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Watch and learn with hands-on product demos, tips, buying guides and reviews, plus workshops from B&H Event Space.
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Posted 01/13/21
Among the madness that is CES, Sony slipped in a surprise photo announcement: the FE 35mm f/1.4 GM lens. Sony has been very clear that this full-frame E-mount lens is aiming to deliver top-tier image quality in a compact package, and it looks like the company absolutely hit the mark. The 35mm GM appears to be one of the best and most versatile prime lenses to join Sony's ever-growing mirrorless system. The Basics As stated earlier, the FE 35mm f/1.4 GM is designed for use with full-frame E-mount cameras. This includes options like the a7/a9 series, as well as the Cinema Line cameras, including the FX6 and FX9. It will also work well with APS-C and Super 35mm models where it will offer a 52.5mm equivalent focal length. If you shoot practically any contemporary Sony camera, you should be happy with this lens. Photographs © Stephanie Gross The FE 35mm f/1.4 GM is a perfect match for a7-series cameras and creates a compact and versatile system. With this G Master lens, Sony has once again put the emphasis on resolution and bokeh. Using two eXtreme Aspherical (XA) elements, it retains sharpness out to the edges. Assisting is an extra-low dispersion (ED) element that practically eliminates chromatic aberrations—a common problem with fast-aperture lenses. These specialized elements also contribute to smooth bokeh, and an 11-blade diaphragm ensures circular bokeh shapes. And there is a Nano AR Coating II to minimize ghosting and flares. The lens can focus down to 10.6" with AF or 9.8" in manual, and it makes use of two eXtreme Dynamic (XD) linear motors for fast, quiet focus, and is internally focusing. There is a large, rubberized focus ring that benefits from linear response manual focus for better control, too. If you are familiar with the FE 24mm f/1.4 GM, you will find the 35mm GM is quite similar in terms of design. The 35mm is only slightly larger, which makes it incredibly compact for its particular combination of focal length and aperture. It measures 3.0 x 3.8" and weighs less than 1.2 lb. It's impressive. Other matching features include a physical aperture ring, de-click switch, focus hold button, AF/MF switch, fluorine coating, and dust- and moisture-resistant construction. Hands-On Thoughts This lens is beautiful and feels great in the hand. Sony has done wonders lately with the 24mm and, now, the 35mm GM as the company shows that you can still make lenses that are extremely compact and don't compromise on image quality. The 35mm GM is another winner. The lens is very similar to the 24mm GM, which is good. Images are sharp and distortion is very well controlled. Resolving power does not seem to be an issue as it appears to maintain detail even with the demanding 61MP sensor in the a7R IV. You can make out individual hairs and threads on clothing, with no issue. Sony a7R IV; f/5; 1/100 sec; ISO 125 Bokeh is smooth with the fast f/1.4 aperture, and the close minimum focusing distance allows users to create images with extremely shallow depth of field. This makes it useful for a variety of applications, including portraits. Also, the fast aperture is good for low-light situations. It might be a little too shallow in some cases, so be careful not to just have it at f/1.4 all the time. It also does get a little bit sharper if you stop down to f/2 or f/4, though it isn't a dramatic jump. Wide open is still very sharp. Sony a7R IV; f/1.4; 1/80 sec; ISO 80 Vignetting at wider apertures is very minimal and is very easily cleaned up in Photoshop or any other raw developer. And, as I wrote earlier, distortion is not a problem in the slightest. This shouldn't be too