Tobias Hjorth Wildlife Photographer » Reviews

Tamron SP AF90mm F/2.8 Di 1:1 Macro review

Tobias — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 21:16:24 +0000

The Tamron SP AF90mm F/2.8 Di 1:1 Macro lens is gives the user true 1:1 magnification at 90mm F2.8. Is the lens worth the relatively cheap price tag – Read the review to find out.

No lens is made for a more specific task than the macro lens. Often they are optically perfected for their focal length.
True macro lenses often starts from 50mm up to around 200mm and are very seldom zoom lenses.

Being primes their optical performance are top notch. I´ve previously reviewed the 105mm Sigma macro lens which was a wonderful lens, sharp wide open and with a reasonable price tag.

The Tamron SP AF 90mm F/2.8 Di 1:1 Macro lens is a great tool. Besides the lengthy name the small 90mm has a lot more to offer.
Starting with the solid build quality. Not the hefty material, water sealed type of lens from the typical OEM manufacturer but rather good and dependable.
The lens extends a lot the closer you focus on your subject as with the Sigma 105mm. It´s not a big deal and although 90mm might to too short for insect photography I found it surprisingly usable. Often most insects won´t react to the lens coming closer but rather a quick shade of the incoming sunlight. At 90mm you have to be very close to your subject in order to achieve true 1:1 magnification.

Close to double the lens with the focus all the way to to 29cm´s and with the protruding lens hood mounted.

Often with macro photography you rely on manual focusing rather than the built in focus engine.
On this Tamron macro lens the focus engine works pretty fast for a macro lens. It´s definitely faster than the Sigma I´ve previously reviewed and although it´s somewhat noisy it´s miles ahead of the cheaper 70-300 lenses.

You have the option to limit focusing between infinity and 44cm and between 44cm and 29cm. It certainly help focusing if you´re using autofocus.
But as functional as the autofocus is I was turning to manual focus when ever the situation demanded it, which meant pretty much every time.

Similar to the Sigma 105mm this Tamron 90mm F2.8 features an instant manual focus switch. Just pull the focusing ring backwards and bingo manual focus enabled. Need to switch back to autofocus? Push the ring forward. You do not need to hit any more switches – Super simple and functions as well as it sounds, perfect!

In use the Tamron SP AF90mm F/2.8 Di 1:1 Macro is a true joy.
It weighs very little, in fact only 405grams giving you more maneuverability compared to a heavier lens making ackwards positions less cumbersome to shot from.
As stated before I used manual focus in pretty much any situations and I was very pleased with the results.
Partially due to slow breathing, luck, lots of light and a respect for the subjects I photographed I shot all my shots handheld and got as close as I could get yet without scaring away the insect I had in the viewfinder.

I´m using the 1d Mark II which doesn´t feature a big viewfinder so with any newer pro targeted camera it should be even easier to focus. I had no problem determine where the sharpness was but if I was a glass user, I would probably use an angle finder or a camera with a larger viewfinder. Live-view could also be quite beneficial although a strong sun shining on the screen could hinder a great shoot.

As with any lens sharpness plays a great to for a purchase and as I wrote earlier macro lenses are perfected for their focal length.

The Tamron SP AF90mm F/2.8 Di 1:1 Macro is no different. In fact to lens is very sharp wide open and gains only a little stopping down.
Easily the sharpness lens I´ve ever tried for the price. – I felt it was sharper the 105mm Sigma macro and sharper than the 20mm F1.7 pancake lens from the Panasonic GF1 review.
When shooting macro it´s you can never get too much dept of field. It´s therefore vice verse from what you would aim for using a telephoto lens. Even at F11 dept of field is still very shallow especially when you´re close to the subject. F2.8 is nice to have but not too usable in real life.

The bokeh is very smooth, best at F2.8 and in certain situations the bokeh makes the picture rather than the subject itself.
I found the sharpness to be very similar across the frame typical for a tele prime and found the pictures requires less sharpening than other lenses.

Downloadable samples straight from RAW files (right click and choose save as..)
Sample 1
Sample 2

Conclusion
I was wondering before using the lens how it was performing. Having knowledge with Tamron products before I knew they have some true gems in the repertoire. This is one of them!
As sharp as they come wide open, fast in use, small and compact and for a price everyone can afford. The only thing negative is that I have to send it back. Superb Macro lens!

Sigma 50-500mm F4.5-6.3 APO DG OS HSM review

Tobias — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 23:38:16 +0000

Perhaps one of the most famous telephoto zoom lenses is the now discontinued Sigma 50-500mm EX HSM. For a long time this was the de facto standard in how much technology and sharpness you can put into a 10x optical telephoto zoom lens – At least for the DSLR market.

