“My earliest memories of nature are of the sea,” the French artist Natalia Kovachevski tells me. “Growing up as a Mediterranean girl, I was convinced I was a mermaid and a witch–a wild woman, part-animal, with an affinity for the natural world.”
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“I pay attention to my dreams and ideas that pop up into my subconscious around 3AM,” says Tatiana Wills about where she draws inspiration from. “…foregoing some of the luxuries pre-COVID afforded me, I’ve gone back to an idea I had 15 years ago to put my work into public spaces, once again playing and experimenting while the outside world feels chaotic. It’s all I know how to do.” Indeed, her sense of experimentation comes through in her work, at least when it comes to working with her subject matter. On the technical side though, we can all agree that it’s clean and vibrant–with a unique look amongst much of the more painterly styles that are out there and the street scenes we see. And part of that comes from Tatiana’s work in medium format film.
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The Canon 5D Mk II was a pretty perfect DSLR that changed the entire industry.
Her name was Dahlia–and she was my Canon 5D Mk II that I adored in so many ways. This is the camera that I really, truly forged my career with as an Editor in Chief and camera tester. It served its need and purpose for a long time and I ultimately miss this camera. Despite how much grief I’ve given Canon over the years, the Canon 5D Mk II is something that will always stand out to me as something that they did right. There were complaints about it based on how the industry was evolving, but the camera was still a fantastic one in the hands of a photographer that knew how to work with its quirks.
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We’re hoping that’s not going to be the case because the Canon EOS R5 sounds amazing, but, this is Canon we’re talking about here.
Do you hear that? That loud noise is the racket being made around the web about the potential Canon EOS R5 (basically a Mirrorless 5D series camera), and while the specs that have been bandied about sound fantastic, let’s stay grounded and remember this is Canon we’re talking about. If the specs are accurate, hallelujah: it will be one phenomenal camera. But, as I have said before, Canon seems to go all in, but then they hold back by 1% and self-sabotage. Let’s talk about this and the potential Canon EOS R5 after the break.
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The Sony a7r III has the workhorse capabilities that a Canon 5D does
It hasn’t been a person secret of mine that I’m incredibly excited about the new Sony a7r III, but in all honesty I feel like I need to share with excitement why I’m so incredibly stoked about this camera. At eight years into running Phoblographer, I’m genuinely not writing this because I’m on a paid press event with Sony but instead because this is the camera that I’ve been waiting for years now and is finally here.
And the biggest factor: It’s got all the capabilities of being your next major workhorse camera.
Since Canon has a high megapixel full frame DSLR at the moment, it only makes sense for them to make something that’s a bit of a combination of the 7D Mk II and the 1Dx Mk II for the next 5D camera. According to Canon Rumors, they’re stating that the features are going to be fairly conservative though just right for what sports photographers and photojournalists really need.
Think Thank Photo Shape Shifter Backpack
If you’re a frequent reader of the site then you’ve probably seen at least a few of the “What’s in My Bag” posts. Today, we are going to take a quick look at the gear that I (Mike Pouliot) am using at the moment. If you’re like me, then you spend lots of time researching equipment before pulling the trigger on a new “toy”, so feel free to post any questions you may have about the gear that I’m using in the comments section below.
If you’re a Canon or Nikon shooter, you have a pretty vast selection of lenses to choose from. Most people tend to gravitate towards lenses that are made by the same manufacturer as their body. When I first started shooting, I looked like a walking advertisement for Canon…they should have been paying me. Over time, I found that third party products can be just as good or better than the “brand name” products. Over the past year or so, I’ve developed a curiosity with Zeiss optics. I love the build quality and the attention to detail. The Distagon 35mm f/1.4 is truly a wonderful lens, but it’s out of most hobbyist’s price range. Luckily, Zeiss’ Planar T* 50mm f/1.4 is less than half of the price of its 35mm cousin.
So can the 50mm hang with the rest of Zeiss’ products? Let’s find out.
Canon 5D with Sigma 50mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM shot at f/5.6
Regardless of what you shoot or what brand of equipment you use, almost everyone owns or has owned a 50mm prime lens. The 50mm focal length is very close to what our eyes actually see so it feels natural to use this lens. But I think the number one reason most people own a 50mm is they are an amazing value. Both Nikon and Canon make wonderful 50mm f/1.8 lenses for less than $125. It’s crazy not to have a 50mm at that price! My 50mm basically lives on my 5D, I hardly ever take it off. If you’re like me and you’re constantly using your 50mm lens, you’ve probably thought about upgrading your cheap 50mm to something faster, more solidly built and something that can produce nicer bokeh. Enter the Sigma 50mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM.