surprising since 35mm isn't that far off from normal 50mm and shouldn't display much distortion in the first place. Sony a7R IV; f/1.4; 1/100 sec; ISO 500 Autofocus is fast, as is expected, and it tracks well with Sony's features, including Eye AF. There really haven't been issues with AF and Sony lenses in a good long while. Video shooters will also appreciate this because the focus motors are silent and work very well with the a7S III's speedy system, and I would expect similar performance on the FX6 and FX9. The linear response manual focus is also very good, though I'm not sure it's quite to the level of mechanically linked focus; it's as good as focus-by-wire can get. And the de-clickable aperture ring is always nice. Previous Pause Next There isn't anything I can pick out as a flaw with this lens. It's smaller than many competing options, is able to deliver on promised image quality, and, while not cheap, isn't truly that expensive—considering its feature set. Sony knocked it out of the park with this one. Compared to Sony's Other 35mm Lenses Now, you might be wondering how this is different from the older Sony Distagon T* FE 35mm f/1.4 ZA Lens since they share core specs and premium branding. It's a good question. Primarily, since the 35mm GM is newer, it is able to make use of Sony's latest optical technologies, such as XA elements and the Nano AR Coating II. It also has an improved focus system that includes a linear response manual focus and smoother performance that is great for video. Plus, it is 0.6" shorter and lighter by about 3.7 oz—a notable savings on both fronts. You might simply call the 35mm GM "better," but I would say they are just different, and they hit different price points to appeal to different users. Sony Distagon T* FE 35mm f/1.4 ZA Lens | Sony FE 35mm f/1.8 Lens | Sony FE 35mm f/1.8 Lens Beyond the 35mm f/1.4 ZA, Sony has two other full-frame 35mm lenses to choose from—the FE 35mm f/1.8 and Sonnar T* FE 35mm f/2.8 ZA. The 35mm GM still sits far above these in terms of optics performance and speed. Even though this new f/1.4 is relatively compact, when compared to the f/1.8 and f/2.8 it looks large. The 35mm f/2.8 is incredibly small and is one of my favorite lenses because of that. However, most folks will likely be drawn to the 35mm f/1.8 because it offers a bit more speed with only a bit more bulk. The f/1.8 still doesn't have everything since it lacks a physical aperture ring and the more advanced AF of the new GM. Still, it is likely the best choice for most photographers. If you want the best, the choice is clear: Get the FE 35mm f/1.4 GM. Breakdown: FE 35mm f/1.4 GM: Incredible resolution, compact design, fast f/1.4 aperture, and the latest tech. The top-of-the-line 35mm. FE 35mm f/1.4 ZA: Excellent resolution, the "ZEISS Look," and a fast f/1.4 aperture. FE 35mm f/1.8: Best all-arounder with lightweight design, advanced optics, good f/1.8 aperture, and middle-of-the-pack feature set. FE 35mm f/2.8 ZA: Incredibly compact, near-pancake design, excellent optical quality. Specialty optic if you want the smallest lens without compromising image quality. What are your thoughts on the Sony FE 35mm f/1.4 GM Lens? Share them in the Comments section, below. This might just be my next purchase and, considering that the 35mm is my favorite focal length, could quickly become my most-used lens. See more of Stephanie Gross's photographs on Instagram @yungstephie.
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Posted 12/21/20
Oveck shares his photo-editing tips for creative portraits. In this video, he explains the importance of playing with colors, hues, highlights, midtones and shadows while portrait editing in Photoshop, as well as how to combine photos for a motion-blur effect. Do you have any photo-manipulation tips? Please share them in the Comments section!
