Can’t Decide? The Best Lens for Travel | Sony 40mm f2.5
Sony’s 40mm f2.5 on the A7C pushes the limit of how small a full-frame camera can be. The lens is only 173 grams - practically invisible - sticks out less than two inches from the camera. Aperture ring, custom controls, dust and moisture resistance. Stylish, retro exterior, and included lens hood, metallic, cold to the touch, and when paired with the Sony A7CR it’s the first time I felt like a hipster holding a Sony camera? The catch - it costs $600 US Dollars, a thousand Australian bucks, and it’s only f2.5?
Is the small compact factor that makes it so suitable for travel photography the only thing we’re paying for?
I flew to Japan to find the Best Nikon Zf Grip.
I flew to Japan to find the best grip for the Nikon Zf, but first I had to try every other grip on the market. Some were good - one was terrible - but I didn’t want to settle. The mythical ZF-GR1 - the official Japan Exclusive Nikon grip was my last hope and I looked in10 camera stores across 5 districts amidst the chaos of tourist-season Tokyo before I found it, which begs two questions.
One - Is this the best grip for the Nikon Zf and
Two - Am I obsessed?
21 Photography Lessons I wish I knew in my 30s | Nikon Z6III
It’s great, but I don’t “need” the Nikon Z6III. It’s technically “better” almost any camera in its price range, but I’m trying not to get blinded by the specs. While the Z6III comes with 6 headline grabbing features, it’s still missing 3 things that Nikon shooters have been demanding, for YEARS. After shooting with 31 cameras from the major brands for both photo and video over the past 10 years, I’ve learnt 21 photography lessons - things I wish I knew in my 30s - which will hopefully help with this decision. Is the Z6III the right camera for me and for you?
The Price of Nostalgia? | Fujifilm X100VI
With its retro design and throwback film look, Fujifilm’s X100VI is the internet’s trendiest camera. It might be one of the best looking cameras of all time, BUT I was here before the hype. I bought the X100T on my first trip to Japan, upgraded to the X100F on the next trip, then graduated to the V before yet another trip to Nippon. Across the span of three separate Japan adventures, the X100 cameras taught me three street photography philosophies that I still use every day. But these cameras aren’t mine, not anymore. Turns out I’ve been chasing a ghost, a fleeting memory of that first shooting experience. So here I am, back at the start.
Am I, and are you - over-romanticising these cameras? How much are you willing to pay for nostalgia?
Photo Packing Panic? | Wotancraft Pilot Sling 7L
In Japan there is great premium placed on empty or negative space - “Ma”. this gap in the physical world should be filled not with objects but instead left empty to maximise your creative possibilities. Wotancraft’s camera bags are designed for this exact purpose.
Rugged mil-spec aesthetic. Single magnetic fidlock that opens and closes in one satisfying click. The main selling point for me is that Wotancraft bags make some of the lightest street photography bags on the market courtesy of the lightweight weather resistant waxed cordura fabric. The Pilot bags do come in 18L, 10L, 7L, 3.5L, 2.5L… how do you choose between all these sizes?
Bored by your Photos? Try 40mm | Ricoh GRIIIX
Do all of your photos look the same? Similar subjects, same angle, wide open, every time? Orange and teal, black and white, the same edit and presets, time and again? If this supposed to be fun, then why do I feel so bored?
Turns out boredom is nothing more than a clue of what’s yet to come, and having an EDC camera like the Ricoh GRIIIX can help unlock that boredom.