The Photocrati Blog

Gitzo Explorer 2227 Tripod Review Round-Up

Once in a while a new product comes out which makes you realize you can do more without either spending more money or carrying more gear. Gitzo’s 2227 is such a product. It doesn’t cost more or weight more than other Gitzo carbon fiber tripods of equal size. Yet, it allows you to use a tripod in ways you may have thought of but were unable to until now. These new abilities are particularly useful if you use a 35mm or medium format camera although, as the photographs here show, the 2227 can also be successfully used with 4×5. The Gitzo 2227, and its 4 leg-sections counterpart the 2228, is a wonderful tripod with capabilities which extend what most tripods can do. Is it for you? Why not? Even if you do not need these unique capabilities now, knowing they are available will expand your photographic options and perhaps lead you to create images you wouldn’t have created otherwise. Since the weight and price of the 2227 are similar to Gitzo tripods of comparable size you may want to give it a try? READ FULL REVIEW AT Luminous Landscape

If you own or have used this tripod, let us know what you think! Leave your comments and thoughts below.

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Nikon 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED AF-S DX Nikkor Review Round-Up

If you own or have used this lens, let us know what you think! Leave your comments and thoughts below. Get information and user reviews for this lens at Amazon: Nikon 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6G ED-IF AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras

Photo Zone

Quality-wise the Nikkor AF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 G IF-ED DX positioned itself between the AF-S 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G and the AF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G VR – just as you would/should expect it regarding the zoom range and complexity of design … The center resolution is excellent throughout the range. As to be expected the border performance suffers a bit at 18mm and less so at 35mm but it’s still pretty good here. … Typical for most dedicated APS-C zooms the vignetting figures aren’t quite as good – at 18mm and 135mm @ wide-open aperture the results are rather dismal … At 18mm the lens also suffers a bit from rather hefty barrel distortions but this is quite typical for a lens in this class. CAs can be visible without being excessive although purple fringing can intensify the effect quite a bit in extreme contrast situations. … All-in-all a good consumer grade lens and maybe the current value king in Nikon land. … READ FULL REVIEW

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Sigma 70mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro AF Review Round-Up

If you own or have used this lens, let us know what you think! Leave your comments and thoughts below.

Get information and user reviews for this lens from Amazon: Sigma MACRO 70mm f/2.8 EX DG Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS

Photo Zone

The Sigma AF 70mm f/2.8 EX DG macro is capable to deliver exceptionally sharp results throughout most of the aperture range. The bokeh (out-of-focus blur) is very smooth and buttery. Typical for macro lenses it also produces a negligible degree of distortions. On an APS-C DSLR vignetting is nothing to worry about. Lateral CAs (color shadows at the image borders) are comparatively high for a fix-focal lens but still fairly low in absolute terms and not really field relevant. The AF performance of the lens isn’t overly impressive – the accuracy is fine but it is both slow and noisy. Other than that the build quality is on a very high level. READ FULL REVIEW

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Nikon 28-50mm f/3.5 AI-s Review Round-Up

If you own or have used this lens, let us know what you think! Leave your comments and thoughts below.

Ken Rockwell

If you come across one of these and want a fast, small, fun, sharp and practical manual-focus zoom, this 28-50mm f/3.5 AI-s is a winner. READ FULL REVIEW

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Sigma 105mm f/2.8 EX Macro DG AF Review Round-Up

If you own or have used this lens, let us know what you think! Leave your comments and thoughts below.

Get information and user reviews for this lens from Amazon: Sigma 105mm f/2.8 EX DG Medium Telephoto Macro Lens for Canon SLR Cameras

Photo Zone

The Sigma AF 105mm f/2.8 EX macro DG is an excellent lens without any significant optical flaws. The resolution figures are excellent and neither distortions nor CAs nor vignetting is something to worry about. Similar to the Tamron or Tokina counterpart it is basically as good as the much higher priced Micro-Nikkor (the classic one, not the VR). The build quality feels very good although the implementation of the Dual-Focus mechanism isn’t really perfect. Regarding all the excellent lens alternatives in this segment it is quite difficult to select a favorite … but the good news is that there isn’t really a wrong choice. READ FULL REVIEW

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Adorama Joe Farace Reporter Review Round-Up

This rectangular pack is big, black, and voluminous enough for a 17-inch laptop and a DSLR with pro telephoto attached, along with a couple of smaller lenses, flashes, and all sorts of accessories. Don’t let the $75 (direct) price fool you — it may be inexpensive, but this bag is tough enough for a working photojournalist. READ FULL REVIEW AT POPPHOTO

If you own or have used this bag, let us know what you think! Leave your comments and thoughts below.