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Posted 12/14/20
Westcott has just added two new lights to its FJ Wireless Flash System: the FJ80 Universal Touchscreen 80Ws Speedlight and the FJ200 200Ws Strobe. As the latest additions to the FJ lineup, both lights are designed to maximize compatibility across camera brands. The FJ80 can sit atop virtually any camera while the FJ200 works in tandem with the FJ80 or FJ-X2m Universal Wireless Trigger to achieve camera-specific TTL and sync functionalities. Westcott FJ80 Universal Flash and FJ200 Strobe The FJ80 features a user-friendly color touchscreen LCD for quick and intuitive control, as well as a rounded head to produce natural-looking light and falloff. It can fire up to 1/10000s, sync up to 1/8000s, and discharge at up to 20 fps when shooting continuously. It is compatible with the TTL and sync modes of Canon, Nikon, Sony (with adapter), FUJIFILM, Panasonic, and Olympus cameras. A built-in transceiver frees it from the top of your camera, expanding creative shooting options. The FJ80 can trigger FJ400, FJ200, FJ80, and Canon RT lights from up to 328' away and can be used with 31 groups and 16 channels. It is firmware updatable, keeping it future-proof, and a mobile app is in development for early 2021. The FJ80 has a lithium polymer battery that lasts for about 400 full-power flashes and takes about 2 hours to recharge from empty. A magnetic diffusion dome and magnetic grid and gel pack are available separately to refine the FJ80's output. Additionally, the FJ80 will also be available in a 2-Light Portable Portrait Kit, where it is bundled with the FJ400. The FJ200 serves as a compact wireless strobe perfectly positioned between the FJ80 and FJ400. This sleek 200Ws strobe features an impressive 0.5-1.3s recycle time, so you never miss a moment. The FJ200 is compatible with sync and TTL modes across brands when used with the FJ80 or FJ-X2M trigger. Like the FJ80, the FJ200 can shoot up to 20 fps and sync up to 1/8000s. In Freeze Mode, the FJ200 can fire up to 1/20000s. A 5600K LED modeling light is built in to help shot setups and a bright, color LCD panel makes it easy to keep track of settings from a distance. The FJ200 also has a built-in lithium polymer battery capable of 450 or more full-power flashes between charges. It comes with a reflector, grid, and gels so you can take it out of the box straight to set for use. You can also pick up a separately available snoot with honeycomb grid or diffusion dome for even more creative possibilities. What do you think of Westcott's latest lights? Share your thoughts in the Comments section, below.
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Posted 12/08/20
We take a look at the Plustek OpticFilm 8200i Ai Film Scanner. Whether you’re currently shooting film or want to archive past photos, this photo scanner allows you to easily view and edit your 35mm negatives and mounted slides on a computer. The included SilverFast 8 is a professional-grade scan software that provides you with a powerful tool for scanning, editing, and color reproduction. Do you shoot 35mm? Have you been wanting to digitize your film and slides? Tell us how you see the OpticFilm fitting into your workflow in the Comments, below.
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Posted 12/07/20
Whether you’re purchasing your first camera or looking for an upgrade, it helps to have someone knowledgeable guide you in the process. Professional photographer Shotti has you covered in this informative session you won't want to miss! He'll help you navigate the complexities of today's cameras and equip you with questions to ask yourself. What is the best camera for your needs? Should you get a DSLR or mirrorless? Do the specs really matter? After this seminar, you’ll be able to answer these questions and more. What are some of the questions you have about buying a camera or upgrading? What tips can you share with others? Let us know in the Comments, below.
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Posted 11/20/20
Have you ever wanted to take beautiful nightscape photos? Are you looking for night photography ideas? Landscape and astrophotographer Rachel Jones Ross not only teaches you how to take better photos at night, but how to create magical nighttime images. Her tips include scouting locations, using the PhotoPills app, changing your perspective, and more. What are your tips on capturing the night sky? Let us know in the Comments section, below! More night photography tutorials: Astrophotography for Beginners: How to Photograph Stars How to Photograph the Milky Way 5 Quick Tips for Amazing Photos of the Milky Way Night Photography Series: Camera Settings for Night Photography How to Photograph the Moon
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Posted 11/14/20
In this, Part 4 of the Basics of Photography, Tony Gale joins us to teach photography lighting for beginners, which will work in a variety of situations, such as portrait, commercial, and food photography. Be sure to click on the links and watch the other Parts of this series! Part 1: Photography 101: Cameras & Lenses- The Basics of Photography Part 2: Photography 101: Camera Settings- The Basics of Photography Part 3: Photography 101: Composition- The Basics of Photography Sponsored by Sony
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Posted 11/12/20
Doug Guerra tries the Tamron 70-300mm f/4.5-6.3 Di III RXD Lens using the Sony a7R IV. This Tamron lens offers a good balance of size, reach, and image quality for your full-frame, mirrorless Sony camera. Previous Pause Next Click here to learn more about the Tamron 70-300mm f/4.5-6.3 Di III RXD Lens at B&H Explora.
