The Sony 16-80 CZ lens is a DT SAL lens- quite dated at this point, and definitely end of life but one of my favorite lenses to work with. Originally part of the Sony alpha mount series, it was the first serious crop lens to come from Sony, and really just one of a few-…
Category: Photography
IRL Review Sony a77 II SLT camera
The a77ii is a prosumer “sports” oriented APSC camera that was released in the waning lights of Sony a-mount cameras. It was meant to provide an action oriented body to track action. I hesitate to say sports because sports has traditionally been tied to the Canon 1DX and Nikon D series bodies; and now the…
IRL Sony RX10 Cybershot review
Mark 1 RX10; this camera is so old I doubt anyone cares about it; its so old that one inch sensors while a hit before, are now largely taken out by computational photography. It was a camera that really got me excited at its announcement; large sensor, magnesium body, constant f2.8 24-200mm Zeiss zoom; of…
IRL review DSC-F717 and DSC-F707
Annnnnd I’m back doing IRL reviews; its been a while. Life got busy and I focused on other things than writing, but reflecting on vintage electronics still very much is my jam. The DSC-F717 and DSC-F707 were sort of legendary items in my mind; I knew about them and saw them in marketing but never…
Throwback IRL Review Sony Cybershot DSC-R1 Digital Camera
IRL Review (in real life) Sony CYBERSHOT DSC-R1 camera- The R1 was released in 2005 when digital cameras were really starting to pick up speed. I was sitting in a classical Greek mythology/literature course wondering if I should drop the course/reading the syllabus that had absolutely nothing I was interested in, and perusing DPreview.com when the…
Nikon D90 IRL Review
Nikon D90 IRL Review– The Nikon D90 was my first major foray into a serious large sensor camera. Prior to this, I had been dreaming of a large sensor camera for years. My previous cameras were all small sensor cameras. Previously, I had been mostly with point and shoots. My enthusiast venture started with the…
Sony 18-105 F4 OSS Lens IRL review
Sony 18-105 F4 OSS Lens IRL Review- The Sony 18-105 F4 OSS is one of the cheapest G lenses available. For those who are not aware, G lenses are supposed to be Sony’s higher end line up. this is difficult to decipher how Sony breaks this line up down, because they also have their Carl Zeiss…
Sony DSC-V1 Cybershot Digital Camera IRL Retro Review
Sony DSC-V1 IRL Review- Announced in 2003, the DSC-V1 was Sony’s second from the top model (sitting under the DSC-F515/505), and a spiritual successor to the DSC-S85. The V1 was meant to be a powerful portable digital camera, vs a gigantic behemoth, like the DSC-F828 I just reviewed. Its competitors would have been the P series…
Sony DSC-F828 Digital Camera IRL Retro Review
Sony DSC-F828 Cybershot Digital Camera IRL Review:The Sony DSC-F828 was announced in 2004, and was the successor to the DSC-F717 Cybershot digital camera. It was Sony’s flagship and amongst the first wave of 8 MP cameras (Canon Powershot Pro1, Nikon Coolpix 8800, Konica Minolta Dimage A1, and Olympus C8080, almost all using the same Sony…
Sony AS15 Action Cam and Liveview Remote IRL Review
Sony AS15 Action Cam POV Camcorder IRL (In Real Life) Review- I bought the Action Cam package on a whim- a massive deal had popped up with multiple discounts and while I had been toying with the idea of a GoPro, I didn’t really need one. After the discounts I needed one. There were scenarios where…
Sony NEX-5 ILC Camera IRL Review
Sony NEX-5 ILC Mirrorless Camera IRL Review– The Sony NEX-5 was a huge hit for Sony back in 2010. It fortold a huge shift in camera technology; the ability to provide DSLR quality in a much smaller package. It was also a shift in the market to focus on the enthusiast class camera- the need…
Review: Portable Tripods- Manfrotto Pocket Tripod, Joby Gorillapod, and Velbon Cube
Review: Portable Tripods galore! Haven’t gotten around to reviewing what I consider to be a focal part of my photography- tripods, tripods, tripods. I’ve gone through a number of tripods over the years and finding one that suits my needs best has been a tough tough battle. They can be tremendously useful at times, and…
The Forever Student Blog 