Articles by Chris Niccolls at PetaPixel https://petapixel.com/author/chrisniccolls/ Photography and Camera News, Reviews, and Inspiration Fri, 08 Mar 2024 19:43:42 +0000 en-US hourly 1 191656271 Canon RF 100-300mm f/2.8 L Review: Expensive, Exclusive, Exceptional https://petapixel.com/2024/03/09/canon-rf-100-300mm-f-2-8-l-review-expensive-exclusive-exceptional/ Sat, 09 Mar 2024 15:01:26 +0000 https://petapixel.com/?p=731464 Canon rf100-300mm f/2.8 review

For decades, professional photographers have been using the pairing of a 70-200mm f/2.8 and a 300mm f/2.8 to achieve their telephoto goals. Canon introduced the RF 100-300mm f/2.8 L IS USM recently and it just about covers the range of both those lenses. But is it as good?

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Leica SL3 Initial Review: L-Mount’s Best High-Res Option… For Now https://petapixel.com/2024/03/07/leica-sl3-initial-review-first-impressions/ Thu, 07 Mar 2024 14:01:03 +0000 https://petapixel.com/?p=731167 Leica SL3 Hands On initial review initial impressions

The Leica SL3 is the latest entry in the high-megapixel camera arena and the first for L-mount in some time. I was excited to get it in my hands, even if it was still in the pre-production phase.

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Panasonic 28-200mm f/4-7.1 Macro OIS Review: A Super Small Superzoom https://petapixel.com/2024/03/02/panasonic-28-200mm-f-4-7-1-macro-ois-review-a-super-small-superzoom/ Sat, 02 Mar 2024 15:01:44 +0000 https://petapixel.com/?p=730115 Panasonic 28-200mm review

It's been a hot minute since I've played with a true superzoom, so I was unusually excited to see how Panasonic's new compact 28-200mm f/4-7.1 -- the L-mount's first all-in-one zoom lens -- performed.

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Sigma 15mm f/1.4 DG DN Art Review: Wide, Weird, and Wonderful https://petapixel.com/2024/02/27/sigma-15mm-f-1-4-dg-dn-art-review-wide-weird-and-wonderful/ Tue, 27 Feb 2024 15:00:29 +0000 https://petapixel.com/?p=729341 Sigma diagonal fisheye review

It’s not often that I get to review a lens that the world has never seen before. I’ve reviewed plenty of f/1.4 lenses and I’ve reviewed the occasional 15mm fisheye, but a 15mm diagonal fisheye with an f/1.4 maximum aperture is a first for me.

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Sony FE 24-50mm f/2.8 G Review: A Solution in Search of a Problem https://petapixel.com/2024/02/21/sony-fe-24-50mm-f-2-8-g-review/ Wed, 21 Feb 2024 15:00:45 +0000 https://petapixel.com/?p=727897 Sony FE 24-50mm f/2.8 G Review

When it comes to general-purpose standard zooms, Sony has you covered. With some classic choices like 24-70mm f/2.8 G Master II and 24-105mm f/4 G or the unique Sony FE 20-70mm f/4, there is something for everyone. However, Sony decided to go even further and add the brand new FE 24-50mm f/2.8 G to its growing collection. The idea is to have a more affordable and compact lens alternative to the expensive 24-70mm GM while still having a fast f/2.8 aperture, albeit with a reduced zoom range. I got my hands on one to try, and here is what I found.

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Sigma 500mm f/5.6 DG DN Sport Review: The Perfect Telephoto? https://petapixel.com/2024/02/20/sigma-500mm-f-5-6-dg-dn-sport-review-the-perfect-telephoto/ Wed, 21 Feb 2024 01:00:35 +0000 https://petapixel.com/?p=727474 Sigma 500mm Review

When I heard about the latest Sigma lens, the 500mm f/5.6 DG DN Sport, I wanted to revisit the Yamnuska Wolfdog Sanctuary. The new lens sounded ideal because it is unobtrusive, lightweight enough to handhold easily, and has the reach to capture these elusive Wolfdogs in their natural surroundings.