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Posted 11/06/20
Filmmaker and photographer Joseph DiGiovanna shares his five tips on getting started making time-lapse images. You will learn how to create a time-lapse image using your smartphone or camera, as well as about additional gear you will need along with apps and programs (such as Lightroom, Premiere Pro, Time Lapse Assembler, After Effects, and LRTimelapse) you can use during post processing. For more time-lapse tips, turn to our article Time-Lapse Tips and Tools, then share with us your own experiences with this creative form of photography in the Comments section, below.
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Posted 11/06/20
Black-and-white photography and the name Leica have a synergy unlike any other medium and camera company, which is why it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Leica has introduced its fourth camera in eight years to wear the Monochrom nameplate. What is interesting is that with the introduction of the new Leica Q2 Monochrom, Leica has expanded the Monochrom brand beyond its fabled M-series bodies to now include Leica’s popular Q-series cameras. Photographs © Allan Weitz 2020 The Leica Q2 Monochrom is a black-and-white-only camera based on Leica’s extremely popular Q2 color camera, and features nearly identical specs, including a 47.3MP full-frame sensor, Maestro II processor, high-res EVF, and so on. The Q2 Monochrom also features the same fixed Leica Summilux 28mm f/1.7 ASPH. lens, which was specifically designed for the Q-system. Unlike Leica M-mount lenses, which are designed for rangefinder cameras and do not focus close, a flip of a switch on the Q2 lens barrel enables close focusing down to 6.7" from the sensor plane. If you love black-and-white photography, you’ll love the images created by Leica’s new Q2 Monochrom. And this lens is sharp—real sharp, and with a pleasing degree of bokeh when set at wide apertures. Rather than a tulip-style lens shade, the Q2 Monochrom comes with a forward-tapered metal screw-on shade that does a very effective job of blocking stray light, while maintaining the sleek form factor of the camera. The Q2 Monochrom’s Summilux 28mm f/1.7 ASPH. focuses down to 6.7" from the sensor plane. For the times that 28mm is too wide for your tastes, you can go into the menus and digitally set the camera to record the fields-of-view of a 35mm (30MP), 50mm (14.6MP), or 75mm (6.6MP) lens. The files become progressively smaller as you “zoom in,” but with the possible exception of 75mm (6.6MP), the files have plenty of meat on the bones, considering the 47.3MP resolution of the full-frame sensor. Truth is, for online sharing, all of these file sizes are perfectly fine. If 28mm is too wide (top left), you can set the Q2 Monochrom to capture the scene at 35mm (top right), 50mm (lower left), or 75mm equivalent focal lengths (lower right). Even at high ISOs, at night, the Q2 Monochrom captures amazingly detailed image files. Design-wise, the Q2 Monochrom, which is manufactured in Germany, is minimalist and seductively gorgeous. Unlike the Q2, which has a black chrome finish, with white and red paint engravings on the lens barrel and that famous Leica red dot on the side of the lens, the Q2 Monochrom sports a flat black paint and textured black leatherette akin to the M-series Monochrom cameras. The new Leica Q2 Monochrom has the same stealthy matte-black finish and detailing as the Leica M10 Monochrom. Both are examples of exquisite industrial design and as seductive looking as it gets. The Q2 Monochrom also features gray and white painted engravings on the lens barrel instead of red and white paint, and there’s no red dot. The camera is as stealthy as it gets. You even have to look hard to find the nameplate. (It’s engraved in matte black on the accessory shoe.) If you seek attention when wandering about taking pictures, this is not the camera for you. You have to look hard to find the nameplate on this camera, and that’s part of