The 50-500mm focal length range is still unique and to this date Sigma is the only one who have this type of lens in their repertoire.

With this new 50-500mm F4.5-6.3 APO DG OS HSM length Sigma added a couple of things the most important being the OS or optical stabilizer.

The massive 10 times zoom span gives the user an impressive ability to switch between a number of tasks often done with multiple lenses. Ranging from portrait to motorsport to wildlife photography. Sure it would be quite awkward to carry a lens of this size to a portrait session but you have the option to do so. The most obvious choice of use for this lens would be wildlife photography and it is for such I´ve been using it for.

Compare it to the older non-OS version they are very alike. They both feature the same superb tripod collar with the built in grip. Although it only have threads for one bolt it´s long and solid. Locking or unlocking the collar goes with ease and the lens rotates very smooth within the collar if you´re switching to portrait orientation or back to landscape orientation.
Another great thing in the space for the tripod colar strap so the user carries the camera plus lens from the lens and not from the camera preventing stress on the lens mount. The lens includes the tripod collar strap as well!

The front element is increased to roughly 82mm probably to prevent vignetting on a full frame body being slightly larger than required for a 500mm F6.3 lens. Sigma´s includes and adapter if´s you´re using a APS-C size body. Otherwise the lens requires 95mm filters!

The lens features a couple of obvious buttons with the new one being the one for the built in optical stabilizer or OS. This will allow the user to select either Off or mode 1 or 2.
In mode 1 the lens stabilises both in vertical and horizontal while in mode 2 its horizontal only. I found mode 1 to be the most useful. It function very well adding a couple of stops of “light” to play with.

The lens also features a lock/unlock button that allows the user to lock the lens at the shortest focal length 50mm to prevent lens creeping. Oddly Sigma didn´t add the same option for 500mm. I tried to roll back to 50mm and walk around with it for some time with the lock button unlocked and didn´t notice any lens creeping. Either way its a useful feature!

There´s also the typical AF / M focus button, where you choose auto focus or manual focus. Worth mentioning is this Sigma lens features a full-time manual focus override. If you´re in a situation where the auto focus fails to achieve whatever you´re aiming at, you can always manual focus afterwards. – You do not need to hit the AF / M switch.

Being a 500mm F6.3 zoom lens adds quite the weight. Bare in mind this lens is, although heavier than the Tamron 200-500mm F6.3 still a lot lighter than a 500mm F4 or F4.5 prime. Weighing in at barely 2 kg´s (1970 grams) you can in fact hike or walk with it all day. Compared to a prime 500mm F4 it´s more compact and less cumbersome albeit being slower F6.3 at 500mm. Worth mentioning it´s cost a fraction of the bare 500´s and adds 10x optical zoom. – As with everything it´s a compromise!

For a F6.3 at 500mm zoom lens the first thing that surprised me was the focus speed. It´s not lightning fast as a 500mm prime but despite the lack of focus limiter it´s quite good. Slower than Sigma´s own 100-300mm F4 it´s probably close to the 70-200mm and remember this is a 10x zoom lens. Highly impressive if you ask me but since I´m using a 1d series body so expect slower speeds on consumer orientated bodies. Either way it boggles me that Sigma didn´t went all the way and added a focus limiter. – Perhaps some day this would be a built in function on a camera body?..
The photo above of the yelling coot wasn´t to much of a challenge for the auto focus as it tracked it nicely. – I recon the Coot was at full rudder

One of the most important things if not the most important thing of any lens if the sharpness. I´ve been reading the few reviews of this lens available only and I didn´t know what to expect. Luckily I was in for a pleasant surprise.
The Sigma 50-500mm F4.5-6.3 APO DG OS HSM is sharp lens wide open at pretty much any focal length. So far I´ve been shooting most at 500mm and F6.3 and each and every time I´ve been blessed with sharp shots thanks to the SLD glass and the OS. Most shots are done without tripod some in very low light and some as slow a 1/80 in shutter speed! Since I´m usually shooting with the Sigma 300-800mm F5.6 EX HSM lens which weighs the same as three 50-500mm lenses and does not feature optical stabilization the 50-500mm is quite pleasant to use. So a big plus for sharpness and another for the OS.

The power of the 10x 50-500mm zoom can be very addicting. This above shot is taken a 50mm and 500mm. That is going from landscape photography to wildlife photography in a second!
Framing your subject is also much easier with a zoom lens. If it´s too tight just zoom out slightly and if you want a tighter framing just zoom in accordingly.