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Fujifilm X100VI Hands-On: It’s Nearly Everything We Wanted https://petapixel.com/2024/02/19/fujifilm-x100vi-hands-on-its-nearly-everything-we-wanted/ Tue, 20 Feb 2024 06:01:36 +0000 https://petapixel.com/?p=727832 Fujifilm X100VI hands on

I'm gonna let you in on a dirty little secret of mine: I never liked the original Fujifilm X100. When it first came out, I was -like many others- enamored by the beautiful styling, but the operation of the camera just never gelled with me. The rather boring -- in my opinion -- 35mm lens didn't help things either. It wasn't until I played with the newly designed X100V that I had my aha moment, and realized the appeal of this camera.

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Canon RF 24-105mm f/2.8 L Z Review: The Best Do-It-All Lens https://petapixel.com/2024/02/15/canon-rf-24-105mm-f-2-8-l-z-review-the-best-do-it-all-lens/ Thu, 15 Feb 2024 15:01:24 +0000 https://petapixel.com/?p=726967 Canon RF 24-105mm f/2.8 review

We've seen 24-105mm lens formulas before and we have seen f/2.8 zooms, too. However, we have never seen the two combined, and it's about time.

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OM System OM-1 II Review: Could This Have Been a Firmware Update? https://petapixel.com/2024/02/06/om-system-om-1-ii-review-could-this-have-been-a-firmware-update/ Tue, 06 Feb 2024 15:01:49 +0000 https://petapixel.com/?p=725605 OM-1 Mark II Review

When OM Digital Solutions purchased, and thereby saved, Olympus' incredible photographic history and slate of digital cameras from the brink of collapse in 2021, there were many questions about what would happen to the Olympus Micro Four Thirds system. OM answered these concerns the following year with the OM System OM-1 camera, the most impressive Micro Four Thirds camera ever released at the time.

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The Battle of the Big Three: Which Smartphone Delivers the Best Images? https://petapixel.com/2024/01/30/the-battle-of-the-big-three-which-smartphone-delivers-the-best-images/ Tue, 30 Jan 2024 15:03:43 +0000 https://petapixel.com/?p=724773 Best Smartphone for photography comparison

With the recent release of the Samsung S24 Ultra, North America now has three premium-priced phones that happen to compete in a very similar way against each other. The Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max, Google Pixel 8 Pro, and Samsung S24 Ultra, all have state-of-the-art displays, HDR-compliant photos and videos, and a 5X telephoto lens to compliment the main and ultra-wide cameras.

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The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Review for Photographers https://petapixel.com/2024/01/20/the-samsung-galaxy-s24-ultra-review-for-photographers/ Sat, 20 Jan 2024 22:54:24 +0000 https://petapixel.com/?p=723115

Like the majestic Canada Goose, I escaped a particularly brutal winter by flying south. As temperatures back home plummeted to a balmy -40 degrees, my plane landed in San Jose, California. San Jose is the West Coast convention center capital of the tech world, and Samsung was there for the brand new Galaxy S24 series of smartphones.

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The Battle of the 135mm Lenses: Which Lens Takes the Portrait Podium? https://petapixel.com/2024/01/13/the-battle-of-the-135mm-lenses-which-lens-takes-the-portrait-podium/ Sat, 13 Jan 2024 15:01:25 +0000 https://petapixel.com/?p=721975 Nikon vs Canon vs Sony 135mm lenses

The 135mm focal length is one of my favorite portrait ranges due to its compressed rendering of people’s faces, as well as lending itself to stunningly dramatic full-body environmental portraits. Last year saw the release of two new 135mm lenses, one each from Canon and Nikon. Take into account the venerable Sony 135mm G Master and you have all three of the major full-frame mirrorless companies now offering a 135mm f/1.8 lens.

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Reviewing The Forbidden Lenses That Canon Doesn’t Want You to Have https://petapixel.com/2024/01/06/reviewing-the-forbidden-lenses-that-canon-doesnt-want-you-to-have/ Sat, 06 Jan 2024 15:01:32 +0000 https://petapixel.com/?p=720890 Forbidden Canon RF AF lenses.

Many camera manufacturers choose to support, or at least turn a blind eye to, third-party lens makers. Some even wholeheartedly embrace them. However, Canon has infamously taken a stance to deny third-party manufacturers access to its RF mount. The fascinating twist is that many companies were beginning to produce manual and autofocusing lenses before the crack-down, creating an exclusive market of very rare lenses that hit the streets before the curtain fell.

