Last week, we got to have some quality fondling time with the brand new Zeiss 12mm f2.8 Touit lens on the Fujifilm X Pro 1. The lens is one of the first entries that Zeiss has made into the mirrorless autofocus lens market. Like all things Zeiss, the company is not only putting image quality first, but they’re also trying to think a bit different in terms of build quality. In our meeting with Zeiss, they also clearly stated that they are targeting the high end user.
And with the price tag of the 12mm f2.8, they really seem to be doing just that.
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When you’re down to the macro focusing range, it is almost never recommended to shoot wide open. The reason for this is because you’re focusing so closely to the subject, very little will be in focus at any given aperture. So you’ll need to stop down the lens. But in order to also minimize your post-production, we recommend putting a flash on your camera to get it right the first time around. Set that sucker to TTL, and put a Rogue FlashBender on it and hover the modifier over the subject. The flash output will bathe the subject in beautiful soft light that will look extremely natural–perfect for shooting the rings at a wedding. Flashes can be affordable too, just take a look at this list! And when you’re ready for more, take a look at our lighting modifier guide.
Need extra help? Here’s a demonstration of how flash and apertures work together.
Gear Used: Canon 5D Mk II, Tamron 90mm f2.8 VC, Phottix Mitros, Large Rogue Flashbender
Want more Useful Photography Tips? Take a look at all of them right here.
No matter how advanced autofocusing algorithms have become, they still tend to suffer in low light situations. Granted, your camera has an AF assist lamp/bulb. But sometimes, that little short-ranged illuminator isn’t enough to help your camera focus in the near dark.
Over our years of running this site, we’ve had to test many cameras in low light settings. And even though we place our focusing points on highly contrasting points, it hasn’t always worked. The solution is something that is highly mobile: your phone. Many phones have a flashlight app (or one can be downloaded.) If you shine this light on your subject, your camera will have less trouble focusing on that area of the frame.
To do this, you’ll need to hold the camera with one hand and your phone with the other–so hold super still while you’re doing it. For extra stabilization, hold the camera in closer to your body and control your breathing. Some people fire better at the top of their breath while others do better at the bottom.
Want more Useful Photography Tips? Check out our entire catalog here.
Rokinon recently announced that all of their cinema lenses would be available for NEX cameras, and then one day the entire lineup was all set and ready. While reviewing the Sony NEX 5R, we called in the Rokinon 24mm T1.5 cinema lens to test. Why specifically on the 5R? The BBC used the camera’s predecessor to film a web series and many people who purchase the 5 series of cameras usually end up using it as a video camera.
And why not? It has full 1080p out, 1080 60p and 1080 24p HD video footage. Plus it’s a Sony sensor.
Rokinon has been well known for their lens quality at a more affordable price. Very rarely does a lens of theirs go through our hands that we haven’t loved. But is this lens any different?
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The Fujifilm Instax Mini 8 was announced a while back and the company for sure said that it would be making its world-wide debut around CES 2013. They held true to their promise, and the new Instax is just as fun and awesome as the previous versions were.
We decided to have a little fun at CES after walking through the visual and audio assault that was LG’s booth, and so we played with the new Mini 8 a bit.
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Though, this shouldn’t really be called a nifty 50 lens, the size of it almost qualifies it as one. The Sony 50mm f1.4 is an extremely small lens with very good performance. Sony announced that it will be one of the first lenses to use their AF-D focusing system; which means that it can track a subject very well through a frame. At least for the moment, this seem to be a lens that every Sony photographer should have in their camera bag for the overall versatility and just how good the lens can actually be. Hopefully though, the newer version of the lens with Zeiss branding.
We spent a period of around a month with the lens, and here’s what we found.
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