Photography News

Zhong Yi Optics has introduced the Mitakon 55mm f/2.8 1-5x Macro, a $399 manual focus prime built for both full frame and medium format cameras. Offering up to 5x magnification, it gives photographers a chance to capture the smallest details without stepping into prohibitively expensive territory.

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Beach huts are wonderfully photogenic and you can get great pictures of them almost regardless of the lighting conditions. However, beach huts get elevated to iconic status when the scene is complemented by a photogenic sky.

 

1. Gear Suggestions

A wide-angle will help you make the most of big skies, but even the short end of your standard zoom should be fine. Obviously the wider your lens the more sky that you can include. However, there is the danger of going too wide and including fantastic sky detail as well as more mundane bits, so do frame carefully. A selection of filters can come in very handy so do pack some graduates as well as the polariser.
 

2. When?

Lovely skies can occur at any time of year and at any time of day so you just have to be aware of the conditions and keep an eye on what’s happening. With heavy showers followed by brief spells of intense sunlight, there is every chance of dramatic skies, not to mention things like rainbows.

Periodically check what’s happening in the heavens as the day progresses and in the end, you might end up with a good set of images, all taken from the same spot but looking very different as the sky is constantly changing.

 

3. Metering

Exposure can be tricky because of the wide contrast range between the sky and the beach huts, so you need to think about metering to ensure the optimum result. In some cases, you might even find the foreground to be brighter than the sky, say when there is a doom-laden dark sky behind the sunlit huts.

With this sort of shot, the most important of the scene is the highlight detail (usually the sky) so meter off that and let the shadows worry about themselves. If the foreground then looks too gloomy use exposure compensation to help and reshoot.

If the light is changing quickly, and this can happen in stormy conditions, bracket exposures to make sure you get a result you are happy with. If you find the sky is still coming out too light, fit a graduate filter.

 

 

4. Enhance

A polariser can intensity a colourful or a stormy sky depending on the direction of the light so that too can work. A polariser can enhance a sky to make it work even better for a black & white conversion. However, you might prefer the natural approach and that is perfectly fine.

 

5. Composition

In terms of composition, being bold can help. Some people might want to compose using the rule-of-thirds, but this can actually look rather static. Lining up the huts along the very bottom of the frame can work better and give even more prominence to the sky. Just explore the options when you are framing up the shot.

 

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Meike has unveiled the MK-EFTL-C, delivering EF lens compatibility to L-mount cameras through its drop-in filter mount design, with autofocus support and filter functionality. The adapter supports autofocus and works with both PDAF and CDAF modes.

The adapter includes electronic contacts for aperture control and EXIF data transmission. It ships with a variable neutral density filter (ND3–ND500) and a clear UV filter. The metal-bodied unit weighs 105g with the ND filter installed.

 

Specifications

Model: MK-EFTL-C

SRP: USD $199.99

Front mount: EF(EF-S) lens

Rear mount: L-mount camera

Maximum diameter and length: 73 × 24.7 mm

Packing size: 88 × 65 × 88 mm

Autofocus: Supported

Focus modes: PDAF and CDAF

 

For more details, visit the Meike website.

Every few months, the internet decides that “this” is the future of cameras. Lately, that “this” is global shutter—a sensor that reads the entire frame at once, promising zero skew, perfect flash sync, and freedom from LED banding. It’s impressive technology, but for most photographers and hybrid creators, it isn’t the upgrade that moves the needle. Here’s why, plus how to get clean, professional results right now with the gear you already own.

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The Viltrox AF 135mm f/1.8 LAB lens stands out because it combines speed, sharpness, and price in a way that challenges far more expensive options. At this focal length, you’re looking at a tool made for striking subject isolation, making it particularly valuable when you want portraits or detail shots with impact.

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You probably know how much easier life can be with the right accessories if you use your iPhone every day. These tools are made to fit into your daily life without any problems. They include charging solutions that save you time and small gadgets that help you work or create.

We want to help you find some of the most useful iPhone accessories today.

