The Phoblographer

Street photographers have shot with normal and telephoto lenses, but wider is just easier.

Physics is a bigger factor in street photography than most consider. And wide-angle lenses are some of the best solutions. It’s one of the reasons why street photographers always use them. (Well, there are several reasons that involve ethics too!) But if you’re serious about street photography, wide angles are the way to go. They’ll give you a different look at life. And your photos will just reflect that.

Zone Focusing in Street Photography

First up is zone focusing. Zone focusing is the idea of focusing out to a distance. Then you stop the lens down. At a given aperture, a whole range of space will be in focus. Try using a 28mm lens first. Then focus around 4 feet away. Stop the lens down to f8, and you’ll see that a lot of the scene will be in focus. This will make street photography easy. All you have to do is walk up to your subject.

If you’re using an autofocus lens, it’s going to be more difficult. Here’s an explanation from this article explaining why:

“Autofocus lenses make zone focusing more difficult to do accurately, as they’re primarily designed for automatic focusing. To that end, these lenses are designed to have a shorter focus throw vs the longer focus throw manual focus lenses have to allow a photographer precision. As a result, the distance scale on an autofocus lens, like Sigma’s 28mm offering, really just has something along the lines of f8 there. It’s best to use this as a guide, set the lens to manual focus, and then focus away to a certain distance by reading what the lens and zone focusing scale tell you to do.”

You Have to Get Close to Your Subject

Getting close up to people can be intimidating. Ethically speaking, it means they know you’re taking a photo. So you’re not really a creep if you do this in public. Of course, your intentions are a different story. Anyway, some of us prefer longer focal lengths to capture a candid scene. Especially in a pandemic, I’d encourage you to look for alternatives. Try the idea of the Photo Wait. Take a look at how photographer Jonathan Higbee did it in the video below.

Some of Them Offer a View Like What You See

The 21mm lens can be enjoyable to work with. 24mm is also popular. But try 28mm. It’s is a wide-angle lens, and it gives you a bit more than what you see. The results will be photos that make you feel like you’re there. Wider angles give a more surreal look, and that’s also very fun!

So You’re Not a Creep

Of course, being a creep is all about intentions. If you’re photographing an attractive person and thinking with your loins, then stop. If you think you see a truly timeless scene, that’s different. Getting close up will help you check yourself. In fact, wide-angle lenses are great tools for masters. But they’re also great for you to get a hold of yourself with.

They’re Low Profile for Street Photography

Wide-angle lenses tend to be lower profile. So if you want to look like someone not shooting seriously, go for it. Wide angles tend to be incredibly small if they’re not super fast aperture lenses. It also depends on what camera mount you’re working with. DSLR lenses are huge, while most mirrorless camera lenses are tiny. We prefer them for that reason. There’s no need to lug around extra weight and size if you don’t need to.

I’ve shot a lot of film on behalf of The Phoblographer. And we’ve reviewed a ton of film emulsions over the years. When it comes to black and white film, I don’t think I’ve ever fallen for something this hard. KONO is a brand I’ve believed in for years. They were among the first to really try new things. Double exposed film? Dyed film? Along with Lomography, KONO has been an innovator of sorts. With KONO Monolit 100, we’re astounded at the results. And trust us, you will be too.

Too Long, Didn’t Read

KONO Monolit 100 is a beautiful film capable of being sharp and grainy at the same time. Want the “film look” with near digital sharpness? This is the film to do it. The grain is more prominent than Acros’ for sure, but it’s also not as sharp. Still, in flat lighting, KONO Monolit 100 has deep, inky blacks that you can’t not like.

Gear Used

We used KONO Monolit 100 with the:

Leica M6 TTL

Funleader 35mm f2 conversion

Leica CL

7Artisans 50mm f1.1

Fujifilm Natura S

All our film was developed and scanned at 37th Ave Photo in Jackson Heights, Queens. They’re the GOAT of the borough when it comes to developing and scanning.

Tech Specs

These specs are taken from KONO’s website.

