Jon Sienkiewicz Blog

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Jon Sienkiewicz  |  Nov 26, 2015  |  1 comments

As a lover of all things unsharp, I was eager to get my mitts on a Petzval 85mm portrait lens. When I saw it at Photo Plus Expo here in New York, it was under glass, gleaming like a gilded idol. The fine folks at Lomography were kind enough to loan me a sample. What follows is my report. 

Jon Sienkiewicz  |  Nov 22, 2015  |  0 comments

Thanksgiving is that magical time that happens only once a year. Thank heavens. It’s a time for peace and love and opening our hearts and homes to relatives we normally don’t bother with. It’s the season for vapid overindulgence—stuffing ourselves with turkey (bird meat that’s usually reserved for Club sandwiches, frozen weight watcher entrees and an occasional tasteless, low-fat burger). Football—lots of football—and couch naps are the order of the day, while the exotic foods that are eaten only at this time of the year (marshmallow-encrusted yams, slippery cranberries and that dried-up bread stuff—what is it? Dressing?) vie for domination of our glutted stomachs

Jon Sienkiewicz  |  Nov 20, 2015  |  0 comments

Many, many years ago a coworker at Altman Camera in Chicago showed me that it was possible to screw a Vivitar +10 Macro Adapter into a partially disassembled set of Nikon K-series extension rings and thereby build a soft focus lens that practically exploded with delightfully horrendous aberrations. It was fixed-focus, you had to bob to-and-fro like a drunken sailor to use it, but it was sensationally unsharp and I’ve been hooked on this genre ever since.

Jon Sienkiewicz  |  Nov 13, 2015  |  0 comments

In a world where gadget bags are made of black ballistic nylon and closed-cell foam, Tenba has always boogied to slightly different beat. Their latest addition, the Cooper Collection, stands apart from anything you’ve ever seen. If you’re looking for a holiday gift for the photographer in your life—a gift that they’ll pass on to their grandchildren—get in line to buy a Tenba Cooper. 

Jon Sienkiewicz  |  Nov 06, 2015  |  2 comments

They are an American success story. TEKNIQ Photo launched its first camera bag in April of this year on Kickstarter. By June 27th, they had raised $73,874 and had 478 backers. Their product is unique—a modular camera bag that gives you three bags in one.

Jon Sienkiewicz  |  Oct 29, 2015  |  0 comments

Adobe has released version 14 of Photoshop Elements and Premier Elements. Both are exciting and easy-to-use, and offer enough editing horsepower for most photo and video enthusiasts. Although Premier 14 is chock full of improvements, including some cool new things you can do with 4K video, I found the enhancements in Photoshop Elements to be more groundbreaking and fun. So that’s what we’ll focus on today. 

Jon Sienkiewicz  |  Oct 29, 2015  |  1 comments

I can’t understand the current love affair between photographers and drones. Like all kids I made paper airplanes which I anonymously launched toward unsuspecting substitute homeroom teachers, sure. Sometimes with uncanny accuracy. Is the current drone rage the ultimate technological evolution of the balsawood P-51 Mustang? Or are we channeling our inner Wright brothers? 

Jon Sienkiewicz  |  Oct 26, 2015  |  0 comments

Sometimes an old fashioned recipe and the latest modern technology don’t mix: zap-blasting your grandmother’s vegetable soup ingredients in a 10,000-watt microwave instead of slowly simmering them for six hours, for example. But other times strange bedfellows bring out the best in each other. Such is the case with Lensbaby optics on modern digital cameras.

Jon Sienkiewicz  |  Oct 15, 2015  |  0 comments

Last year Lowepro launched the ProTactic Series of gadget bags. They immediately earned high marks in my book because they are durable, highly functional and provide superb protection for the gear inside. Initially just two bags, the lineup has grown to six in total, three backpacks and three shoulder bags. Here’s a quick rundown on what they’re all about. 

Jon Sienkiewicz  |  Oct 08, 2015  |  0 comments

Alamby Leung is known to millions of photo enthusiasts as the girl who used to be a background character on the YouTube channel DigitalRev TV. We caught up with her recently and asked her how life is after leaving that popular show. 

Jon Sienkiewicz  |  Oct 01, 2015  |  2 comments

What can you say about a camera bag that raised $4,869,472 on Kickstarter and won the hearts of 17,029 backers? Quite a bit, actually, starting with “Wow!”

Jon Sienkiewicz  |  Sep 17, 2015  |  0 comments

To make a better lens, one that avid photographers might even be inclined to leave on their DSLR camera permanently, Tamron set aside all of their former notions about lens design and construction and went straight back to the basics with the new Tamron SP 35mm f1.8 Di VC USD (Model F012) and SP 45mm f1.8 Di VC USD (Model F013) prime lenses, which are the subjects of this review. 

Jon Sienkiewicz  |  Sep 10, 2015  |  0 comments

This question has been bugging me since I first looked into the waist-level viewfinder of a Yashica D twin-lens reflex camera more years ago than I care to admit. I haven’t been more than three feet away from a camera since then, and clearly I am neither artist nor scientist. Explore a couple differing points-of-view with me and then please leave a comment and share your opinion.

Jon Sienkiewicz  |  Sep 02, 2015  |  0 comments

Tamron has annouced two intriguing new prime lenses: the Tamron SP 35mm f/1.8 Di VC USD and a 45mm f/1.8 Di VC USD. Both lenses offer close focus (7.9 and 11.4 in. respectively) and both are compatible with full-frame and APS-C sensor DSLR cameras.

Jon Sienkiewicz  |  Aug 27, 2015  |  0 comments

My best friend’s daughter just left to study design in Europe and was given the standard litany of safety precautions by her parents. One city she’s visiting is notorious for street thieves—pickpockets and their ilk—so she was advised to be extra vigilant. I won’t name the city for fear of maligning it as a risky place for tourists, but I will divulge that citizens there eat more pasta per capita than anywhere else in the world. Lots more.

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