Downloadable samples straight from RAW. – Right click and choose “save as..”
Sample 1
Sample 2
Sample 3

Conclusion
To be honest I could probably go on about this lens and cover all focal length but choose to concentrate of the focal length I suspect most would use.
Overall the Sigma 50-500mm F4.5-6.3 APO DG OS HSM is a great lens. A true pendant to the famous Canon EF 100-400mm L being wider and longer.

It´s quite sharp wide open on all focal lengths and therefore perfectly usable at F6.3.
There´s few things I wished for. One is the focus limiter and the other is that it would be a F5.6 lens up to around 450mm and not as it is now, around 200mm. There´s certainly the right amount of glass for it.

Either way it´s wonderful landscape, portrait, motorsport and wildlife lens – And that is quite the acheivement in itself!

Gitzo G2180 review

Tobias — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 22:12:29 +0000

The Gitzo G2180 video head is a small to medium size video head useful for smaller DV or DSLR cameras. It is also suitable for birdwatchers using spotting scopes.
Unboxing the G2180 was quite surprising how small the head literally it. It comes disassembled meaning you have to attach the pivot / tilt arm which can be done in a heartbeat using a screwdriver or even a larger size coin. – Great if you´re backpacking in the field as it fits in pretty much every backpack and if you´re within the reach of your wallet you can in fact assemble it anywhere.

Starting from the base which is marked by degrees it´s obvious you´re dealing with a quality Gitzo product. The base is quite larger fitting the 2 series Gitzo´s or similar sized tripods. Note you can use smaller tripods although the base will protrude the top of the tripod.

The body itself of the G2180 feels extremely solid. – It feels like you could use the entire head as a hammer!
The Gitzo G2180 is made of a material which Gitzo calls Soulid 238. It gives the base and the rest of the head a better ability to sustain vibrations compared to a typical Aluminium / Steel head while still retaining the somewhat low weight.

Moving upwards and you´ll find the tilting part of the tripod head together with mount for the adjustment arm and the main lock and drag knob.
The knobs are made in aluminium and are art pieces themselves. Beautifully made and well working!
The outer knob controls the main lock while the center controls the drag. This goes for both pan and tilt – I would have like them to be separate, that is one drag knob for tilt and one for pan but for a relatively simple head it works as advertised and I found it quite easy to set a desired amount of drag on both axis.

On the opposite side you´ll find the arm mount and the unique tilt resistance knobs usually found a much more expensive and “serious” tripod video heads. Although it wasn´t accessible how this very knob actually functioned inside of the head, it felt like a spring was activated when the knob was used. Although not too scientific Manfrotto actually uses a similar type on their much much larger ENG type head.
I liked the knob and the function it added but I also wished for more user selectable resistance like the main drag knob.

The tilt / pivot arm is made of aluminium and is rubberised for comfort – Great!

On the top of the head you´ll find the Manfrotto / Gitzo quick release with a equal camera / lens plate.
I´m not a big fan of the Manfrotto system and although I wished it was a Arca Swiss type of quick release, it functioned perfect for this type of video I shot.
It features a anti slide button so if you accidentally unlock the quick release the equipment will not fall to the ground.
I feel the more skilled videographer the better this head will function – I´m quite the novice in this area!

Conclusion
There is no doubt the Gitzo G2180 is a great video head. It features butter smooth panning and quite good tilting to help you achieve the video you need. It is important to remember how capable this head is for its size and how easy it is to bring everywhere. I used the Panasonic DMC-GF1 and Casio FH20 super zoom camera – Both worked sublime on the G2180.
I liked the extra tilt knob that ads even more resistance but I wished it was adjustable and less of “the more you push the more resistance”.
Either way I have no problem by recommending the head – Great and fun to use in a very compact design.

Gitzo GK1581OT review

Tobias — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 21:18:23 +0000

The Gitzo GK1581OT is the worlds first Tripod and Ballhead made specifically for use in the most harsh environments especially the salty ocean. It is also the world´s first stainless steel tripod and head combo designed with one thing in mind. – Use it any invoiment and it will deliver the performance you can expect from a 1 series Gitzo tripod.

The kit consist of two Gitzo products the Gitzo 1541OT Tripod and the Gitzo GH1281OT Ballhead.

Starting with the Ballhead the first thing you will notice it the size. It´s quite small and very simple. There´s only one knob for drag, lock, unlock the ball and pivoting the base. Although it might seem too simple, it is clear that utilizing one knob allows for very quick operation. I use the head along with the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 with great success.
The Panasonic GF1 being a small and capable camera the Gitzo GK1581OT kit is very well suited for a camera of this size. Tuning, adjusting and tweaking the Ballhead is a joy to use. Extremely quick and done with ease. Where ever you aim the head is where it will stay in place.

