Reviews

A day in Cambridge – Hands-On with the Zeiss Loxia 21mm f/2.8 (Sony E-Mount)

23/10/2015 By Mathieu 10 Comments

Today we spent a very pleasant day at the Zeiss Headquarters in Cambridge where we had the chance to try the new Loxia 21mm f/2.8 lens for the Sony E-mount system. In truth, this wasn’t the first time we’d seen the lens, as a prototype was on display at the Milvus event in Oberkochen (see our report here). But since the lens was still under embargo, we were kindly asked to remain quiet about it until the official announcement that happened the following week.

Not an A7 or DSLR competitor – Hands-On with the new Leica SL (Typ 601)

22/10/2015 By Mathieu 28 Comments

Two days after the announcement, Heather and I had the chance to see the new Leica SL in London. There is still a lot of talk surrounding this camera, as well as many questions related to its dimensions, price and real target user. As with every press event, one hour was not enough to arrive at a definitive conclusion. However, the title of this article already gives you a big hint as to where my impressions are headed.

Sony A7r II: compressed vs. uncompressed Raw and a firmware wish list

19/10/2015 By Mathieu 17 Comments

Today Sony released firmware update 2.0 for the Sony A7r mark II. It allows users to select the uncompressed Raw format, an option already available on the A7s II and RX1r II. The update (hopefully) brings to an end the long debate about the Sony A7 series having only a lossy compressed Raw file. There have been reports and discussions about artefacts you can get with these files but I have been testing A7 cameras since they were first released in late 2013 and in the real-world I have never found this to be a real issue. However I will always support a solution that gives more choice to the customer and satisfies the most demanding of users.

The GH4 Revamped for Stills – The Panasonic GX8 Review

15/10/2015 By Heather 22 Comments

Panasonic has always been considered more of a generalist company than a serious photography brand, an issue that hasn’t been helped by the company’s involvement in sectors as diverse as beauty products and home appliances. Indeed, very few people realise that “Lumix” (the company’s name for its series of digital cameras) is an individual product brand of Panasonic at all.

A Weekend with a Wide-Angle – Sony FE 28mm f/2 Review

06/10/2015 By Mathieu 9 Comments

While we can no longer complain about the lack of native FE lenses given that 15 have been produced in just two years, the Sony full-frame lineup is still missing a series of high quality/affordable glass. Now, to complain about this wouldn’t be completely fair since the system is new and still growing. Still, in the case of most mature camera systems, users can depend not only on high-end expensive lenses for the best image quality but also a more affordable range of products that still deliver very good IQ but at a more affordable price.