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. →

I'm not a portrait photographer because I consider that the pinnacle of the art.  But a couple of recent developments have lead me to reconsider. The release of the new Olympus 45mm f/1.2 Pro reminded me that years ago I had acquired a used Voigtländer 42.5 mm f/0.95 Nokton ($600USD) as a consolation prize for … Continue reading Fun with Fast Primes on the m43 system →

I didn't think I would spend quite so much money so soon after getting the E-M1.2 body but I did recently purchase the Zuiko 300mm f/4 PRO lens.  Consider it a self retirement present because I've decided to retire early at the ripe old age of fifty. And it seems like a very good prime … Continue reading How does the Zuiko 300mm PRO compare? →

This is a telephoto Canon EOS prime lens that Sigma discontinued about a decade ago and they languish on eBay for under $250 USD because they often don't allow proper aperture control when mounted on current Canon bodies.   In older bodies, the camera would issue a sync command twice before requesting lens info and since … Continue reading Sigma 400mm f/5.6 APO Tele Macro is my new best friend. →

I recently had the opportunity to visit a bird of prey sanctuary and pondered for far too long about which lenses to bring.  Definitely the 40-150mm f/2.8 Pro because it is so optically good, focuses so quickly and is my longest focal length m43 lens so I can use Pro Capture with it should the … Continue reading Is the Zuiko 75-300mm f/4.8-6.7 II any good? →

If you have been following my blog, you will be well acquainted with the Olympus OM 500 mm f/8 reflex lens from the 1980s.   The reflex or mirror lens has the virtue of being compact and light when compared to conventional refractor type telephoto lenses.  I also find them to be generally less sharp, but … Continue reading The Most Ultimate Mirror Lens Shootout …. in the World →

This article started life as a comparison of three EOS telephoto prime lenses as economical alternatives to the much vaunted Zuiko 300 mm f/4 IS PRO.  I then realized that this could be a serendipitous opportunity to also reintroduce an even more esoteric telephoto prime that has been lost to history despite being a true … Continue reading Telephoto Prime Shootout and the OM 500mm f/8 Reflex Lens →