Lensbusters.com

Recently, I bought a Sony a7r IV. The main reason was for stock photography. The high resolution along with improved focusing and biggish buffer would allow me to make better people (and other) stock photos for my various stock endeavors.  The Sony system has treated me well. I own two A7r II's for stock and other work, and two a6500's for event photography. The A7r II's aren't ideal for events for a couple reasons. The focus tracking is pretty good, but maybe not enough for fast paced people on stage. Another reason is that silent shooting is only available on single shot mode. And (admittedly a first world problem,) the files are much bigger than needed. Well, the last problem, too big files isn't an issue with the A7rIV if you use it in APS-c mode. The files are effectively the same size as the a6500: 24 mp. Focus with the IV is even faster and more effective than the very capable a6500. And with those smaller files, the IV has no problem with buffer overflow. So

To UV, or not to UV, that is the question. When acquiring a new lens, many folks will buy a “clear” filter to protect the front surface. The most common type of filter is a “UV” filter that appears to human eyes to be clear.  There’s some controversy about how such a filter affects image quality. Theoretically, the more glass surfaces the more problems they can cause. But in practice does that really matter? I have a newish Tamron 17-28mm lens for my Sony E-mount cameras. It’s a nice lens. Thus far my only complaint is the lack of a lens correction profile for Photoshop and Lightroom, though I’m sure it’s in the works. I hadn’t yet purchased a protective filter. Today I was digging through a bag of free filters and noticed a vintage Vivitar Skylight 1a filter. My guess is this filter was made in the 1970’s or 80’s. It does not have multicoating and has a slightly warm cast to it. Voila, I have a filter to test! In fact this test is ideal, because the filter itse

Recently I unearthed my (original version?) Metabones Speed Booster. For those not familiar, this adapter is a revolutionary idea that takes full frame lenses and reduces the magnification and image circle to match smaller sensor sizes. They also have the added benefit of increasing the effective aperture. In my case I'm taking Canon EF mount lenses and using them on my Sony e-mount mirrorless cameras. So one amazing feature of digital photography is the ability of software to correct lens defects. In fact profiles either built in or custom made exist for many lenses that correct for geometric distortion (pincushion or barrel distortion), chromatic aberration and vignetting. I rely on those corrections now. And it occurred to me, how do profiles work when using the "Speed Booster"? There's glass in there, clearly there's going to be some different defects than the primary lens on its own. Does the profile for the primary lens apply at all when using the "