Lens News

Here are some tips I discovered when researching this month’s column. One was from my wife who uses this technique all the time—smile! And you know what, people smile back, making you appear friendly and non-threatening. The other was from Michael Archambault, who suggests you “acknowledge that street photography is not perfect.” Or as my grandfather once told me, “If you spend your whole life looking for happiness, it’ll make you miserable.”

Most experienced landscape photographers reach for a wide-angle lens when shooting expansive vistas. But telephoto lenses, when used properly, can capture compelling outdoor images with a unique look.

Wanna go really wide with an affordable full-frame optic? Check out this Cookie from Laowa. Cookie? No, I think I'll call it "Jewel." Laowa has created a full-frame 15mm (110° coverage) manual focus lens that opens a myriad of creative doors for Nikon Z, Canon RF, Sony E, L-Mount and Leica M users.

Have you ever been out in the field on a spectacular day, only to return home, open the images on the computer and discover that they're unacceptably soft? We've all suffered this misfortune at least once, and today's tutorial from Photography Explained reveals three oft-ignored "secrets" for resolving the problem with whatever camera and lens you currently own.

Every company that makes lenses usually designs a few that are ideal for portraiture. The trend these days for studio and boudoir portraits is toward fast prime lenses, while zooms remain popular for location and wedding photography. Wide-angle lenses may get you closer to the subject but perspective distortion exaggerates a subject’s nose and ears.

As with most new lenses, a Canon 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS II made it’s way back to the repair department for an initial tear-down. I know there’s some randomness as to what we tear down, but we have some reasons for doing these. Sometimes, like with this new Canon, it’s simply because we know LensRentals is going to stock a lot of them and we need to take a look inside to see what is likely to break and what parts we may want to order. And other times, like with this new Canon, it’s because there’s some new technology inside we want to take a look at.