Using the bigger 1d series camera things don´t go as smoothly. Sure the GH1281OT Ballhead is able to carry the weight but quickly reveals that you do not want to use bigger lenses with the Ballhead - It is simply not powerful and strong enough for pleasant operations and fine tuning and tweaking is not a option! The tripod on the other hand has no problems with larger lenses.
On the Gitzo website you´ll find an ad and video where the photographer uses the Canon EF 100-400mm L telephoto lens. That´s definitely stretching it!

One of the most unique things and one the reasons why the Gitzo Gk581OT is among the most expensive Gitzo tripods, is the ability to sustain use in salt water. Current tripods especially the carbon fiber models are having a very hard time dealing with the salt from the open sea. Mainly the quick locks have a tendency to corrode and lock up if they have been used in salt water. That goes for other harsh environments, even more so in any watery area.

On the GT1541OT this is not a problem. It´s built for this harsh envioment.
The unique locks are suited with another lock specially made by Gitzo to this very kit to prevent debris and water from entering the tubes and therefore preventing the carbon fiber and locks to malfunction. It functions well and it is obvious the special lock catches all the debris I put the tripod through.
It´s worth mentioning I did not use the tripod in salt water!

As all Gitzo lock the quick locks functions superb! – Class leading both in speed and usability and the tripod can be erected in seconds and likewise closed in seconds.

Collapsed the Tripod only measures 43cm and weighing only 1.22kg. Adjusting it to maximum height the tripod measures a healthy 139cm. Add close to 10 centimeters for the head and another 10 for the camera body all you´ll get to eye level or above on the average human. Plenty of height for me.
One of the things that amazed me with the tripod and typically with Gitzo is the stability collapsed or fully erected. There´s almost no difference and you´ll have no doubt the rated 4kg´s which the tripod should be able to carry, is a bar set low. I´m sure you could go to 5kg without noticing a difference. At least in drag downwards. – Impressive!

A video made by Gitzo shows some of the capabilities of this special kit

Conclusion
I like the Gitzo GK1581OT kit but not unconditionally.
It feels like the brilliant GT1541OT Tripod is classes above the GH1281OT Ballhead.
Although I found the Ballhead great with a smaller camera using a larger like the 1d series with a wide angle lens was almost to much. Adding a bigger lens was no go without supporting it with your hands.
The tripod on the other hand was as impressive as they come. Superb handling, extreme lightweight and with promising specs it could live up to and more it´s hard not to recommend the Tripod. – But only if you´re a photographer who´s main subject are in the most extreme environments. Otherwise the regular 1541T is just as good.

Expensive and unique but not without certain value!

Gitzo GH1281OT

Gitzo GT1541OT

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 review

Tobias — Tue, 11 May 2010 21:38:35 +0000

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 is one of the most compact lens-interchangeable camera´s on the market. Released in 2009 the GF1 features all the must haves from a regular point and shoot with the speed and finesse of a DSLR camera. And you can switch lenses as well.

Throughout recent years ever since the first point and shoot digital camera was released image quality has always struggled compared to film and digital SLR cameras. There’s has been some attempts of fitting the larger DSLR sensor in a smaller body lastly with the Sigma DP1 and Sigma DP2. Both great camera with stunning image quality but both werent´ the fastest on the block and both did not feature the option to mount another lens. Fast forwarding to 2008 and 09 both Olympus and Panasonic announced that they were investing heavily into their new Micro 4/3´s format. 4/3 meaning the aspect ratio of the sensor.
And so we have the GF1. Versus the closest competitor the Pen 1/2 the GF1 is less stylish camera. Its anonymous exterior will surely apply to many photographers and less average consumers. Unlike the Pen 1/2 the camera looks similar to another camera in Panasonic’s lineup namely the LX4 but still indistinguishable from its smaller brother.

The backside have all the controls you´ll ever need. Notice the wheel position perfect for your right thumb. Besides the AF-MF switch button there´s a handy exposure and focus lock which sits so you´ll have no problem keeping it pressed during your shoot. Just below the flash shoe sits a dedicated port for a electronic viewfinder. As the camera is mirror lens the only finder you´ll have from get go, is the crisp 3 inch screen with a relatively high resolution.
The screen updates at a healthy 60 frames per second making it quite useful even in action. Surely its not a replacement for a true prism finder but for a screen its really good.
On the upper left is the button for the popup flash. Around the “circle” of buttons are the quick buttons for ISO, focus options, light meter and a programmable user select button.
Pretty much every button is where you want it to be.