 

Smart accessories

 

Let's start with something as easy as charging, many people now use wireless charging pads all the time. Simply put your iPhone on the pad; you don't have to look for cables or worry about broken connectors. This is a small change, but it keeps your desk or nightstand neat and your phone always ready to use.

A portable power bank is almost a must-have for people who are away from home a lot. These small batteries fit in any bag or pocket and can give your phone a boost when you really need it. Some models even let you charge quickly, so you don't have to wait long to get back to your calls, replacements, or messages.

People are already interested in the iPhone 16, which is the next step in Apple's line of products. You won't have to worry about compatibility when you decide to upgrade because many of these accessories are made to work perfectly with the newest models.

 

Tools for creativity and productivity

 

Of course, not everything is about charging, and you might want to try a clip-on lens if you like to take pictures with your iPhone. You can use these small lenses to try out wide angles, close-ups, or even artistic effects right on your phone. You can easily carry them around, and they can give your photos a new look if you're taking pictures of your family or a cityscape.

On the other side, it's fine to type short messages on a touchscreen, but if you need to write longer texts or emails, a Bluetooth keyboard can be very useful. These keyboards connect wirelessly and are often slim or foldable, so you can use them at a café, on a train, or anywhere else you can find a moment to work. It's an easy way to make your iPhone more useful.

Also, if you really want the newest and finest features, the iPhone 16 Pro Max is the best choice, and using accessories like lenses or keyboards can help you get more out of your device. If you're looking to upgrade without breaking the bank, platforms like Back Market offer refurbished iPhones and certified accessories that meet high standards—often at a lower price. It's a smart way to stay up to date while keeping your budget in check.

Getting the newest gadgets for your iPhone is about finding the ones that really fit your needs and habits. A wireless charger, a portable battery, a lens, or a keyboard can all help make your day-to-day life a little easier. These accessories are a great place to start if you want to get more out of your current model or are thinking about getting a new one. The best gadget India's gadget is the one that makes your life easier without getting in the way.

  Every year for one weekend in August Ramsey and the people who visit take a step back in time and celebrate the 1940s. The event, which you can find more information about on the Ramsey 1940's weekend website, is a great place to take your camera to and you're also guaranteed to have some fun while you are there. If you can't get to Ramsey there are plenty of other events that take place right across the country.     1. Gear Suggestions

If you arrive before the crowds then a 50mm lens is perfect for capturing people in costume but when the masses arrive or if you like to have a little more versatility, pack a zoom lens that gives you wide to mid-range focal lengths. A tripod's always helpful, particularly if you're heading to the dance in the evening when the light will be lower. They can be a little clunky and can get in the way though so you may like the flexibility a monopod gives you instead. Flash may be handy in the evening, but you could just turn up your ISO slightly or pop your camera on a tripod and use slightly longer shutter speeds.
 

2. Picking A Subject

When you arrive you'll find plenty of people dressed in 1940s clobber and RAF uniforms who are perfect for a nostalgic portrait shot or two. Some people will be so fabulously dressed they'll just shout: 'photograph me' at you but make sure you take a good walk around to see who else is hiding among the vehicles and stalls. You could get a few candid snaps of the crowds as you do so too.

 

 

3. Ask If It's OK

When you do find your subject make sure you ask their permission and don't be in a hurry to photograph them where they stand as you could look back and realise you have a modern car or burger van ruining your shot. You can try and throw the ugly background out of focus but if you have the time, make the effort to chat to your subject and ask them to move somewhere that's more appropriate. You still may want to throw the background out of focus and leave all the attention on your subject, but at least the blurred objects and shapes will be more fitting to the era you're trying to capture. If you can, do take your time when you're looking through the viewfinder and pay particular attention to their costume. It's amazing how straightening a skirt or fastening up a button can make a big difference to the overall shot.

 

4. Capture Movement

If you hang around for the dance you'll need fast shutter speeds to freeze the action on the dance floor or put your camera on a tripod and slow your shutter speeds to blur the movement of the skirts/dresses as they spin around. There will also be plenty of candids off the dance floor such as to capture too. 
 

