DIY Photography

Your one stop shop for everything photo-video

Search

Submit A Story

lens

I shot these epic landscapes with my iPhone, I will never go back to shooting with a camera

In 2010, when Apple released the iPhone 4, it sparked a debate on whether a smartphone could replace a camera. At that time, professional photographers were sceptical, but little did they know that this small device would revolutionize the industry forever.

Despite having used both film and DSLRs in the past, I will never go back to shooting travel photography with them. The iPhone has become too convenient, and I see little difference in the quality of images. This is how I created these beautiful images of Norway, Italy, and Serbia, among others, with little more than the iPhone in my pocket.

This $5,500 watch doubles as photography cheat sheet

by 5 Comments

We’ve seen some pretty cool camera-inspired watches so far. But Horage’s Lensman 2 Exposure wasn’t just inspired by photography and made for photographers. It features a rotating bezel that lets you calculate exposure and choose proper camera settings, which is especially useful if you shoot film. It’s your little cheat sheet that can always be with you and tell you both time and camera settings. Pretty cool, huh?

Hands on with Tuner by Module 8 – make any lens cinematic

by Leave a Comment

If you are out for a specific look for your movies, you know that it will take some effort. Lenses like the Canon FD,  Super Baltars, and Canon K-35 are not easy to come by, and they are not cheap either. A new Kickstarter from Tuner by Module wants to solve this problem by providing a back filter that gives any lens a cinematic look. We have some of the first independent footage taken with a prototype of The Tuner, so make sure to watch the video.

But first, let’s explain what the issue is:

First look at Laowa’s full Nanomorph set including a 65mm T2.4 and an 80mm T2.4

by Leave a Comment

We met with Laowa over at NAB 2023, where they showed us two new Nanomorph lenses: a 65mm T2.4 and an 80mm T2.4. Those lenses join an already existing set of 27mm T2.8, 35mm T2.4, and 50mm T2.4.

Those lenses caught my attention because they have some unique features on top of some of the other anamorphic lenses in the market. If you are out for a Super 35 anamorphic lens set, they are definitely worth your attention.

Is Meike’s 84mm f/1.4 RF lens the first 3rd party AF lens to be Canon-approved?

by Leave a Comment

Meike has announced a new 85mm f/1.4 lens at NAB 2023 this week. This in itself is not really big news. Neither is the fact that it’s a full-frame lens nor that it’s an autofocus lens. What is big news, though, is that they’re saying it’ll be available in a Canon RF Mount. Yes, that’s right, an autofocus lens with a Canon RF mount (as well as E, Z and L mounts). Is this the first 3rd party autofocus RF lens to be approved by Canon itself?

Canon has a bit of history when it comes to 3rd party AF lenses. They’ve shut down a number of manufacturers including Samyang and Viltrox, and after the Viltrox news broke, Canon confirmed it. In a recent interview with DPReview, Canon did suggest they’d be open to third-party lenses using the RF mount, but has that happened here? Is this small Chinese lens company beating the likes of Sigma and Tamron to the punch?

Canon’s hotly anticipated RF 100-300mm f/2.8 costs almost 10 grand

by Leave a Comment

Canon has unveiled its hotly anticipated wide aperture super-telephoto zoom lens. It’s the Canon RF 100-300mm f/2.8 L IS USM (buy here) and costs a whopping $9,499. With this kind of price tag, Canon doesn’t really need to say that it’s “aimed directly at professional and very high-end video and still-image users”, although they said it anyway. Specifically, they say it’s ideal for things like theatre, event candids, and indoor sports.

It’s a bit of a monster at 5.8 lbs, although Canon says it’s the lightest f/2.8 zoom lens with a 300mm focal length on the market. It claims excellent optical quality, with edge-to-edge sharpness, and a design that includes one fluorite element, and 4 Ultra-Low Dispersion (UD) elements. Fluorine coatings and Canon’s Super Spectra Coating (SSC) help to minimise ghosting and flare.

Nikkor Z 12-28mm f/3.5-5.6 PZ VR is Nikon’s widest APS-C Z mount lens

by Leave a Comment

Nikon has announced its widest APS-C lens for Nikon Z mount mirrorless cameras. The Nikon Nikkor Z DX 12-28mm f/3.5-5.6 PZ VR (buy here), as all of the letters in its name suggest, is a an APS-C (DX) lens, with Power Zoom (PZ) and Vibration Reduction (VR – or optical image stabilisation in generic terms). Designed for content creators and vloggers, the new lens offers up to 4.5 stops of stabilisation with focusing as close as 11 inches.

The lens offers the full frame equivalent field of view to that of an 18-42mm focal length range, making for some wide close-ups for vlogging as well as being able to dial things in a little narrower when you want to focus on a subject. According to Nikon, extra-low dispersion and aspherical elements provide a high level of sharpness and distortion control throughout the zoom range.

NiSi teases “Athena” series of T1.9 and T2.4 cinema lenses

by Leave a Comment

NiSi has teased a new set of Athena full-frame cinema lenses ahead of the upcoming NAB 2023 show in Las Vegas next week. The lineup includes five lenses, with a 14mm T2.4 and 24mm, 35mm, 50mm and 85mm T1.9 lenses. Each of the lenses will be available in three mounts, including the usual PL mount, as well as Sony E and Canon RF mounts.

Each of the lenses (except PL mount) appears to include a rear mounted filter holder. These are to accept the upcoming NiSi Full Spectrum (FS) ND filters designed specifically for the Athena lenses. NiSi says that the filters are designed to be as colour neutral as possible and transmit even amounts of UV, near-infrared as well as visible light.

How we shot 35 – a shot horror movie

by 1 Comment

We just shot 35 — a one-minute horror movie. While the movie is only one minute, there are three different scenes in there, each with its own setup and motivation, and I would love to break them down. But first, go watch the video. It’s only one minute, but still. Spoilers. Actually, let me put the actual video at the beginning of the BTS.

35 is a short visual story about a guy who finds a coat with a key. The key says 35, and our hero goes to door 35 to find out what’s behind the door. Clearly, something menacing. When he engages with the door, the door opens and reveals what’s inside.

Samyang AF 35-150mm f/2-2.8 FE lens is $500 cheaper than Tamron’s

by 27 Comments

In September 2021, Tamron announced their 35-150mm f/2-2.8 DI III VXD lens for Sony FE. It was an odd focal length range and even odder that it had a variable aperture. Well, now, Samyang’s announced the Samyang AF 35-150mm f/2-2.8 lens for Sony FE mount, and it seems to be quite a bit cheaper. Samyang claims their optical formula, which is different to the Tamron, provides superior sharpness right to the edge.

Photographer and YouTuber Tom Calton has had his hands on one for a little and has posted a review of the new Samyang, comparing it to the Tamron. It’s a good, in-depth comparison between the two and looks at a lot of different features. It’s clear that the design of the Samyang is heavily inspired by the Tamron, but it does have some unique features.

Free Resources

Advanced lighting book

Learn photography

Recent Posts