Peak Design Travel Tripod Review Posted

By bdery in Review Announcements on Aug 23, 2020

In this accessory review, we take a look at the Travel Tripod from manufacturer Peak Design. This tripod, launched on Kickstarter in Spring 2019 and available for the general public one year later, is the first tripod proposed by the company.

In keeping with Peak Design's tendency to think outside the box, this tripod includes a number of innovative elements. Foremost among those is the shape of the legs, which allow a much smaller diameter than what is usual. The ballhead is also a departure from the traditional design.

These elements, and several others, integrate to create a novel product. On paper, the Travel Tripod has a lot to offer.

Can it live up to the expectations? Read our review to find out!

Oben CT-2491 Tripod, GH-30 Gimbal and MFR4-5 Macro Focus Rail Review

By bdery in Review Announcements on Jul 12, 2020

In our most recent accessory review, we take a look at a trio of support equipment from Oben. A manufacturer of tripods, heads and accessories catering to the higher tier of the market, Oben offers a robust catalog of products.

Today we take a look at three of those products: the CT-2491 carbon fiber tripod, the GH-30 gimbal head, and the MFR4-5 dual-axis macro focus rail. These products are all targeted against high-end comparables. Oben differenciates its product with agressive pricing and little compromises in quality.

Can these products compete against well-known players in the crowded tripod market? Read our review to find out!

Venus Laowa 60mm F2.8 2x Super Macro Review Posted

By bdery in Review Announcements on Jun 15, 2020

Macro is an important part of photography, with many adepts. For some, seeing and capturing the very small is a challenge and an art. Many tools are available to obtain ever greater magnifications, such as diopters, close-up filters, reversing rings.

Venus Laowa is a lens design and manufacturing company which offers several unique macro lenses with larger than usual magnifications. One such lens, the 60mm F2.8 2x Super Macro, offers twice the magnification of a traditional macro, while preserving the ability to focus at infinity. This makes for an interesting lens, more versatile than other, purely macro options. In addition to its obvious use as a macro lens, the 60mm can be used for portraits, scenery, and its fast aperture makes it quite versatile. This fully manual lens, lacking even an aperture coupling with the camera, takes some time getting used to but can be rewarding when mastered.

Macro lenses generally offer high optical performances, with an emphasis on sharpness and bokeh. The 60mm uses no less than 14 aperture blades, a highlight of its spec sheet. How does this translate in use? Read our review to find out!

Peak Design Everyday Backpack V2 and Backpack Zip Review Posted

By bdery in Review Announcements on May 11, 2020

In this new accessory review, we take a look at two new backpacks launched by Peak Design in Fall 2019.

The Everyday Backpack (in charcoal) and the Everyday Backpack Zip (in blue) have many similarities, but a number of elements setting them apart. The former is an update to an existing backpack, while the latter is a completely new product.

Peak Design is a darling of the photography world, but their products come with high expectations and the company is held to high standards. Do these backpacks live up to the hype? To which kinds of users are they best adapted? Read our review to find out!

Pentax D FA 70-210mm Review Posted

New, lighter full-frame tele zoom

By bdery in Review Announcements on Apr 20, 2020

We are happy to announce our in-depth review of the HD Pentax-D FA 70-210mm F4 lens.

This lens has been present on the K-mount full-frame roadmap for some time, and was eagerly awaited by many Pentax users. Officially launched in February 2020, the lens was quickly picked up by many users looking for a more compact alternative to the heavier and more expensive D FA* 70-200mm F2.8.

With a useful zoom range, reasonably fast F4 maximum aperture, weather sealing, internal zooming and silent focusing, this new lens has a lot going on for it. Despite not being a star lens, the 70-210mm comes with high expectations. Can it reach the level of quality expected by users in 2020? 

Read our review of the new Pentax 70-210mm to find out!