Sigma Corporation has been around since the early 1960s, always offering third party lenses with innovative design and prices designed to beat the OEM boys at their own game. Today, Sigma is no longer the upstart but part of the establishment by manufacturing their own critically respected (if not commercially) Foveon line of cameras. … Continue reading The Sigma Trifecta
Looking for the perfect smartphone camera.
During Black Friday sales in 2015, I acquired my first smartphone - a Lumix CM1. Never heard of it? Few have. Fewer have one. The likely reason is that it's a stinker of a smartphone. It has difficulty running multiple apps, often freezes and I have to reboot it, and is more than twice as … Continue reading Looking for the perfect smartphone camera.
Introducing the Sigma 120-300mm f/2.8 APO EX DG HSM for m43 users.
I like to shoot prime lenses because I have a bit of a Type A personality and want to always know that I'm getting the sharpest, highest image quality that I can. When I shoot wildlife, I'm usually carrying my Zuiko 300mm f/4 IS Pro since it is wonderfully light and optically astounding. Check out … Continue reading Introducing the Sigma 120-300mm f/2.8 APO EX DG HSM for m43 users.
Checking out the Sigma 500 mm f/4 XQ mirror lens
Those of you familiar with this blog will no doubt recognize this troubling fondness I have for vintage camera telephoto mirror lenses. I'm always on the prowl for that inexpensive yet high image quality compact mirror lens that will give me that telephoto focal length reach that I can throw into my knapsack for that … Continue reading Checking out the Sigma 500 mm f/4 XQ mirror lens
The World’s First Dual Solar & Lunar ISS Transit Capture
As an amateur astrophotographer, one of the greatest celestial phenomena to capture is the transit of the International Space Station across the face of either the Moon or the Sun. As it crosses either of these bodies, it can form a very sharp silhouette (since it will be grossly underexposed against a much brighter background) … Continue reading The World’s First Dual Solar & Lunar ISS Transit Capture
Viltrox EF-M2 Adaptor Tested!
It was only a couple of weeks ago that the Viltrox 0.71x smart m43 focal reducer became widely available through eBay for the stunning introductory price of only $159 including shipping from HK to North America (Toronto for me). It follows the optical prescription of the original Metabones Speedbooster with 4 lenses in 4 groups and … Continue reading Viltrox EF-M2 Adaptor Tested!
The Great American Solar Eclipse of 2017.
Lost amongst all the hoopla in the days leading up to the Great American Solar Eclipse this past August was the forgotten American Solar Eclipse of 1878. It's good to revisit the past because it helps us understand the present. Especially a past with all sorts of disturbing parallels. The path of totality in 1878 … Continue reading The Great American Solar Eclipse of 2017.
