Nikon 20mm f1.8G review
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Written by Thomas
Nikon’s AF-S 20mm f1.8 replaces a 25 year-old model to become the latest bright, wide prime in the range. Thomas sees how it performs.…
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Nikon 20mm f1.8G review
Zeiss Otus 85mm f1.4 review
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Written by Thomas
The Zeiss Otus 85mm f/1.4 is a short telephoto lens that follows the much acclaimed Otus 55mm. With the first Otus, Zeiss made ambitious claims for performance that were delivered in practice, albeit at a high price and with manual focus only (see my Zeiss Otus 55/1.4 review). So expectations for the second model in…
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Nikon 80-400mm f4.5-5.6G VR review
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Written by Thomas
The AF-S Nikkor 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR is Nikon’s long awaited successor to the venerable and now 13-year-old AF 80-400/4.5-5.6D VR. It covers a 5x zoom-range and has an improved optical design with quicker and quieter focusing and better image stabilization – lest we forget the original was the first Nikkor to sport VR. It’s…
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Nikon 16-35mm f4G VR review
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Written by Thomas
The AF-S Nikkor 16-35mm f/4.0G ED VR is the gold-ringed sister to Nikon’s 18-35mm f/3.5-4.5G ED. It’s an ultra-wide angle zoom lens that’s compatible with Nikon’s full-frame FX format DSLRs and was announced in 2010. It also works on cropped-frame DX format models, where it becomes equivalent to a 24-53mm zoom. Interestingly for a wide-angle…
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Sigma 24-105mm f4 OS Art review
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Written by Thomas
The 24-105mm f4 OS is Sigma’s second full-frame lens in its Art-series which (quote Sigma) “offers sophisticated optical performance and abundant expressive power to deliver faithfully on your artistic vision”. Blimey. The first full-frame Art lens was the 35mm f1.4 DG HSM which put in some astonishing performance in the corners of the full-frame sensor…
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Nikon 35mm f1.8G review
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Written by Thomas
The Nikkor 35mm f1.8G ED fills the last gap in Nikon’s 35mm line-up: a lens designed for full-frame DSLRs, but pitched at a more affordable price-point than the flagship model. Nikon already offers the gold-ringed AF-S 35/1.4G for professional use and the AF-S DX Nikkor 35/1.8G for owners of its DX-format APS-C models. Until now,…
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Nikon 50mm f1.4G review
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Written by Thomas
The Nikkor AF-S 50mm f1.4G was announced in September 2008 as the company’s flagship standard prime lens. It shares the same bright f1.4 aperture and standard focal length as the much older AF 50mm f1.4D, but features an SWM focusing motor, which means it’ll autofocus quickly and quietly on all Nikon DSLRs, including the D3x00…
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Nikon 58mm f1.4G review
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Written by Thomas
The Nikkor 58mm f1.4G lens fills the last gap in Nikon’s line-up of professional grade f1.4 aperture primes that up-to now came in 24mm, 35mm, and 85mm focal lengths. What about the 50mm f1.4G I hear you cry? That earlier model, while certainly good, does not carry the gold ring designating Nikon’s highest grade and…
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Zeiss Otus 55mm f1.4 review
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Written by Thomas
The Zeiss 55mm f/1.4 Otus is a standard lens with ambitious goals and a price tag to match, claiming to offer ‘truly spectacular, world-class performance without compromise’. Announced in 2012, but only released in November 2013, it certainly took a long time to complete. The Otus 1.4/55, as Zeiss refers to it, is actually the…
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Sigma 50mm f1.4 EX review
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Written by Thomas
The Sigma AF 50mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM is one of Sigma’s trio of f1.4 lenses for full-frame / FX format DSLRs; the other pair offer 35mm and 85mm focal lengths. It’s available for Canon, four-thirds, Nikon, Pentax, and Sony / Konica Minolta camera bodies. Announced in May 2008 the lens goes head-to-head with the…
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