Equipment Archives

Best Camera for Street Photography 2022

Which is the best camera for street photography 2022?

I have been using my mirrorless Canon EOS R with a 35mm lens for street photography for a couple of years. It is quite discreet and certainly smaller than most DSLRs. However, I want a camera that is even less intrusive to document this phase in our lives of lockdowns and pandemics.

These notes document my personal search for the best street camera available now. Hopefully, they will be of value to other street photographers

What Type of Camera for Street Photography 2022

To start I am dismissing DSLR’s because they are too big and bulky. They also make you look like a professional photographer. Those people who notice you wonder if you are from the press, or maybe you are someone in authority. You are not going to fade into the background with a camera and lens that is worth thousands of pounds.

I don’t want a big camera but I don’t want a very small camera. So small that the settings are fiddly to find. Again this just draws attention to yourself.

There is a lot of discussion as to whether a telephoto lens works in street photography. My view would be definitely not. If you are using a long lens to photograph people in an urban setting you are a sniper not a street photographer.

Furthermore, a telephoto means that it takes longer to compose the shot and then it’s gone. Much better to use a wide angle lens and then crop during post. That means a big sensor! It also means preferably a full frame sensor to take advantage of the increased dynamic range required to draw out detail especially in low light.

A tilting LCD screen is also useful, but preferably it is handy to learn how to shoot without looking through the viewfinder or down at the screen. Another reason for cropping in post.

Wide angle lenses also add so much more emotion and drama as shown in the image above. This picture was taken during the Covid lockdown in the UK, close up with a 35mm lens.

Phone cameras are ideal for street work, but the small 12MP sensor restricts how the image can be cropped. I also want the control of RAW. Especially when converting an image to monochrome.

Conclusion

The camera should be small and unobtrusive but not too small. It should have a big full frame sensor and a fixed prime 35 or 28mm lens.

Which Cameras Are in the Frame for Street Photography

It is surprising that there are only three cameras

Leica Q2

Leica Q2 Street Photography Camera Choice

Obviously, Leica is in the frame. It has been the street camera of choice since Cartier Bresson and is the camera chosen by the master street photographer Joel Meyerowitz

The Leica Q2 is a compact camera with a fixed 28mm lens and a whopping 47.3 MP full-frame sensor. The full spec’ is here.

In a review, the DPReview gave the camera a gold award.

The Leica Q2 is nearly as competent as a fixed-lens digital camera can be. It’s built very well, it handles very well, it’s capable of excellent image quality and it’s a joy to use. We wish Leica would address the lackluster JPEGs, but the Raw files are excellent. It all comes at a price, of course, but the Q2 really is a wonderfully engaging photographic tool that will appeal to photographers of all kinds.
DPReview

However, the Leica Q is priced at an amount that I just could not justify: £4500 / $5695. I also feel that I would be being a tiny bit showy offy, buying a camera with that red dot.

Fujifilm X100V

The Fujifilm X100V is a real contender for Best Camera for Street Photography. If you hold the camera in your hands it just has the feel of real quality.

It is quite heavy. All the vintage looking dials are sturdy and beautifully machined. The grip is sure and secure without being oversized, and you feel that you could easily spend several hours walking the streets with this camera.

This is the spec’ for the Fujifilm X100V:

26.1 МР Ѕеnѕоr
Х-Тrаnѕ СМОЅ APS-C sensor
Fіхеd 23mm lеnѕ (35mm еquіvаlеnt)
Аdvаnсеd Нуbrіd Vіеwfіndеr (ОVF & ЕVF)
Тwо-wау 3″ tіltіng LСD tоuсh ѕсrееn
Vеrѕаtіlе аnd соmрасt
17 Сlаѕѕіс Fuјіfіlm fіlm ѕіmulаtіоn mоdеѕ
Вluеtооth аnd Wі-Fі соnnесtіvіtу

Price: £1299 / $1399

DPReview also award this camera gold.

The X100V is an engaging, well-built camera that produces beautiful images, has best-in-class video, excellent autofocus and optional weather-sealing. Meaningful updates like a tilting touchscreen, updated viewfinder and redesigned lens have us largely looking past its imperfections. Assuming you like the 35mm-equivalent focal length, it makes a strong case as a photographer’s carry-everywhere compact that’s good for all kinds of photography.
DPReview

The APS-C sensor does not fit the ideal profile, but reviewers assure us of beautiful RAW images

This may be unfair but there are still doubts about whether Fujifilm RAW files can be processed successfully in Lightroom and Photoshop. I have come up against this problem before albeit on older Fujifilm cameras.

