Jon Sienkiewicz Blog

Leica recently announced the latest M-Series camera, a stunning anthracite gray full-frame digital rangefinder based on the Leica M which launched in September of 2012. The new Leica M-E (Typ 240) has a few welcomed upgrades and a nice surprise—a lower price. In fact, the new Leica M-E, priced at $3995 (body only), is the lowest-price full-frame Leica camera on the market.

We zip from Amsterdam to Japan to the Land Down Under to look at three multi-purpose photo backpacks. This trio represents the latest in style, performance and practicality.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of Tamron’s SP (Superior Performance) lens series. They elected to commemorate this special occasion by introducing what they have labeled “the ultimate Tamron lens” in the form of the new SP Tamron 35mm F/1.4 Di USD (Model F045) prime lens in Canon EF and Nikon F mounts. 

Fujifilm’s family of digital cameras has some amazing features, but a couple of the most useful controls are a bit tricky to figure out. The owner’s manual is no help, either, and the way they function is counterintuitive—for me at least.

In the late 1980s Canon introduced a 135mm f/2.8 autofocus lens that featured selectable softfocus. In addition to delivering dreamy out-of-focus images on demand, it’s also tack-sharp and extrapolates up to the equivalent of a 216mm f/2.8 when used on a crop-frame Canon.

Polarizers reduce glare, let you see under the water and darken blue skies. We all know this because we’ve read those weary descriptions hundreds of times. Those benefits are just low-hanging fruit. The real benefits of a polarizing filter are…

For the legions of photographers who used film cameras in the past, a screw-in type photo filter is as normal as fingerprints on an iPhone. But for those who started their photographic journey with a digital, even the word filter can be confusing. Does it plug into Photoshop or screw into a lens? Are they like the AA filter that covers an imaging sensor, or do they fit in a Mister Coffee? If you don’t own any filters, you’re missing some fun. Here’s a quick guide to buying one for your DSLR camera.