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Best Kit Lenses of All Time: My Five Favorites https://petapixel.com/2023/12/30/best-kit-lenses-of-all-time-my-five-favorites/ Sat, 30 Dec 2023 18:00:42 +0000 https://petapixel.com/?p=720235 Panasonic Leica 12-60mm f/2.8-4 Vario in the field

We all have to start somewhere. For most of us, that means a basic DSLR or mirrorless camera kit with a compact, handy general-purpose zoom lens. Undoubtedly, we can't wait to ditch our basic kit lens for something faster or more versatile. A kit lens is something we feel we need to graduate from to call ourselves an accomplished photographer. But is that really the case? Maybe the humble kit lens has more to offer than we think, so today we will look at our five favorite kit lenses of all time.

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Worse Than a Lump of Coal: A Review of Terrible Gear https://petapixel.com/2023/12/23/worse-than-a-lump-of-coal-a-review-of-terrible-gear-from-wish/ Sat, 23 Dec 2023 15:00:38 +0000 https://petapixel.com/?p=719731 Christmas wishes

Jordan and I were naughty this year and Santa put something in our stocking that was less useful than a lump of coal. Naturally, we decided to review our gifts and see if there was any merit to mass-produced photo gear on the cheap.

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Pentax K-3 III Monochrome: APS-C Becomes Black and White https://petapixel.com/2023/12/19/pentax-k-3-iii-monochrome-aps-c-becomes-black-and-white/ Tue, 19 Dec 2023 15:00:25 +0000 https://petapixel.com/?p=719271

The Pentax K-3 III Monochrome is among the most affordable cameras designed exclusively for black-and-white photography and a very good APS-C DSLR.

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Nikon Z 600mm f/4 S TC VR Review: Can a Lens Be Worth $15,500? https://petapixel.com/2023/12/16/nikon-z-600mm-f-4-s-tc-vr-review-can-a-lens-be-worth-15500/ Sat, 16 Dec 2023 15:01:10 +0000 https://petapixel.com/?p=719042 Nikon 600mm review

In the early summer of 2023, I had an opportunity to play with the soon-to-be-released Nikon Z8. We met up with the Nikon crew in Yellowstone National Park to photograph some wildlife and the good folks at Nikon also had another surprise for us out there.

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Canon RF 10-20mm f/4 L Review: A Full-Frame Favorite Gets Even Wider https://petapixel.com/2023/12/12/canon-rf-10-20mm-f-4-stm-l-review-the-return-of-a-full-frame-favorite/ Tue, 12 Dec 2023 15:01:25 +0000 https://petapixel.com/?p=718287 Canon 10-20mm f4 L lens

The Canon EF 11-24 f/4 L lens was an extremely wide-angle lens that found popularity with DSLR users. Although it could easily be adapted to RF mirrorless cameras, doing so would make its bulky size more cumbersome and it was quite expensive -- but now there is an RF solution.

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Tamron 17-50mm f/4 Di III VXD: Not a Perfect Lens, But Still a Good One https://petapixel.com/2023/12/09/tamron-17-50mm-f-4-di-iii-vxd-not-a-perfect-lens-but-still-a-good-one/ Sat, 09 Dec 2023 15:00:55 +0000 https://petapixel.com/?p=717804 Tamron 17-50mm f:4 Review

Tamron has built a reputation for creating some unique focal ranges. Take, for example, the 35-150mm that recently hit the market and really impressed. What might seem at first to be an odd range can end up being very useful. So the same could be expected of the 17-50mm f/4 Di II VXD, right?

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Phase One XC Review: A Camera in Search of a Photographer https://petapixel.com/2023/12/02/phase-one-xc-review-a-camera-in-search-of-a-photographer/ Sat, 02 Dec 2023 15:01:32 +0000 https://petapixel.com/?p=717216 Phase One XC

The Phase One XC is an unusual camera, and not just because of its $62,490 asking price. It's designed with a specific purpose in mind and it sports a fixed lens in front of a massive 150-megapixel medium format sensor.

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