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Nikon 20-35mm f/2.8D IF Autofocus Nikkor Review Round-Up

If you own or have used this lens, let us know what you think! Leave your comments and thoughts below.

Thom Hogan

My first two cars cost less than this lens. An F100 body costs less than this lens [now that it’s only available used, that’s no longer true]. You’re already carrying a heavy camera body (N90s, F4, F5), are you sure you want to nearly double the weight? Ever tried to buy a 77mm circular polarizer? Expect to pay US$100-150 for a good one. And you won’t find one of these at any old photo store. Even my favorite local pro shop doesn’t always have them in stock. Yup, that’s right, a US$1600 lens with no DOF scale. Instead, you get this nifty cut-it-out-of-the-manual-and-assemble-it-yourself scale. Right, and where exactly do I carry this flimsy excuse of a tool? Of course, at 20mm and f/22 focused at 2 feet, infinity is still within the circle of confusion! Build. is solid. Heck, mine survived a full on rock attack. Performance, once state-of-the-art, is now just really good. “¦ READ FULL REVIEW

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Sigma 150mm f/2.8 APO EX macro DG D AF Review Round-Up

If you own or have used this lens, let us know what you think! Leave your comments and thoughts below.

Get information and user reviews for this lens from Amazon: Sigma 150mm f/2.8 EX DG HSM APO HSM IF Macro Lens for Canon SLR Cameras

Photo Zone

The Sigma AF 150mm f/2.8 APO EX macro DG D is one of the few third-party lenses that can play in the league up there with the big boyz. The performance figures are excellent and leave really nothing to be desired across all tested quality characteristics. The mechanical build quality is very good thanks to a metal body and a true IF (internal focusing) design with a constant physical length. The AF speed is about average in absolute terms but pretty good for a macro lens. Thanks to Sigma’s HSM (Hypersonic-Motor> the AF operates virtually silent. The lens is compatible to Sigma’s APO EX DG converter so there ´s also an option for some extra reach or increased working distance if needed. The price tag of the lens is moderate at around 550-600 â‚¬/US$.
READ FULL REVIEW

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Crumpler Brazillion Dollar Home Review Round-Up

Its name may be silly, but this messenger-style shoulder bag is all business. It’s big enough to squeeze a 17-inch MacBook Pro into the laptop compartment and a pro D-LSR (or two) with plenty of lenses in the main space. The interior is colored bright orange, for easy identification and retrieval of the item you’re looking for. Under the velcroed front flap are lots of tiny pockets for CF cards and batteries — one side red and one side green for keeping track. The Brazillion Dollar Home is a stylish but sensible place for your expensive gear to live. READ FULL REVIEW AT POPPHOTO

If you own or have used this Bag, let us know what you think! Leave your comments and thoughts below.

Get information and user reviews for this bag from Amazon: Crumpler THE BRAZILLION DOLLAR HOME Photo Laptop Backpack Shoulder Bag (Gun Metal/Black/Orange)

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Nikon 70-180mm f/4.5-5.6D ED Micro AF Review Round-Up

If you own or have used this lens, let us know what you think! Leave your comments and thoughts below.

Photo Zone

The Micro-Nikkor AF 70-180mm f/4.5-5.6D ED delivered very good although no exceptional results (at conventional focus distances). The resolution is excellent at 70mm but the quality decrease towards the long end of the zoom range – a single ED element is obviously not enough to match the mid to long Micro-Nikkor fix-focals at their respective focal length. However, we are talking about an ambitious zoom lens here and flexibility simply comes with compromises. Vignetting and distortions are basically negligible and CAs are only an issue at 70mm. The build quality of the lens is exceptional with only the tiny tripod mount to complain about. … At around 1500â‚¬/US$ the lens is fairly pricey, more so regarding its rather slow max. apertures … for the same price you may also get a Nikkor AF 80-200mm f/2.8D ED plus a 100mm macro lens which would make more sense for the majority of users. READ FULL REVIEW

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