ISO 100

35mm, 36 exp., single film

Panchromatic black & white film

Classic b&w process

Any b&w lab can develop KONO! b&w films

Ease of Use

We exposed KONO Monolit 100 at box speed. Sometimes we overexposed a bit, but more often than not, we exposed as per the meter. Of course, that’s with the Leicas. When using the Fujifilm Natura S, we don’t have control over the film and exposure. Indeed, KONO Monolit 100 is DX coded, so it can automatically be read by a camera. However, for what it’s worth, the camera still nailed the exposures really well.

Some folks are kind of scared of shooting films at this low of an ISO because they’re not steady with their hands. But if you’re shooting with Leica or a point and shoot, you shouldn’t worry much. It’s film, and the photos are going to look great anyway. There’s grain, sharpness, and an overall lovely look that you can’t simulate digitally all that perfectly. Basically, even if you mess up, it’s going to look good. So yes, you can absolutely shoot with it in the dark.

We didn’t do our own development. To that end, we can’t tell you what to do. But the folks over at 37th Ave Photo in Queens, NY are pretty fantastic at what they do. Otherwise, you can choose any developer you wish.

Image Quality

The image quality from KONO Monolit 100 is described as grainy, inky, sharp, detailed, subdued, and smooth. There are times when folks thought the lighting was really flat. But in truth, it was really just shadow coverage and a lot of random light coming through. Some of these photos were shot during an event for Photoville 2021. All I needed to do was just point a camera and shoot. The skies were reasonably clear during that day.

KONO Monolit 100 really likes light. But it also wants you to pay attention to what you’re exposing for. Some of these photos were shot in dark bars, and even then, we were able to get crisp images. Overall, the image quality is a combination of the camera, the lens, and the film. In the case of the Leicas, the Leica CL had a cheap, Chinese-made lens. The Leica M6 had a Zeiss lens reformatted for Leica M-mount. And the Fuji is just a studmuffin camera.

Honestly, I can’t find a single flaw with this film. 76 of 104 photos or so are keepers. Sometimes I missed the shots, while at other times the exposure was just off. But I got a ton of keepers that I’m super satisfied with.

From day one, The Phoblographer has been huge on transparency. Nothing from this review is sponsored. Further, lots of folks will post reviews and show lots of editing in the photos. The problem then becomes that anyone and everyone can do the same thing. They’re not showing what the product can do. These photos are completely unedited.

Conclusions

What is special about KONO Monolit 100? There are a few ISO 100 black and white films on t...

The best thing to do is realize that you really love black and white photography. And with today’s cameras, you don’t need to do it in post-production only. Lots of cameras let you apply the settings to the RAW file. And what’s more, some cameras have black and white already baked in. We dove into our reviews index to find the best cameras for Black and White photography. Take a look at these!

Pro Tips for Better Black and White Images

Here are some pro tips on how to get better black and white images from your camera:

Lots of cameras have settings that let them produce better black and white photos. That means the manufacturers were thinking about it from the start. Others tell you to do it in post-production.

Pick up color filters for your lenses. You’ll be able to get different looks this way.

Even though you’re shooting in black and white, your camera sensor is still picking up color data. In post-production, you can tweak the white balance and color channels. The white balance controls overall versatility. And it can affect how things like blues or oranges are rendered. Indeed, these are great cameras for Black and White photography because of how they were designed.

All these cameras for Black and White have Wifi built into them. When you’re done, beam the images to your phone and share them on social media.

Lots of brands base their black and white looks off of film. But remember that it’s not like shooting real black and white film.