its charm. Like the Q2, the body of the Q2 Monochrom is weather sealed (IP-52), as is the lens. The Q2 Monochrom is also the first Leica Monochrom camera that shoots 4K video—M Monochrom cameras shoot stills only. If 28mm is too wide, you can shoot at 35mm, 50mm, or 75mm crops (above image is at 75mm). For composing and reviewing stills and video, the Q2 Monochrom features a 3.68m-dot electronic viewfinder and a 1.04m-dot, 3.0" fixed touchscreen LCD. Both viewing options are fine, though I personally wish the LCD were a tilt screen for low-angle and above-the-head shooting. This street scene includes the side of a building brightly lit by unfiltered sunlight and street activity in deep shadow. It’s a piece of cake to open the shadows while maintaining fine detail from the Q2 Monochrom’s hefty DNG image files. Internally and function-wise, the Q2 Monochrom is one and the same as the full-color version of the Q2 Monochrom. Being monochrome-only, there are fewer menus to scroll through, but, otherwise, if you’ve shot with a Leica Q or Q2, you’ll have a zero learning curve. And if you’ve never shot with a digital Leica, you’ll find the Leica menus to be among the most user-friendly in the industry. The heart of the Q2 Monochrom is a full-frame 47.3MP CMOS sensor that, while similar to the sensor found in the standard Leica Q2, features a new micro-lens design and does not have a color array or low-pass filter. The new Q2 Monochrom is ideal for street shooting and travel. Unlike conventional color sensors in which individual pixels record specific color channels, which reduces the overall resolving power of the sensor, every pixel in Monochrom sensors is dedicated to recording only grayscale, which greatly increases the resolution and detail of the final image. This also increases the dynamic range of the sensor compared to the dynamic range of the standard Q2 (13 stops vs 11 stops on standard Q2 at ISO 200). Eliminating the color array also expands the sensitivity of the sensor from ISO 100 to 100,000, which is a stop higher than the Q2. The range of tonality combined with incredible detail separates Leica’s line of Monochrom cameras from the black-and-white conversions you get from conventional RGB sensors. Aside from the new monochrome sensor, the Q2 Monochrom shares all of the features and specs of the Q2, including a choice of JPEG, DNG (raw), or a combination of the two; burst rates up to 10 fps; DCI and UHD 4K video, as well as high-speed Full HD at 120 fps recording; optical image stabilization; and a leaf shutter with flash sync at speeds up to 1/500 second for all you fill-flash enthusiasts. And to facilitate sharing your pictures on social media, the Q2 Monochrom is Bluetooth and Wi-Fi enabled. Being a black-and-white-only camera, you won’t find any color settings in the camera’s menus, but you will find Sepia, Blue, and Selenium toning filters for adding a bit of mood and atmosphere to your stills and videos. The tones captured by the Q2 Monochrom are absolutely lifelike. The Q2 Monochrom is compatible with all of its sister ship accessories, along with a few new toys of its own. New for the Q2 Monochrom is a Q2 Monochrom Handgrip (highly recommended if I may say so myself!) and three 49mm black-and-white filters: green, orange, and yellow. So how does the new 47MP Q2 Monochrom stack up against the 40MP M10 Monochrom? Interestingly, according to initial tests (as well as my own test comparisons), the dynamic range of the files is quite close, but the files from the Q2 Monochrom have a slight edge when it comes to resolution. It’s not a major difference, but a difference, nonetheless. Previous Pause Next Leica Q2 Monochrom Sample Images The new Leica Q2 Monochrom should be available at B&H as you read this. Are you a fan of black-and-white photography? Have you had an opportunity to try any of Leica’s Monochrom cameras? If so, we’d love to hear your thoughts on the subject in the Comments section, below.
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