. . . the current level of tech in digital photography is about as advanced as I plan to get. No, it’s not because I’m too old to learn new things. It’s because of what I’ve learned about emerging tech that I’ve decided to apply the brakes. With computational photography already giving way to generative…

As a huge fan of the work, accomplishments, and life story of photographer Nick Ut, I have been following the media’s coverage of a counter-claim that someone else was actually the photographer of his Pulitzer-winning photo, “The Terror of War.” Recently the AP released a report on the result of their investigation of the matter,…

Following my list of gripes in my previous entry, searching for some workarounds seemed like a good idea. First thing was to try the M-Adapter-T and R-Adapter-M in place of the R-Adapter-L. I don’t have with me the foot for the R-Adapter-M, so had to use the camera’s tripod thread for attaching my harness. But…

Having time to do a bit of a deeper dive with the 180/2X combo on the SL2, I’m being reminded of some of what I encountered with it when I used it intermittently last year. It’s quite a list of niggles, prompting me to consider possible alternatives for the combo. First of all, there’s no…

A decidedly less whimsical aspect of gear acquisition syndrome . . . Just as the photographic needs of people who use gear change over time, so do those of people who purvey such gear—and not always in a good way. In most Western settings, a regular customer at the very least becomes a welcome sight…

Back in the ant farm for a few days, I fished the 180 APO and APO 2X out of the dry cabinet, unsure about whether I wanted them along for the next segment. This afternoon afforded a chance to test them on a couple of known targets, very demanding ones for a such a relatively…

In spite of its humble origins, the 7artisans 18mm f5.6 got the “Asoke” test the other day. Over the years I’ve shot a zillion ultrawides on this busy metropolitan intersection, which reveals any quirks and flaws a lens may have. So how did the $80 ultrawide do? Well, it definitely shows some quirks. The nice…

Out with the R7 and RF 100-400mm last week, for the first time in about a month, as soon as I had my first bird in sight, the camera quickly fritzed up. Then the lens control ring wouldn’t open the aperture from f/11 to f/8, when I had never set it to f/11 in the…

After recently switching around some glass, I started to think what option I might like for 21mm. When I came across a Leica option that has internal distortion, just like the Sigma 17mm I ditched last year, I started to sour on the idea, realizing that during the four months I traveled with that lens…

A local mall currently has a photography expo in one of its exhibition halls, so I stopped by to have a look. It’s nice to see that cameras are making a sort of comeback. Panasonic had a nice display and it was the first time I’d seen an S1R II, of some interest because it…