I’ve shot Nikon as my primary system since I left Canon behind in 2012. I’ve owned and used cameras from, as far as I can tell, every current manufacturer save Phase One. Some stuck with me longer than others – I have pretty limited experience with Pentax DSLRs, for example. I’ve never been a brand loyalist in any sense; the idea of that is just silly no matter how you look at it….
Read More35mm Camera Recommendations (Part One: SLR & Rangefinders)
Film has experienced a bit of a resurgence in the past five or so years. We’ve seen a proliferation of never-before-made film stocks and even some of the ones killed off have been brought back to life (Fujifilm Acros 100 – my favorite b&w stock). As a life-long avid shooter of film, from 35mm to 4x5, and experience with thousands of camera models, I thought I’d do a post on my own suggestions…….
Read MoreNew Acquisition: Nikon 35Ti
The Nikon 35Ti (and, by extension, the 28Ti - depending on what focal length you want) has always been an extremely interesting and desirable camera for me. I’ve always wanted one premium compact point and shoot in my collection….
Read MoreRare: Voigtlander APO-Lanthar 125/2.5 Macro at UsedPhotoPro
I don’t (and won’t) normally post items for sale like this, but this one deserves a special mention.
The Voigtlander 125mm f/2.5 Macro APO-Lanthar SL (Nikon Mount) is one of the rarest and most elusive lenses out there – in fact, this is the first time I’ve seen one for sale in the United States.
Read MorePssssst, Nikon: My Z Camera Wishlist
Recently, it became official: the Nikon Z series cameras have almost entirely replaced my DSLR for in-studio work and portraiture. The D810 still lives for the outdoors – landscapes and wildlife in particular.
Having used the Z series for about 15 months now, the amazing haptics, seamless transition, and absolutely brilliant lenses clinched the deal. In fact, I consider the Z6 and Z7 two of the finest digital cameras (period) ever made and certainly near the top of the best MILCs. No one else has made a full-frame mirrorless camera with such an excellent design and seamless transition from the DSLR counterparts; not to mention the enormous lens library if you consider existing F-Mount lenses with the adapter. Canon succeeds on the latter front, but the EOS R was an underwhelming mess of design and features (I am very impressed with the 1DX Mark III, however, and the EOS R5 and R6 seem to have fixed the terrible ergonomics of the R).
Read MoreCurrent State of Sensor Formats
**Note: 99% of this was written before the unfortunate announcement of Olympus selling its camera division. So, that may change or at least affect some of what I’ve opined here.**
Once upon a time, we would see major innovations in sensor technology every other year or so: the shift from CCD to CMOS. The release of the D3 and D700 which, while also being around the time of the “full-frame” sensor explosion*, represented a significant boost in dynamic range, speed, and high ISO capability. There was the advent of full-frame 1080 24p video with the 5D Mark II – arguably the single most influential event in indie cinema history (along with the Arri Alexa). Then came the megapixel race: Nikon released the D800, bumping us past (for 35mm or smaller formats) the 20-24 megapixel ceiling; Sony soon followed with the same resolution in the a7R and the race was on.