Agfacolor Vista 800 Bearing a strong family resemblance, this film appears almost identical to Vista 400 in 4x6 prints. In my 8x12 enlargements, contrast appears a bit higher, an advantage in the flat light of an overcast day.
Until about five years ago, any color print film with an ISO over 200 was considered to be in the "high-speed" category. Then, the many ISO 1000 and 800 films hit the market, and eventually, the ISO 400 products were defined as medium...
Over the past two years, we have seen significant improvements in all ISO 400 and 800 color print films, but few advances in the "fast" color reversal products. This is understandable because color neg film outsells slide film by a vast...
Contax N1 Now the flagship of the Contax line, the N1 has a new, larger N-mount that's completely electronic and accepts only AF lenses. Most incorporate an ultrasonic focus motor for silent, high-speed operation. With an adapter, it...
Best known for selling over a million of the various versions of their 28-200mm zoom, Tamron makes a broad variety of lenses. In zooms, these range from highly affordable models to those intended to satisfy the professional photographer. Most...
Although 50-105mm focal length macro lenses are by far the most popular, many advanced nature photographers prefer longer lenses. Consequently, many camera manufacturers make a premium grade 180mm or 200mm macro lens. Now Sigma offers one, too...
Whenever I judge photo contests including a travel category, one fact quickly becomes apparent: picture-taking during vacation and other trips is not always taken seriously. The photographer who might spend hours making an exceptional landscape...
In this high tech era, I expected to find a half dozen brand-new 35mm SLRs packed with computerized capabilities at the PMA show. However, this year's show produced only a single pair of that type, since others were unveiled at last fall's photokina. Instead, I saw a surprising...
Although digital cameras attracted the lion's share of attention at this year's PMA show, the compact lens/shutter cameras still outsell such models by a vast margin. Most manufacturers continue to offer both formats: 35mm and Advanced Photo System (APS or 24mm). The 35mm format has...
In most parts of North America, March signifies the beginning of spring, but it's the April showers that bring the best flowers. By the end of this month, gardens all around us will be lavished with vibrant colors making a highly appealing...