Fujifilm camera owners recommend that RAW files are processed in Capture 1 but you may not want to change your workflow.

Ricoh GRIII

This camera has cult status. It is small, it does not have a viewfinder, but it has a zen like quality and is built for street photography. There is even a street photography version of the camera.

There is a front rubberised grip and the magnesium body feels sturdy and purposeful. The matt black look is very discreet.

There is autofocus but to make focussing even more instant for street photographers there is a version of zone focusing. This allows you to pre-set a focusing distance to which the camera automatically ‘snaps’ at a full shutter button press. It can also be set up to work at the touch of the rear screen.

Recently Ricoh have launched the GRIIIx which has a 40mm lens. This is better for street portraits whilst the 28mm remains better for urban scenes

This is the spec for the Ricoh GRIII

8.3mm f2.8 lеnѕ (28mm іn thе 35mm fоrmаt)
APS-C 24.24 МP Ѕеnѕоr
Ніgh-ѕрееd аutоfосuѕ ореrаtіоn uѕіng а hуbrіd АF ѕуѕtеm
3-Ахіѕ shаkе rеduсtіоn sуѕtеm
Соmрасt аnd ruggеd dеѕіgn. Ѕuреrb іmаgе quаlіtу аnd роrtаbіlіtу
Fast ѕtаrt-uр tіmе оf аррrох. 0.8 ѕесѕ
3.0″ LСD mоnіtоr wіth quick tоuсh-ѕсrееn ореrаtіоn
Price £799 / $936

DPReview gave this camera a silver award.

If you shoot street, documentary, or just want a genuinely pocketable travel camera with excellent image quality, and if you can afford the admission price, just buy one!
Fred Abery Petapixel

The downsides are no viewfinder, no flippy screen and the battery life is only around 200 shots.

However, it is the minimal aesthetic and the quality of the images that make this camera so special. Special enough to have a fanatical following including the renown Japanese photographer Daido Moriyama and German freelance photographer Samuel Lintaro Hopf, who has used Ricoh since 2013.

Then there are the GRists. Go over to their community webpage and suck up the vibes, and dont tell me you dont want one.

The Best Street Camera for 2022

So where does that leave us with fixed lens compact cameras which are so right for street photography?

Well, for most camera makers their attention is elsewhere, concentrating on mirrorless cameras. Compact cameras have largely been replaced by mobile phones. The compact cameras that remain are aimed at the travel market with catch-all mega zoom lenses.

So well done to Leica, Fujifilm and Ricoh who have stuck with the tradition of the street camera. This stretches back to the 1930s and Brassai, Cartier-Bresson, and Helen Levitt and now thanks to them, proudly continues into 2022.

Canon R5 Reviews: 5 Things We Learnt

by John Gough

Reviewers are finally getting their hands on the EOS R5, the new mirrorless full frame flagship from Canon. The Canon R5 reviews are just beginning to come in (August 2020), following the release of production versions at the end of July.

We knew a lot of stuff about this camera and its sibling the Canon EOS R6 from the drip drip of information from sites like CanonRumours. Then there was the big Canon specification reveal earlier in the month, where the mind blowing features of this camera were fully revealed.

Ken Rockwell describes the full specification here.

So what have we learnt from reviewers putting the R5 through its paces in real world situations?

Canon EOS R5 Does Not Catch Fire

When we reviewed the spec’ of the Canon EOS R vs R5 vs R6 we suspected that the much trailed 8K video could cause the camera to overheat, and surprise surprise it is true.

Well sort of.

There are endless vlogs out there discussing whether the R5 overheats when shooting 8K video.

Tony Northrup got heated about the issue in this video

However, it was followed by a disclaimer in this video, because it turns out that it was the CFexpress card that was to blame?

This article from canonwatch confirms there is no issue. Personally, I think it is irrelevant. The only time I would be likely to use 8K video, would be if I caught sight of a unicorn.

The video from Tony Northrop, however, does confirm that the quality of the 45MP sensor on the R5 blows the competition out of the water. Especially at low light and in terms of dynamic range.

Talking of water.

Weather Sealing: How Good is Good?