Fujifilm X Pro 3: One of the Most Versatile

26.1MP APS-C X Trans Sensor

Dual SD Card slots

Classic Negative Film simulation mode

New Multiple Exposure enhancements

Hidden Tilting LCD Screen. 3.0 inch, aspect ratio 3:2, approx. 180 degree tilting 1.62 millions dots touch screen color LCD monitor

Reverse Galilean viewfinder with electronic bright frame display

0.5 inch approx. 3.69 millions dots OLED Color Viewfinder (4:3)

E-Ink display

Weather sealing

Titanium Top and bottom plates

ISO 160-12,800 standard

Approx. 497g / 17.5oz (including battery and SD memory card) Approx. 447g / 15.8oz (excluding battery and SD memory card)

(W) 140.5mm × (H) 82.8mm × (D) 46.1mm / (W) 5.5in × (H) 3.3in × (D) 1.8in (minimum depth 34.8mm/1.4in)

Three colors: Black, Dura Black and Dura Silver

“The Fujifilm X Pro 3 is truthfully one of the most innovative cameras to come out this year. Though Sony has been pushing the boundaries when it comes to innovation, Fujifilm has been doing things that no one else is. The hidden LCD screen is a brilliant innovation that keeps photographers focused on what’s important. Classic Negative and the addition of the Clarity setting will mean that you’re doing less work in post. The multiple exposure setting is one Sony refuses to return to its cameras. Though Olympus put a smaller battery in a newer camera and promised similar battery performance, Fujifilm is actually able to hold themselves to their claims.”

Leica Q2 Monochrom: One of the Best Full Frame Cameras for Black and White

47.3MP full frame sensor

3.68MP EVF

Protection from dust and water

28mm f1.7 fixed lens with variable frame line options for 35mm, 50mm, and 75mm

Optional automatic OIS

Base ISO of 50 all the way up to 50,000

10fps mechanical shutter and 20fps with electronic

4K video

Touchscreen

Bluetooth low energy

Made in Germany

“The thing I see Leica Q2 Monochrom owners shooting the most is street photography. And for that, it’s a mixed case. First off, you should know that you’re never going to get every shot you want in street photography, and the heartbreak of that is just something you need to live with. Using this camera has reminded me of a few profound quotes that have reverberated in my head during the pandemic.”

Panasonic S5: Cinematic Quality

24.2MP Full-Frame CMOS Sensor

V-Log, HDR, and Dual Native ISO

UHD 4K60 Video, 10-Bit Internal Recording

2.36m-Dot 0.74x-Magnification OLED LVF

4K 60p, 4:2:2 10-bit

Anamorphic mode support

Slow & Quick Motion including FHD 180fps

96MP High Resolution mode

Improve...

It’s truly hard to beat the look of some vintage medium format cameras. Take for example this Voigtlander Bessa II. Lots of folks love shooting with their Mamiya RB67 and Pentax 67. But why not go for 6×9 format instead? Well that’s what the Voigtlander Bessa II is. This beauty is a 69 format rangefinder camera with a pretty fast f4.9 lens. To translate to 35mm parameters, that’s a 45mm f1.9 equivalence. What’s more, this is a pretty rare lens. However, it still has all the great rendering of a medium format camera.

Welcome to the Rare Camera Store: a joint initiative of The Phoblographer and the wonderful folks at Blue Moon Camera. We work to bring you some of the coolest and rarest items for a great price.

The listing over at Blue Moon Camera says:

“The Voigtlander Bessa II (serial number 3670621) is a vertically folding, medium format camera that uses 120 film and produces an image that is 6cm x 9cm. This camera has the rarer APO-Lanthar lens mounted in a shutter that has been overhauled recently. The 105mm focal length lens on a 6cm x 9cm image is roughly equivalent to a 42mm focal length lens on a standard 35mm image.”

“This camera comes with its original case and strap. The leather hand strap on the body of the camera has broken with age and can no longer be used for carrying the camera.”

From what we can find, the Rare Camera Store partnership is selling it for a relative steal. We’ve seen it go for over $9,000 on eBay. But Blue Moon Camera has it for $5,900. What’s more, it’s fully working. And that’s an insanely difficult price to beat.

About the Voigtlander Bessa II with the Rare 105mm f4.5 Lens

Because it’s a vertically folding camera, it’s ideal for portraiture. That’s what we’re sure lots of photographers will use it for. It can do landscapes, sure, but a lens like this belongs in a studio or a controlled lighting environment shooting portraits. (At least that’s what I think!) Despite that, we dove into Flickr to find images shot with the Bessa II with the 105mm f4.5. We found a stunning landscape photo shot on film, but we’re not sure which emulsion. Photographer Ian Booth shot it using Ilford FP4 film to great effect. In fact, most images there that were shot with the Voigtlander Bessa II are landscapes.

