steveTQP

Greetings! Though I certainly agree that, in general, as it applies to tripods, "you get what you pay for", several years back, with pockets not quite deep enough for the premium Gitzo, RRS, FLM,...

Hi Camillo. "Better IQ" in what way? I have read that all of the Nikkor S lenses outperform the Nikkor F equivalents, so was surprised by this comment. Thank you.

While I can see that the RRS is a quality tripod, I too, found a much less expensive Chinese brand called Leofoto, that makes an Amazing travel tripod (both Aluminum and Carbon Fiber versions) AND...

While I certainly admire PD for high-quality on their products, and own a few, i.e., shoulder and wrist straps, I always wondered why, if I'm not mistaken, this PD tripod head has no provision for...

Hi Jose. While I agree with your comment about restrictions on tripod use, may I add another reason for them...focus stacking (or, in Nikon's parlance, Focus Shift Shooting). Though I do this...

Points taken, @sirhawkeye64. Since I don't generally "use" the center column anyway, as my tripods do come to the correct (usable) height without any center column extension, perhaps I will...

@lokatz and @sirhawkeye64, I understand your points about the center column adding one "moving part" to the mix. Maybe I'm just lucky with the particular tripods I've used over the years, (Gitzo,...

HI Lokatz. Yes, I agree about those tests showing vibration and sharpness effects of raising the center column, however I think that many of them show the column raised to (or near) FULL height....

Greetings. Regarding the comment about a center column introducing a "huge stability disadvantage", may I state that this only applies when a center column is raised SUBSTANTIALLY. when I use a...

Being Zeiss, I have no doubt that the image quality obtained is excellent, but IMHO the ergonomics and features leave much to be desired. Zeiss, stick with what you know best…Lenses!!

Hi Borami. I too, agree that one cannot tell how truly sharp this lens is, based on these random images. Please refer to my earlier post. As for the Z System in general though, I’ve been most...

IMHO, what would more clearly demonstrate the sharpness of this lens would be a side-by-side controlled image comparison between it and the known sharpest macros, I.e., the Sony GM 105, Tamron 90,...

Well, regarding manual focus on this lens, I would hope that Nikon makes use of the much larger Focus Ring for that, rather than the narrower Control Ring. Currently I use the very sharp Laowa 100 ...

Yes, I would first try setting aperture, but since there are several allowable options, it will come down to what works best with your style of photography. In any case, good luck with that lens! ...

Hi Shaun. You want a macro that goes to 2:1? Aside from the short focus throw, and all MF, I can recommend checking out the Laowa 100 f/2.8 CA-Dreamer Ultra-Macro lens for the Nikon Z Mount. When...

Nice comparison, and really no surprise on the conclusion, as the Fujifilm X-System is their main "focus", and their equally superb MF GFX System is also expanding, and recognized as a superior...

Hi Sylverphoto. Not sure about that new 50, but I have the Z Nikkor S 50 f/1.8, and not only does it seem very well-built, but it's the sharpest dang lens I've ever used in 45 years of photography!...

As a user of the Laowa 100 f/2.8 Ultra Macro with a Nikon Z7, while it has proven to be indeed, ULTRA-sharp, I find that the Focus "throw" is quite short, making it a bit time-consuming to achieve...

Ah yes, I too, have the Laowa 100 f/2.8 CA-Dreamer Ultra-Macro lens on a Z7. While that combination is indeed Ultra-sharp, I find that the Laowa lens is a bit hard to achieve critical focus where...

Nice comments, Jay and awy. As for the Laowa 100 f/2.8 CA Dreamer Ultra-Macro, yes, it get you 2x ratio, and is ultra-sharp too. However, it’s a MF lens with an irritatingly short focus throw,...