Weather sealing is too often taken for granted. We are told the weather sealing on the R5 is good, but how good? There should be a weather sealing standard. Then we could properly compare cameras and lenses.

However, this video from the excellent Chris Niccolls at DP Review describes that the weather sealing on the R5 is equivalent to the Canon EOS 5D IV. Now that is good. The 5D IV should represent the gold standard. I have friends who are landscape photographers who stand out in all weathers with their trusty 5D IV. I have yet to hear any complaints.

Of course, Chris has not tested the camera in a shower, but then it does cost over £4000.

Shoot 8K Video Stills

We thought it was theoretically possible to get decent still pictures from a burst of 8K video, but Digital Camera has proved that on the Canon EOS R5 it really works.

Not much has been said about the Frame Grab function. but on the R5 it is possible to flip through the 8K footage in camera. Highlight the frame required. Then select and produce a 35MP image.

Digital Camera was very impressed with the quality of the image. The downside is that it is a JPG, so there are not the opportunities to process shadows and highlights in post.

There are not yet any Canon R5 reviews that demonstrate this feature working. However, it is important because this could fundamentally change photography in the future.

Imagine a time when photographers use video stills rather than photographed stills. Imagine a time when an AI algorithm selects the video still on your behalf.

The R5: Balanced on a Gimbal

The in body stabilisation (IBIS) on the R5 has been tested and applauded by many reviewers. IBIS works with lens optical stabilisation to achieve 8 stops (Canon claim). Testers have found that although it may be difficult to achieve that exact spec’, the system works well. Down to 1/4 of a second they say.

To see how well. The gimbal comment came from this video from no life

Shoot Like a Wildlife Photographer

It goes without saying that the R5 autofocus has face and eye detection. Afterall that is available on the Canon EOS R (with the latest firmware upgrade).

Animal eye detection, however, is a whole new ball game. Canon has used Deep Learning to ‘train’ an algorithm how to recognise animal eyes,

“It’s been taught,” explains Mike Burnhill, technical support manager for Canon Europe. “You put it into a computer, it creates the algorithm that’s then loaded into the camera. So it’s different from AI – AI is a continual learning; deep learning is basically, it teaches itself, and gives you an end result that is then loaded into the camera.”

The result has been tested by Jared Polin at FroKnowsPhoto.

This amazing video demonstrates how the R5 can track and lock on to an animal eyeball It is truly incredible. I have seen a video with it working on fish!

What’s Next?

This camera is a bridge between the mirror up traditional DSLR and mirrorless cameras. Canon obviously see their future as mirrorless. They will not want to continue to develop both systems.

The R5 will tick most boxes for most professionals, and Canon will want to see them beginning to make the transition. As professionals change, the enthusiast market will follow.

This is an important camera for Canon.

Canon RF 24-240mm Lens Review

by John Gough

This is a review of the Canon RF 24-240mm lens. It is a true and accurate reflection of using my own lens in the field over several weeks.

Disclaimer

Let’s get one thing clear. I am reviewing a lens that I bought here in the UK. I have not been given the lens to review and I have not been on some Canon junket to write about the lens. This is my honest view.

Research on the Canon RF 24-240mm Lens

A big part of the fun of buying any photography equipment is the research before you buy. I shared my research on these pages both here and here.

Venice

I recently went to Venice which is a photographers paradise. I was shooting landscape and people. Although I took other lenses with me, the Canon RF 24-240 lens remained on my camera for most of the trip.

The flexibility of 24mm to a whopping 240mm is a joy. There is no thought that you may miss a shot because you don’t have the right lens. Just relax into shooting, confident that when the opportunity arises the lens can cope.

Quality of the Images

This is not an L lens so some photographers may worry that it is not top quality. In my view that may have been a problem in the past with the old EF mount. The new RF mount seems to have allowed Canon designers more flexibility to produce a better quality lens to fit the guide price. If this lens produces brilliant quality and it does, the RF L lenses are no doubt phenomenal.

However, I am not about to spend £2600 on a Canon RF 70-200mm F2.8L IS USM. When I could have three Canon RF 24-240mm lenses for the same price.

Restorante Pizzeria / John Gough / Canon EOS R

The image above is an example of the image quality. Taken at f9 at 1/1600 sec. It is possible to read the headlines on the gentleman’s newspaper and the papers in the shop doorway.

