Fuji XF 56mm F1.2 R Lens Review:
A fast short-tele portrait lens is a “must-have” for many photographers, especially for those in the wedding and portrait industry yet for a long time, it was missing in the Fuji X Series lineup. There are third party versions, and there’s also the sharp, compact XF 60mm F2.4 but nothing made by Fuji, below the F2.0 range. As of spring 2014, that changed with the release of the XF 56mm F1.2 R lens (B&H Photo/Amazon), an optic that many have been patiently waiting for. With the crop factor taken into account, the 56mm F1.2 is approximately an 84mm equivalent, which is a preferred focal length for many portrait and wedding photographers. Its fast aperture is also prized in this type of lens both for available light photography and for creating beautiful shallow depth of field or as some refer to as “bokeh”. So far, the details sound promising but does the XF 56mm F1.2 really cut it? Is it worth its asking price of $999.00? Was it worth the wait? Let’s find out. [continue reading…]
Anker Astro Mini 3000mAh Review:
These days, we rely on our smart phones more than ever. When I’m away, I don’t always bring my laptop with me, and often times, I rely on my phone to search the web, check my email, work on blog-related business to even showing my pictures to whoever is interested. But since I use my iPhone so much, the battery usually doesn’t make it to the end of the day. So, what are my options? Well, I could shut some of my apps down or I could simply use my phone less. I can also bring my wall charger, and pray I’ll find some place to charge it during the day. None of these options really sounded good to me. That’s when I started looking into portable chargers, and that’s how I came across the Anker Astro Mini. [continue reading…]
The search for the perfect camera – from a pro tog’s perspective
Taken on a Sony A200, entry level DSLR. 6secs at f5.6 on the ‘crappy’ kit lens.
Note from Admin: Here’s an excellent guest post with exceptional images by Paul Richards who’s a professional photographer in the UK. Enjoy!
I am a professional wedding photographer in Cornwall, UK, who specialises in documentary style photography. Honest storytelling is at the heart of what I do, and the only posed shots I do at a wedding are the group shots. I am somewhat of a purist photojournalist, so I won’t interfere at all, not even to move a wedding dress into a better spot, I’m only interested in finding the truth of the day. To me, life in all its glory is more than beautiful enough without being staged. [continue reading…]
Artisan & Artist DCAM-7200 Bag Review:
There are some great camera bags out there these days from many different manufacturers. My personal favorites are the Billingham bags, which I’ve been using pretty much all of my photographic life. I have a Hadley that’s over two decades old, which I’m still using today. Other excellent bags come from Think Tank, Fogg and Domke. Those are just the ones off the top of my head. Artisan & Artist is known for making excellent camera straps but they also make camera bags. Generally, my everyday bag is the compact Billingham M Combo, so I’m always looking out for cool, small bags that are great for daily use. One bag that I’ve been eyeing for quite some time is the Artisan & Artist DCAM-7200, which is what I’m reviewing today. [continue reading…]
My First Roll of Film From Ilford Lab U.S.A.:
Hey everyone! Just wanted to post something quick. I recently sent in a roll of Fuji Neopan 400 to the Ilford Lab in California. I mentioned them a few months ago, and I’ve been wanting to try them out for a long time. But to be honest, film took a backseat to digital for a while, so I never had the chance to finish the roll of Neopan in my Leica M6. I kept putting it off but I finally decided to just process it to see what I got. [continue reading…]
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