Photography Bay

Digital Camera News, Reviews and Tips

Vello Canon EF Lens to Sony E-Mount Camera Auto Lens Adapter Review

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The one thing I love about Sony cameras is the flexibility the cameras offer and how open Sony is to third-party lenses and accessories. If you go to any tradeshow, Sony reps will openly talk about how their cameras can use Canon or Nikon lenses (among others) on Sony cameras thanks to third-party lens adapters. A few years ago, these adapters were sometimes hard to find at a good price – but that’s no longer the case with a variety of options on the market today.

Today, we’re looking at the affordable Vello Auto Lens Adapter for Canon EF lenses to Sony E-Mount cameras. It works with full frame and APS-C format cameras and lenses. It passes focus and aperture functions through the adapter for full control of Canon EF and EF-S lenses on Sony cameras.

Unlike the previously-reviewed Metabones Speedbooster, the Vello adapter doesn’t have any optics inside. It is merely a mount adapter with electronics inside. It supports autofocus with USM and STM lens motors and autoexposure across the range of exposure modes on Sony cameras. [Read more…]

 

Canon’s 6D Mark II Just Plain Sucks

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I was so pumped when the Canon 6D Mark II rumors were pouring out and when it was announced. Then, early reports concerned me about the image quality; however, I was also a little hopeful that the numbers and charts wouldn’t necessarily reflect real world experience. After using the 6D Mark II for a few weeks, I’m disappointed to say that the images produced by the Canon 6D Mark II are as bad as the number and charts suggest. [Read more…]

Autonomous SmartDesk 2 Review

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If there’s one thing I hate, it’s sitting at a desk for hours on end. As a photographer, video editor and blogger, I’m tied to a desk quite a bit. Fortunately, standing desks are a thing now and their popularity has led to significant competition that has really driven prices down over the past couple years. Last summer, I got an Uplift Desk and have loved every minute of it.

The Uplift Desk is great – but it was not cheap at around $800 for my configuration. Autonomous contacted me a couple months ago and offered to send me a desk to review. While their new SmartDesk 2 starts at $299, the option I configured ended up being $524 for the dual motor version, walnut surface and accessory kit. As such, it was more feature-rich on paper than the Uplift Desk I already have. [Read more…]

Yuneec Q500 Typhoon 4K Drone Review

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Yuneec Q500 4K-5

I’ve been flying Yuneec’s Q500 Typhoon 4K quadcopter for several months. It is the total package from what you want and expect from a drone for the serious consumer. I’m a huge fan and all-aboard the Yuneec train.

I was introduced to Yuneec in April 2015 at NAB and got the chance to try out the Q500 series last fall. This review is long overdue but the recent price drops across the Typhoon line make them more attractive than ever and have nudged me to spread the word about this great little drone.

The flight and image capture experience is very similar to what you get from a DJI Phantom series drone. The biggest and most important difference for me is the included ST10+ transmitter from Yuneec. [Read more…]

Epson SureColor P600 Printer Review

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Epson SureColor P600 Printer-16

Epson unveiled its SureColor P600 13″ printer last fall and started shipping earlier this year. As a replacement for the popular R3000, the P600 is a first P-series (for “photo”) printer in the SureColor line. The ink set is entirely new and with deeper black density and improved contrast ratio and dynamic range.

As a 13″ printer, the P600 sits in the mid-range enthusiast and low-end of the pro market, while the 17″ Epson SureColor P800 is the latest Epson P-series printer that replaced the extremely popular 3880.
[Read more…]