Minimum Aperture on the Canon RF 24-240mm lens

The minimum aperture on this lens is f4-6.3, which I imagined would be an issue. However, the image stabilisation on this lens more than offset that concern immediately. Canon claim it is five stops.

Gondolas Venice / John Gough / Canon EOS R

The image above was captured at 0.6 seconds in the early morning. There is no shake visible.

Distortion and Vignetting

Distortion and vignetting are apparent on this lens and was certainly a reason for some reviewers to unfairly criticise the lens. In my view, lens distortion is not a problem. As I wrote in an earlier post here.

Superzoom lenses are fantastically convenient, but notoriously difficult to build. As a result Canon have taken a leaf out of Apple, Samsung and Hauwie’s playbook and made a good lens a great lens with the addition of sophisticated algorithms.

As shown above, the RAW image is corrected perfectly in Lightroom. Just remember to include in presets or build into a workflow. The in-camera software will automatically do the same for JPEG images.

Usability

The lens is light considering the amount of glass at just 750g and feels well balanced on the R. It is plastic but feels solid and the zoom ring is smooth in operation.

The zoom ring can double as a control ring using a switch on the side of the lens. The control ring is one of my favourite features of the RF system. I set mine to exposure compensation.

Focussing with the silent Nano USM motor is fast. I did not experience any hunting.

It would be useful if the lens was weatherproofed.

Conclusion

As a street and urban photographer, this lens is perfect for wandering the streets and capturing people and situations. When you get to work with a 10x zoom, you have got to ask yourself, ‘Is it really worth carrying a bag of expensive lenses with you?’

This is not just a travel lens it is an everyday lens. I know I use it every day.

USA

Camera Wrist Strap

I have avoided dropping my camera so many times using a simple inexpensive wrist strap like this one. Cameras and expensive lenses do not bounce!

USA

Canon RF 35mm f1.8 IS Macro Review

by John Gough

Canon RF 35mm f1.8 IS Macro

The Canon RF 35mm f1.8 IS Macro is an important lens. It is the first non L lens for the Canon EOS R mirrorless line up. There was some derision when Canon introduced the initial lens line up for these cameras. They were big, bulky, heavy and very expensive. The RF 50mm f1.2, for example, weighs 950 g, does not have image stabilization and costs a whopping £2349. It is however by all accounts a brilliant lens.

That is why the RF 35mm is such an important lens. Small and light, with IS it costs £519. Hopefully, it is the start of a line of affordable lenses for these cameras. With the launch of the Canon EOS RP, a full frame mirrorless camera for just £1399 body only. Canon is signalling its intention of overlapping into the Fujifilm and Olympus space. To do this effectively it needs lenses that are fabulous and that cost hundreds not thousands.

Ken Rockwell Review

So how good is this Canon RF 35mm.

Ken Rockwell who to me is the ultimate reviewer said:

“This lens does many things and does them all well. It shows that Canon is really on the ball; this is a very innovative lens different from all the others.

It’s a little lens with big performance”.

That’s enough for me, this lens is good. Read his review here.

Real Life Review

So what is it like in real life? I headed to Castle Ashby Gardens in Northamptonshire to find out. These are all JPEGs straight from the camera.

Landscape

A 35mm lens is ideal for landscape….

Landscape

Street Photography

…and street photography. Well sort of.

Street Photography

Image Stabilization

Image stabilization is 5 stops. This image was taken at 1/13th second, hand held. Looks sharp enough to me. There were critics who complained that the EOS R did not have in body stabilization, but the lens stabilization here is pretty phenomenal.

Image Stabilization

Bokeh

The bokeh on this lens is soft and dreamy, and the image as sharp as a pencil.

Bokeh

Macro

With a maximum magnification of 0.5x, you can fill the frame with spring blossom, and wallow in the fine detail.

Macro

What is There not to Like

The lens is made of plastic, but it feels solid. A perfect partner with the Canon EOS R and RP

There is no lens hood. Buy one here at Amazon. I bought this one.

Conclusion

The new RF mount will enable new innovative lenses from Canon. The reduction in the flange distance between the sensor and the lens should mean that the new RF L lenses will be superb, and the non L lenses as proved by this lens will be great.

Could it be that in future a non L RF lens will be as good as a Canon EF L lens? I look forward to the technical comparisons.