The folks at Camerapedia say that this is the most renowned of the Bessa cameras. They were made in the 1950s. The shutter speeds go up to 1/500th and slow down to bulb mode. The lens stops down to f22–which is still reasonably shallow for 6×9 format cameras. And, of course, they’re rangefinder cameras. The rangefinder in the Bessa II should still be reasonably bright for a camera of that time. Just make sure you don’t block any light from hitting the camera. It will need to soak in all that light to help you nail the focus. As you would with a Leica camera, you’ll have to line the image up in the frame. This too is something done on later Voigtlander Bessa 35mm rangefinder cameras.

According to CameraWest, the lens flares considerably. So that means that you’re most likely going to use a UV filter, maybe an improvised lens hood, and you’re going to control the light a lot. However, lens flare can be really cool if you work with it.

For generations, Leica lenses documented many of the world’s most iconic moments. They were the perfect tool for this. They are compact and have a great tactile feel. Also, they give the photographer all the information necessary to know what will be in focus. The lenses told you how far away to focus. The depth of field scale told you how much to stop the lens down. And today, they’re used for both professional work and by passionate photographers who adore the craft. The Leica M lens can take the next evolutionary path, though: being adapted.

The Absolute Joy of Small, Manual Focus Lenses

Let’s first talk about and understand the thrill of small, manual focus Leica M lenses. We live in a world where tons of things are done for us. Similarly, your Leica SL2-S and Leica SL2 cameras can autofocus for you. They can track a face and eye as a person moves. Lots of folks may think that manual focus lenses are a frustration. But those of us who reach for higher fruit will see it as a challenge to overcome. They genuinely make photography exciting and fun. Just think, you zone focused a lens, framed a shot, and got what you wanted. A camera didn’t have to do the work for you. You, the photographer, indeed did all the work to get the shot. Not only did you have access to the subject matter and scene, but you had the extra skill.

That, in and of itself, is incredible. It’s something I never take for granted when I pick up my Leica M6. When I adapt my lenses to my Leica SL2-S, I know I’m getting a totally different experience. There’s a Je ne sais quois to a Leica M camera, but the Leica SL series has their own wonderful things too. The EVFs are fantastic in many ways. And the build quality is reliable. Every time you hold the camera, you know you’re shooting with a solid chunk of aluminum and more.

The Leica SL2 and Leica SL2-S give your old lenses new life, in a way. They’re migrating from a Leica M body to a Leica SL body, and there’s a lot that goes into this.

The Adapter

There are various adapters on the market. But the one that is most reliable is the Leica one. I’ve never had any issues with it. Why even adapt the lens? Why not just get a Leica M? There are a few reasons.

Lens versatility: use your Leica 28mm f2 SL lens one second to capture a decisive moment. Switch to a Noctliux the next moment to get something otherwise super difficult to create. But your Leica M lens can do it while not taking up so much space.

A built in electronic viewfinder: if you’ve got bad eyes like I do, you’ll appreciate these so much, especially the one in the Leica SL2-s.

Exposure preview: it’s more complicated to do this with a Leica M body, if you want it..

Even more resolution: the sensor in the Leica SL2 is Leica’s highest resolving sensor. It’s wonderful.

You are no longer limited to the center rangefinder patch to focus.

And of course, there’s the big one when it comes to working with manual focus lenses: peaking and magnification.

Focus Peaking or Magnification?

Some photographers choose to use only focus peaking. It works, but across the board, it’s not the best solution. Magnification using Leica M lenses is great for when you need to be super critical of your focus. But by and large, the best method is to use both. Here are a few tips:

Turn on focus peaking as a default. Use focus peaking to get your Leica M lenses to focus on the right area of what you want to be sharp in the scene.

Activate focus magnification. Use this to touch up the focusing. Then shoot.

