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The Latest News:
Viltrox’s AF 85mm f/2 Lens For Nikon Z
credits: Viltrox
Viltrox’s new AF 85mm f/2 Evo lens, first announced for Sony E-mount earlier this month, is now officially available for Nikon Z-mount as well. That gives Nikon photographers a compact, full-frame portrait lens option at a lower price than most native Z-mount glass. The lens measures 78mm long (noticeably shorter than Nikon’s 85mm f/1.8 S) and weighs 360 grams. It also takes 58mm filters instead of the Nikon’s larger 67mm, making it easier/cheaper to accessorise.
Optically, the 85mm f/2 Evo features 10 elements in eight groups, including two ED and two HR elements that help correct chromatic aberrations and improve contrast. The nine-blade aperture produces smooth background blur, while the STM autofocus motor keeps focusing quick and quiet, useful for both stills and video work. The lens is also dust- and moisture-resistant, has a USB-C port for firmware updates, and includes a customisable function button, a de-clickable aperture ring, and an AF/MF switch.
While it is not as fast as Nikon’s f/1.8 version, the f/2 aperture is still capable for portraits, travel, and general photography. It also fills an interesting gap in Viltrox’s growing lineup, sitting between the faster, heavier 85mm f/1.4 Pro and the slightly pricier f/1.8 II. The Viltrox AF 85mm f/2 Evo for Nikon Z and Sony E is available for $275/315€.
You can see full details and sample shots on Viltrox’s website here
DxO Updates Its Photo Editing Apps
credits: DxO
DxO just rolled out a round of updates for three of its main apps, PhotoLab, PureRAW, and Nik Collection. Each one gets some small improvements, mostly aimed at making editing smoother and a bit more flexible. PhotoLab 9.2 sharpens its AI masking tools, PureRAW 5.5 now works more naturally with Photoshop, and Nik Collection 8.2 adds a new set of paper textures that give digital photos an analog look.
In PhotoLab 9.2, the AI masking tools are smarter about edge detail and fine textures like hair and foliage, so selections look cleaner and more natural. You can also organise masks more easily, rename them, reorder them, or keep duplicates tidy. The PhotoLibrary now has filters to quickly sort edited and unedited shots, and Windows users get an improved History panel that remembers every step across sessions.
PureRAW 5.5’s biggest change is tighter integration with Photoshop, you can now open DxO-processed files as Smart Objects and adjust settings later without redoing everything. The DeepPRIME XD3 noise reduction engine has also been extended to Fujifilm’s X-Trans sensors. Over in Nik Collection 8.2, Analog Efex gets 30 handcrafted paper textures that mimic fine art prints and old-school film stocks, with sliders for intensity, tone, and scale.
You can see full details on DxO’s website here
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Photo Analysis
Welcome to a new addition to the magazine: the photo analysis, where I will analyse a photo and talk about the composition, lighting what’s positive, what’s negative etc. so that you can learn and better your own photography from it ;)
This week’s photo by: Jack
You can find him on Instagram as: @susonsjack
Let’s Analyse this Image:
Composition & Framing
What works well:
The composition is well thought out, the path and the trees create a natural tunnel that pulls you right into the photo. The leading lines are also nice, stretching from the foreground all the way into the distance, which gives the photo the 3D depth effect.
Layering wise we have got the woman and child in the front, then the cyclist mid-frame, and the distant background. That separation gives the scene, again, a lot of depth and makes it feel immersive.
It is also nice how the cyclist is positioned in the centre of the path, framed naturally by trees, fence and the woman + child which work sort of like an indirect framing device for the cyclist —> guiding your eyes inward toward him.
The cyclist pops nicely, not just because he is in focus, but also because he is well separated tonally from the background. The blurred foreground and the depth of field help isolate him without making it feel artificial.
What could be better:
The foreground with the woman and stroller takes up quite a bit of space and feels a bit heavy. A slight repositioning before shooting might have balanced that weight better.
The left and right sides of the frame are a little unbalanced in ‘‘the amount of texture’’ —> the left side feels denser with more foliage while the right side drops off faster, making the tunnel less symmetrical than it first appears. This unevenness could have again been fixed with a small repositioning to better centre the lines, however that maybe could have jeopardised the framing/positioning of our subjects, so tough call to make out in the field to be fair.
Light & Atmosphere
What works well:
The light is soft and diffused, classic overcast autumn light that wraps around everything gently. It all looks very calm/cinematic without any harsh shadows or blown highlights.
The overall atmosphere is cozy and nostalgic, mostly due to the orange tones, the fallen leaves, and that haze in the distance of course. It all makes it feel like one chilly but peaceful late-autumn afternoon.
The light does a good job of keeping everything consistent, it is even and flattering, helping all the details and tones blend nicely.
What could be better:
The light, while beautiful, is a bit flat. A little bit of contrast, maybe some directional light or soft highlights hitting the cyclist, could have added even. more depth and focus to the main subject (but that of course is a dream scenario).
Lifting the shadows just slightly on the cyclist and in the tree canopy might have revealed more texture and detail without losing the mood.
Emotion & Story
What works well:
The story feels pretty simple, just a quiet autumn afternoon where everyone is doing their own thing/enjoying the colours. The woman and child walking together add tenderness/connection, while the cyclist brings a bit of motion and energy.
The fact that there are two subjects actually works really well here. The cyclist is clearly the main one, but the woman and child add an extra emotional layer, they make the photo feel like part of a larger story.
There is something nice about how disconnected yet harmonious they all feel. They don’t interact/know each other, but they coexistence in a calm shared space.
What could be better:
Since we can’t see faces or gestures clearly, the emotional connection is a bit distant. If one of the subjects had shown more expression or movement (like the child turning, or the cyclist clearly looking at them), it could have added more narrative weight, but as I always say the only thing the photographer can do here is be patient/observant enough to see such things, since he/she obviously can’t influence that.
The story definitely works on atmosphere more than detail, it is strong in mood but light on specifics. Not necessarily a bad thing, just depends on what you are going for.
Colour & Tone
What works well:
The colour palette is undeniably autumn, full of warm oranges and browns that wrap the whole scene in the typical seasonal warmth. It is consistent, cozy/moody, and instantly recognisable.
The tones are smooth and clean, with just enough contrast to keep things interesting without going harsh.
As touched on before, the cyclist’s cool-toned clothing (well the jeans and helmet) adds a nice pop against all the warmth, ‘‘balancing’’ the colour palette a bit and helping him stand out as the focal point.
What could be better:
The image leans a little monotone because of all the orange, which of course is not necessarily a flaw, it’s just part of the season’s look (and the scene is a park), but a touch more tonal variation (like a bit of green or neutral gray somewhere) could have added a bit more variation (again not really things you have too much influence over as the photographer, just maybe something you can look out for).
The highlights on the leaves could have been brightened just a bit to make them shimmer and give the photo some extra life.
The warm colour cast, while adding to the mood, slightly compresses tonal range, cooling the shadows a touch could have added more visual balance.
Balance
The photo’s balance works well overall. Even though the woman and child take up a big chunk of the frame, they are out of focus, off-centre and in the shadows enough that they don’t overpower our main subject.
The cyclist sits perfectly in the centre of the tunnel, grounding everything. The visual weight flows naturally from the left bottom foreground to the bright vanishing point all the way in the back.
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