Where I Buy

I buy my equipment from Wex because of their exceptional customer service. I once returned a camera after 30 days, and the next day they called to return my money to my account. Their prices are always competitive and they offer good prices on the trade in of your used gear

Sony a7000 Rumours

by John Gough

Sony a6300 with Sony Vario-Tessar T E 16-70mm F4 ZA OSS

Sony a7000. Will it look the same as the a6000 series?

We don’t know what it is going to be called, there are rumours that it could be a Sony a7000. However, speculation is growing that after Photokina, which ends in Cologne on the 29^th September, and before the PhotoPlus EXPO in late October 2018. Sony will announce an APS-C camera that is a ‘mini A9’. So a small light weight high spec’ camera with world class technology.

The Mirrorless Market

The camera world has been focussed on full frame cameras, with the launch of the Canon EOS R and the Nikon Z (pronounced like pee). However, they are following the lead of Sony with the launch of the groundbreaking Sony a7III. It is interesting that the narrative around mirrorless cameras has been changing. We have commented before that Canon and Nikon have launched big mirrorless cameras, and the ethos of small, light and portable had been lost. Instead, the excuse for big mirrorless cameras is that they are the platform for future advances in technology. Faster burst rates, closer integration with video, information packed viewfinders and subject tracking AF. What if Sony could pack all that technology into a small package Sony a7000?

So congratulations to Fujifilm in keeping the same form factor with the launch of XT-3, a small camera bursting with technology, which can be partnered with small high quality lenses.

Whereas we once saw the APS-C market declining as consumers moved to full frame, perhaps Sony see an opportunity with the Sony a7000, to create sophisticated cameras that will appeal to those that are more used to their phone, rather than a camera the size of a handbag.

A ‘mini a9’

By creating a flagship ‘mini a9’ with an APS-C sensor, which sat on top of the a6000 series. Sony would have created a unique range. Nikon and Canon would have nothing that could compete. So where do they go? Leave the market to Fujifilm, Olympus and Sony? Or as they have done recently, rush out their own models?

Sony is out for domination. In the mirrorless space, it looks as though they are going for a pincer movement

Where I Buy

I buy my equipment from Wex because I have genuinely found that they offer great advice and customer service.

Sony A7 III with Canon Lenses

by John Gough

Sigma MC II Mount Canon Lens to Sony E Mount

Following on from our review of the new Sony A7 III vs the Canon 6D II, it is so apparent that the Sony A7 III is a far more featured camera for the same original retail price as the Canon. So why if you had the choice would you go for the Canon instead?

One good reason is that the 6D II price is now falling faster than a Sumo’s jock strap. In the UK it can be bought at Wex for £1728 less £100 when using a Canon voucher. On the grey market, it is around £1169. In our review, we thought that was great value even for a flawed camera.

Another reason for sticking with Canon may be that you are not yet happy about moving to mirrorless.

Mirrorless or CSC cameras are lighter and smaller and so much easier to travel with. However, when you add big glass, that can add a lot of weight and reduce the advantage.
Electronic viewfinders on CSC cameras give a better representation of the final image, but it does not have that real optical look of a pentaprism.
CSC’s have no mirror to throw about so continuous shooting is way faster. If that is an important consideration? For many photographers 6.5 frames / second is sufficient.
With all that electronic wizardry CSC’s drain their batteries fast.

Major Reason for not Switching is Investment in Lenses

Probably the major reason for not switching to Sony is investment in Canon lenses. Yes, you could sell and buy Sony, but that is going to leave you further out of pocket, and the financial advantages switch back to Canon. So how about using Canon lenses on your new Sony camera. Sony has for a long time been an open platform when it comes to lenses. Many photographers use vintage lenses on Sony cameras to good effect.

This video is from Jason Lanier, who seems to have way too many lenses, but uses his largesse to good effect by demonstrating that his Canon lenses work fine with a Sony A7 III. The speed of autofocus is amazing.

The adapter being used is the Sigma MC II adapter which you can buy at Wex or Amazon

Being able to use Canon lenses on Sony cameras like the Sony A7 III, just seems like such common sense. Use the lenses you have and love, with a camera that in technology terms is light years ahead of what Canon is likely to offer in this segment of the market for a long time. Even then Sony may well have jumped ahead again with the Sony A7 IV!

Where I Buy

I buy my gear from Wex because I have experienced their amazing customer service.

Will the Smartphone Camera Replace the Camera?

by John Gough

At Bedford Camera Club there is going to be a photography competition next month. Not using cameras but smartphones. It will be the first in the club’s long history. Probably even a few years ago it would have seemed bizarre that the smartphone camera could replace a ‘proper camera’.

