Olympus M.ZUIKO 8mm f1.8 Fisheye PRO Review:

One of the reasons why the micro four thirds system is so appealing is because it has such a vast collection of excellent lenses to choose from.  The previous micro four thirds lens that I reviewed was the Panasonic 42.5mm Nocticron (review here), and it was an absolutely superb short tele but this time around, I decided to try something completely different.  I’ve always been fond of fisheye lenses, so this time, I decided to review the Olympus M.ZUIKO 8mm f1.8 Fisheye PRO.  Being that this is part of Olympus’ PRO line, there is a lot packed into this little fisheye but at $899, there are definitely cheaper choices out there, so one has to wonder, is it worth the asking price?  Read on and find out. [continue reading…]

Visiting Coney Island with the Leica X Typ 113:

It felt like the beginning of summer the other day, so I decided to drive down to Coney Island.  Nothing was really opened yet but one of my favorite things to do is walk on an old fashioned boardwalk. When I say old fashioned, I mean one of those older boardwalks where the flooring is made with those wooden beams or planks.  I love the ocean, and everything that comes with it like the breeze, for instance.  It’s great to watch people just relaxing, fishing, riding their bikes, etc.  I actually still have the Leica X Typ 113, along with some other stuff that I’m reviewing, so I decided to bring it along to see if I could get anything. [continue reading…]

Panasonic Leica 42.5mm F1.2 DG Nocticron ASPH Review:

It seems that no camera system is complete without certain lenses, and one of these lenses is a fast short tele.  Along with a few other choices, the Panasonic Leica 42.5mm F1.2 DG Nocticron ASPH lens, which gives its micro four thirds user an 85mm equivalent, fits this class perfectly.  It’s one of those lenses in the “special” category that all camera systems have, and of course, it also comes with a high price.  In fact, with an asking price of almost $1,600 ($1,400 now at B&H Photo), it is one of the most expensive lenses that you can purchase for the micro four thirds system.  With so many other great options to choose from, one has to wonder, is it really worth the price?  Well, I wanted to find out for myself, so when I had the Olympus Pen-F on loan, the first lens I asked for was the Nocticron.  I realize that this lens has been out for a while now but it’s something that I’ve always wanted to try for long term.  Plus, since there are plenty of great reviews of this lens already, I can concentrate on more of the fun stuff like the photos, and try to give all of you a more real world experience of it.  But for those who also like the technical stuff, don’t worry; there will be plenty of it as well ;). [continue reading…]

Visit to Plattsburgh NY:

Hey everyone!  I hope all of you had a good weekend.  I’ve been doing a lot of portrait work lately, so I haven’t had as much time as I would’ve liked to post more.  My schedule is clearing up, so I’ll be back here more often again.  I even took a weekend trip to Plattsburgh NY for some rest and relaxation.  For those who do not know where Plattsburgh is, it’s near the border of Canada.  It’s the first time that I’ve been there.  I didn’t really bring any camera gear other than a Sony RX100 III.  All I did was some hiking and boating on Lake Champlain.  Technically, I could’ve drove the boat to the Canadian side although I was told they would stop me immediately ;).  Still, I thought it was kind of cool that you could do it.

So, the picture on top is just something I took while walking around on a farm.  There are definitely a lot of farms around Plattsburgh.  I converted it to black and white using Nik Silver Efex Software, and it was taken with the RX100 III I had with me.  The RX100 III is such a great little camera.  The images are excellent yet it is so pocketable.  That’s one thing I really like about the Sony: it never grew significantly in size as they kept updating it.  I love my D-Lux Typ 109 but one thing that really bothers me is the size.  The image quality is better…heck, the whole camera is significantly better than its predecessors but I consider it big for its class.  I’ve been thinking about writing a review for the Sony RX100 III but I know it’s been out for a while already.  Maybe I’ll wait for the version 5 of this camera.

Anyway, thanks for stopping by.  Up next will be my Panasonic 42.5mm F1.2 Nocticron review.  I took a lot of photos with this lens, so I hope all of you check it out when it is done.  Take care!