You've read the technique now share your related photos for the chance to win prizes: Daily Forum Competition

There is a moment in every photographer’s career when a single camera bag is no longer enough. Maybe it starts with one C-stand, then a sandbag, a hard case of lenses, a power station, and before you know it, you are making three trips back to the car. This is the point where you have to stop looking for a bigger bag and start looking for a smarter solution. RockNRoller has long been a staple for road crews, and its new R9 Mighty series is aimed squarely at creatives who want that same level of reliability offroad and on mixed terrain.

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If you’re looking at standard zooms, you’ve probably noticed the choice between the 24-70mm f/2.8 and the 24-105mm f/4. The first is faster and sharper on paper, but there’s more to choosing a lens than just speed and sharpness.

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The Nikon Z 14-30mm f/4 S and the Tamron 16-30mm f/2.8 G2 both cover the wide angle range you need for landscapes, travel, and even astro work. Deciding between them matters because the choice affects not only sharpness and weight but also what conditions you can shoot in without carrying multiple lenses.

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Shorebirds in Australia are striking, not just for their beauty but for the skill it takes to capture them. They move fast, they appear and disappear with the tides, and if you don’t know their feeding habits, you’ll come home with empty memory cards.

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  If you're looking for a project that you can shoot over several weeks or even months have a go at creating a collection of images that all share the same colour.

As this is something that can take quite some time to do, it's something you can shoot alongside your other types of photography or you could try working on several different 'colour themes' all at once.

Your subjects don't have to be the same but it's important that the colour is, that way once you have a few images in your collection, you can begin to group them together to create panels and triptychs to hang on walls or post in online galleries.  

 

As you don't know what you'll be photographing until you see it, it's best to take a zoom lens out with you. By doing so you'll have various focal lengths to play with plus if you plan on walking for a while, you won't have lots of kit weighing you down.

You can sit and create a list of items organised into colour groups you can photograph or try visiting a location and wandering around to see which colour would be best to shoot in that particular place.

Do remember that the lack of other colours does mean you'll have to work harder to ensure your composition is interesting. That means you need to pay particular attention to textures, lines, shapes and framing.

     

You've read the technique now share your related photos for the chance to win prizes: Daily Forum Competition

Golden hour is a great start, but learning to use light well goes far beyond the time of day. Here are three things about light I learned the hard way—and that I hope will help you make stronger landscape photographs.

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The OM SYSTEM OM-1 Mark II mirrorless camera is designed to solve one of the biggest challenges you face in the field: balancing performance with portability. When you spend long hours outside carrying heavy gear, every pound matters, and having the right setup can mean the difference between getting the shot or missing it.

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Come on, hop in those comments and tell me why I'm wrong.

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Lightroom is full of small controls that can quietly ruin your images if you don’t understand how they interact. The difference between an artificial edit and a clean, natural one often comes down to how you balance the simplest tools. When you know which sliders are tricking you, you can stop fighting the program and start getting results that feel intentional.

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A single lens that can move from wide landscapes to close wildlife without weighing down your bag is always worth your attention. When you want to capture fleeting moments without swapping glass, the Tamron 18-300mm f/3.5-6.3 Di III-A VC VXD lens is built for that purpose.

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A well-timed image of two Bee Eaters has been awarded this week’s Photo of the Week.

Taken by Lillian, it shows the birds in sharp focus with vivid colours and precise markings captured in fine detail. The timing is spot on, holding the moment with clarity and capturing their interaction beautifully. The richness of colour, the precision of detail, and the balance across the frame combine to make this an outstanding example of wildlife photography.

Every Photo of the Week (POTW) winner will be rewarded with a Samsung 128GB PRO Plus microSDXC memory card with SD adapter, providing top-tier storage for all your creative needs across multiple devices. But that's not all! In January 2026, we’ll crown our 2025 Photo of the Year winner, who will take home the ultimate prize of a Samsung Portable 1TB SSD T7 Shield, courtesy of Samsung. It’s time to shoot, submit, and showcase your best work for a chance to win these incredible rewards!

