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Fujifilm X-Pro2

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Brightin Star 50mm f1.4 Review & Samples

The Brightin Star is a 50mm f1.4 full frame all metal, all manual prime lens. The lens comes in various mounts, and while being designed for full-frame cameras, it performs very well on APS-C cameras. With the excellent build quality and the fast f1.4 aperture and great overall performance, the lens is an excellent choice for someone looking to try out the 50mm prime focal length as long as they're willing to work within the limitations.
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7Artisans 55mm f1.4 Review & Sample Photos

The 7Artisans 55mm f1.4 is a fast, compact APS-C lens that is excellent for all types of shooting conditions, especially available light. It features 6 elements in five groups that give nice color and contrast, great flare resistance and low distortion. With a 14 bladed rounded aperture, bokeh is smooth across all focal ranges. Overall, the 7Artisans 55mm f1.4 is an incredible value and a fantastic starter portrait lens or compact prime.
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7Artisans 35mm f1.2
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7Artisans 35mm f1.2 Review & Sample Photos

The 7Artisans 35mm f1.2 is a compact APS-C lens designed for mirrorless cameras. It's built with an all metal housing and a 9-blade rounded aperture with only 6 elements. I wouldn't consider this a pancake but it's very short. Performance according to specs isn't great, but the lens has some very beautiful character, especially wide open. So far, this is my favorite 7Artisans lens and it's a lot of fun to use!
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Kamlan 50mm f1.1 vs 7Artisans 55mm f1.4 | Lens Comparison

With cheap manual lenses from China and Korea growing in popularity, many people are wonder if they are worth it, or which to buy.  In this test, I compare the 7Artisans 55mm f1.4 to the KamLan 50mm f1.1. I also threw in a more expensive lens, the Rokinon 50mm f1.2, and the even more expensive Fujinon 56mm f1.2 as a control. Since Fujifilm is legend when it comes to lens design, it will be interesting to see how they compare.
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Mitakon 35mm f0.95 II Review & Sample Photos

The Mitakon Zhongyi Speedmaster 35mm  f0.95 II is a relatively small but incredibly fast APS-C prime lens for mirrorless cameras. It's built of an all metal body with a declick aperture and an incredibly fast f0.95 aperture. The lens excels in low light conditions but also functions as a very beautiful art lens for incredible bokeh and shallow depth of field. Performance is all around good for a lens this fast and it will perform well in most situations.
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Fujifilm X-Pro 2
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7Artisans 35mm f2 Lens Review & Sample Photos

The 7Artisans 35mm f2 is an all metal full frame lens with 10 aperture blades designed for mirrorless cameras. When I first picked up the 7Artisans 35mm f2, I spent a few days shooting, walking maybe a total of probably 8-9 miles just shooting. After the first day before really reviewing the images, I just wasn't really impressed and wanted to send it back. Then I got into Lightroom and man, I have to say, I'm liking it.
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Train To Sapporo – Handevision 35mm f2.4

I've been so busy traveling, dealing with a crazy two-year old and posting technical stuff like updating the memory card speed tests of the Nikon D850 and the Canon G1X III, that I've hardly had time to focus on photography as an art.  In the next coming weeks, I'm going to try and focus a little more on doing little sets of photos on what I can get while I'm in Japan. It's not easy traveling with a two-year old, especially when it's 20 degrees outside and they catch a cold. Lesson learned.
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Handevision Lenses, Are They Good? Yes And No, Here Is Why

Handevision is a joint venture between German lens manufacturer IB/E Optics GmbH and the Chinese Shanghai Transvision Photographic Equipment Co who produces high-end adapters under the trademark Kipon. Today Handevision is making some interesting full frame manual lenses for mirrorless and Leica cameras, including the fastest lens ever made the 40mm f0.85 (a gimmick . . . yes), but are these lenses any good? Here is a quick overview from a few weeks of using several of their lenses.
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