Simple Clicks – Leica DG Summilux 25mm f/1.4
This isn’t a review – I’ll one of those at some point in the near(ish) future. What this is is a quick sample of photos and a few preliminary thoughts on this lens, which arrived a week ago. It’s a hard lens to get, as all the major retailers keep running out of stock. I’m [...]
Olympus OM-D E-M5 Review: General Shooting
This is probably the toughest of the reviews to write, just because I want to cover a number of different points. You can probably think of this one as a catch-all, the place for anything that doesn’t exactly fit with the other, more specific posts that are coming (I’ve been writing them out of sequence). [...]
Lens Rentals
This past trip was my first foray into the world of lens rentals. Up until this point, I’d never really considered it, although I’m not sure why. I guess in part because I’ve always felt that, if I had a real need for a lens, I’d be better off just buying it and adding it [...]
After Further Reflection
I posted about this once before, some time back, and figured it was time for an update. Anytime I post a gear review, I make sure that it’s for an item that I’ve been using “in the field” for at least several weeks, if not longer. I know (hope?) that people are using my reviews [...]
Odds and Ends
“Beware the ides of March!” Okay, so that advice didn’t do Caesar much good, but I think it’s because the advice was too limiting. In my experience, it would be more accurate to say simply, “Beware of March.” As months go, it’s my least favorite, that last push of winter, when the landscape is all [...]
All Creatures Great and Small … and in between
I don’t have the most powerful lens when it comes to wildlife – a Sigma 70-300 with OS – but I have often found that planning, patience and a little luck surely helps when capturing birds of various sizes. For example, take this shot of a great blue heron at Tobyhanna State Park in Northeastern [...]
Review – Canon EF-S 18-55mm IS II
If you read this post, then you know the backstory. For those who don’t, the short version is that I had a sudden need for a wide-angle lens before leaving on vacation in late December, and Canon’s 18-55mm IS II kit lens was the ideal (read: cheap) solution. Historically, the kit lens has been much [...]
Canon’s New Lenses
While the rest of the photo world prattles on about the new Nikon D800 – and yes, it does look pretty damn impressive – I’m going to share a few words on Canon’s new lens announcements. This past week saw the release of the EF 28mm f2.8 IS, EF 24mm f/2.8 IS, and of course [...]
Lens Issues
It’s the afternoon of Christmas Eve and I’m out with my 400D + Sigma 24-70 EX when I get a dreaded error message. Initially it didn’t seem too bad, just an issue with the pop-up flash being unable to deploy. I’d walked back to the car with the camera slung over my arm. No big [...]
Review – Canon 70-200L f/4 IS
It’s been a while since I’ve posted a gear review, mostly because my rate of gear acquisition has slowed dramatically since the spring. The reason is simple; I’ve finally added the last necessary lens to my bag. “Necessary,” is of course the key word here. There are still an easy half-dozen lenses that I’d love [...]