Of course, you can use this method or use the standard zone focusing method photographers have used for years.

Editor’s Note: This is a sponsored blog post from Leica. Give your Leica M lenses new life by adapting them to a new SL series camera. Check out the Leica SL2 or Leica SL2-S.

Earlier this year, KONO! launched the KONO! Delight Art 100 in 120, then later in 35mm. This isn’t a typical film emulsion. We’re told it’s tinted Kodak Ektar 100. Ektar was my least favorite Kodak film, and KONO! added some flavor. There’s a bit of orange and a bit of blue raspberry thrown onto the film. Well, not really! But I could totally see why someone would think that. With KONO! Delight Art 100, I basically threw everything away that I knew about film. Overexposing it will lessen the effects. Underexposing it will amplify the orange and teal tones everyone loves. That means it’s best for many of us to put our cameras in aperture priority and underexposing by a stop of light. That’s precisely what I did using a Mamiya 6.

The Mamiya 6 and its square format is the true Goldilocks of medium format film. 645 format is too small. 6×7 format is what lots of folks who know nothing about film gravitate to. And for some sad reason, everyone treats the 6×9 format like Godzilla: they love looking at it, but they won’t mess with it. Square format, on the other hand, is perfect. It removes us from the typical rectangle and challenges us to think differently. It’s challenging to get right. But when you stop fixating on getting museum-worthy compositions, you start to slap that idea in the face and just shoot. The result is photos that are just so much more natural.

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Too Long, Didn’t Read

KONO! Delight Art 100 is basically a tinted Ektar 100 film. To some of us, Kodak Ektar 100 is as exciting as refolding a drawer of already folded, solid-color laundry. But KONO! Delight Art 100 takes the laundry and makes it tye-dye. It’s still laundry, but it’s got a new life. And you’ll get the best experience from it when you give it a bit less light.

Pros and Cons

Pros

A fun take on film!

Very sharp

Comes with a sticker to keep the film tightly sealed and closed when its done.

Makes you think totally different about film photography.

Cons

It’s very tough to get a perfect photo.

Innovations

KONO! Delight Art 100 isn’t really innovative. Lots of other films have been released before with tints on them. KONO! has actually been a manufacturer that has done just this. Lomography had blue and teal film years ago called Lomochrome Turquoise. This isn’t quite the same thing.

Gear Used

We used the Mamiya 6 to test KONO! Delight Art 100 film. The film was developed over at 37th Ave Photo in Jackson Heights, Queens.

Tech Specs

Specs are taken from the KONO! Website.

We start with the King of roll films, the medium format. KONO! DELIGHT ART 100 – COLOR TINTED FILM is our first 120 Medium Format Film, based on first class professional film stock. Each roll is carefully tinted by professionals. A completely new look is the outcome of carefully altered hue, saturation and contrast.

We here at the KONO Manufaktur® always took pride in the craftmanship behind the production of our films. Nearly 30 years of professional experience working with film stock, gave us the know how to design and built our machines.

We had to question everything we knew and rethink each production step to make the KONO! Delight Art 100 possible. This resulted in a new device, it is still a made by hand and time consuming process, but all crucial parameters are now completely digitally controlled. This ensures steady results and is at the same time as gentle to the film stock as imaginable.

Technical info:

120 MEDIUM FORMAT , COLOR TINTED FILM

ISO 100, PROCESS C-41

Enclosed EXPOSED sticker

Ease of Use

KONO! Delight Art 100 film is a totally different film than you might expect. First off, it’s a negative film. But it’s also a coated version of Kodak Ektar 100. Unlike most negative films, you’re not giving it more light. The effect gets lessened. So you’re either exposing KONO! Delight Art 100 film at box speed or underexposing it. To clarify, overexposing it kills the effect, and there’s no chance you can pull it in development to get the effect back. Underexposing it ...

Think about a softbox. And then think about a hose and the water spraying out. If the hose doesn’t have much of a nozzle on it, then the water is just going to spray. But consider one of those nozzles with lots of different shapes. Twist it one way, and the water will come out very tight and concentrated. Twist it another way and the water will come out almost like a showerhead. Twist it again, the water may come out more wide–perfect for getting lots of your friends wet during the summer. Think about all this when we explain how a softbox works.

