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This year I was able to photograph the Bristol Renaissance Faire in Wisconsin with my friend's Sony a7R V mirrorless camera. Paired with the Sony 28mm f/2 and 85mm f/1.8 lenses.  My video on YouTube Renaissance fairs are a great option for people interested in photography. You can capture performance artists, intricate props, unique architecture, and many other subjects. I mostly go there to enjoy the time and atmosphere with friends, but it's great to get some photography in as well.  First Impressions: Build and Ergonomics The Sony A7R V stands out for its build quality compared to other Sony cameras like the a6000 and a7S that I currently have. It feels impressively solid and has that professional-grade heft without being overly bulky. Even though it's a high technology camera, it doesn't overwhelm you with its size like cameras with a built-in grip can do. One of my friends trying the camera out. The fully articulating back screen is an ideal design. This setup is ...

In this article I unbox and give first impressions of the Sony 16-70mm F4 OSS Lens from "Used Photo Pro" which is part of Robert's camera based in Indianapolis Indiana.  The lens that I bought from UsedPhotoPro for the video. Check out the full video on YouTube : Unboxing the Lens UsedPhotoPro packed it well with plenty of paper padding, and bubble wrap. The lens itself was wrapped in a plastic bag with a rubber band to hold it flush. No complaints!  The lens and some of the paper packaging below it. First Look at the Lens UPP's "Good" rating details as of the publishing of this article. They had the lens rated as "Good" (75 to 89 percent). The zoom ring feels pretty smooth, but the focus ring is a tiny bit loose. It could be how the lens is normally. Totally fine though I might as well mention it. The lens feels within their rating description.  Worn text "Steady Shot" on the bottom. Non-vital text on the lens is a little worn, which is ...

Let's take a look at the 7Artisans 85mm f/1.8 for Nikon Z-mount and compare it to the official Nikon 85mm f/1.8s lens. 7Artisans sent me this lens, but had to agree to my collaboration terms . They had no say in any content I produced and were not allowed to preview anything. My  full video on YouTube Build Quality and Features The 7Artisans lens comes with a metal casing and a metal mount. It also has a USB port in the mount for potential future firmware updates. The Nikon lens is on the left. It's got a manual focus ring, an aperture ring, and a focus mode switch. The Nikon lens doesn't have an aperture ring. The official Nikon lens and the 7Artisans lens together. It also has a custom button on the side, which the Nikon lens lacks. One option I tried out is to assign the "My Menu" setting on my camera so you can quickly jump to a list of user selected camera settings. It's pretty convenient! Using the custom button on the lens. How to change the setting on...

Viltrox asked me if I wanted to take a look at this unique compact autofocus full-frame prime lens with a focal length of 28mm and a fixed f/4.5 aperture for Sony E-mount cameras. Viltrox agreed to my standard collaboration terms before sending me the lens.    In the video I talk about features, how it works in practice, and show photos I had taken on a photo walk with the Sony a7S as well as the APS-C a6000.   The front of the lens. Check out my newer article where i take the lens on a photowalk with the Sony ZV-E10 camera. Key Specifications: Focal length: 28mm Aperture: constant f/4.5 Field of view: 73.42 degrees on full-frame Lens elements: 6 total (2 ED low-dispersion, 2 aspherical) Focal range: 0.32m to infinity Magnification: 0.11x Focus motor: VCM type Weight: Approximately 60g Size: 60.3mm x 15.3mm Port: USB-C for potential future firmware updates The back of the lens. Take note of the USB-C port for potential firmware updates. Build Quality & Design: The b...