What do you get when you put six ace reporters into a huge hall filled with photo and imaging gear? In our case, these being our contributors, a bunch of kids in a candy store who deliver the most comprehensive reports available on this annual photo show. Held in Las Vegas in mid winter, the...
Photography and travel have always been inextricably linked. As soon as a camera could be hauled about, by mule, porter, or on the back of the photographer, pictures from every locale were made. They might be exotic images from far-off lands, bucolic scenes away from the city’s strife, or just postcards that adorned a cathedral’s gift shop, but if it had trees, pyramids, or boats...
In the pages that follow we are proud to share our thoughts and reactions to events at this year's photokina. If you've never heard of photokina it's held every two years in Germany and has established a tradition as the gathering point of...
The photokina trade fair held in Cologne, Germany, every two years has a solid reputation for previews and announcements meant to shake up the practices and worldviews of photographers, be they amateur or pro. This can come in the form of products real and imagined, with some making it to shelves and others just a wistful dream of designers and engineers who hope what they propose will become the...
When Sigma introduced their new super-wide zoom in late 2016 I was eager to give it a try. Among their Art lens offerings, the Sigma 12-24mm f/4 DG HSM lens ($1,599, MSRP) serves as an upgrade to their 12-24mm f/4.5-5.6 (still available at an MSRP of $949) with a constant f/4 aperture; a nine-bladed diaphragm; FLD glass elements; an updated HSM (Hyper Sonic Motor) that uses 1.3x the torque for fast and smooth autofocus operation; 16 elements in 11 groups construction; and what Sigma claims is “the largest aspherical element in the industry” to minimize distortion, ghosting, and flare. The angle of view ranges from 84 to 122 degrees, with mount compatibility for Canon, Nikon, and Sigma DSLRs.
There’s something about a fixed focal length lens that brings the photographer out in me. It forces me to move in and back from compositions without resorting to a zoom. Yes, there are times when a zoom is most appreciated—especially the fast constant aperture zooms now available—but a prime puts me in a mindset that a zoom has yet to match.
There’s something about a fixed focal length lens that brings the photographer out in me. It forces me to move in and back from compositions without resorting to a zoom. Yes, there are times when a zoom is most appreciated—especially the fast constant aperture zooms now available—but a prime puts me in a mindset that a zoom has yet to match.
If you ever want a unique point of view try a "fisheye" lens. Like
looking through a door peephole (which in fact is a "fisheye" type)
this order of lens sacrifices linear correction in favor of a very wide angle
of view. Originally made for creating "full sky" images when pointed
straight up, they had long ago been adopted by photographers for creation of
decidedly different points of view, and, today, even doing QuickTime movies
to display the interior of a condo or vacation home.
The Sigma APO 150-50mm lens is a moderately fast, super-telephoto zoom designed to work with both APS-C and full-frame DSLR cameras. It offers quite useful close focusing (7.2 ft) and two modes of what they deem "optical stabilization" (OS.) Weighing in at 67.4 oz you always know its there, but then again this is one impressive piece of...
A funny thing happened to me while I was shooting and reviewing the new Sigma DP1 compact camera in New Mexico. I had taken a lunch break in a local taqueria and in came a couple that sat down at the next table. Next to the guy's backpack and hat he set down the Sigma DP1. I did a double take, and asked him how he liked it. "Great," he said, "the picture...