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A Handy Cheat Sheet on How to Use a Softbox

A while back, we put together a cheat sheet to help photographers. We always recommend using a larger softbox than the subject you’re photographing is. Just shooting a subject’s face? Then you need something larger than their face! Photographing their upper third? Well, then you need something larger than that. Here’s a quote from that article:

“Got a small softbox? Then maybe you shouldn’t try to light an entire person with it. If your softbox is around 14 inches, then it’s large enough to photograph really just a person’s face while delivering soft light. If you’re looking for a hard light look, then you can use it to shoot the entire person. If your softbox is seven feet wide, then we’re sure that it’s going to be delivering and spreading the light across enough space to give off a soft look.”

Like we say in the infographic, size matters. The larger the light source is in relation to your subject, the softer the light will be. Softer light means lighter shadows.

How Does a Softbox Work?

To understand how to use a softbox, you first need to understand how they work. This diagram we made a few years ago will explain. Basically your light (LED or flash) is on the left side. The light then bounces its output all around the inside of the softbox. Your subject is on the right side of the diagram. And the light is shaped to hit them a certain way. While the light output travels around the interior of the box, it becomes weaker. So you sometimes need to crank the power up.

We’ve got a lot more in this blog post.

Softboxes Give a Lot of Directional Control

Softboxes help photographers mostly focus the light on their subject. If the light from a bare light isn’t controlled, then it spills out everywhere. Honestly, that can be a beautiful thing. But it will often have a lot more pop and effect on the scene if you use the flash with a softbox. Combine this with things like high-speed sync, and just controlling the environment. I love shooting indoors, but I also will shoot with a softbox outside with controlled shadows.

Here’s a bit more of an explanation.

When you’re working with a softbox, consider the interior. The two big ones are silver and white. If you can, search for the unicorn soft-silver. This is basically a combination of the silver and white interior. All three are good, but subjective. White interiors are like Greek Yogurt: pretty plain and good overall until you throw in some extras to make it really good. Silver is more like a steak that just came off the grill. By that, I mean it can sometimes be a bit hotter. All that light is being enhanced by the silver interior. But a combination of silver and white is just what baby bear wants. It’s bound to make Goldilocks look wonderful when she’s in front of your camera.

Wondering what to use? We generally recommend Westcott and Phottix softboxes.

Sometimes buying renewed or refurbished cameras and lenses is better than buying them new.

“But it’s so expensive,” is what everyone says when a new camera or lens goes on sale. And so I’d like to welcome you to the world of photography that Leica users have known for years. There is a massive benefit to the used and refurbished market for this reason. Don’t want to pay $3,000 for that new Sony lens? Do you think the Canon R5 is way too much money? Well, focusing on the original price point, I think, is sometimes excessive. It gets in the way of having that new camera or lens. The truth is that people are switching systems all the time, so you can always get a camera or lens at a lower price on the second-hand market. And in the case of refurbished cameras and lenses, sometimes they’re in fantastic condition.

Why You Should Always Buy Refurbished or Renewed

I want to talk about my favorite option first: refurbished. In my eyes, one should always buy refurbished. The problem is the same it’s always been–people don’t know what refurbished means. Think of it this way – what does it mean when you refurbish a house? Now apply that to lenses and cameras, sort of. Basically, refurbished cameras (like this one) and lenses spent time on a trade show floor, on the road with the marketing team, or on a display of some sort. That unit comes back to the manufacturer and gets completely reconditioned. Then it goes through extra layers of quality control checks before being sold. Sometimes refurbished gear is better than brand new gear. And it costs less. Cool, right?

I don’t see why I wouldn’t buy a refurbished product. Apple users have experienced the same thing for a while. Want a new MacBook Pro? You can get it brand new or go for a refurbished one. There’s a very low risk that you’ll get a bad product or one you don’t like. To me, it’s a win-win situation.