My first lens review with The Phoblographer was on the Sigma 85mm f/1.4. I truly enjoyed shooting with that lens and if I was in the market for an 85mm prime, Sigma would get my money. An 85mm lens is great for portraits but I, like many other people, find 50mm to be a more useful focal length for everyday shooting. Luckily for me, Sigma offered to lend me the 50mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM to test out. If this performs as good as its 85mm sibling, my wallet may be lighter by the end of this review. Continue reading…
The time has come for me to say goodbye to the Carl Zeiss Distagon T* 35mm F/1.4 ZE. Even though this lens is not perfect, I can honestly say that I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the time I’ve had to shoot with the Zeiss 35mm F/1.4. But is it worth the money?
This past week my mom celebrated her 55th birthday and her friend decided to throw a small surprise party (happy birthday mom!). The party started at 7pm so I figured what better lens to bring than the light devouring Carl Zeiss Distagon T* 35mm F/1.4 ZE.
Canon 5D with Zeiss 35mm f/4.0 - shot at ISO 400, f/5.0, 1/1000 sec
I love shooting with primes and I love street/urban photography, so I was excited to get out and shoot with the Carl Zeiss Distagon T* 35mm F/1.4 ZE. With a focal length of 35mm, the Carl Zeiss Distagon T* 35mm F/1.4 ZE should feel right at home on the streets.
Canon 5D with Zeiss 35mm f/1.4 - Shot at ISO 100, f/2.0, 1/8000 sec
When I’m testing a product for The Phoblographer, I like to take at least a day or two to familiarize myself with the product before I really start shooting. I guess you could equate it to test driving a car. You want to make sure you know how everything works before you make any decisions. In this post I’ll be sharing some photos and my thoughts after using the Carl Zeiss Distagon T* 35mm F/1.4 ZE for a few days.
I’ve been very impressed with both lenses during this test period. I often have a hard time finding any difference between them when it comes to IQ and I was wondering if it’s just me or are they really that close in performance? So, I’ve decided to pull a page out of Mr. Gampat’s book and do a little test with our readers. Can you match the photograph to the lens?
I’ve been a Canon shooter for years. I used my dad’s AE-1 until I picked up a Canon Rebel XT about 7 years ago. Due to budgetary constraints, I’ve always looked for the best value lenses instead of just running out and getting the “L” variant of whatever lens I needed. It’s no secret that Canon puts out some great lenses that won’t break the bank, e.g. Canon 50mm F/1.8 or the Canon 85mm F/1.8, but most Canon shooters lust for the lenses with the magical red ring. Now that I’m older, with a better job/income, I’ve been able to pick up a Canon 5D and a few L lenses, specifically the Canon 17-40 F/4L and the Canon 70-200mm F/4L IS. I adore both lenses but they weren’t cheap and I often ask myself if they are REALLY worth the price. I’ve recently been bitten by the macro bug and I’ve looking for a solid 100mm macro lens. I noticed that Canon has two offerings that fit the bill, one is an L and the other is not. I’ve heard great things about both lenses so I thought I would give both lenses a shot to see if the L variant is really worth the extra money when it comes to 100mm macros.
I know that everyone is different when it comes to buying photography equipment. When writing these reviews, I try to take these different types of buyers into consideration. For example, some people rely purely on reviewer/community feedback while others like to see sample images with the exact gear that they will be using. In addition to those people, we have our pixel peepers and number crunchers. These individuals want to see results from complex tests along with samples zoomed in 500% to see the most minute details of an image. This part of the review is geared towards this group of buyers but this is by no means a very technical review. Unfortunately, the super technical reviews that you can find on other sites require equipment that I do not have access to and therefore I cannot provide that amount of detail to our readers. Even without this equipment, I wanted to try to give these types of buyers something to work with while at the same time keeping the other groups engaged. Here we go…
EXIF Data: ISO 100, 1/500 sec, F/2.0
If you’ve been following this review of the Sigma 85mm F/1.4, then today is probably the day that most people have been waiting for…portrait day. I enjoy taking portraits but, for the most part, my family and friends aren’t too fond of me sticking a camera in their face and then posting photographs of them up on the The Phoblographer.com. Oh, well…they are going to have to deal. You can also catch up on Day 1 and Day 2 in the according links.
EXIF Info: ISO100, 1/2000sec, F/2.0
I don’t know about you, but this winter is killing me. I know that it’s technically spring, but it sure doesn’t feel like it in New England. It really takes a lot for me to bundle up and get my butt outside to shoot when it’s cold. Luckily, I’ve been having a blast using the Sigma 85mm F/1.4 so the cold is no longer an excuse to stay inside.