The smartphone camera has now all but replaced the point and shoot camera. This is a disruptive technology that the likes of Nikon and Canon did not see coming. You cannot take a selfie with a Canon IXUS.

Smartphone Cameras Are Good and Getting Better

DxOMark has recently published a report on the development of smartphone cameras, which demonstrates just how far image quality has improved.

Disruptive technologies in mobile imaging: Taking smartphone cameras to the next level

The key technologies are:

Sensor size is restricted due to space constraints. However, image quality has been improved through the use of image stabilisation and longer exposures.
Temporal Noise Reduction (TNR) combines the data from several frames to increase detail and decrease noise.
Scene analysis algorithms detect backlit subjects and other tricky lighting situations.
Auto HDR lifts the detail in shadows
Phase detection autofocus (PDAF) combines two images to find perfect focus
Dual pixels make systems less susceptible to noise and improve IQ in low light conditions.
Dual cameras with secondary telephoto lenses make optical zoom possible

DSLRs and mirrorless system cameras are still clearly ahead in some areas, but in terms of image processing, Canon, Nikon, Pentax, and the other players in the DSC market are behind what Apple, Samsung, Google, and Huawei can do. Thanks to their hardware advantages, the larger cameras don’t actually need the same level of pixel processing as smartphones to produce great images, but there is no denying that the performance gap between smartphones and DSLRs is narrowing. DxOMark

The Smartphone Camera is One Integrated Device

The ability to shoot, edit and share photographs on one device is a big advantage to some professional photographers. I have created a selection of professional smartphone camera images here.

Why do some professional photographers prefer the smartphone to say a traditional DSLR?

helps your subject to be at ease with you. Most of the people I meet are amazed and curious that I use such a small device to capture photos instead of a DSLR or a rangefinder AikBeng Chia

not only is it the camera in my hand, but it’s the printing press in my pocket and more importantly, with the rise of social networks like Instagram, it’s become my satellite dish in order to instantly transmit, globally. I can share my vision at the touch of a button and receive instant feedback Richard ‘Koci’ Hernandez

the camera I always have in my pocket has shown me more small miracles, more tiny details, than I ever thought possible Robert-Paul Jansen

using just the iPhone and any number of great photography apps, the stranger/street portrait enters a whole new level. I love the spontaneity and the quick relationship that exists between me and the subject Jim Darling

There’s no doubt that a camera with a full-frame sensor will produce technically better images than a smartphone, but the resulting photographs depend much more on the hands that camera is resting in, and the perspective of the person hitting the shutter. And in the end, it’s the photographs – not the camera – that matter most. Carey Rose

Stephen Soderbergh whose films include Erin Brockovich, Traffic, and Ocean’s Eleven has even shot his latest film Unsane on an iPhone. See above.

People forget, this is a 4k capture. I’ve seen it 40 feet tall. It looks like velvet.This is a gamechanger to me.

The Great Divide

Soderbergh is correct, smartphone camera photography and filmmaking will be a game changer. It used to be that people took photographs on phone, point and shoot, bridge, mirrorless and DSLR cameras. Now, most people use a smartphone, and the rest a few enthusiasts, hobbyists and professionals use the expensive kit. Camera manufacturers are complacent if they think this trend will continue. Canon, have the impression that they still dominate, attempting to get away with launching a premium camera like the Canon EOS 6DMkII without even 4K video.

Innovation is being led by Apple and Samsung, and increasingly professionals and enthusiasts will follow.

Where to Buy Your Equipment

Sony 18-105 f4 G OSS Lens Review of Reviews

by John Gough

Sony 18-105 f4 G OSS

This is an analysis of the reviews for the Sony a6300 e-mount lens, the Sony 18-105 f4 G OSS.

There are not a huge array of lenses to fit the Sony e-mount. It is therefore worth investigating the Sony 18-105, which has a useful focal range for general, travel and landscape photography, and costs less than £500.

A Summary of the Reviews

Not that fast but OSS makes up for 2 to 3 stops

Reasonably sharp and almost outstanding.

Some image quality flaws but nothing that cannot be ironed out in camera for JPEG and in post with RAW

Too big for mirrorless ethos but nicely balanced on camera

Not a Zeiss lens but has the look and feel of one.