“Basically, refurbished units spent time on a trade show floor, on the road with the marketing team, or on a display of some sort. That unit comes back to the manufacturer and gets completely reconditioned. Then it goes through extra layers of quality control checks before being sold.”

Used Cameras and Lenses

If you don’t want to risk refurbished, then we recommend trying to score a used camera or lens. Some options are better than others here. For example, Craigslist, eBay, Etsy, and in-person purchases are usually your best bets. These platforms require the sellers to upload images of the actual products that they’re selling. So you can inspect the condition of the camera or lens most of the time.

Used products are cheaper than brand new ones, but depending on a couple of factors, don’t expect too much of a price drop. If the product is hot and brand new, a seller will try to get as much money for it as possible. If it’s unopened and still in the box, it’s fair of them to ask for most of the price they paid. Beyond this, some products and brands hold their value much better than others. For example, Pentax gear is usually pretty cheap on the second-hand market. Canon, Nikon, and Leica gear hold their value. And Sony gear has also started to hold its value.

There are times where you can interact and work with other brands too. MPB and KEH are trustworthy when it comes to working with brand new camera gear. Further, retailers selling used equipment on Amazon are pretty honest if they’re highly rated. Otherwise, there’s a chance that they’ll lose their ability to sell to consumers. Amazon is usually better priced than B&H and Adorama. As much as you can, though, I recommend shopping local and making a purchase in-person. Always be safe. Meet in a public place or a store. And have a list of questions and things to inspect before you buy it. That way, you won’t run into anything you later regret.

Used cameras are cheaper than refurbished cameras and lenses. But you’re guaranteed to get a better quality product when purchasing refurbished.

The 70-200mm f2.8 is revered among photographers for its versatile yet bright design. The mid-to-telephoto workhorse, however, is often heavy. The Panasonic 70-200mm f2.8 Lumix S Pro is the epitome of both the category’s versatility and weight. With up to seven stops of stabilization when combined with in-body stabilization, the lens delivers steady shots even at the telephoto end. But, at almost 3.5 pounds, it’s also heavier than mirrorless options from Canon, Sony, and Nikon.

I shot portraits, birds, and landscapes on the Panasonic 70-200mm f2.8 Lumix S Pro to see just how well the workhorse fares. The lens has a lot going for it — like stabilization and color — but you need to be willing to haul a lot of weight and sacrifice some edge sharpness.

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Too Long, Didn’t Read

With up to seven stops of stabilization on a stabilized body, the Panasonic 70-200mm f2.8 Lumix S Pro fights the shake of working with a long lens. The mid-to-telephoto workhorse zoom produces beautiful colors and bokeh. But, it’s heavy and not the sharpest 70-200mm we’ve tested.

Panasonic 70-200mm f2.8 Lumix S Pro Pros and Cons

Pros

Excellent stabilization to 7 stops

Weather-sealed

Lots of controls

Beautiful color and bokeh

Cons

Super heavy

Edges are soft

Gear Used

I used the Panasonic 70-200mm f2.8 Lumix S Pro with the S5 body. The lens typically includes a hood and a tripod collar. However, I tested a used lens — a short-term media loan — without these two items.

Innovations

The 70-200mm f2.8 is a popular workhorse. The most notable feature on Panasonic’s take on this popular focal length zoom is the stabilization. Paired with IBIS, it gets up to seven stops of stabilization. I shot at 1/2.5 at 200mm and the image is actually useable. That’s even more than Canon does with the Canon EOS R5 and the Canon EOS R6 with their own variant.