One of the first things you´ll notice is the superb build quality. For such a compact camera it feels like a tank. Much studier and heftier than the Sigma DP series. Although it´s quite a light camera it weighs more than the previous mentioned. For any who´s use to carry a DSLR it will feel light and handy.
The included neckstrap is decent but nothing more. I wish they included a wide one.

The memory card and battery is stored in the same compartment furthers away from the tripod mount as possible and using a smaller camera plate will allow the user to change memory card without moving the plate.
Another thing worth mentioning is the flash shoe.
Panasonic sells a hi-res viewfinder that fits in the shoe and in a socket behind the camera giving it a more photographer type of feel and less of a point and shoot experience. But be aware the viewfinder is an expensive accessory.

One of the most important thing in any camera is the lens. I was fortunate enough to borrow the excellent and I really to mean excellent Panasonic 20mm F1.7 ASPH flat as a pancake lens. It will probably make you wonder how on earth it is able to capture so very fine detail even wide open at F1.7.
There´s a small amount of vignetting at F1.7 which disapears stopping sligthly down. The lens becomes a hint sharper stopping down aswell, but will essentially deliver all the sharpness you could hope for wide open.
The lens isn´t a fast focusing lens so I didn´t have to opportunity to enjoy the otherwise very quick contrast detection focus on the GF1. The 20mm F1.7 ASPH is a mediocre lens when it comes to focus speed.
The filter thread is just 46mm which means cheaper filters. – Great!

The video quality is of a very high standard. Using the effective AVCHD Lite format the small camera shines. Using a big aperture lens like the 20mm F1.7 makes video a joy especially considering how easy it is to get a butter smooth bokeh. Sure you´ll have to get closer at 20mm than using a 800mm lens but either way the quality is more than satisfying. Worth mentioning is that it could benefit from some sharpening in contrast to the photos that shows a very sharp output. I wish I had more time using the video as I wish I had some longer lenses as well.

Using my usual sharpening photoshop action is almost too much. The above shot has been edited in photoshop with curves and color. The dynamic range is great and so is the noise or the lack off. – The colors are per standard somehow muted but it´s a minor thing easily tweak able in pretty much any photo editor.

Downloadable sample (right click and choose save as..)
HERE

Conclusion
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 is a great camera and future platform. The buzz these days are in fact the mirror less lens interchangeable camera and the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 really shines. I know for a fact many professional landscape photographers choose this very camera as a backup due to its stunning output and easy to use ability. The camera does everything you want with SLR speed.
I think we could very well be looking at a platform that will essentially push the prices on point and shoot and DSLR cameras downward while pushing the technology of today. I wish Panasonic included the viewfinder but you can´t have it all.
Therefore the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 is a camera you can develop your skills with.

Highly recommendable!

Custom Brackets CB Gimbal review

Tobias — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 21:05:08 +0000

When working with heavy photographic equipment support is an issue. Working with big telephoto lenses the likes of the 500mm F4 or larger substantial support is crucial. If you make a movement with a 50mm lens the very same movement gets magnified 10 times with a 500mm lens.

Up until a few years ago there was pretty much one type of choice and it was the stable yet slow moving video head not suitable for tracking birds in flight. Excellent for still shots yet the opposite when photographing things in movement especially in still photography. Wimberley were among the first to release their legendary Wimberley Gimbal head and soon others followed improving and tweaking the way a perfect gimbal should work.

Custom Brackets is a company well known for their high-end flash brackets that, as the name implies, comes in highly customizable configurations for all sizes and shapes.
With that know how and overall craftsmanship Custom Brackets decided to enter the realm of gimbal heads adding, besides a new and unsurpassed ability to tweak tension on both axis, a surprising features to disassemble the entire gimbal head without using any tools. That alone is quite an achievement.

Going from top to bottom it is obvious, besides the well made separate parts, this head consist of a lot of knobs. Some rubberized and some made of aluminium. Either with high grade finish.

The base is very large and fits a 3 series Gitzo as a minimum. The head marked grade marked for extra precision. The first arm features 3 knobs. One for locking the vertical part to further assemble the gimbal. One, the big rubberized knob on the far right for locking or unlocking the panning movement. The third and smaller rubberized knob is for the unique panning drag feature. The further you turn it inwards the tighter the drag will become.
The panning is with the drags knob turned completely untightened, extreme smooth as shown in the video further down. Turn it slightly inwards and it will become slightly harder to turn and so on and so forth. Easily the most advanced and tweak able system. It is in fact adjustable for pretty much any type of telephoto lens.