After all it is a Sony G lens at a reasonable price.

Sony 18-105 f4 G OSS Lens Reviews

Ken Rockwell

Always speaks sense. I have a lot of time for his reviews. This is his review of the lens.

These are my notes:

Not as really sharp as most DSLR or Zeiss mirrorless lenses today, but the lens is more than adequate
The zoom ring connects to the camera’s computer system. The disadvantage of this is that you can’t just twist the ring to go immediately from one end to the other; you always have to wait for it to motor in or out.
Bokeh is good at the long end where it matters
There is minor to strong barrel distortion, but this can be easily corrected in Lightroom or Photoshop
Zooming is controlled by a motor which is much slower than a real mechanical zoom ring for shooting stills, but is much smoother for shooting video
Size defeats the point of a mirrorless camera. If you don’t mind carrying it, does everything in just one lens at a reasonable price.

The Phoblographer

Plain speaking, with good selection of sample shots. This is the review of the lens

These are my notes:

‘The image quality is really where you’ll become smitten with it’
The lens is internal zooming
The exterior is smooth and Zeiss like, but there is no weather sealing
‘for element image quality, the Sony 18-105mm f4 G OSS has to be the single best lens that we’ve seen for the system’s APS-C cameras’
Sharpness is best at above f6.3
Big for a mirrorless camera
Editors Choice

EPhotozine

Lots of detail with a few charts. This is the review of the lens.

These are my notes:

‘Despite the large size of this lens, it is reasonably light weight, weighing only 427g’,
Manual focus is smooth and nicely damped
‘For those times when slow shutter speeds are necessary, this lens comes equipped with optical image stabilisation. With care, sharp hand-held images can be taken at shutter speeds as slow as 1/20sec, which is roughly three stops slower than the usual rule of thumb for hand-held photography would allow’.
Sharpness at the centre of the frame is ‘outstanding’ through the range. Poor performance at the edge of the frame especially at 105mm

DXOMark

Sony E PZ 18-105mm F4 G OSS lens review: Attractive option

The go to site for lens performance. The Sony 18-105 scores 15. This is ahead of all the other zoom lenses available for Sony e mount in 2015. With the exception of the Sony Vario-Tessar T* E 16-70mm F4 ZA OSS which is a Zeiss lens and scored 17.

Admiring Light

The editor Jordan Steele now shoots entirely mirrorless with Sony, Fuji and Olympus kit

Review: Sony E PZ 18-105mm f/4 G OSS

These are my notes:

‘The one down side to the power zoom implementation is that it sets itself to a ‘park’ position (somewhere in the middle of the zoom range) when you turn off the camera, and then resets itself to 18mm when the camera is turned on. It would be nice if the camera could remember the last zoom position and reset to that position when powering on’.
The front element of the lens is hard to clean, and although UV filters are going out of vogue, fit one.

Where to Buy Your Equipment

Important Get a Camera Wrist Strap

by John Gough

Suspension Bridge / John Gough / Sony a6300

Yesterday I was shooting both urban and landscape using the Sony a6300. Shooting on the busy street I was holding my camera. I was jostled and the camera fell out of my hand.

Later I was on this bridge. I slipped on the ice and dropped the camera. It was in the river.

Camera Wrist Strap

Or would have been, if the camera had not been tethered to my wrist with a strong wrist strap. Two incidents in one day, which without the camera wrist strap, could have ended up as a very expensive day out.

Mirrorless cameras are small and light so a neck strap seems unnecessary. Plus if you are into street photography a big neck strap with the manufacturer’s logo, is just too conspicuous.

The wrist strap I use is this Mayveek paracord lanyard, but there are lots of different types on Amazon. This wrist strap, however grips your wrist securely and incorporates a sturdy quick release clip

To attach the wrist strap to the camera, I use these Op Tech System Connectors, which on my DSLR enables me to quickly switch between a camera wrist strap or neck strap.

A camera wrist strap is probably the cheapest accessory you will ever buy, but it could end up saving you thousands.

Camera Wrist Strap or Neck Strap

by John Gough

What if you wanted to use a neck strap for say landscape work and a wrist strap for street and urban style pics. Its too much of a faff to unbuckle one and put on the other, so what is the solution?

It is these Op Tech System Connectors:

I bought these 1.5mm connectors and I use them when I am not using the strap that came with the camera, with this Maveek paracord wrist strap.