Panasonic 70-200mm f2.8 Lumix S Pro Tech Specs

Panasonic lists these specifications for the Panasonic 70-200mm f2.8 Lumix S Pro:

Lens Mount: L-Mount

Format Compatibility: Full Frame

Focus Type: Auto Focus

Closest Focus Distance: 3.12’ / 0.95m

Focal Length: 70-200mm

Angle Of View: 34 Degree (Wide) – 12 degree (Tele)

Maximum Aperture: f2.8

Minimum Aperture: f22

Maximum Magnification: Approx. 0.21x

Filter Size: 82mm

Lens Elements / Groups: 22 elements in 17 groups, 2 UED (Ultra Extra-low Dispersion) lenses, 3 ED (Extra-low Dispersion) lenses

Diaphragm Blades: 11 diaphragm blades / Circular aperture diaphragm

Dimensions Diameter x Length: 3.71” x 8.21″ (94.4 x 208.6 mm) (from the tip of the lens to the base side of the lens mount)

Weight: 55.38 oz / 1570 g (excluding lens cap, lens rear cap, lens hood and external tripod mount) (External tripod mount: Approx. 230g / 8.11oz)

Ergonomics

Weighing almost 3.5 pounds, the Panasonic 70-200mm f2.8 Lumix S Pro is not lightweight. The heft is expected for this category of workhorses, but it is still a bit heavy for the category. Canon’s RF 70-200mm f2.8 checks in at 2.35 pounds, Nikon’s at 2.99, and Sony’s at 3.26. It’s definitely a two-hander and not a lens that photographers are going to want to shoot with all day.

The control scheme is relatively standard. Two switches sit near the lens mount. One is for stabilization, the other is the focus limiter switch. The zoom ring, which is large and grippy, is up next.

Panasonic added two programmable shortcut buttons between the zoom ring and the focus ring. One sits on the top, the other on the side near the left hand. Both buttons do the same thing — there’s no menu option to program them separately. The different placement is simply for quick access holding the camera vertically or horizontally.

The ring at the end is the focus. It’s thinner than the zoom ring, which can help differentiate the two even though the rings are a good distance apart. You’re not going to be always grabbing the wrong one. The focus ring pulls forward, towards the lens mount, to enter into manual focus. It’s a clever space-saver. But, those new to P...

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If you’ve clicked on this headline, then you’ve probably heard this line before in some way or another. But the truth is that everyone else’s camera takes such crappy photos. With that said, I think camera manufacturers have a huge problem. Everyone is delighted with their mediocre photos because they don’t want to bring around a dedicated camera. Sure, folks who care about photography will buy a dedicated camera. But most people don’t need an excellent camera.

To be fair and honest, this was the case for many years. Growing up, my mom had an automatic Olympus SLR camera. It was broken and also a bit useless in some ways. She didn’t want to use her phone for pictures because she hated technology so much. So instead, she’d buy disposable cameras over and over again. She’d also often not get the film developed.

Sound familiar? Well, that’s the current roster of folks with their relationship to photography. They use their phones to take photos. And most of the photos they don’t even pay attention to. People shoot hundreds of thousands of photos. They’re too lazy to delete them all. And they’re not mindful enough to sit there and carefully get the image.

This is the mentality. And when someone says your camera takes great photos, they’re even more amazed that you can get it in a single shot.

I’ve always wondered where the disconnect happened. And I think the camera manufacturers only have themselves to blame. For decades, they worked to make things easier and easier. When Apple, Google, and Samsung came around, they did the same thing. And for the past decade, camera manufacturers have just blamed the smartphone. Further, they’ve only really chased the higher-end consumer and professional.

We can’t say they didn’t try to chase the everyday consumer. They did, but they did it wrong. They didn’t make the camera a thing that someone will genuinely want to bring with them everywhere. Read that carefully again, and notice the keyword there is want and not need. Let’s carefully consider this:

They took a long time to make super small, web connected-cameras.

They never made a camera that could fit into your wallet.

They never made a camera that was small and could do things your phone can’t.

They never spent enough time building a diverse array of apps and an environment that fosters it.

They never truly adapted to the way that people take images currently.

Here’s the more insane thing that I think about at least once a week. Lots of folks like to say that the camera market and the photography market are dead. Yet despite things, people take more photos every day than they ever have in history.

Sometimes I truly wonder if those companies still care about the mass consumer market. And I wonder if they still miss being able to reach it.

Even more perplexing: why didn’t these manufacturers try to create apps that work on your phone to take better photos with the phone? In that case, they could’ve worked to have made a camera that took great pictures.