Pentax
Many of us have been there. We get into photography and then we start getting more serious about the art, craft, hobby, or profession. Eventually, the “kit lenses” don’t seem to cut it any longer. Regardless of your path through the world of photography, it is likely that you set your gaze on the camera bag of a professional photographer and saved your hard-earned nickels to buy a set of “pro” lenses. Those lenses usually include the triad of f/2.8 aperture zooms covering wide (14-24mm), mid-range (24-70mm), and telephoto (70-200mm) needs.
Even while the development and production of DSLRs themselves has slowed down considerably in 2018, DSLR lens development continues to be strong. This year saw a great number of exciting and unique releases alongside a host of positive upgrades to existing focal lengths.
Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 180-400mm f/4E TC1.4 FL ED VR
If not the most impressive lens of the year, at least it has the longest name. Nikon started 2018 in a very exciting way with this high-end
It has been a tough year for DSLR development, especially with the meteoric rise in popularity of mirrorless cameras, and in respect to the booming 2017 that saw the introduction of the still-hard-to-get Nikon D850, the popular Nikon D7500, Canon EOS 77D
After a short spring-to-summer release delay, you can now get your hands on the new HD PENTAX-D FA* 50mm f/1.4 SDM AW Lens from Ricoh Imaging. First announced at the 2017 Photo Plus Expo, this highly anticipated Star series flagship lens promised a large aperture for greater light transmission and the ability to withstand a variety of shooting and weather conditions. Does it live up to the hype? The proof is in the picture.
Constructed with 15
There is perhaps no truer sign of summer than Independence Day in the United States. The Fourth of July is when the summer season kicks into full gear, with barbeques, pool parties, family gatherings, and road trips galore—not to mention the fireworks!
One lead-up to this holiday that I will never forget found me hurtling down the New Jersey Turnpike at sunset in a Greyhound bus. As the twilight deepened, bright bursts of fireworks began shooting up past the tree line, close by and at a distance, reflecting in the darkened glass of the
I am not a stranger to large or heavy camera systems. For more than two decades, I seldom went on assignment with anything less than two Nikon F3 film cameras with motor drives, a third F3 with a dedicated Polaroid back, and anywhere from three to twelve lenses. And if that wasn’t enough fire power, I also had comparably equipped medium-format and 4 x 5" camera systems for projects that demanded more than my Nikons could deliver. Like I said, I’m no stranger to ham-fisted photo gear.
When digital cameras appeared, I worked my way through a
Over the past few years, pixel-shift image capture has transformed from a luxury reserved for deep-pocketed specialists to an increasingly common feature on new, resolution-oriented cameras. Today, in addition to Hasselblad’s behemoth Hasselblad H6D-400c, Olympus, Pentax, Sony, and Panasonic offer versions of the technology at much more accessible prices.
While it is advertised under several names (High Resolution Mode,
If you want the past to be part of your future, there’s no better way than shooting modern vintage-look pictures with an old film camera—or a brand-new one that’s managed to survive the digital onslaught. Sure, there’s truth in the cliché that the person behind the camera is the most important thing, but photography is a technologically based art form. That’s why the photographic medium (film or digital) and the camera you use to take the picture have a much greater influence on the result than, say, an artist’s brush, or a writer’s pen.
Am I alone in having such strong tactile preferences that they guide purchase decisions for me? In the world of threaded cable releases, one—the Nikon AR-3 Threaded Cable Release—stands alone, not for its diverse functionality or plethora of technological capabilities—they all do the exact same thing—but simply because of the way it feels.
What a start to the New Year for the B&H Photography Podcast. We are incredibly fortunate to kick off our year with photographer Cig Harvey and gallerist Caroline Wall, director of the Robert Mann Gallery. In conjunction with her new book, You an Orchestra, You a Bomb, Harvey is currently exhibiting at the Robert Mann Gallery, and we were able to speak with artist and gallerist to discuss the making of her latest portfolio and the collaborative process of exhibition.
This is
I recently posted a photo of a Sony A7R II with a Voigtländer 15mm f/4.5 Super Wide-Heliar lens and Voigtländer 15mm optical viewfinder mounted on the accessory shoe, on Instagram. Though not an unusual setup for me when I’m out
If you have been around photography for a while, you might remember the center focus filter that left the center of your frame sharp, but blurred and softened everything around it. The center of the filter was clear (or even simply air as it was cut out), and the edge was frosted glass. Some photographers achieved the same effect by smearing petroleum jelly on the edges of their lenses. Today, through the creativity and design of the
Over the past couple of years, a transition has occurred that is finally bringing medium format digital photography to the masses. With the introduction of the first mirrorless systems in the genre, as well as more players in the game than ever, medium format will likely continue to expand and evolve at a faster pace in the future. More brands are treading into the larger-than-full-frame waters, and evolutions are also taking place in the high-end segment of this market. With more eyes on medium format than ever, it is exciting how this
After months of running around with nothing but mirrorless and rangefinder cameras, the first thing that came to mind when I picked up the new Pentax flagship DSLR was, “Geeeeeez this puppy’s heavy…” The Pentax K-1 is, indeed, a heavy camera, especially when paired with an HD Pentax-D FA 24-70mm f/2.8 ED SDM WR zoom lens, but the image quality
Our lives are marked by firsts: First love, first car, first marriage, first kid, first heartbreak, and first camera (hopefully, not in that order). For many generations of photographers, that first “real camera” was the Pentax K1000.
Photographs © Todd Vorenkamp
Early models of the Pentax K1000 feature
