Sigma 12-24mm v Sigma 15-30mm v Canon 17-40mm L v Contax Zeiss 21mm Distagon f2.8 [published 2004] ISO 100 / Full frame Canon 1Ds Mark I with mirror lock up, f8 / 1 second / AWB on a Manfrotto 155 with view camera head, legs locked. All were shot RAW and processed in 8 bit …
A Tale of Two 28mm Nikon 28mm f2.8 AIS sample variation demonstrated [published december 2005] Preliminary to the 28mm group test, two samples of the well-regarded Nikkor 28mm f2.8 AI-S were obtained to compare with the Olympus 28mm f2 and Carl Zeiss Contax 28mm f2.8 Distagon. Both were sourced from a reputable UK dealer …
Nikon 28mm f2.8 AIS v Olympus 28mm f2 v Zeiss 28mm f2.8 [published january 2006] So what is the best 28mm lens? Is it the so-called ‘Hollywood’ edition Zeiss f2? Te Nikon f1.4? Surely the Leica 28mm Super Elmarit is in the top three? Quite likely each of these in their own way can lay …
[nextpage title=”Introduction”] [Voigtlander Super Wide Heliar 15mm f4.5 v Sigma 12-24mm f4.5-5.6 [published january 2006] The Canon 5D/Voigtlander Rangefinder The Voigtlander 15mm f4.5. Where on earth are you going to put THAT? First: yes, you can use Voigtlander’s true wide angle lenses on Canon digital cameras: here’s my 15mm f4.5 SL on an EOS 5D. …
[nextpage title=”12-15mm”] 12-15mm Hall of Fame [nextpage title=”17-21mm”] 17-21mm hall of fame Despite being a highly desirable focal length for landscape,interiors and architectural photographers, at the time of writing no uncompromised retrofocus SLR lens exists that can resolve to the limit of the latest 13MP and 16MP 35mm sensors across the frame. This may come …
[nextpage title=”Introduction”] Canon 14mm f2.8 L v Nikon 14mm f2.8 EDIF v Sigma 12-24mm f4.5-5.6 DG [published march 2006] So you’ve got your killer wide angle zoom: either the Canon 16-35mm L or the (better) Nikon 17-35mm AFS – or, if the budget won’t quite stretch (but the field of view must) you’re working around …
[nextpage title=”Introduction”] Canon 16-35mm f2.8 L (Mark 1) v Nikon 17-35mm f2.8 AFS [Published March 2006] Over here, Nikonians; over there, Canonites – and ne’er the twain meet. Team Nikon loves its 17-35 and Camp Canon loves its 16-35. Each claims the superiority of its champion but rarely are they tested head to head. Nikon-EOS …
[nextpage title=”Introduction”] Nikon 15mm f3.5 AIS v Sigma 12-24mm f3.5-4.5 [published may 2006] As King Solomon advised: “Don’t say: ‘Why were the olden days so much better than these?’ It is not due to wisdom that you have asked this.” Proverbs were so much better then. Yet for Nikon users it’s true: in many cases …
[nextpage title=”Introduction”] Sony Ericsson K800i mobile phone v Canon 350D v Canon 5D Mark II [published july 2006] Everyone needs a day off. What better to refresh a palette jaded by the testing of $2000 optical exotica than to put a free camera phone through its paces. Seriously, though, the 3.2MP Sony Ericsson K800i is …
If you’ve read the previous 85mm test, you won’t be surprised to hear that the Zeiss ZF 85mm f1.4 was returned to the dealer: weak close range performance and a painfully tight focusing ring were cited as reason enough for dissatisfaction. Fast forward one month, and the Mark I Canon 85mm f1.2 L has been …