nokton Vintage Line 35mm f/1.5 Aspherical is a high-quality manual focus prime lens designed for Leica M-mount and adapted mirrorless cameras. It offers a classic 35mm focal length with a fast f/1.5 aperture, making it a versatile option for street, portrait, and low-light photography. As part of Voigtländer’s Vintage Line, this lens combines…
Released in 2018, the Canon RF 50mm f/1.2L USM is a flagship prime lens for Canon’s RF-mount mirrorless system. As part of the L-series lineup, it offers exceptional optical performance, premium build quality, and an ultra-wide f/1.2 aperture for outstanding low-light performance and subject isolation. Designed for professional photographers, this lens excels in portrait, wedding,…
Second part of my adventure with my Samyang lens. I bought a lens station and updated the firmware to the latest version (v2) but still no major improvements: between 1/2 and 1/3 of my shots remain out of focus: slightly at best, quite substantially in the worst cases. I even went to my favourite camera…
Back after a long hiatus, and with a new camera : a shiny Canon R6. Given the price of the RF prime lenses for now, I wanted to give the Samyang RF 85mm f/1.4 a try. It’s cheap, reasonably well built and the image quality quite good: love the colors and bokeh. HOWEVER, I have…