Lens Reviews

A companion for architecture and landscapes – Zeiss Loxia 21mm f/2.8 Review

20/01/2016 By Mathieu 13 Comments

In late October we had the chance to test a pre-production sample of the new Zeiss Loxia 21mm for the Sony E-mount during an enjoyable event in Cambridge. These last two weeks have been spent with a final version, allowing us to complete our analysis.

The 21mm is the third manual focus lens designed by Zeiss for the A7 full-frame mirrorless cameras and in my opinion it is also the most interesting focal length out of the three. As of now, this is the widest prime available for the FE system but I expect to see new products in 2016.

The first extreme telephoto prime – The Olympus 300mm f/4 IS Pro review

06/01/2016 By Mathieu 20 Comments

The M.Zuiko 300mm f/4 is the fifth professional lens produced by Olympus for Micro Four Thirds. Its development was first announced in 2014 at Photokina but the release was delayed to add optical stabilisation – a wise move as it makes this telephoto lens an interesting choice for Panasonic customers as well.

Sigma lenses on the Sony A7r II: a personal and on-going round-up

21/12/2015 By Mathieu 22 Comments

Since we purchased the Sony A7r II for our in-depth analysis, I have had the chance to test the camera with many different lenses including third-party DSLR lenses. There are two main reasons behind testing non-native E-mount glass. First, it was part of my in-depth autofocus test where I came to quite a positive conclusion. The second is a consequence of the first reason: I wanted to find out if some of these lenses could be integrated into a mirrorless system despite not being designed for Sony cameras in the first place.

Sony A7r II and Voigtländer VM lenses, Chapter II: 35mm f/1.7 Ultron Aspherical review

08/12/2015 By Mathieu 9 Comments

Now that our full Sony A7r II test is complete, it’s time to continue with our reviews of interesting Voigtländer lenses to use on the camera. The former German brand has an interesting collection of compact lenses that go from extreme wide angle to fast medium focal lengths. These lenses are designed for the Leica M system but can easily be mounted to the Sony A7 series via a thin adapter (I have the Voigtlander VM adapter).

The calm after the storm – Panasonic Lumix 12-35mm f/2.8 Review

23/11/2015 By Heather 1 Comment

Following two very wild weeks of incessant storms and gale-force winds, the Welsh weather now seems to have reverted to its “ordinary” self, which basically means a healthy mix of sun, cloud and rain. A good thing too, as otherwise I probably wouldn’t have been able to finish my review of the Lumix 12-35mm f/2.8 – the risk of being blown out to sea was too great! 🙂