The Nikon FE2 isn’t just another film camera sitting on a shelf. It’s one of those rare tools that carries history in its mechanics, a companion that shapes how you see the world through a viewfinder. Film cameras like this remind you that the way you shoot is often as important as the images you make.

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The camera body has that famous red dot and the lens sits comfortably, definitely looking the part. A fairly compact Leica zoom that covers the essential standard focal lengths, has a useful 1:3.3 magnification and brings Leica quality within our grasp has to be attractive. Does it deliver that Leica quality? Let's find out, combining the lens with the 60MP Leica SL3 Full Frame mirrorless body. It looks like a formidable and impressive combination, so putting it through its paces should be interesting indeed.

 

Leica Vario-Elmarit-SL 28-70mm f/2.8 Handling and Features

The Leica SL series, with its pseudo-DSLR styling, always looks solidly well made, be it the camera bodies or the lenses. The Leica name in itself invites high expectations. The construction is big and chunky, not so much in actual size or weight but in physical size of the controls and engravings. This is very true of the Leica SL3 provided to review this lens with the huge control dials and the huge LEICA logo showing little of the diminutive finesse of the Leica M series. The 28-70mm f/2.8 lens shares this ethos up to a point, but in fact is about as compact as it is going to get within the range. The finesse is apparent in the engravings around the front element, the focal length settings around the lens barrel being, in contrast, large and bold.

 

 

There is a supplied petal lenshood that bayonets firmly into place. There is no retaining catch, nor is one needed. The hood is well made, but the actual seating onto the front of the lens is such that it is just slightly fiddly to insert. There are smoother fitting hoods. Within the bayonet fit for the hood is a standard 67mm filter thread. The front and rear elements are coated with Leica's Hydrophobic Aqua-Dura coating, helping to repel moisture and grease. The lens as a whole is dust and splash resistant, a close to essential feature in variable weather conditions.

Weighing in at a fairly modest 572g (613g with hood), despite the Magnesium-Aluminium body, it is also quite compact at 72mm x 102mm. There are few controls, just the focusing ring and the zoom ring. The former is electronic, very smooth but with a higher degree of resistance than many. Focusing is selected via the camera, so no AF/MF switch, and is virtually silent as well as being snappy and accurate. Focusing is down to 0.19m at 28mm, for a maximum magnification of 1:3.3, and 0.38m at 70mm for a maximum magnification of 1:4.6.

 

 

Optical construction is 16 elements in 12 groups, including 3 Aspheric and 1 floating group that helps maintain quality at all focus distances. The electronically controlled aperture is capable of being set to operate in steps of either one third or one half stops.

 

 

Finally, the high quality L mount enables use of the appropriate L mount Leica, Panasonic and Sigma lenses. 

In many ways, a lens that hardly exists is the best lens, in that its operation should not get in the way of the photographer. The more dials and settings there are then the more complex and the less intuitive it becomes. The Leica SL 28-70mm is as simple as it gets and once the camera is set up it becomes an extension of the photographer's vision.

 

Leica Vario-Elmarit-SL 28-70mm f/2.8 Performance

At 28mm central sharpness is excellent from f/2.8 to f/8, very good at f/11 and f/16 and fair at f/22. The edges are fair at f/2.8, very good from f/4 to f/8, good at f/11 and fair at f/16 and f/22.

At 50mm, central sharpness is excellent at f/2.8, outstanding at f/4, excellent at f/5.6 and f/8, very good at f/11 and f/16 and fair at f/22. The edges are excellent from f/2.8 to f/8, very good at f/11, good at f/16 and fair at f/22.

At 70mm, central sharpness is very good at f/2.8 and f/4, excellent at f/5.6 and f/8, very good at f/11 and f/16 and fair at f/22. The edges are very good from f/2.8 right through to f/11, good at f/16 and fair at f/22.

The longer focal lengths clearly even out the sharpness centre and edge and the standard overall is very satisfactory.

 

Leica Vario-Elmarit-SL 28-70mm f/2.8 MTF Charts Previous Next

How to read our MTF charts

The blue column represents readings from the centre of the picture frame at the various apertures and the green is from the edges.