On the vertical bar the system features 4 knobs in total!
The biggest and rubberized for locking the swing similar to the one found in the bottom of the picture for the panning. Another knob seen in the first picture for the final part of the swing which binds the second piece to the third.
Also similar to the base is another drag knob also rubberized. And as with the base the thing work phenomenal. Untightened the tilt is extremely smooth perhaps overly smooth for some. Tighten it slightly and it will add just a hunch of drag. The more you tighten the knob the more it will add drag. It works as well as it sounds.
The forth knob is a quick lock for the swing. Again made out of high grade aluminium its almost overly manufactured and if you haven´t guessed it Custom Brackets went all-in with this head. For a personal preference I wished it would be more of a snuggle and tight fit but you can´t have it all and it works as it should.

The two last parts completes the gimbal. It the third part of four is the vertical bar that holds the forth part. As with the rest of the head its manufactured without compromise. Custom Brackets could have done it with a solid flat bar but machined and rounded the aluminium to cut weight. It the bottom of the bar sits a small bolt acting as a stop for the quick release part.
The forth part and therefore the quick release part is similar to the one found on the Wimberley Mark II gimbal. It features two aluminium knobs. One for locking the forth unit and one for locking the quick release. Its very low weight is, again built without compromise and as a bonus low profile making if easy to mount lenses in the quick release. The quick release is thankfully based on the arca-swiss system which is in my option, by far the greatest on the market.
The Custom Brackets CB gimbal retails at $590 and given all the manufacturing its a fair price.

Conclusion
Easily one of the greatest and by far the most advanced gimbal on the market. The gimbal gathers admiration and curiosity wherever you use it and you´ll appreciate the ultra high end finish and manufacturing process Custom Brackets did to this head.
Besides the unique separate drag knobs the head features another unique thing being able to dissemble the head in four smaller pieces.
My only nit and personal opinion is that the base lock knob is placed at the same side as the knobs for the vertical control. While it has its advantages I prefer the base knob to be on the opposite side because it will otherwise dig into your shoulder or neck whenever you´re moving the rig from one location to another. – This type of knob placement is also shared by the Wimberley Mark II.
If you don´t mind that I can´t seem to come up with any reason why you shouldn’t pick up this head over any other on the market.

A superb gimbal indeed. Well done Custom Brackets!

Sigma 105mm F2.8 EX DG Macro review

Tobias — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 22:20:37 +0000

No other lens is made for a more specific task than the macro lens. The Sigma 105mm F2.8 EX DG Macro is indeed made for one thing in mind. Allowing the user to capture 1:1 magnification which also gives it the name “Macro”.

Sigma makes quite a number of macro lenses and this is their third in terms of focal length. Being 105mm it´s not only suited for flowers but will give the user the ability to get closer to insects as well. Granted a 180mm lens (which Sigma also makes) would be a better choice for insects but this 105mm gives you a bit of everything.

One of the things that makes a macro lens interesting is the ability to get close to your subject. – Real close up to a 1:1 magnification for it to be a true macro lens. The Sigma 105mm F2.8 EX DG Macro delivers just that with a sharp and beautiful result.

As you can see the ability to get real close opens a new world in terms of photography.
Both taken with the same lens although the left one would resemble the typical nearest focus ability of a similar sized non-macro lens.

The area in focus (DOF or depth of field) as you might have noticed becomes very thin when getting close. With a longer focal length as The Sigma 180mm F3.5 EX Macro lens the DOF would have been even smaller due the an angle change on the subject.
In your typical situation you want to use a small aperture to get the deepest DOF. – That does require the user to use a tripod and is highly recommendable. The shots above was take af F2.8 which is the largest aperture

The Sigma 105mm F2.8 EX DG Macro is a very sharp lens even at widest aperture.
The image of the left has been post processed while the 100% crop on the right hasn´t

As per standard of close to all macro lenses they are optimized for close focusing and optical perfection. The Sigma 105mm F2.8 EX DG Macro isn´t any different here. The lens is virtually distortion and vignetting free. And it´s sharp wide open (F2.8) – Stopping down to F6.3 increases the sharpness slightly but in any real world situation you´ll have to look for differences to see them. Despite the “portrait” focal length the Sigma 105mm F2.8 EX DG Macro adds a creative perspective if you´re forcing yourself to shoot landscapes.

Two very different shots both taken at the 105mm. The focal length makes the perspective seem narrower and
forces you to think a bit different if shooting landscapes.

The Sigma 105mm F2.8 EX DG Macro has a selectable focus range button. You can select from two options. “Limit” and “Full”. With the Limit option selected you force the lens to focus either from 0.313 to 0.39 meters or from 0.4 meters to infinity. It´s nothing advanced but is a nice feature.

