Black Friday

The American tradition is firmly rooted in these shores too - but how can you make the most of this annual shopping extravaganza. Have a read of our tips below.

Almost two years ago I had a go at explaining F-stop numbers but on re-reading that article I’m not sure how useful it was (and its over-simplification was sometimes so…

Trying to evaluate the sharpness of macro lenses at macro reproduction ratios is tricky. Here is a quick look at the nature of the problem – and the real-world performance…

Pentax has been the name on some outstanding photographic products over the years and now the company has unveiled its intended launches for the next two years. Let’s take a…

Nothing ruins a good picture quite like chromatic aberration, which reveals itself as colour fringes. Let’s see what chromatic aberration looks like on technical targets and in real-world pictures.

Having set the scene with various technical definitions and explanations we are now ready to consider how best to compare the performances of pro-spec and consumer lenses.

Having looked at resolution figures quoted in line-pairs-per-millimetre and in cycles-per-pixel attention now turns to lines-per-picture, which is a measure that defines the maximum number of picture lines and therefore…

Lens resolution figures have long been stated in line-pairs per millimetre but in the digital arena it is common to use cycles per pixel: what is the difference and how…

Compact System Cameras are, in many ways, the best of both worlds; they and small and yet also very versatile. But by the same token, Compact System Cameras may be…

The arrival of zoom lenses changed the way photographers approached their subjects. In the days of primes you had to move to another spot to change the composition but zoom…

Macro lenses come in a variety of different focal lengths but how do you choose the best focal length for any given macro situation?

Phil Hall shows how to create the Split Tone effect yourself

Numerical testing and visual sharpness are two very different things. Of the two, visual sharpness is probably more important but it is also harder to define.

Tamron’s new 18-270mm, with its piezoelectric motor, was named EISA’s European Zoom Lens of the Year 2011-12. Yet the same Tamron 18-270mm zoom failed to shine when tested for the…