For this review, the lens was tested on a Leica SL3 using Imatest. Want to know more about how we review lenses?

 

CA (Chromatic Aberration) is held to very low levels, especially at the centre, and is also well under control at the edges. There is little sign of colour fringing, even with severe subjects.

Distortion is very close to zero, measuring -0.02% barrel at 28mm, +0.05% pincushion at 50mm and +0.25% pincushion at 70mm.

 

Leica Vario-Elmarit-SL 28-70mm f/2.8 Chromatic Aberration Charts Previous Next

How to read our CA charts

Chromatic aberration (CA) is the lens' inability to focus on the sensor or film all colours of visible light at the same point. Severe chromatic aberration gives a noticeable fringing or a halo effect around sharp edges within the picture. It can be cured in software.

Apochromatic lenses have special lens elements (aspheric, extra-low dispersion etc) to minimize the problem, hence they usually cost more.

For this review, the lens was tested on a Leica SL3 using Imatest.

 

Bokeh is smooth and shows good gradation in the out of focus areas. This results in a great backdrop for portraits and flower studies in particular, but of course for any subject that is required to stand out in front of a defocused background.

Flare is minimal, with only very slight tendency to create artefacts. Even the most severe lighting is handled well.

 

Leica Vario-Elmarit-SL 28-70mm f/2.8 Sample Photos Previous Next

 

Leica Vario-Elmarit-SL 28-70mm f/2.8 Aperture range Previous Next

You can view additional images in the Equipment Database, where you can add your own reviews, photos and product ratings.

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Value For Money

The [AMUK]Leica Vario-Elmarit-SL 28-70mm f/2.8 ASPH|Leica+Vario-Elmarit-SL+28-70mm+f/2.8+ASPH[/AMUK] lens is priced at £1650.00

Extending that range brings in:

• [AMUK]Leica Vario-Elmarit-SL 24-70mm f/2.8 ASPH|Leica+Vario-Elmarit-SL+24-70mm+f/2.8+ASPH[/AMUK], £2390

There are also three possible Sigma alternatives:

• [AMUK]Sigma 28-105mm f/2.8 DG DN Art|Sigma+28-105mm+f/2.8+DG+DN+Art[/AMUK], £1399
• [AMUK]Sigma 28-70mm f/2.8 DG DN II Art|Sigma+28-70mm+f/2.8+DG+DN+II+Art[/AMUK], £1129
• [AMUK]Sigma 28-70mm f/2.8 DG DN Contemporary|Sigma+28-70mm+f/2.8+DG+DN+Contemporary[/AMUK], £779

Leica has a premium price, but not excessively so and it does deserve its Leica heritage in terms of quality.

 

 

Leica Vario-Elmarit-SL 28-70mm f/2.8 Verdict

Leica quality at more realistic price levels can be an attractive proposition, and here we have a very, very good lens that should give many years of excellent service. The price is not excessively high so it is in line with other quality marques.

The lens is simple in terms of handling and is a pleasure to use. The images look great, the only slight downside being a slightly weaker performance at 28mm at the edges. Being aware of the optimum apertures to use, this need not be a deal breaker, but a stronger edge performance would lift the lens into a higher category.

In summary, a very likeable and easy to handle lens that delivers great images and can be Recommended.

 

Leica Vario-Elmarit-SL 28-70mm f/2.8 Pros

• Very Good to Excellent sharpness
• Fast f/2.8 constant aperture
• Well controlled CA
• Very low distortion
• Very good flare resistance
• Weather resistance
• Close focusing
• Excellent AF performance

Leica Vario-Elmarit-SL 28-70mm f/2.8 Cons

• Lens hood slightly fiddly to insert
• Moderately high price
• Slightly weaker edges at 28mm

 

[REVIEW_FOOTER]R_features=4|R_handling=4.5|R_performance=4.5|R_value=4|R_overall=4|A_level=4|A_text=Recommended – A likeable and easy to use lens that delivers great images|E_id=8027[/REVIEW_FOOTER]

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