On the Canon version which I´m using you have to switch two functions in order to disable the auto focus motor. One being the typical AF or M button and the other is pull the focus ring downwards and you have to do this in this very order. Quite a odd and cumbersome solution. Why not just have one or the other..
The auto focus on the Sigma 105mm F2.8 EX DG Macro is, despite using a pro-body, very slow. It´s not a lens you´ll be using in AI-Servo or similar focus mode. But then again with the big focus ring and intended subjects to photograph there´s a good chance you´ll be using manual focus either way. It´s way faster and is often required when shooting macro. Fair to say the auto focus is precise on every focus range.
Another important thing and often spoken of as a major reason to buy a larger size aperture lens is the bokeh.

The bokeh is butter smooth on the Sigma 105mm F2.8 EX DG Macro. Not unsurprisingly especially at F2.8

Downloadable samples (Right click as choose “save as..”)
Sample 1
Sample 2

Conclusion
As you might know by now I´m quite fond of the Sigma 105mm F2.8 EX DG Macro. Its relatively versatile focal length suits most photographers and it delivers a sharp and usable result a F2.8 improving slightly stopping down. The focus motor isn´t the fastest on the block but it´s precise. No doubt about using manual focus is the better option.
Overall a great lens for everyone looking to do 1:1 magnification macro photography.

Hardigg Storm Case IM2600 review

Tobias — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 21:44:51 +0000

The HardiggStorm Case IM2600 is one of the safest ways to store your camera equipment.

Hardigg is based in USA and has over 50 years experience in building the toughest, most rugged and reliable hardcases aiming to fulfill the task of storing gear safely for military, scientists, engineers, dentists, law enforcement and photographers – The list goes on.

Hardigg offers a huge number of sizes and the IM2600 is aimed at photographers and others with more sensitive equipment. The army uses different cases and so with the industrial aimed cases.

The Hardigg Storm Case IM2600 comes in this configuration with multilayer cubed foam that allows you to choose the exact setup needed for the absolute best safety. The cubes comes in three layers and are therefore highly customizable. The foam is not standard configuration and most photographers would probably choose padded dividers because of their good protection and easy to adjust ability. They do not offer the same security as the foam and are similar to the ones found in most camera bags.

Hardigg Storm Case IM2600 thrive in any environment.

One of the special features which is standard in every single Storm Case is the manual purge valve which prevents moist and mildew in damp areas and other situations. A very useful feature especially during winter but also during moist summer days or in rain.

The Hardigg Storm Case IM2600 is also completely watertight with a wide seal installed in the hefty lid. That ensures your gear completely dry in every situation. If you loose it down stream? – Not a problem for the Storm Case.
Another obvious plus are the no-nonsense hefty and wide locks that requires a press with your thumb and a pull outwards in order to be opened. Much better and safer than the competitor. The locks follow the design of the case and does not protrude from the case.
The heavy duty handle folds with a firm press close to the case itself and with the opposite manouve allow the user to carry it anywhere. Hardigg offers wheels for some models but not for the IM2600.

The hinges of the case that allows the lid to open are also of the same heavy duty type as the locks and handle. Wide and reinforced they can take a huge amount of stress before ever breaking. – Again much like rest of the Hardigg Storm Case IM2600 the quality is very high.

The case is made out of HPX high performance resin plastic. Note the curved edge acting as buffer for rest of the case.

As mentioned earlier there a lot of accessories for the case besides the customizable foam. Some might choose to have hinges inside of the lid that allows the lid to stay open in whatever position you might like. Unlike without where the heavy lid closes with a certain appeal. You know its quality when it gives you the same sound as you have when closing the door on a expensive car.
Hardigg offers a variety of colors for what might fit your domain.
The surface of the Hardigg Storm Case IM2600 is quite smooth but scratches easily. Ofcause the scratches are only in the top surface coating and has nothing to do with reliability but some might have this as a negative mark. But since its a case made for rough and or extreme situations it doesn´t really mater.

Once you have one you´ll probably want another one – The IM2720 on in the bottom is larger and with wheels

The Hardigg Storm Case IM2600 can contain quite a lot of gear. This IM2600 contains a Sigma 500mm prime, the 100-400 Canon, a wide angle lens, battery charger, various cables and a pro-sized body and there´s still room for even more gear or gadgets.

Conclusion
Without a doubt the Hardigg Storm Case IM2600 is a great and sturdy product. Its extremely tough and practically unbreakable and in the foam configuration delivers arguably the best gear protection anyone could ever hope for.
A sure safe buy - The only minus is that you´ll probably want another one.

Casio Exilim EX-FH20 review

Tobias — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 22:58:16 +0000

No so much a review as it is my impressions with this compact superzoom point and shoot camera. I won´t be going into all the modes and such skipping forward to the parts I found useful.

Last year I had the chance of using the somewhat unique Casio Exilim EX-FH20 superzoom camera and with the only intentions of using it as a video camera as I knew it features a capable video. I brought the camera with me on three occasions all with the goal to use the video mode.

The videomode is quite unique featuring the HD resolution of 720p and various high framerate modes each their own resolution, all the way up to 1000 FPS. Everything was shot using manual focus and by using the screen. Not the easiest task especially since you have to pre-focus before each video take.

I found the video quality in 720p to be surprisingly good and the 1000FPS mode to be for fun only since the resolution is very low. For High framerate takes I ended up using the 210 FPS mode. The videomode showed great colors and noise control but with some oversharpening artifacts especially seen in 720p. But you can´t have it all. Remember this isn´t labeled as a videocamera so to sum it up I was more than satisfied. In the 720p I used the wideangle 26mm constantly while zoomed all the way to 520mm (35mm Equiv) using the 210 FPS since I wanted to capture anything other than landscapes using this mode.

720p mode – 26mm

210FPS mode – 520mm

I ended up using it as a camera also on the very last trip, since it would be more than usefull when shooting landscapes with the wide angle capable 26mm (35mm Equiv) zoom lens.

Lesbos 09 – Consisting of 6 stitched in Autopano Pro

Downloadable sample (Right click as choose “save as..”)
Click HERE if you want to see a larger 4178 x 900 version.

Conclusion
Needless to say I´m quite satisfied by how the camera performed. The 210fps impressed me the most but the overall image quality was surprisingly good. Surely its not a photographers tool as I feel the Sigma Dp2 is but more a compact camera that does it all.

Jobu Design Black Widow Lightweight MK II review

Tobias — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 21:52:38 +0000

The all new designed Black Widow Mk II redefines the Jobu Design gimbal lineup with a lighter yet strong gimbal head aimed at photographers who’s either using 500mm lenses or similar size all the time or one who wants to travel light using any lens combo.

Compared to the old MK I the new edition features an all new design with more rigidity and stability without suffering from any weight penalty. In fact the Black Widow MK II is quite unique compared to the competition as it allows you to utilize and bigger workload while still maintaining smooth operation.

The first thing you´ll notice is the base which is larger and slightly redesigned. While the old model was very smooth the new equally smooth despite if being larger. Thankfully the Black Widow is still using the Arca Swiss type quick release in which you can choose from a huge number of lensplates etc. The list goes on basically – Its needless to say I find the Arca Swiss type much better than the Manfrotto type.
The lower profile of the base also help stability in the other end. The lower the better.

Traveling light the BWG-LW2 is the perfect partner. Here using the 300-800mm F5.6 lens and a 1d Mark II body.

Another thing you´ll notice are the locking and tightening knobs. They are now of the rubberized type equally to the ones found and the Jobu Design JR2 and much better than the hard plastic ones. Better grip and easier to adjust. Its obvious the head is a newer and better design.

Moving upwards you´ll find the side mounted quick release. Due to design of a side mounting gimbal it has a disadvantage compared to horizontal mounting gimbal head. You can´t align the lens on the vertical axis which means you will always have to have it slightly tightened otherwise the camera and lens will be moving forward and backwards constantly as seen in the video below. That goes for everything single side mounting gimbal and not just for the Jobu Design.

The quick release is similar to the one found on the old head and works just as it should. I would have like the tightening knob on the release to be like to one found on the Jobu Design BWG-PRO. The good thing is that its interchangeable and Jobu Design makes one larger and with the better knob.

The top is very similar to the bottom base. Great and butter smooth operations and with the same rubberized knob. Unfortunately there´s no vertical quick lock so you´ll have to tightening the main knob instead. There´s absolutely no drag in the bearings what so ever.

I constantly amazed how stiff the head is compared to how little it weighs. While it looks slightly beefier than the previous version it feels a lot stronger almost on level with the BWG-PRO which I´m currently using.

In the field the Black Widow Lightweight MK II performs flawlessly. Its impressive how smooth and well constructed it feels and is and I love using it even with lenses rated above whats recommended for this head.

The Black Widow Lightweight MK II in action - I´m using the Sigma 300-800mm F5.6 (above recommend workload) and a 1D Mark II

Conclusion
There much to like about the Black Widow Lightweight MK II not pretty much nothing to dislike. Its smooth, handles big lenses and weighs only 820g. It is perfect for anyone who would be using a 500mm or a 300mm on a daily basic and suitable for any lens if you´re traveling light. Probably the best compromise on the market in regards weight, price and workload.

Close to perfect